Getting a trip figured out for May turned into a bit

of a frenzy. We had wanted to make a 10- or 12-day

trip to somewhere cooler returning home just before

Memorial Day weekend to avoid the crush of the

holiday — you know ... a “last hurrah” trip to cooler

climates before it got any warmer. Terry had it in his head that Memorial Day fell on the 5th weekend in May. But no. In reality — you know ... what the rest of the world knew — it fell on the 4th weekend in May ... right in the middle of the 10 days we had planned to be away. So everywhere we considered going was already booked for that weekend. We could get into places before that weekend and after that weekend ... but not over that weekend. We were totally bummed because it meant that we’d be stuck at home for a whole five weekends between trips! (We know ... no pity here — as often as we are able to sneak away. Boo-hoo for us, right??) Nonetheless, it seemed like an excruciatingly long time … knowing all the time that the later we went, the warmer it was likely to be! We could almost hear the moss growing on the Bambi’s tires!

But hey, that’s the breaks. So we sucked it up, shifted gears and decided to begin our trip on 26 May, the day after Memorial Day. But where to go? We’d been to the White Mountains in April and we’d been to San Diego in December. Besides, all those places are pretty much booked on weekends after Memorial

                                    Day. So we looked eastward and found an inviting-

                                        looking area in — (drum roll) — Texas! Yup, Texas, at

                                           Davis Mountains State Park, near Fort Davis, TX,

                                             smack dab in the middle of the horn of Texas that

                                            sits below New Mexico. There’s a small range of

                                         mountains surrounded by flatlands where there park is

                                            located. The weather forecast looked promising

                                          (cooler there than Tucson, anyway) and it was

somewhere we’d never been, so we decided to go for it. Texas! Yee-Haw! We made reservations on line, committing to four nights and decided to leave the

balance of accommodations for our time away to fate. We certainly didn’t waste the Memorial Day weekend, either. We used it to get the Bambi, the truck and us ready for the trip ... so that when departure day came we would be more

than ready.

We finished packing and got the truck gassed up ($2.139/gal in Tucson) the day before, so we were able to leave the driveway at 10:00 AM Tuesday morning heading west on I-10. It was an easy drive through southern Arizona on the Interstate, a route we’d taken many times before on ventures to that part of the state. We lost an hour entering NM, which participates in Mountain Daylight Savings, unlike Arizona. After leaving Arizona and driving on the wonderfully smooth highways in New Mexico (and later in Texas) … we had to ask ourselves, “Why are the roads in NM and TX so much better than those in AZ?” It was really night and day. The Interstate, after all, is a federal highway, not       a state route. Yet we literally felt the Interstate improve under our wheels the moment we crossed the state line.

We gassed up in Lordsburg, NM … it was $2.199 at Love’s ($2.499 at Chevron) ... and drove on to Deming and Las Cruces, NM. Once past Deming we were in new territory pulling the Bambi. Our adventure to new places had officially begun! We didn’t stop in Las Cruces, but we did note several potential places to stop for the night should we need to coming home. From Las Cruces, it’s a short drive of about 40 miles to the Texas border and to El Paso. Unfortunately, we hit El Paso about 4:30 PM … right in time for rush hour. Not a pretty thing. We were amazed at how El Paso has sprawled since the last time we’d been through there (in pre-RV days). And the traffic was horrible. We decided to top off the tank in El Paso, and were surprised that gas was so expensive … $2.479. Terry asked a guy using the neighboring gas pump if these prices were pretty normal and he said that it was the cheapest gas in El Paso! Texas (oil country) ... go figure.

El Paso sits right on the Mexico border with Juarez, Mexico, on the opposite bank of the Rio Grande. The cityscapes of El Paso and Juarez,

both in view from the interstate, contrast dramatically

in terms of how buildings look and are maintained …

We see this type of contrast between Nogales,

Mexico and Nogales, AZ at the US/Mexico border.

It just takes one visit to a border town to make one

appreciate what we take for granted in the USA in

terms of infrastructure and public works. Perhaps a

trip to a border town should be a required educational experience for Americans. It could be called an exercise in “ America Appreciation.”

