Walk About In Alpine

Alpine, Texas

Weather: low 34 degrees, high 56 degrees, partly cloudy skies, breezy

We didn't do much today because we're planning to go to Marfa tonight in an effort to see the famous Marfa lights. I think the best piece of advice we were given was to dress warmly because it gets so cold once the sun goes down.

I took a long walk into town and toured the downtown area. Since Alpine is the county seat of Brewster, County, I had to get a picture of the courthouse, which dates back to about 1887, and is still being used. The library is a block away from the courthouse, so that was the next logical stop. Their library space is limited, but they do a good job with what they have. A new 10,000+ square foot library is being built, which I'm sure will be appreciated by the people. This mural outside the old library gives a good idea of how important the children are.

Sul Ross State University is located in Alpine. The enrollment is about 2100 students, so even though it is important to the town, it doesn't overwhelm it. Their most famous alumnus is probably Dan Blocker, known for his role as Hoss in the TV show "Bonanza".

After my walk and a little rest, we went to the local grocery store (Thriftway) to pick up a few groceries. We were pleasantly surprised by the store and their prices.

Carolyn decided this was a good day for a pot of homemade soup, so that's what we had for supper before going to Marfa.

Tomorrow's post should have some stuff on our trip to see the lights at Marfa. We've got our fingers crossed that we'll be able to see them.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Alpine, Texas: Heart Of The Big Bend

Not all who wander are lost.

Big Bend National Park

Alpine, Texas

Weather: low 38 degrees in Marathon, high 65 degrees in Alpine, dense fog early, then clear skies

The fog was so heavy this morning that we held up as long as we could before leaving Marathon. By the time we had traveled about 20 miles to the west, the fog went away and it was blue skies the rest of the day.

There were not any problems with where we were staying in Marathon, but the little town didn't do much for Carolyn or me. Now, you have to understand that Carolyn is not much for aimless shopping or buying just for the sake of it. But, she likes to know that there is something available in the event she wants it, and there wasn't much of anything in Marathon. I wonder what her reaction would be if we were ever able to make it to Alaska?

Alpine is only about 31 miles west of Marathon, and we made the drive in about 45 minutes. I think that was about the shortest move we've made. There is a certain beauty to the landscape around Marathon, but it is more spectacular around Alpine. Also, there is a little more shopping, so maybe Carolyn will be okay with being here for a few days.

I had so much to tell about yesterday that I decided to split it into two days. Today, I'll pass on what happened on our trip down to Big Bend National Park.

We left Marathon about 0900 hours yesterday, taking US 385 about 40 miles to the north entrance to the park. Once we entered the park, we still had about 28 miles to drive to get to the park headquarters at Panther Junction. The first 20 miles or so of the drive were through typical high desert terrain, with rocks, cactus, creosote bush, and other plants we didn't know the names of. The first place we stopped was to read a display about the US Army using camels in the area, and one of the routes they took, which was through Dog Canyon, the entrance of which is shown below. Most of the vegetation seen in the picture is creosote bush, which the camels thrived on.

After Dog Canyon, we continued on our drive to the park headquarters, with the landscape gradually climbing and changing.

The park headquarters has a landscape that looks out over the park to the north, with a backdrop of mountains behind the headquarters. The park is so remote that most of the employees live there. The majority of the park housing is located at Panther Junction. Total area of the park is more than 800,000 acres, with it fronting 244 miles of the Rio Grande River to the south. Since the park is so remote, they only average about 300,000 visitors a year. That's amazing, considering the beauty that's available here.


Since we knew that we had to be careful how much we did because of Carolyn's vertigo, we decided to go to the Chisos Mountains and the Chisos Basin before we did anything else. That was almost a mistake because the altitude increased so dramatically in just a short distance. Plus, the road was winding and up and down. It is definitely not the road to take a big RV, and there are signs cautioning people not to do it. Within a short distance as we were climbing, the vegetation began changing to trees, such as cedars, oaks, and pinons. And, the mountains became more spectacular around each corner.

