As I’m quite late relating the trip of VivaLaVida, I already post a new update…
 
Leaving the Big Bend area, I went back quietly to the Northwest, taking the path of Southern California where I had to join Andrew for our trip to Baja.
 
So I went to the Guadaloupe Mountains, an interesting mountain range. However, I stopped several times on the road, this time to Watch a beautiful sunset on the Texas plains…
 
 
1. Huge and rather dry pastures…
 

 
 
2. Soft light at sunset…
 

 
 
3. … on these endless plains…
 

 
 
4. … that adorn some rocky hills to counter the monotony.
 

 
 
5. Nice pics!
 

 
 
6. Small remote ranch…
 

 
 
7. Western landscape…
 

 
 
8. Natural stairs in a canyon of Guadaloupe Mountains.
 

 
 
9. Vegetal elegance…
 

 
 
10. El Capitan (Guadaloupe Mountains) at sunset.
 

 
 
11. Immensity…
 

 
 
The next morning, I hiked the Guadaloupe Mountains. Mountain range over 8000 feet, it has the distinction of having a depression on top, which holds water and creates an unexpected echosysem in the desert environment.
 
 
12. A young “mule deer” at sunrise.
 

 
 
13. Long hike uphill…
 

 
 
14. … forest on the summit depression.
 

 
 
15. Yes, they are bears there! 😀
 

 
 
16. Mark at Pine Top summit.
 

 
 
17. The next day, as I left the camp, a wave of polar air was coming. Retained by a ridge, it formed a curious fog seeming to overflow a saucepan. Beautiful but freezing!
 

 
 
I then headed to White Sands, an erg of white sand.
 
 
18. Good dirt road North West of Guadaloupe Mountains.
 

 
 
19. Still immense arid plains…
 

 
 
20. Distant view of the White Sands.
 

 
 
Once there, I had a little frustration because the site was closed. An army drone crashed there three days earlier. So I had to continue my journey toward New Mexico…
 
 
21. Late afternoon on VivaLaVida’s road…
 

 
 
That’s it for Texas, for now at least. I then went through New Mexico to visit two sites that I will present in the next update.