We got through the frantic traffic of El Paso at rush hour and continued south on I-10, following the Rio Grande and the US/Mexico border. We stopped at a rest stop near Fabens, TX, probably 25 miles or so south of El Paso, to stretch our legs and water the Girls, who had been sleeping most of the time since we left Tucson — they are such good little troopers and travel well. The rest stops in Texas are great! There were several ramadas with grills for travelers, along with facilities, of course … and there is even free WiFi! You are allowed to stay 24 hours in Texas rest areas if you wish. We thought it was very nice. In fact, we have stayed in less appealing places ... a had to pay for it!

We thought about staying at the Fabens rest area for the night but looked at a map and decided to drive on toward Van Horn, TX, roughly 80 or 90 miles further east. Terry had done research for possible places around Van Horn to

                                stop for the night, so we thought we could make it at least

                                    that far. I-10 leaves the Rio Grande several miles south of

                                      Fabens and cuts due east. We lost another hour just

                                      before Van Horn as we entered Central Daylight

                                    Savings Time. We decided to top off the gas again in Van

                                     Horn ($2.359) and drove through town to check it out. We located the two RV parks Terry had found in Trailer Life and Woodall’s Directories. Neither looked very inviting, so we decided to continue to the next Texas rest area and stay there for the night. It sounded better than a run-down trailer park calling itself an “RV resort” ... and the price was right.

Weather had been nice all day … it had only been in the mid 80s most of the trip — we thought it might be hotter coming across the desert — you know ... driving through “the flames of hell” just to get somewhere cooler! But we didn’t feel like that at all. We arrived at the rest area, about 10 miles east of Van Horn and were pleased with what we found. It was even nicer than the rest area we’d stopped at near Fabens. There was green grass with a sprinkler watering an area next the ramada we parked near. (Water sprinklers are not seen often in Tucson, so just that was a treat of sorts.) It was actually quite inviting. We pulled up to the curb near a water fountain, put down the Bambi’s step to the sidewalk and set up temporary housekeeping. We left the trailer hitched up but disconnected the umbilical cord from the truck. We walked and fed the girls, fixed a light dinner and ate at the picnic table in a ramada ... all in time to enjoy a pretty sunset to the west over the flatlands of that part of West Texas. It had been a good first day out.

We had chosen a site away from the restroom building so we’d be as far away as possible during the night as folks stopped. We switched on the ceiling vent fan and inverter and watched a movie on the DVD player. By the time

Terry took the Girls for their last walk of the evening, the rest area

was fairly filled with overnighters … RVs, travel trailers, trucks,

and cars lined both sides of the road as weary travelers caught a

wink or two. The cool night air being pulled in through the vent

by the fan was very nice. We slept amazingly well considering the

traffic from the Interstate and coming through the rest area all

night. Actually, the rumble of passing trucks on the Interstate and those in the rest area with their engines idling to keep the refrigerators cranked up was rather relaxing. It all became part of the background for the night.

Well rested, we got up Wednesday morning, took the Girls for their morning “constitutional” along the dirt road beyond the grassy area in the rest area, and fed them outside in the ramada. Many travelers had already moved on by the time we got up, but we were by no means the last to hit the road. Before heading out, we moved the Bambi closer to the main facilities so we could get better WiFi reception, but it wasn’t the greatest. We managed to downloaded some of our email but someone had sent a large file, so the download was slowed ... we finally gave up waiting and headed on our way east.

At Kent, TX, we turned south off I-10 onto Texas Route 118 … which meanders through the Davis Mountains toward Davis Mountains State Park and Fort Davis. We could have turned south at Van Horn and gone south along the western and southern edges of the mountains to come into the park from a southern approach. But we thought this route would be a more interesting drive. And it was! The road was obviously not heavily traveled and it was a little strange as we headed south because there was no traffic at all, save for a few bicycles and motorcycles. “Was this where they filmed ‘The Hills Have Eyes’?” we wondered ... you know, the movie about the RVers who take a back road, have mechanical trouble and get stranded, only to find themselves prey to the locals who were, shall we say, “less than socialized” … anyway that’s another story. But it was weird, and we wondered if we perhaps should have taken the longer route around the mountains. Despite the sense of isolation, the drive was pretty as we climbed the hills and dropped into valleys spotted with scrub oak and unexpected collections of cacti — a variety of cholla that we don’t usually see growing wild in Arizona. The road narrowed considerably as we progressed and we thought it looked like a one-lane road that someone had decided to    paint a stripe in the middle of so they could call it a two-lane road. It was very narrow. We were glad there was very little traffic. It was “interesting” to be

