bacon the next morning and the warmth they bring . However , the equestrian trail beckons so we ride , trying to stay in the sunlight . A short detour through the Maravillas Creek bed and we climb to a view . Carefully weaving through candelilla , lechuguilla , and prickly pear . There is no straight path through this desert . Rocks at every step , often impassible . I ’ m glad my horse has four shoes now .

And like a cat up the tree , the path down isn ’ t always so clear . What looks flat is riddled with barrancas , deep gulleys hidden from view . Some too steep to circumvent . To the south there is no exit and eventually we turn , retracing our steps north .

Summer can make this an impossible place to stay . At one of the lowest elevations in the desert , temperatures in Black Gap can exceed 110 Fahrenheit . This is rattlesnake country . It ’ s remote . It ’ s untraveled and forgotten . In the summer , a flat tire can be the difference between life or death . Preparation is a must .

Back on the road we ride , attempting to access the river . With no clear route , we move off trail . A constant push through mesquite and river cane , only for the chance of a gentle slope to water . But the Rio is protected by the arms of this earth and our efforts prove fruitless .

Approaching headquarters a natural cleft in the basalt ridge northeast of the Sierra del Carmens of Mexico , called Black Gap , frames the base of this wildlife management area .

Fourteen miles in , we camp near an old , abandoned adobe ranch home at the confluence of Maravillas Creek and the Rio Grande . The smell of a driftwood campfire mixes with the gurgle of rushing water and the full moon watches it all . Wild burros stand across the river , high on a ledge . The hoot of an owl nearby . A herd of feral cows arrive to water , eyes glowing in the light , oblivious to the border presented by this river .

Here , temperatures can swing 40 degrees , and as the sun set that night the cold moved in . Campfire stoked , we enjoyed coffee and

Once there was a crossing , however . At the southern-most tip of Black Gap , the La Linda bridge was the only border crossing along almost 400 miles of highway . Built by Dow Chemical in 1964 and closed in 1997 , after a one-lane bridge gunfight between smugglers and a Mexican customs officer . This path to a foreign land now blocked by a hard barrier .

Hot and thirsty , a nearby camp serves as rest stop . Concrete for a bed roll , it ’ s naptime . Fly buzzing , metal shed moaning with each breeze . Dog panting . My horse licks his lips , dry tongue I ’ m sure .

Honest and brutal , this land can be deceiving . Welcoming , yet unwilling to let go – unwilling to let you leave . Always easier to ride up and in , than out . It reminds me to think . To mark my path and remember where I came from .

Sometimes difficult , but always rewarding . This desert echoes our vulnerability . Our place . Our value . And I am grateful for that every day .

There are 16 wildlife management areas in Texas open to horseback riding . Black Gap is one of them . �