Headed Out West (Day 1)

Prepped for our journey out West late last night by putting a few finishing touches on the West Texas Playlist and changing last minute reservations.  We left around 8am and trekked the opposite way of all the traffic out I-10.  Hit San Antonio around lunch time...that’s when I realized I didn’t pack the passports so I guess Mexico will have to wait until next trip.  
Probably better anyway, as I may have planned too many activities.  

So we drove and we drove and we drove...

First stop Balmorhea, founded in 1905 with around 400 people today.  Rode our bikes a little to get the wrinkles out of our old bodies.  We rode to Juan Mercantile where Kenny drank a beer just so he could say so😂. 

We rode around town until we worked up an appetite and walked to dinner to the cafe behind our hotel El Oso Flojo Lodge. (click link for more info.)

..

At the hotel, bird nests were lodged above every light and they sang the prettiest songs.  We couldn’t decide if they were trying to get in and out of their nests or dive bombing us as we walked by.

Go Bears! (The high school mascot)

Yes, we were riding without our helmets😞

Since the bikes were a last minute idea we didn’t think that through but it was nice to have them after all that driving.  It was a little weird riding around town where there were probably more RVs for fracking fellows than residents.  🚲🚲.  It was too cool for the pool and Balmorea State Park - but a lot of people go to the State Park The adventure continues tomorrow in Wink, Texas.

Wink and you’ll miss it! (Day 2)

It was a cool and crisp start to the day and we headed out Hwy 20 to Wink, Texas. The clear sky turned smoggy and we drove through tiny towns like Pecos that are now over run with oil industry.  We met our volunteer docent, Barbara who is an avid Orbison fan.  She enthusiastically told us about Roy and the town.

Wink, Texas

The museum is open by appointment but Barbara told us she only lives 5 minutes away.  It was looking like she was going to have a busy day as several people dropped in during our visit.

We even got to try on a pair of Orbison’s glasses!

Wink, Texas (Link)

Not much else here so we headed to Monahans for a bite. (Well, there is that giant sinkhole but you can’t get close to it because it's expanding. Barbara said at one time people were driving in it.)

Lunch was at Jazz Cafe in Monahans.  The building was an old theater at one time.

It's almost a little weird hearing Jazz music in the desert of West Texas.

Jazz Cafe

And when in Monahans be sure to visit the Sandhills.

Monahans Sandhills (Link for more info)

Yes, we slid down the hills.

We only rented one disk but we should've rented two so we could race!
The dunes were still wet from rain the day before.
The attendant in the Ranger Station said she'd never seen it like this (wet I guess).

Riding the Dunes Click the link to see me ride the hill.

Then we drove to Marfa through Pecos and Ft. Davis. 

Paisano Hotel

We saw the Paisano Hotel where James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor stayed while they filmed the movie Giant. We’ll stay here on another trip.  Today we’re headed to El Cosmico Camp Ground.  

Look!  We had our very own shower!

We ventured into town for appetizers and libations at The St. George and Paisano Hotels.

  

We finished our very busy day by heading back through Ft. Davis to the McDonald Observatory for a Twilight Program andStar Party.  I know we looked at a few star clusters M13 something or other 23 and 32 hundred thousand light years away and the Copernicus Crater on the moon.

So about those Marfa Lights...these were the only lights we saw😞.
That train sat there for about a half an hour at midnight.
So, we got to take an early morning outdoor shower but after getting hot and sandy - it felt great!  

Across the Rio Grande (Day 3)

After breakfast at Mando’s, (Spicy Salsa)

we went for a leisurely stroll down Highland Street in Marfa. The Visitor/USO Center was a good place to get the lay of the land and it was an interesting place in itself. 

To work off our breakfast we climbed to the top of the Presidio County Couthouse in Marfa. Here we could see all of the surrounding Marfa sites.

At the suggestion of the lady at the Marfa Visitor Center, we decided to take the scenic route Hwy 67 to the boarder at Presidio and from there we drove River Road (Hwy 170).
Riding along the Rio Grande River turned out to be a beautiful surprise.

We stopped on occasion to hike a trail and take photos.  We really wanted to stick our toes the Rio Grande but couldn’t find a spot that looked like a suitable hike for us.
Breaks my heart to think what the valley could like like with a giant wall running through it.
One local told me it might mean giving up the Rio Grande River.

 Kenny's under that rock!

I call this one “The Angel and her Cat”

This was a beautiful stop that later we canoed through...

Overlooking the Rio (Click link)

Ok, I think we’d agree that Terlingua Ghost Town was strange.  Too much going on with people living there (junk), artists and little to no explanations for the ruins.

         

But hey, we went in the General Store and saw the Starlight Theater which wasn’t open until 5 p.m..  With a little time the place grows on you.  So we headed on to our nights destination,
Terlingua Ranch Lodge (link) about 14 miles from town.

We learned that the Terlingua Ranch property was purchased by Carol Shelby (of Ford Racing fame) et al, after they used to come out here and ride motor bikes, hunt, drink and eat good food.

It's a great place for a glass of wine and to watch the sunset!