on the road pulling a trailer. But when we reached McDonald Observatory,

a research unit of the University of Texas at Austin, the road suddenly

improved and widened. Apparently the more-travel section of Route 118 is

between Fort Davis and the Observatory!

Several miles past the Observatory, we turned and corner and suddenly we had arrived at Davis Mountains State Park. We say “suddenly” because we had not been there before and when we rounded that curve, it seemed a bit of a surprise that we were there already. We arrived about noon local time. Terry took the reservation paperwork and went into the office to finish paying for our stay and get a campsite assignment. It’s a small world ... there was a guy in the office who was headed to Show Low, AZ the next day, so Terry had to give him some ideas on where to stay (namely Fool Hollow Lake State Park). You just never know when you’re going to run into someone who needs some of your travel tips!

Davis Mountains is one of those parks where you make a “non-site-specific” reservation. In other words, you make a reservation for a space, then when you

               arrive they assign a site to you based on your unit length, etc. If you

                    had been there before and wanted a specific site, we’re sure they

                    would accommodate you unless it was already taken. But since this

                    was our first time there, we took what they assigned us to, site #8 at

                    the very end of one of the full hookup pull-through section —

                    water, electric, sewer and cable! Woo-hoo! (We figured out that the reason they offer cable is that there is no viable TV reception of any kind in the area.) Nor did we have cell reception or broadband air card Internet reception in the park since it was remote and situated in a canyon … bummer.

There were four other Airstreams in the park when we arrived, including a 75th Anniversary Special Edition Bambi! Our site was located at the very end of a dead end loop along the dry creek bed. It looked out onto the creek, the woods and tent camping sites on the other side of the creek. We got set up and took the Girls for a walk. While walking though a neighboring loop, we met Norman & LouAnn from Midland, TX who were there with their brand spanking new 19’ Bambi Safari SE on their shake-down cruise. Their Bambi is just like ours, just newer. Norman & LouAnn are very nice folks and we hit it off well right away … we’re looking forward to crossing paths with them again at some point. Maybe we’ll get them to Arizona sometime!  They were the only other Airstreamers we met in the park ... the others were either gone or not outside every time we passed by.

That first afternoon was warm, the cicadas were singing, which is a common summer sound in Tucson’s heat … but about 5:00 PM it started to

cloud up and sprinkle … we had a nice light afternoon rain that was very pleasant. We had the awning down with one corner lowered to let the rain run off ... We sat outside under the awning enjoying the refreshing rain. It cooled the air and freshened everything for the evening.

Terry did a little work for a few clients that he learned needed to be done from the email downloaded earlier in the day. Then, before it got too late we drive up to Indian Lodge about a mile from the campground in the park grounds. The ranger at check-in said the Lodge might have its WiFi up…and it was!

We sat in the patio under the covered porch and took care of email

and sending files to clients and printers. There were swallows

putting on a great show for us … the mothers were catching insects

and going back to their mud nests in the rafters of the ramada to

feed their young. It was very cool to watch, and not more than a

few feet above our heads. Having discovered that WiFi was

available at the Lodge, Terry made a daily drive to the Lodge to check emails and transfer files. He had a few projects to deal with while we were there. At the Lodge, you could sit in the quiet lobby or out in the courtyard or under the porch area with swallows. It was a wonderful setting.

The Indian Lodge resembles a Southwestern Native-American-style, multilevel pueblo village sitting on a hillside in the park. The historic section of the Lodge was constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and features the original interiors and furnishings. In 1967, a major construction project was completed, including renovation of the original structure, which has eighteen-inch adobe walls, hand-carved cedar furniture, and ceilings with pine beams. Readers of Texas Highways magazine voted the Lodge the number one accommodation in Texas in 1992. Besides hotel accommodations, there is a restaurant and gift shop. So those of you who don’t have an RV or tent, you can still stay in the park! After our visit to the Lodge, we headed back to the campground for a nice dinner of hot bagel sandwiches, a movie and then to bed… the weather was cool and humid. It was quite refreshing, and again, we all slept very well.

