re: Big Bend National Park - Anyone been?

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in the absolute middle of nowhere.

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Yeah, it's a great place. The night sky is incredible, they say that it has the least "light pollution" in the country and the humidity is very low so the milky way can be stunning.

As others have said plan to camp up at the Chisos Basin campground in October and the hikes in the high country are the most interesting and coolest. Still, get down to the Rio Grande and take a dip in the hot spring next to the river (ask a ranger where it is but I think it's on the map).

Surprising amount of wildlife up high. There were black bears (crossed over from Mexico) around the campground and plenty of deer. There were a couple of mountain lion sightings by the lodge while we were there last time.

It's a different world and well worth the trip.

BTW, they opened the border crossing last spring so if you want you can hire a local to take you across the river for a beer in Mexico (have your passport). At times the river is so low it's really not that hard to walk across at places. Very few illegals cross though since there are only a couple of roads out and the border patrol checks everyone on them. It's far easier to cross into the US at other places on the border. Actually, Mexicans will cross at a couple of points and leave crappy art that you can buy with some money in a can. They watch from the other side of the river with binoculars. The National Park Service emphasizes how illegal it is to buy the stuff so of course I've got a wire scorpion on my desk now from the last trip.