Adventures in West Texas

Less than a year after we started dating, Lane’s parents moved from Tyler (where my parents live) to Alpine. They were sick of the city life and dealing with allergies in the Piney Woods so the just up and moved to far West Texas.

We’ve been to visit them several times, but mostly it was at Thanksgiving or Christmas, so it wasn’t very green out there. In fact, the last time we went out there it was Christmas Eve 2009 and we got stuck in a blizzard. Yes, a blizzard. We were stuck on I-20 for 5 hours in a car with a restless dog and no toilet. So, this time, we decided to fly out there. Well, fly to Midland then drive 2 hours to Alpine.  MUCH EASIER!

This time, the scenery was green and really quite pretty. I’m not a huge fan of dessert scenery but I was impressed by the drive from Midland to Alpine.

When we first arrived, Lane’s mom had her famous brisket waiting for us. We can always guarantee that the food is going to be fabulous when we visit! We ate quickly and then headed up to Ft. Davis at the McDonald Observatory for a “Star Party”. I was at first most excited about Lane’s mom telling me to bring a jacket! A JACKET IN THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST! Woohoo! But, after arriving, I became even more excited about the UNBELIEVEABLE amount of stars that could be seen.  We saw Jupiter on the horizon and were just surrounded by the stars of the Milky Way Galaxy. We were able to look into telescopes at stars that are millions of light years away (Which I still have trouble comprehending a light year.) It was a great night and a good way to start off the mini vacation.

Here’s me and Lane with his Dad inside the observatory.

The next day, we woke up, had breakfast and got ready to go to Balmorhea Springs. It’s a spring feed swimming  hole in the middle of the dessert. Seriously. You are just driving in desolate land and then in a clearing, you see trees and this little oasis! Because it was a Saturday, it was pretty crowded but we set up a little tent and chairs and read our books! We took turns swimming in the SUPER cold water, but it was really neat to swim in crystal clear water and see little fish swimming right alongside you.

On the way, we stopped at a little store to get sunscreen and drinks and I discovered they had Slush Puppies! SP’s were my drink of choice as a child and of course had to get one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is some of the mountain scenery on the drive to Balmorhea. A lot different than my normal commute in Dallas!

Finally, we made it to Balmorhea and had a great time.  I wish I had better pictures of the area, but I was too excited to swim! Lane’s dad bought us an underwater camera that we need to develop and I’ll post those pictures as well!

That evening we relaxed and ate dinner and watched a movie with Lane’s parents. We were exhausted from a day of driving and swimming, so it was a good end to a good day.

The next morning, we woke up and went to church. It’s definitely a different culture out there. I am used to mega-churches and traffic. There, we made up a fourth of the congregation population, and that was a big crowd for them! Everyone is so friendly and very welcoming. It was just a little strange for me to be able to hear my own voice while singing hymns.

After church, Lane and I decided to just drive around to a few of the little towns around Alpine. We went to Marfa and Ft. Davis. This wasn’t the first time we had been to Marfa, but there had just been an article in Texas Monthly about it and how it was one of the five best road trip destinations in Texas. So, we were excited to see what more Marfa had to offer.

Sadly, it was a complete fail. Marfa might be the most overrated town in Texas. It’s home to a lot of very artsy people. Don’t get me wrong… I appreciate art, but the art in Marfa just isn’t my style. Not to mention, it was a ghost town and everything was closed. Wah wah wah. Oh well. We can say we’ve been there and done that.

The Big Bend area is also known as a good grape producing area. The arid climate is great for vineyards.  There is a winery down the street from our house in Dallas that grows their grapes in Alpine. We also wanted to stop by a tasting room of another on the way to Marfa. Well, sadly it was closed. For good. Another sad disappointment.

We did find that we loved the town of Ft. Davis. We stopped at a little organic grocery store for a treat.

Quite possibly the most yummy snack ever! Blue Sky Root Beer and  chocolate chip cookie! We sat on the little porch and watched as a thunderstorm rolled in (and felt temperatures in the 70’s!)

That evening, the Allens planned to take us to Marathon to have dinner at the famous Gage Hotel. We arrived a little early and went to the Gage Gardens. A wonderful little garden, complete with a vineyard! My favorite part was that the sign said “No Hunting”.

 

In the little vineyard at Gage Gardens:

We had a fabulous dinner at the Gage and were able to celebrate my birthday with family. The hotel is amazing and has a these little villas that are a part of it with a wonderful pool and an area with a fire pit and rocking chairs. I could definitely see the Gage as  fun little getaway for people sick of the city.

     

On our way back to Alpine that night, we were in a lighting storm that just illuminated the sky.  It was really need to see the BLACK night sky lit up by huge lightning bolts.

All in all, we had a great trip. It was great to see Lane’s parents and see West Texas in a different light!