Update Archive

Archive 3/16 - 3/22/2005:
3/16/2005 - (182 miles - 7 hours – L:28F - H:60F) We drove out to Fort Davis today. Very cool site. It was used by the military from 1854-1891 – as protection for emigrants, freighters, mail coaches and travelers on the San Antonio-El Paso Road. From 1854 to 1861 troops spent much of their time in the field pursuing Comanche’s, Kiowa’s, and Apaches who attacked travelers and mail stations. During the Civil War and Texas’s secession from the Union, the Federal Government evacuated Fort Davis. Confederate troops occupied the fort from the spring of 1861 until the summer of 1862 when Union forces again took possession. The fort lay empty for five years until the US Cavalry reoccupied it in June of 1867. By the 1880’s Fort Davis had become a major installation with more than 100 structures and quarters for more than 400 soldiers.
I took the 1.2-mile trail to the lookout…. I don’t know why all these trails have to be uphill. It was only a 300-foot gain in elevation, but still.
On the way back from Fort Davis we stopped at the McDonald Observatory. Oh. My. God. What a super-cool place! I sat through the Solar Viewing. They tell you all kinds of stuff about our sun, then you get to see a real time picture of it… complete with any sun spots or solar flares that happen to be visible. I’m going to go back on Friday and stay for the star party. WooHoo! McDonald Observatory web site
3/17/2005 - (337 miles - 7 hours – L:25F - H:66F) We went back to Big Bend today. Oh man, what a beautiful place. On the way there and back I took pictures of this weird blimp like thing that the Air Force has up in the air. Very strange goings on.
3/18/2005 - (445 miles - 7 hours – L:40F - H:76F) I drove back to Deming today to pick up my mail. It was postmarked 3/4/05 and didn’t arrive until yesterday. What a joke. So, Max and I spent the day driving to Deming and back. The scenery is beautiful… but it still seemed like somewhat of a waste. At least I have a valid Drivers License in my possession now. That’s a relief. Now I wont have a panic attack every time I approach an Immigration Inspection Checkpoint…. (“please don’t ask for my DL, please, please don’t ask for my DL”)
We didn’t make it back in time to go to the star party at the observatory… it’s pretty cloudy anyway. If the weather doesn’t get better (fewer clouds) then I’ll have to come back later.
3/19/2005 - (165 miles – 3 hours – L:42F - H:76F) Have I mentioned lately how much I love doing this? We just lounged around today and then drove out to see the Marfa Mystery Lights at around 8:30PM. Boy howdy were they out tonight. On the drive home I was seeing ‘mystery lights’ everywhere! Here’s another website that talks about them: http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/MM/lxm1.html
3/20/2005 - (522 miles – 10 hours – L:36F - H:76F) We took the morning off and then went over to the Caverns of Sonora in Sonora, TX. It was a good opportunity to map out the drive so that when we leave Van Horn I’ll know where to stop for gas. The caverns were spectacular. There were formations in there that you don’t see even at Carlsbad Caverns. Our guide was kind of bitchy… but even so, the sights made it time well spent. The tour was almost two miles long and lasted about 2 hours. I took lots of pictures… they turned out pretty good because the formations were so close to the trail.
3/21/2005 - (L:44F - H:69F) Windy today. Very, very windy. I have the stabilizers down and the coffee was still sloshing out of the coffee pot. Crazy windy. If it’s like this tomorrow I’m not leaving. I don’t want to drive in wind like this.
3/22/2005 - ( miles – 4.5 hours – L:38F - H:74F) It’s not windy! We left around 11AM and arrived at the KOA in Junction, TX around 4:30PM. The campground is beautiful! Right on the Llano River, it’s grassy and shady, 74F with a light breeze. This is living!! My neighbors moved in and started yelling at each other, then crying. Good god. It’s so nice to see people enjoying their vacation. Luckily they moved the drama inside their rig and left me in peace… I’m back in my happy place :o)


New Pictures: TX