On Thursday, we did our regular routine … out of bed, take the Girls for their

                    morning walk and then feed them — before we take care of any of

                         our own personal needs, mind you. And boy, do they know the

                          routine! The minute we get back from their morning walk they

                           were both beside themselves waiting to be fed. Sadie has taken

                         to be making these urgent and impatience little barks until she

                          gets her morning dish … it’s both annoying and endearing.

                          That morning two of the Airstreams were gone. Unfortunately we never got to meet (= bother) the owners of any of the Airstreams besides Norman & LouAnn. There were a few opportunities, but none of them seemed interested in chatting. Oh, well.

That afternoon we drove to Fort Davis, a quiet but historical little town just south of the park and sits on the Limpia Creek. We found it interesting to learn during our researching this trip that Fort Davis, also the Jeff Davis County Seat, is the highest elevation town in Texas (!) at about 5,500’. We stopped at combination liquor store and antique mall … we thought that was and interesting combination. Didn’t find anything, but we hit pay dirt at the humane society thrift shop a little further into town. We did a once-through and then while Terry was chatting with the volunteers behind the counter, Greg found a great find … a bronze Soleri Windbell from Arcosanti, AZ! We have several of these special bells and have visited Arcosanti, a fascinating experiment in urban living founded by Paolo Soleri, and Italian-born architect

(see our trip to Cottonwood and Prescott, AZ in April of 2008 for

more information). It was just $5.00 for a bell that is $82.00 on line.

It was missing the fin that catches the wind and clangs the clapper,

but those are easily replaced. In fact, we went online and ordered

one. It was $6.00 … more than we had to pay for the bell! But hey …

we were quite excited as we headed to the car.

The elderly couple who were the volunteers at the resale shop wanted to know where we were from so we told them, and chatted a bit about Fort Davis. (“You ain’t from around these parts, are ya?”) Each of them was on their second spouse, had moved to California at one point, but didn’t like it, then began searching for a place to light. Then they found Fort Davis, TX. They were quite fun … we enjoyed kibitzing with them. It’s nice to see that generation in a happy place. They were tickled that we found something to buy and invited us back “real soon.”

We drove to the other edge of town past the town square  just to see what was there. The precursor of the town was the settlement of Chihuahua, which formed just southwest of the military post of Fort Davis when it was established in 1854. The fort was on the site of an earlier Indian village, which the earliest Anglo-American explorers called Painted Comanche Camp. The area has a colorful history which is best summarized on the Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce website.

After touring Fort Davis, we returned to the park and started to download pictures from the camera when Norman & LouAnn stopped by to visit. We had a great time with them, and had a lot of laughs exchanging our camping and Airstreaming experiences and sharing our outfitting tricks and hints … and, of course, showing off our “Wild West” décor and the new “Bomber Jacket” ultra suede dinette slip covers that Greg made just before this trip. We think we’ve found a couple of new members for the Airforums in Norman & LouAnn, as well as some new Airstream friends. The world is growing

smaller and smaller, and it’s a blast. Looking forward to crossing paths

with them again!

After finishing the photo download, Terry drove up to the Indian Lodge hotel to check email and see if anything was needed by anyone… He used the hotel lobby this time where the connection was a little stronger. While he was taking care of a few work things, Greg heated up some of his yummy chicken enchiladas for dinner. After dinner, Terry dealt with more client needs and then we both went to the Indian Lodge to send files and check on the internet for information for an upcoming AZBambi Décors project … slip covers and curtains for Airstream friends Ron & Mark’s vintage unit. We’re looking forward to helping them with their interior when we return home. It was nearly 10:30 PM local time by the time we got back to our campsite, so we took the Girls for their final walk of the evening and settled in for a movie.

