Border Odyssey by Charles D. Thompson

Author:Charles D. Thompson [Thompson Jr., Charles D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: 2015-04-11T04:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FOUR

National Park on the Line

BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK AND CHIHUAHUAN DESERT, MEXICO

THE BROCHURE PROVIDED BY THE RANGER STATION THAT WE read on our drive southward into Big Bend National Park addressed the question, “Is it safe?” The Park Service must have been getting that query regularly and decided to address it head-on. The brochure assured the reader that as long as tourists practice safe driving and watch out for wildlife, they should be free of danger. It warned, however, that buying goods from Mexican people who sell crafts at the river is illegal. Purchase souvenirs only at the designated official areas, the Park Service warned.

Searching the web under Big Bend and the question “Is it safe?” I found that a number of people seem to be afraid they will meet up with drug gangs there. Those familiar with the area, however, are quick to dismiss that fear. For one thing, they say, just south of Big Bend there is the harmless town of Boquillas and then beyond that “a whole lot of nothing.” They reason that if a drug gang wants to make trades with people, they would do so where there are roads, or where there are people to buy or carry the drugs. And those who ask about safety perhaps haven’t seen the height of the mountains or the depth of the canyons there either. Foot travel across the border is nearly impossible at many points in the park.

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