Historic Holland Hotel

 

Alpine's historic Holland Hotel (1928) sits across from the train station, which made it convenient for travelers in the early days, and for Amtrak passengers today!

Designed by the Trost and Trost firm, which was responsible for other hotels in the area (Gage Hotel in Marathon, 1927; Hotel Paisano in Marfa, 1930; Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn, 1930), the property is now completely and lovingly restored and open for visitors.

Click here for a list of historic hotels and related sites in the Texas Mountain Trail region. 

#30DaysofBiking

A great, but little known, mountain biking route is waiting for adventurous riders in Guadalupe Mountains National Park on the Williams Ranch road.  The rugged 4x4 road is open to just two vehicles at a time through locked gates, and keys can be secured by the park rangers at the visitors center.  The road is 7.3 miles one way, and is rugged enough that it takes a vehicle about an hour to get to the ranch house.

The road even follows the historic route taken by stagecoach on the Butterfield Overland Trail and overlooks the salt flat, the source of the historic 1877 Salt War of El Paso.

Click here for a historic overview of Williams Ranch.

Marathon's Cycle-Friendly Hotels (and great places to stay, even if you don't bring a bike!)

Courtyard at the Gage Hotel

Today, we're featuring the Marathon, TX hotels that are participating in our Texas Mountain Trail cycle-friendly hotels program...the historic Gage Hotel and the charmingly unique Eve's Garden Organic B&B:

Gage Hotel, 101 W. Hwy 90, Marathon, TX Phone: 1-800-844-GAGE  www.gagehotel.com
Cycle-friendly features include: oversized rooms for stowing bikes; pool/fitness center/spa services; daily pasta and vegetarian dishes, organic salad ingredients grown in garden onsite; snacks/packed meals and emergency bike repair at French Co. Grocer around the corner. Very safe location, gateway to Big Bend National Park.

Gage Hotel

Eve’s Garden Organic B&B, Marathon, TX (located at Ave C & North 3rd St, one block north of Highway 90 in Marathon.) 432 386 4165 or cell 432 386 3479. www.evesgarden.org   A peaceful boutique B and B tastefully constructed of recycled and re-purposed materials (primarily papercrete). This family run business features; hand-built rooms, indoor gardens and courtyard, fire pit, star gazing deck, and courtesy room (with complimentary coffee, tea, cocoa).  Amenities also include in-room mini-fridge, romantic electric fireplace, A/C, private bath, fresh flowers from Kate’s organic greenhouse, and a gourmet organic breakfasts, featuring locally-sourced eggs, milk, veggies, etc. 

Eve's Garden Organic B&B

Eve’s Garden Organic B&B, Marathon, TX (located at Ave C & North 3rd St, one block north of Highway 90 in Marathon.) 432 386 4165 or cell 432 386 3479. www.evesgarden.org   A peaceful boutique B and B tastefully constructed of recycled and re-purposed materials (primarily papercrete). This family run business features; hand-built rooms, indoor gardens and courtyard, fire pit, star gazing deck, and courtesy room (with complimentary coffee, tea, cocoa).  Amenities also include in-room mini-fridge, romantic electric fireplace, A/C, private bath, fresh flowers from Kate’s organic greenhouse, and a gourmet organic breakfasts, featuring locally-sourced eggs, milk, veggies, etc. 

To see the entire list of our region's cycle-friendly hotels, visit www.texasmountaintrail.com/bike

Eve's Garden Organic B&B

Easy: Ride to the Post for #30DaysofBiking

There are roads in our Texas Mountain Trail region that are PERFECT for cycling, including an easy ride (great for families and beginning riders!) starting from Marathon.  The "Ride to the Post" is a five mile trip (10 miles out and back) to the county park, called "Post Park." 

The Road to the Post extends south on Avenue D in Marathon from US Highway 90 and the Union Pacific Railroad, and has an amazing history!

• Your route follows one fork of the Comanche War or Indian Trails into Mexico—there was a skirmish on the ridge above Post Park in 1855 between Buffalo Soldiers, Texas Rangers and Indians in 1855!
• It also generally follows the original Ore Roads to haul the ores (lead, zinc and silver) from the smelter at Boquillas in Mexico in 1895-1906, as well as quicksilver from the Terlingua, Study Butte and the Mariscal mines in south Brewster County to the railroad in Marathon as late as 1937!
• The route takes you near the historic cemetery and the site of an influenza tent hospital from the 1918 epidemic!
• The area known as Post Park was the site of a military encampment, farms, and ranches. Today it is the place for county-wide dance parties, fishing and birdwatching!

Begin your ride at the Gage Hotel in Marathon or at the Hotel's Gage Gardens. The Gage Gardens and Post Park are both sites on the new Far West Texas Wildlife Trail. How to get there? Look for the signs to "County Park" heading south....that's your road! This is an "out and back" route...5 miles south to Post Park and 5 miles back to Marathon.

Don't let the chart fool you, the average slope in this route is only 1.2%, and the elevation gain is only 121 feet. This is an easy ride!

