Once I got out of jail and got the hell out of Alpine, of course things started looking up for sure. I thought of my friend Fernando from jail when I drove through Presidio on the way to the campsite in Big Bend Ranch. It was amazing to be a free person and to be out in the middle of nowhere, none of the human stain anywhere to be seen. Big Bend Ranch State Park is very remote, and the first 40 hours or so there, I saw not one other human being. Perfect, really, after seeing the worst side of our species.
Some pics of the various cactus explorations within Big Bend Ranch State Park itself. The only restricted endemic that occurs within the park is Echinocereus viridiflorus subsp. canus, a really cool shaggy thing that often has emerald green flowers. It's not too bad of a hike to see it, either, up on a very odd formation called The Solitario.
After a few nights camping at Big Bend Ranch and then vehicle accessible backcountry in Big Bend National Park, I headed back to Phoenix to visit M again. I was pretty freaked out still by the whole jail experience. I still have jail dreams. What a weird way to spend spring break.