wngrog
Adventurer
Day 3.......Marfa and the Davis Mountains
The road goes on forever.........
........well, not exactly forever, but it kinda seems like it. I thought I was in the clear on the Border Patrol when I topped a hill just outside Marfa and there he was. He called in my MS Veteran tag and approached with caution but quickly sent me on my way to the town of Marfa......
I was really looking forward to seeing Marfa. It is a hip little town in SW Texas that has gotten fame for its funky boutiques, movies and of course the Marfa Lights. I pulled in and realized that after being alone in the desert for 3 days, this was not the scene I wanted to reacquaint myself with humanity. Don't get me wrong, Marfa is way cool but it was a little too hipster for me at this stage of my trip. I took a few pictures and kept moving north. It was 4:30
My destination was Davis Mountain State Park. This place got back in the high elevation that would allow one more night under the Texas stars before I had to make the 17 hour haul back to Mississippi. When I got to the edge of the Davis Mountains, I noticed my paper Atlas had a scenic drive that went clockwise around the Davis Mountains. Even though it took me even FARTHER away from Canton Mississippi, I decided to turn west and explore the road.
Once again, it felt like I had rented out Texas all to myself. There was not a soul around on this spectacular drive. Highway 166 was a total hit. I am so glad I took the time to drive it. It is yet another hidden treasure in Texas.
These mountains house one of the largest observatories in the US, McDonald Observatory. I considered going in to check out the visitors center, but I was just not up to it. I was ready to get to the state park and unwind.
Of course, as luck would have it, just as I got to the park, the skies opened up and it rained like it had never rained before. It was raining so hard when I got to the state park I just kept driving.
In fact, I drove on that night until I just could not drive anymore all the way to the little town of Menard Texas. My day's detour added about 350 miles to my trip, but it was 1000% worth it.
With the trip more or less over at this point I was tired and ready to see my wife. I spent the night in a tiny hotel that you could back up to the door with a big AMERICAN OWNED sign out front. The room was clean and my first shower in 4 days was superb. I was up early the next day and watched the sunrise for the fifth day in a row.
I took backroads around Dallas and snuck in to the Jackson Airport 15 minutes before my wife's plane landed from her weekend away. I had survived the last 4.5 days on the Texas B's...........Brisket, Beer and Burritos. 2500 miles to the mile I was home with Red and with a memory of a lifetime. Go see Big Bend. Do it. It is one of the most amazing places on the planet.
The road goes on forever.........
........well, not exactly forever, but it kinda seems like it. I thought I was in the clear on the Border Patrol when I topped a hill just outside Marfa and there he was. He called in my MS Veteran tag and approached with caution but quickly sent me on my way to the town of Marfa......
I was really looking forward to seeing Marfa. It is a hip little town in SW Texas that has gotten fame for its funky boutiques, movies and of course the Marfa Lights. I pulled in and realized that after being alone in the desert for 3 days, this was not the scene I wanted to reacquaint myself with humanity. Don't get me wrong, Marfa is way cool but it was a little too hipster for me at this stage of my trip. I took a few pictures and kept moving north. It was 4:30
My destination was Davis Mountain State Park. This place got back in the high elevation that would allow one more night under the Texas stars before I had to make the 17 hour haul back to Mississippi. When I got to the edge of the Davis Mountains, I noticed my paper Atlas had a scenic drive that went clockwise around the Davis Mountains. Even though it took me even FARTHER away from Canton Mississippi, I decided to turn west and explore the road.
Once again, it felt like I had rented out Texas all to myself. There was not a soul around on this spectacular drive. Highway 166 was a total hit. I am so glad I took the time to drive it. It is yet another hidden treasure in Texas.
These mountains house one of the largest observatories in the US, McDonald Observatory. I considered going in to check out the visitors center, but I was just not up to it. I was ready to get to the state park and unwind.
Of course, as luck would have it, just as I got to the park, the skies opened up and it rained like it had never rained before. It was raining so hard when I got to the state park I just kept driving.
In fact, I drove on that night until I just could not drive anymore all the way to the little town of Menard Texas. My day's detour added about 350 miles to my trip, but it was 1000% worth it.
With the trip more or less over at this point I was tired and ready to see my wife. I spent the night in a tiny hotel that you could back up to the door with a big AMERICAN OWNED sign out front. The room was clean and my first shower in 4 days was superb. I was up early the next day and watched the sunrise for the fifth day in a row.
I took backroads around Dallas and snuck in to the Jackson Airport 15 minutes before my wife's plane landed from her weekend away. I had survived the last 4.5 days on the Texas B's...........Brisket, Beer and Burritos. 2500 miles to the mile I was home with Red and with a memory of a lifetime. Go see Big Bend. Do it. It is one of the most amazing places on the planet.
