>> AND WELCOME BACK.
LOOKING FOR A VACATION
DESTINATION THAT HAS SOMETHING
THE WHOLE FAMILY WILL ENJOY?
>> SOUNDS GOOD TO ME.
FROM HIKING TO BIKING AND
PLENTY OF PICTURE PERFECT
VIEWS, BIG BEND PARK DELIVERS.
ROBERT ALVAREZ IS THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR WITH VISIT BIG BEND.
ROBERT, A LOT OF US MAYBE HAVE
HEARD OF BIG BEN, BUT DESCRIBE
TO US WHERE DOWN IN SOUTHWEST
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON THE
SHOW TODAY.
ESSENTIALLY FAR WEST TEXAS,
THAT'S WHAT WE LIKE TO CALL IT,
BECAUSE IT IS VERY MUCH SO ON
THE VERY SOUTHERN AND WESTERN
FOR YOUR LISTENERS, YOUR
VIEWERS IN THE HOUSTON AREA,
ESSENTIALLY HEAD TOWARDS EL
PASO, HEAD WEST ALL THE WAY
UNTIL YOU ALMOST GET THERE,
HANG A SHARP LEFT TURN, GO
SOUTH, AND THERE'S THE BIG BEND
NATIONAL PARK SO, IT'S RIGHT AT
THE VERY EDGE OF SOUTHERN TEXAS
PORTION.
>> CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE
NATIONAL PARK?
IT IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE TOP
NATIONAL PARKS IN THE COUNTRY
TO VISIT.
>> THAT'S ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
THE NICE THING ABOUT BIG BEND,
THE FIRST THING I'D REALLY LIKE
TO SAY IS WE ARE RANKED NUMBER
15th IN SIZE OF ALL OF THE
NATIONAL PARKS IN THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY SO, WE ARE 15th IN
SIZE, BUT WE ARE ONE OF THE
LEAST VISITED.
THE NICE THING ABOUT THE PARK
IS THAT YOU WON'T HAVE A LOT OF
THE LINES THAT YOU DO AT SOME
OF MORE POPULAR OR BETTER KNOWN
NATIONAL PARKS.
SO BIG BEND IS 800,000 ACRES.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL AREA IN FAR
WEST TEXAS, INCLUDING OVER 150
MILES OF HIKING TRAILS.
IN THE NATIONAL PARK ITSELF,
YOU HAVE THREE DISTINCT RENTAL,
INTERESTING AND UNIQUE PART OF
THE BEND.
YOU HAVETHE DESERT AREA, AS
WELL AS THE RIVER REGION,
BECAUSE WE ARE RIGHT ON THE
BORDER, AND THE RIO GRANDE
NATION THE SOUTHERN BORDER OF
THE NATIONAL PARK.
ALSO, YOU HAVE THE MOUNTAIN
REGIONS.
THE MOUNTAINS MAKE A DISTINCTLY
DIFFERENT PORTION IN THE
NATIONAL PARK BECAUSE THE BIG
BEND IS ALSO THE ONLY NATIONAL
PARK WITH A FULL MOUNTAIN RANGE
CONTAINED WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES
OF THE PARK ITSELF, SO THE
CHISOS ADD THAT VERY UNIQUE
FLAVOR TO THEM.
THEY RISE UP ABOVE THE DESERT
FLOOR SO YOU REALLY CAN'T MISS
THEM.
THEY ARE THE ICONIC PORTION OF
THE BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK SO,
THERE'S LOTS TO DO OUT THERE,
LOTS TO SEE, AND IT IS MASSIVE.
IT'S A PRETTY BIG PLACE.
>> AND WELL, AND ROBERT,
BECAUSE IT IS SO BIG, 800,000
ACRES, AS YOU MENTIONED--
WEEK.
>> WHAT ARE SOME OF THE YOUR
HIGHLIGHTS?
WHERE SHOULD PEOPLE BEGIN?
>> OH, THAT'S FANTASTIC.
SHUSH THING.
THE ONE THING THAT WE GET IS A
LOT OF QUESTIONS IN THE TOURISM
OFFICE S-HOW LONG SHOULD WE
STAY IN BIG BEND, AND THAT'S
ENTIRELY UP TO THE VISITOR, BUT
IT IS LARGE.