On Friday, we got up a little later and decided to drive to Marfa and Alpine, TX. Marfa is about 25 miles southwest of Fort Davis. The road there is pretty hill country occasionally spotted with huge green houses where they grow hothouse tomatoes, we presumed. They looked a little otherworldly because they had huge footprints and sat out in the middle of wide flatlands. They certainly get enough sun in this area. Marfa is the home of the Chinati Foundation and a modern art museum. We were too late for the tour, but we could see the several large buildings that contain permanent installations of the late modern artist Donald Judd (1928-1994) from New York who founded the Chinati Foundation. The Judd Foundation works hand in hand with the Chinati Foundation to preserve and maintain Judd’s artistic vision and legacy.

Interestingly, right next to the museum was an uninhabited (and unfortunately closed) RV park with a fun collection of vintage trailers, including an Airstream, a Spartan, and what appeared to be a Silver Streak … we didn’t know what the others were … or why. There was no access to get very close, so we had to view from afar. It looked like it may have been an active RV park at some point. Perhaps they rented trailers out like motel rooms like The Shady Dell in Bisbee, AZ does (see our trips to Bisbee in October 2007 and November 2008). If the latter is the case, they could take some hints from The Shady Dell, which is a delightful place to visit.

In the downtown area of Marfa near the Presidio County Court House (Marfa is

                             the County Seat) is a beautiful deco hotel, the Hotel Paisano.

                                    The beautiful lobby of the restored pueblo-deco style

                                       Hotel Paisano records images from the making of

                                        George Stephen’s academy award-winning film

                                         “Giant,” starring Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, and

                                         Rock Hudson. More academy awards, including Best

                                        Picture and Best Director for the Coen brothers’

                                         adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s “No Country for

                                          Old Men,” and Best Actor and Best Cinematography for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” again put Marfa on the cinematic map.

Marfa, with the Judd legacy and the interesting history and beautifully preserved deco architecture is a definite artist’s community ... there were several art galleries, not to mention the museum … although it seemed an unlikely spot for such renown. It’s an interesting town at the very least. It was Friday and apparently there was a “big game” for the local high school that evening, as the town cop led a rally parade through town with kids and supporters following behind, all honking their horns … it was a charmingly small town display of spirit. We stopped at a thrift store there, too, but didn’t find anything.

Perhaps as well known as the Hotel Paisano and the Chinata Foundation Museum is Texas’ answer to the UFO legacy of Roswell, NM — the Marfa Lights … sometimes called the Marfa Ghost Lights or the Mystery Lights of Marfa. (Do a Google search and you’ll get a lot of hits.) About 15 miles

east of Marfa on Route 97/60, toward Alpine, Texas, in an area

known as Mitchell Flat, one can witness this legendary phenomenon

several times a year. The lights are reported to be basket-ball-sized

globes of light hovering about shoulder height in the night sky. They

have been reported only at night, and their appearance seems not to

coincide with any other phenomenon, cycle or time of year. There is even a state-built Marfa Mystery Light Viewing Center alongside the road for curious thrill/UFO-seekers to experience the widely celebrated phenomenon. The Marfa High School Gifted and Talented students designed the center with the help of Texas Department of Transportation … so you know there’s gotta be something to it … unless you’re a total skeptic of these sorts of things. (But where’s the fun in that?) We did not try to see the lights because we were not in the area in the evening, but if we go back to this part of Texas we will definitely try to see them ourselves.

A gentleman and his wife from Odessa, TX occupied the site next to ours in the campground in Davis Mountains State Park … but he had been raised in Marfa and was a veritable treasure-trove of tales and yarns about the Marfa Lights. He told us a detailed story of his experiences with the Marfa Lights, including one evening when he and his young bride and small children saw the lights. When they left for the road home, he claimed that the lights followed them for several miles. When he realized they were being followed, he stepped on the gas but they sped up with no apparent effort. Unfortunately, he was stopped by a state trooper, and when he related his story to the trooper, it became clear that the trooper had heard that story several times before ... from speeders’ efforts to justify their lead foot. But he swore it was true. Who knows? In these situations I tend to just shake my head and say something like, “Isn’t that something?” so as not to degrade the story-teller’s credibility. In the end he said that he had seen the lights many many times … far more frequently than is officially reported … and that we “could go out there any night around dusk” and see for ourselves. Maybe next time. Wonder if alcohol consumption helps one’s vision.

