— The first time I made it to Big Bend Ranch State Park, I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was the state’s largest park, but its remoteness was unknown to me. After a very long drive (9+ hours), I made it to the bunkhouse near the Sauceda Ranger Station. Back then, in 2009, the park offered lots of things no longer available today. For example, the actual ranch house could be rented by rooms or in its entirety. Now, it’s been “under renovations” with no target date to have that completed. Another huge plus the park offered was the option to buy meals. You could add those to your bunkhouse or campsite cost. You could add breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner. For a park that remote, those meals were a big incentive, especially if you spent the whole day out hiking or biking. Those things are now gone. The kitchen is open to bunkhouse guests, but everyone needs to cook his/her own meals. I was recently there about a month ago and was surprised how well that worked. Another thing I missed this time around was a sunset such as the one I got back in 2009. There was just enough cloud cover to keep us from having epic sunsets. The shot above was taken just on the patio outside the bunkhouse.
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