SO TO REALLY GET A FULL GRIP
AND DEPTH OF THE NATIONAL PARK,
YOU CAN RACE THROUGH IT IN A
DAY, BUT THAT'S WHAT YOU'LL BE
DOING, JUST IN YOUR CAR DRIVING
THROUGH THE NATIONAL PARK.
IN THE PARK.
I BEGIN WITH THE MOUNTAINS.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DRIVE UP
THERE, AND EVEN RIGHT NOW
DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, LET'S
FACE IT, WE ALL LIVE IN TEXAS,
AND TEXAS IS HOT IN THE SUMMER,
INCLUDING THE BIG BEND NATIONAL
PARK, SINCE ITIS THE
CHIHUAHUAN DESERT.
THE PEAKS RANGE UP TO ABOUT
7,000 FEET, SO IT'S MUCH COOLER
THAN ON THE DESERT FLOOR, SO IF
I WAS TO SAY A PLACE TO BEGIN,
I'D BEGIN WITH THE CHI COS AREA.
I WOULD START THERE RATHER THAN
ON THE DESERT FLOOR.
BRANCH OUT TO THE TWO ICONIC
AREAS.
THE MAIN PART IS THE CANYON
THAT'S IN THE WESTERN PORTION
OF THE NATIONAL PARK.
IT'S 1,500-FOOT HIGH WALLS THAT
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL, AND
ESPECIALLY AT SUNRISE AND
SUNSET, I LIKE TO SAY THE
COLORS ON THE CANYON WALL JUST
KIND OF DANCE, WHEN THE SUN
HITS THEM JUST RIGHT, THEY TURN
IT'S ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.
AND THE OTHER THING WOULD BE
THE RIO GRANDE AREA SECTION,
WHICH IS RIGHT ON THE RIO
GRANDE.
>> ROBERT, I CANNOT WAIT TO GET
OUT THERE AND EXPLORE NEXT WEEK.
I UNDERSTAND THERE'S A REALLY
COOL APP THAT I CAN GET READY
FOR MY TRIP?
>> YES, ABSOLUTELY.
THE TOURISM COUNCIL, WHERE I'M
FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE THE
DIRECTOR OF, ACTUALLY JUST
LAUNCHED THIS LAST OCTOBER.
WE DID KIND OF A SOFT LAUNCH
AND THEN THE FIRST OF THE YEAR,
WE DID A BIG PUSH ON IT.
IT'S FROM A COMPANY CALLED JUST
MOBILE APP.
WHAT IT IS IS REALLY UNIQUE.
AS IN MANY NATIONAL PARKS,
THERE'S NO CELL SERVICE TO
SPEAK OF INSIDE THE BOUNDARIES
OF THE PARK, SO IT'S DIFFICULT
FOR FOLKS TO USE THEIR PHONE,
WHICH MOST PEOPLE LIKE TO USE
TO GUIDE US AROUND.
WELL, THIS MOBILE APP, ONCE YOU
DOWNLOAD IT FROM JUST AHEAD OR
VISIT BIG BEND.COM, IT'S
TOTALLY FREE.
IT WILL AUTO GUIDE YOU AROUND.
IN OTHER WORDS, A MAN WILL COME
UP AND START SPEAKING TO YOU.
ON YOUR LEFT IS THE CANYON, ON
YOUR RIGHT IS THAT, COMING UP
ITHE TUNE OF TRULINGA, SO IT
HELPS YOU WHERE TO NAVIGATE
INSIDE THE BOUNDARIES OF THE
NATIONAL PARK WHERE THERE'S NOT
A LOT OF CELL COVERAGE SO, IT'S
REALLY HELPFUL.
IT GIVES YOU TIDBITS THAT A LOT
OF FOLKS DON'T KNOW AS FAR AS
LIKE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT AND
WHERE YOU'RE HEADED TO NEXT.
>> ALL RIGHT, ROBERT, THAT
SOUNDS SO COOL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THE
INFORMATION.
>> VERY NICE.
>> THANK YOU, ROBERT.
AND TO START PLANNING YOUR TRIP
TO BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK AND
ONTO BIG BEND.COM.
THE JUST AHEAD APP BEFORE YOU