Our next stop was Alpine, TX, the largest town in the area and home of the Sul Ross State University, named after Sullivan “Sul” Ross, and a member of the Texas State University System with an enrollment of about 1800 students. It seemed like a pleasant town and was no doubt the hub of economy and commerce in this part of the state. Besides wanting to check it out, we were searching for decent gas prices so we could fill up the tank. Gas was $2.659 in Fort Davis (!) and $2.459 in Marfa, so we were hoping to find gas a little better priced in Alpine since it’s larger (which we’ve found isn’t always an indicator of better gas prices). We did end up getting gas at $2.439 in Alpine, which is as good as it was going to get in this area, we decided.

The highlight of Alpine (aside from getting gas) was stopping along side the highway so Greg could take pictures of some very friendly burros in a pasture. There was a sign near the store next to their pasture that said their names were Pete, Penelope and Petunia … very cute and very friendly. It looked like one of

                              those tourist things where you can pay a fee to feed and pet

                                     the burros. But we sidestepped that and went right to the

                                        source along the public roadside. Of course, the burros

                                         didn’t get any treats, but they obviously enjoyed being

                                        petted, immediately putting their ears back to make the

                                         most of the interaction and getting as close as

                                         possible. It made it difficult for Greg to get a good picture … he has this thing for burros. Terry stayed with the truck and kept an eye on the farmer next door to make sure there were no shotguns involved. We also were pleased to see pronghorn antelope along this drive, too … both mixing in with the cows in fields and on their own in the countryside. We thought it was interesting that they were hanging out with the cows. We presumed they were just trying to “fit in,” as to not be noticed and to get a good meal. We are easily amused.

From Alpine, we drove north on Texas Route 118 back toward Fort Davis through a beautiful canyon area of this part of the country. It was really quite pretty. We saw more pronghorn antelope and some very pretty hill country. There were some huge homes along the drive, situated in large plots surrounded by prairie. We figured they were the homes of the ranch barons in the area. We fully expected to see Barbara Stanwyck standing on the veranda of one of them looking out over her spread slapping her leather gloves into her hand as he did when portraying Victoria Barkley in The Big Valley” TV series. (Remember? That vision is burned into our memories for some reason.) Anyway ...

This side trip of Fort Davis southwest to Marfa, east to Alpine and northwest back to Fort Davis made a large triangle in the countryside south of the Davis Mountains. It was interesting and we were able to get a better sense of the area by exploring it this way, and worth the time and miles it took. It was a pleasant day trip. If we’d proceeded further south we would have been approaching the west end of Texas’ Big Bend area. That will have to wait for another trip.

Back at the campground we took care of business … walking and feeding the Girls and ourselves and getting ready for another quiet evening. Javelinas invaded the campground that evening for the first time … they just wondered through like nobody’s business…we saw 4 in one group…two were in our camp site at our picnic table and were very interested in the Girls’ dishes

that we’d left outside after they had their dinner. (Rumor has is that

they love dog food.) At first this was a little worrisome because

wild javelinas, common in southern Arizona, can be quite nasty and

dangerous when cornered or challenged. But it appeared that these

were relatively used to people and were mostly out for what they could find to sniff and eat. It was kind of comical to watch them poke along at their own pace, not even flinching when the flash of the camera went off. We also saw white tail deer in camp. They also were quite unafraid of people, though a bit more skittish than the porkers. We did see our neighbor holding a carrot in his mouth and allowing the deer to take it, however ... the same neighbor who saw the Marfa Lights ... maybe we should believe him!

Saturday, we were up an at ’em about 9:30 AM … Out Marfa-Light-seeing neighbor was gone, and another Airstream that we had been able to see from our site had taken off … and when we took a walk later in the morning to Norman & LouAnn’s site, we saw that the 75th Anniversary Special Edition Bambi had left, too. Then we saw that Norman & LouAnn were gone, too… We thought they were staying till Sunday for some reason, but we obviously had that wrong … We later heard from them via email and learned that they had intended to stop by on their way out, but they were having an issue with the sway control hitch and just wanted to hit the road. We certainly could understand that.

