Marathon, Texas

Marathon, Texas

Weather: low in Fort Stockton 40 degrees, high in Marathon 62 degrees, clear skies, breezy

Carolyn's vertigo was doing better this morning, so we moved on down the road to Marathon, about 60 miles south of Fort Stockton. We're loving these short moves.

There was very little traffic on the road (US 385), and even fewer houses. A total of about eight vehicles passed us, and we only saw about six houses. The land gradually increased in elevation over the 60 miles we drove to about 4,000 feet at Marathon. The terrain when we started was mostly flat, with scattered cactus, yellow grass, and rocks. Mesas and mountains started popping up about ten miles south of Fort Stockton, and by the time we arrived in Marathon, the Glass Mountains lined the west side of the road. The RV park where we're staying has a fine view of the Del Norte Mountains to the west, and Elephant Mesa to the southwest.

Marathon is located in Brewster County, the largest county in Texas in land area. The county has over twice as much area as the state of Delaware. The population of the county is about 8,000 people, with less than 500 living in Marathon. The land and climate would probably be best described as high desert, with Marathon receiving about 13 inches of precipitation a year. Even though the temperature rose to about 62 degrees today, a jacket felt good when the sun started going down. The low in the morning is expected to be about 32 degrees.

The town has a varied history, but most of the business now seems to come from tourism. The Gage Hotel is considered a high end place. The cast for the movie "Paris, Texas", starring Harry Dean Stanton and Nastassja Kinski, stayed there in 1984 while the movie was being filmed in the town.

After we had rested a little from the long drive of 60 miles, I drove through the little town in an effort to find some good camera shots. Unfortunately, there's not much here. This is one of the poorest towns we have been to, and most of the houses are small frame and stucco houses. Some of the stucco had fallen off in places and adobe bricks were visible. The closest town of any size is Alpine, about 30 miles away. I did get some good pictures of the sunset.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Marathon, Texas: Gateway To Big Bend National Park

Not all who wander are lost.