Eventually, we reached the high point on the road to the Chisos Basin, and began our descent into the basin. The slope on the road had to be 12 to 15 degrees, very steep. I was even happier we were not pulling an RV at that time. In about five minutes, we were down in the Chisos Basin in the heart of the Chisos Mountains. Man! What a beautiful place to see and be. I don't think there's a picture that could give justice to how beautiful it is there. I would never have dreamed there was a place like this in Texas. It looks more like something found in Wyoming or Colorado.

Chisos Basin is located at 5401 feet high, but Emory Peak, at 7825 feet, the highest point in the park, is not far away.

After leaving Chisos Basin, we decided it might be best to go home, since Carolyn's vertigo was showing signs of acting up. She does the best she can, considering how incapacitating the vertigo can be, and we've learned the warning signs that an episode might be coming on. It was still almost 80 miles back to the RV, and we didn't want to do anything that might cause her to feel worse.

The only thing of any note that happened on the way home was that we had to stop at a Border Patrol station to answer questions about where we had been and whether we were US citizens. It wasn't a bad experience, and we were glad to see that there is some attempt being made to control illegal immigration.

It was a busy day, but it was eye-opening. We never imagined the park would be so beautiful. If possible, we plan to go back before we leave this area.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Marshall, Texas: Athens Of Texas

Not all who wander are lost.

A Walk Through Marathon

Marathon, Texas

Weather: low 28 degrees, high 65 degrees, clear skies

Today was a busy one for us. So busy, in fact, that I won't be able to include all our adventures in this post. Today's adventures ranged from Marathon all the way down to the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park. Quite a varied day for us.

The day started fairly early, as I made sure I got up early enough to get a picture of the sun rising over Marathon. The sunrise looks a lot like the sunset last night, but this picture really was taken this morning. It was colder than we expected this morning, and we were glad we put an extra blanket on the bed last night.

The RV park where we are staying is about half a mile from downtown Marathon, and as I made the walk I was glad I had put on some extra clothes, along with gloves. I picked up an escort that seemed to know the town well. He made sure I didn't get in trouble, even barking at some dogs that acted as though they wanted to dispute me being out on the street.

Here's a picture I took during my walk that should give some idea about how much in the country Marathon is. This is a javelina, and the first one I have seen in the wild. Almost as soon as I saw this one, another one popped up, then another.... By the time they all popped up, there was a herd of 15-20 of them running in the streets of Marathon. I have a feeling that the javelinas view Marathon as part of their feeding ground, as they were rooting around the garbage cans and dog bowls.

As my walk continued, I came up on a bed and breakfast that had an eclectic mix of colors and shapes for the building. One thing to be said for the colors and building is that it's different. As I said in yesterday's post, the town depends on tourism, so I guess anything that catches the tourist's eye is a plus.

Late in my walk, the sun had risen high enough that it was starting to shine on the mountain west of the RV park. As I walked back to the RV, I found the local cafe was open for breakfast, so I stopped and picked up a couple of sausage and egg burritos for breakfast. Not bad, and it prepared us for a big day in Big Bend National Park. What an amazing place. More about that in tomorrow's post.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Clemson, South Carolina: Biggest Little Town In South Carolina

Not all who wander are lost.

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.

Paisano Pete

Fort Stockton, Texas

Weather: low 39 degrees, high 52 degrees, mostly cloudy skies, windy

Carolyn slept until 0800 hours this morning (gasp!), which seemed to help her vertigo. She has started her anti-vertigo exercises again, and today she seems to be feeling better. We decided to stay in Fort Stockton another day to give her a little more time to recover.

It was laundry day, so I took care of that little chore. By the time I took care of the clothes, we were getting hungry, so a ham sandwich with chips hit the spot. Then I went into town to check out Paisano Pete, the town mascot and biggest road runner in the world. Pete stands 11 feet tall and is 22 feet long. I get a kick out of seeing what the different towns do to call attention to themselves, since there's a lot of competition for the tourist dollars.