We decided to stay another night at Davis Mountains beyond our original reservations, so Terry drove to the ranger station and paid for another night … that would have us leaving on Monday rather than Sunday. That afternoon while Terry was at the Indian Lodge doing email, a big thunder and rain storm started, but when it started he headed back to the camp site …  it rained cats and dogs…the creek beside our campsite was running for the first time since we’ve been here … it rained quite a bit, so we lowered one corner of the awning again to let the water run off without collecting. It was very refreshing and welcomed. While Terry was gone a Silver Streak trailer had pulled into the empty site next to us … we agreed that we thought it was the one we had seen at a gas station in

                        El Paso and then again on I-10 when we were stopped at the rest

                             stop. That evening we talked to the Silver Steam’s owners

                                later and we were right … they were the ones we had seen

                                in El Paso. They had just bought it from a guy there and

                               were gassing up for the trip home when we saw them. This

                              was their second Silver Streak. They used to have an

                               Airstream until it got totaled several years ago. That’s when they got their first Silver Streak. They let us see inside. It was beautifully preserved and in excellent condition. They were very excited to have it and we could understand why. They thought it was funny that the ranger had put them next to us at check in. They must keep all the aluminum together, you know.

The storm knocked out the cable system for a while, so while the cable was down we took the opportunity to download some more pics and walk the Girls after the rain. Since it was still wet, we had to dry off the little doggie bellies after the walk … especially Sadie, as she is pretty low slung. The rain really cooled things off … it was actually chilly that night, but we really enjoyed it! It was the perfect night to have a salad and spicy spaghetti sauce!

Sunday was our last full day in Davis Mountains State Park. We got up late, had a nice breakfast of eggs, sausage and toast, and then took a walk ... then drove to the two scenic overlooks from which you can see the whole park, the Indian Lodge…and the town of Fort Davis on the east side of the hills… We also drove through the entire park to look at the various camping areas so we’d know what’s what the next time we came here. It’s quite a nice park with good areas for tenting with no amenities, some sites with just water … and then a bunch of sites with electricity and water … plus, of course, the RV sites with full hookups, including cable (two loops). We were surprised at just how many camp sites there were in the small canyon that formed the camping areas.

Back to the Bambi, Greg got out the sewing machine and made a vinyl trash bag holder for the trailer that we can hang off the pantry door with a plastic grocery bag inside … looks great. This is something we’ve been talking about for a while, so he just sat down and figured it out. Then he made some “cozies” for our pilsner glasses and finished up a bolster to match the new “Bomber Jacket” slipcovers. He had a productive afternoon!

Terry fixed cocktails and got the grill ready for hot dogs. Oh, yes. In Texas state parks, it is “an offense” to publicly display or drink alcoholic beverages.

In other words, put your beer in a container other than a beer can

and don’t walk around camp with a glass of wine that looks like a

glass of wine … or the booze Nazis might get you. Seems a bit

archaic, but then this was Texas, which used to be a blue-law state,

and which still has some dry counties if we remember correctly.

What can we say? Drink responsibly ... and discreetly, dang it!

The cable went out again that evening for some reason…and it didn’t come on again that night, so we watched a movie and hit the hay. It wasn’t on the next morning either, and the park management wasn’t aware of it, because a ranger came by and asked if our cable was working. Since it was the day we were leaving, it was no big deal to us. Had we been staying another night, it would have been a big deal. What? No cable??

Monday morning we packed up camp leisurely. Check out time was not until 2:00 PM and it was only about 32 miles to our next destination, Balmorhea State Park, so we didn’t feel like we needed to rush. We got out and on our way about noon. Balmorhea State Park is down out of the mountains to the Northeast ... near I-10. It’s a strange little park in the nothing little town of Toyahvale (and we mean nothing!). There’s nothing in Toyahvale except a couple of abandoned stone buildings and a little post office … and across the road from those is Balmorhea State Park. We pulled in and checked in and signed on for 2 nights. It’s a relatively small park with an RV area that has very few trees (unfortunately), but each site has water and electricity and cable … again, for the same reasons that Davis Mountains had it … no other TV without it. This and Davis Mountains are the only two parks in Texas with cable service ... and we found them both! Each site has a shelter, a grill and a fire ring. We got situated and took the Girls for their introductory walk ... the highlight of their travel day, of course.

