Posts From The Road: El Camino Del Rio

Calm Waters: For a few miles out of Presidio the river is not visible but when it does come into view it is a calm flowing river, which is about 150 feet wide but not very deep. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Mexican Crops: For a portion of the drive, crops and small villages are visible across the river in Mexico. The crops create a stark green contrast to the desert landscape. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com

 

By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos

El Camino del Rio (The River Road) is a 66 mile stretch of Texas Highway 170 between Presidio, Texas and Big Bend National Park.

The scenic drive follows the border between the United States and Mexico and much of the road hugs the Rio Grande River.

Most of the drive travels through rugged desert mountains with many stops and pull offs for viewing the scenery. Also, several miles of the highway are a part of Big Bend Ranch State Park.

This is a drive that I have never taken on trips to Big Bend National Park but one that I will make again when in the area. We drove the road on a sunny and cool winter day in January but I would not want to be there in the summer as temperatures often climb well over 100  degrees.

Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country and he shares his photographs, which appear in the ‘Posts from the Road’ series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.

Rio Grande: The Rio Grande  is seen from above during parts of the drive in the most rugged and mountainous stretches. Deep canyons form and then disappear a few times  as you drive the road. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Long and Winding Road: This image shows a typical view of El Camino del Rio. The river in this view is in the shadow on the right while the road twists around on the hills above. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Shade Cover: Later in the day sections of the road were shaded by canyon walls or hillsides, which creates a more serene view. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
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