The next stop was at the Pecos County Courthouse, located in the old part of Fort Stockton. The courthouse was built in 1883 in a Classical Revival style. A dome was added in 1912, but later removed. Like many of the old courthouses in Texas, this one is still used on a daily basis. More information on Pecos County and Fort Stockton: the county has about 16,000 people and the town has about 7,800. The county is the second largest in land area in the state at over 4,700 square miles. The county used to have several flowing springs, but heavy pumping of the ground water has caused most of the springs to stop flowing.

After leaving the courthouse, I drove through old downtown Fort Stockton. Guess what? No stop lights. The busy part of town is closer to the interstate highway and other roads that lead to Big Bend National Park. Looking at the picture, which is a little dark because it's still cloudy here, a person might think this is all there is to Fort Stockton. It's not that bad, although it's not cosmopolitan by any stretch of the imagination.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Lancaster, Pennsylvania: The Red Rose City

Not all who wander are lost.

Bad Weather In Fort Stockton

Fort Stockton, Texas

Weather: low 40 degrees, high 45 degrees, cloudy, rainy, winds to 30 mph

Light rain started about 2200 hours last night, and has fallen almost continuously since. Along with the rain was a wind gusting to about 30 mph, which made for a cold day. Especially for anyone that was outside. Unfortunately, I had to go get some propane, as well as pick up a few groceries. I was more than ready to get back inside when the chores were finished, and didn't go outside the rest of the day.

I spoke last night about going to the WalMart Mall to pick up a few things. Well, there is not a Mall here. The WalMart store is like what we used to see about 20 years ago: narrow aisles, merchandise stacked to the ceiling, just a few cash registers with only three of them open, etc. There was not any fresh meat or vegetables, so I stopped at a local chain named Lowe's for a few things we needed from them. After picking up the groceries, I stopped at the local propane distributor and had a bottle filled ($3.00 per gallon).

While I was running the errands in Fort Stockton, I paid attention to what was going on from an economic standpoint. There are several new hotels in town, and there seems to be a lot of oil and gas work going on in the area. The traffic was fairly heavy, even with the weather like it was. According to information I found, over a billion barrels of oil have been pumped out of the ground here, and there is still more than an estimated billion barrels of recoverable oil waiting to be pumped. Oil and gas work is probably the major industry here.

Last night, Carolyn had a small relapse of her vertigo symptoms. As a result, she stayed at home today in an effort to keep the vertigo under control. She has some exercises she does at times like this, so we're hoping the exercises plus taking it easy for a couple of days will help. If a person is going to be sick, this is a good time for it to happen with the weather as bad as it is. Not good for sightseeing at all.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Fort Stockton, Texas: The Oil Capital Of The USA

Not all who wander are lost.

Fort Stockton, Texas

Fort Stockton, Texas

Weather: low 38 degrees in Ozona, Texas, high 45 degrees in Fort Stockton, cloudy and foggy most of the day

It was so nasty outside with the fog and clouds that we didn't leave Ozona until about 1100 hours today. Once we did get on the road, it was easy driving on I-10, with more of the rolling hills we have seen for the last three weeks. About half way between Ozona and Fort Stockton, the hills became longer, with mesas starting to pop up. The vegetation gradually changed from mostly cedars to mostly mesquite and cactus (or is it cacti for plural?). There were a few cows and sheep, and that's understandable, since there's not much for them to eat. We saw very few houses, but did see a lot of oil and gas wells.

Folks, if you're looking for solitude and quiet, it would be hard to beat this area of the country. Personally, it's a little too isolated for us, but we still enjoy seeing places we've never been to.

We arrived in Fort Stockton about 1400, and were set up and heating the RV about 30 minutes later. It's just as cold here as where we left, and rain is expected over the next three days. It will be interesting to see how much rain falls, since this area averages about 12 inches of precipitation a year.

The next couple of days will be spent here in Fort Stockton, seeing some of the local attractions such as Old Fort Stockton. And, there is a WalMart Mall here, so we'll restock our grocery and other needs. Did you know there are places where there are not any WalMart Malls?

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Boston, Massachusetts: The Cradle Of Liberty

Not all who wander are lost.