Our Texas Mountain Trail organization continues to find "heritage bike routes" around the region to recommend to locals and travelers alike.  Most of them are great for motorcycling and driving as well.  Even if you don't like to hop on a bicycle, we hope you enjoy our #30DaysofBiking feature all during April! 

Train NOW for the Marathon 2 Marathon in October!

Mark this date down:  October 25

One of our region's best running events is the annual Marathon2Marathon (or as it is known by many, "the M2M")...runners run right into the center of the little community of Marathon! 

They submitted this to our Texas Mountain Trail event calendar this week:

"Come join us for the 11th annual M2M October 25, 2014 and run a marathon to Marathon!....  ½ marathon, 10k or 5k ..under the huge Big Bend skies and through the stunning landscape. 

The small town of Marathon pours on the hospitality to host this very sweet race each year.  The racers feel the love and appreciation!  This is a sanctioned, certified course and a Boston Marathon qualifier.

It offers a free pasta dinner Friday night at the Gage Hotel, fundraiser post race lunch with music, free awards party and band at the Marathon Motel Saturday night. 

Between 4-500 racers are expected this year.

Go to www.marathon2marathon.net for more information and to sign up online.

Gourmet Taco Dinner with Tequila and Margarita Tasting at the Gage Hotel

Historic Gage Hotel

The historic Gage Hotel in Marathon is hosting a Gourmet Taco Dinner with Tequila and Margarita Tasting on Saturday, February 1st at 6 PM. The energetic and fun Grupo de la Paz will be playing live music all night! Reservations are required. To make reservations or for more information call 1-800-884-Gage.

Prickly Pear Margarita

The Gage Hotel was built in 1927 for rancher, banker, and businessman Alfred Gage, who commissioned El Paso architects Trost and Trost to design the property as a headquarters for his 500,000-acre ranch. In 1978, the property was renovated as a hotel with authentic West Texas and Mexican-inspired decor, such as hand-crafted rustic doors, wrought-iron candelabra fixtures, and appealing adobe details.  The hotel also boasts an excellent restaurant along with the Desert Moon spa and lush gardens.

Best of 2013: Cycling Marathon's "Ride to the Post" Heritage Bike Route

  

One of our Texas Mountain Trail Heritage Bike Routes is featured in the current issue of the Texas Historical Commission's magazine, The Medallion!   Click HERE to read the entire issue online--a travel article covering our region including Marathon, the Gage Hotel, and Big Bend Ranch State Park starts on page 6!

Is the route easy?  YES!  A family could easily handle the five miles there, five miles back route.  There's virtually no vehicular traffic, is incredibly scenic and the average slope is only 1.2%!  The elevation gain is only 121 feet! 

Why is this called a "heritage" bike route?  The ride starts out at the historic (and cycle-friendly!) Gage Hotel, continues across the highway and railroad (easy crossings!) to the Gage Hotel's formal Gardens.  From there, you follow signs to the Cemetery and County Park. 

Water Lily from Gage Gardens

The Cemetery is a short detour and has the graves of early Marathon residents, with interesting markings and monuments.

Head further south to Post Park, through country that once held a tent hospital during the 1918 influenza epidemic, a buffalo soldier encampment called Post Pena Colorado, and to Post Park. Be sure to read the interpretive panels on the Buffalo Soldier encampment and the geology of the area, produced by our friends at the Brewster County Tourism Council...and have a GREAT ride! 

Post Park!

The park itself is a great place to watch birds and enjoy wildlife, and was a stopping off point for the Comanche and Apache.  It also was a project of the 1930s Works Progress Administration!

Ride to the Post!

It isn't too late to run the Marathon2Marathon! (Or the 5K, 10K or Half!)

The Marathon 2 Marathon is an annual event held in late October...this year, on October 26th. This event consists of the full 26.2 mile Marathon, a 13.1 mile Half Marathon, a 6.2 mile 10K and a 3.1 mile 5K all sharing the same course on Hwy 385 north between Ft. Stockton and Marathon finishing in front of the Historic Gage Hotel in downtown Marathon.

The course is fast, mostly downhill and is a Boston qualifier!

Other activities included in this event is a pre-race pasta dinner, a Catfish Fry Fundraiser with live entertainment, an awards ceremony followed by a post race party with live entertainment. You don't have to be a runner to participate and enjoy this exciting event!

Gage Hotel in Marathon

Marathon2Marathon's schedule of all related events is here.  Race info is here.  Registration for runners is here!

This event appears on our Texas Mountain Trail events calendar here.

The Visit Marathon website is here.  Their lodging directory is here!

The Marathon 2 Marathon is an annual event held in late October. This event consists of the full 26.2 mile Marathon, a 13.1 mile Half Marathon, a 6.2 mile 10K and a 3.1 mile 5K all sharing the same course on Hwy 385 north between Ft. Stockton and Marathon finishing in front of the Historic Gage Hotel in Downtown Marathon. Other activities included in this event is a pre-race pasta dinner, a Catfish Fry Fundraiser with live entertainment, an awards ceremony followed by a post race party with live entertainment. You don't have to be a runner to participate and enjoy this exciting event. - See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/events/marathon-2-marathon#sthash.fu2E2PRL.dpuf