There’s not much at Balmorhea to do except to enjoy it’s claim to fame ... a 1.5 acre swimming pool built in the 30s by the Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) and fed by clear cool San Solomon Springs that bubbles up from the natural bottom. The pool has fish and turtles in it, and in one area is 25 feet deep so you

               can go scuba diving.  Imagine, scuba diving in the middle of west

                    Texas! The scuba diving area has the natural bottom. There is a 3’

                     wading “wing” of the pool with a cement bottom, a 200’ wide

                       round central area that has a cement bottom, then drops off into

                    the deeper area with the natural bottom … then another “wing” that

                      rises from 25’ deep to 12’ deep and has two diving boards, one

                        low and one high. You can walk around the entire pool ... it is skirted by grassy areas with picnic tables. There’s a men’s and women’s shower room as well. We left the Girls in the AC and went for a swim (no dogs allowed in the swimming area, of course). It was pretty busy ... and obvious that the locals come from all around to enjoy it … some by the bus load. But there was plenty of room for everybody and it seemed to be a happy and laid back crowd. There was even a scuba class going on when we were there. It’s a little surreal to think of scuba diving in the flatlands of West Texas. So don’t forget your snorkels when you head to West Texas! (More details of the pool and the springs can be found at the link above.)

There is also an inn in the park, the San Solomon Court, that sits next to a canal that comes from the pool, winds through the park, and eventually provides water for irrigation and Balmorhea Lake. So those who want to enjoy the park but don’t want to tent or RV can stay in the San Solomon Court. Since we were out of the mountains, we have better broadband connection, so we are able to send/receive emails again ... that was a plus. This would make a good stopping point while traveling through the area, especially if you had kids in tow. They’d love it. It’s good for a couple of nights at the most ... beyond that it would get old.

After our swim we drove to small towns of Balmorhea and

Saracosta to try to find some soda and a few other grocery items

we needed. We didn’t get anything. At the only place we found

with groceries a 6-pack of Coke was $4.95. No way. That’s

more than we pay for a 12-pack at home! Gas was $2.799 at one

place and $2.999 at another … so a word to the wise … if you

stop at Balmorhea State Park, gas up and bring all the food you

are going to need with you.

The RV section of the park pretty much filled up that evening … several sets of rigs traveling together came in and found sites next to one another … and a gaggle of motorcyclist came in and set up a community of tents in one of the sites. There was a group of Hispanic kids in tents spread out between two sites … it was quite the gathering of road warriors and campers that evening in everything form half-million-dollar rigs to pup tents … a diverse community, to say the least.

Tuesday was our second day at Balmorhea … we didn’t do a lot other than walk around the park more and go swimming again … but it was a nice, relaxing day. We’d be making a major move the next day, so a quiet day was a good idea. Our friends Robert & Jon from NJ called to say “hi” … they were in Tucson at the tail end of their vacation, visiting Robert’s mother in Tucson. They didn’t know we were in Texas when they called … unfortunately, they were scheduled to leave Thursday, so we would miss them by the time we got back to Tucson. But we had a nice catch-up chat. Sorry we missed seeing them. Next time.

That evening we feasted with grilled filet mignon, baked potatoes and corn. It was a wonderful meal … the filets were perfect. After dinner it began to get windy… we decided to get ourselves packed up as much as we could so that Wednesday we could finish up and hit the road fairly early. The wind continued for the evening and rock n’ rolled us into the night. On TV we saw that there was a tornado warning just a couple of counties to the northeast. Great. Balmorhea is in the flatlands with not much around to break weather, so we were grateful that the tornado watch was down wind from us. We could just see it … AZBambi not being “in Kansas ( = Texas) anymore” and us without our ruby slippers.

Click on the slideshow icon below for pictures of the Texas leg of our trip to the Davis Mountains and Balmorhea ... then click on “Southwest New Mexico” to go to the return leg of our trip though New Mexico. Enjoy!