National Ride for Reading Week!

Tuesday, our friends at the Alpine Chamber of Commerce organized a Ride for Reading delivery and we were happy to be a part of this free book delivery to the kids at Alpine Elementary School.  In January, we organized deliveries in Terlingua and Fort Davis, allowing every elementary school child in those communities to take home two books of their own choosing...as their very own.

Volunteer riders (escorted by city police) rode their bikes to the elementary school where the kids were waiting for us, chanting "We love books, We love books!"  Then, grade by grade, the kids assembled in the school cafeteria, took the Ride for Reading oath, and chose their books.

Today, we're helping with another delivery in Dell City, near Guadalupe Mountains National Park! 

Hiking Hints from Britain, 1933

We just thought this was tons of fun....

#30DaysofBiking
And as we say goodbye to our April feature - cycling assets of our Texas Mountain Trail region, we want to give an additional shout-out to some friends in El Paso....

GeoBetty.com maps mountain biking trails in the Franklin Mountains and other destinations around El Paso

Velo Paso is El Paso's vibrant and growing bicycle and pedestrian organization, working hard to make alternative transportation, easy, fun, healthy and safe. 

Tumbleweeds, bird songs, and biking to the farmstand!

The spring winds help tumbleweeds (Russian Thistle) gather at the fence line.  From a ranch north of Marfa, we heard birds....

the video is a bit shaky, but we're sharing this because we wanted you to hear the birds sing!

#30DaysofBiking
To continue our series of cycling in the Texas Mountain Trail region, during this challenge month of #30DaysofBiking, our Executive Director rode her bike to the Saturday morning, Marfa Farmstand for some spinach!  Marfa, like many of our communities, have low vehicular traffic and increasingly more cyclists--both locals on bikes and visitors!  Bikes are fun, and they're transportation!

Next weekend: Davis Mountains State Park Open House!

Davis Mountains State Park Open House Agenda

Friday, April 25

All Day:

Art Show at the Indian Lodge Assembly Room

Submit your entry for the Art Contest in the Assembly Room.  It will be displayed in the Indian Lodge Lobby

Local Area Organization Booths in Playground Area

o   Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute

o   Sul Ross State University-  Pollinators of the Desert – Insect Display

o   Sul Ross State University – Range and Wildlife Club: Wildlife Displays, Washers Game

o   Natural Resources Conservation Service – Helping Landowners Manage Land

           

Grand Companions Animal Shelter staff will be in the campground with adoptable dogs to play with, or of course, adopt!

Friday Schedule:

8:00     Sign up for Trail Races begins at the Park Headquarters

9:00     Art show starts at Indian Lodge Assembly Room

9:00     Bird ID Contest starts.  Please meet at the Montezuma Quail Bird Blind to participate

10:00   Program:  “Challenges and Success of Desert Bighorn Sheep Recovery in Texas”

            At the Interpretive Center

11:00   Program: “Taking the Mystery out of Nature Photography!” – at the Interpretive Center

12:00  Camping 101!  Learn how to use common camping gear:  Campsite# 94

3:00     Bat House Building Workshop at the Interpretive Center

4:00     Turn in list for Bird ID Contest to Park Headquarters – winner announced Saturday 5pm (winner need not be present)

5:00     “Step In Time: A Look at Men and Women of Frontier Army Forts” – program by Fort Davis National Historic Site -----at the Amphitheater

7-9       Live Band: MOONDOGS TRIO  in the courtyard of the Indian Lodge!

Saturday, April 26^th

All Day:

Dutch Oven Cook-Off in the Playground Area

Art Show at the Indian Lodge Assembly Room

Submit your entry for the Art Contest in the Assembly Room.  All visitors may vote for winners in the Indian Lodge Lobby.

Local Area Organization Booths in Playground Area

o   Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute

o   Sul Ross State University-  Pollinators Give Life to the Desert – Insect Display

o   Sul Ross State University – Range and Wildlife Club: Wildlife Displays, Washers Game!

o   Natural Resources Conservation Service – Helping Landowners Manage Land

Grand Companions Animal Shelter staff will be in the campground with adorable dogs to play with, or of course, adopt!

Saturday Schedule

8-8:30  Trail race packet pick-up

9:00     Adult Trail Race Start

9:00     Bird ID Contest – Participants meet at the Montezuma Quail Bird Blind to sign up

10:00   Youth Trail Race Start

10:00   Wildlife Tracking Workshop – LIMIT 10 People, sign up at Park Headquarters

1:00     Bat House Building Workshop at the Interpretive Center

2:00     Tricks of the Trade Plant Identification Workshop – Interpretive Center

3:00     Dutch Oven Cook-Off Judging -  Playground Area

5:00     Announce winner of Art Contest – Indian Lodge Lobby

#30DaysofBiking

A cycle-friendly business in Marathon is the French Co. Grocer.  They stock basic cycling supplies, and snacks for the road!

 

Chinati Community Day, April 27th

From the Chinati Foundation website:

"The Chinati Foundation and Judd Foundation warmly invite everyone to their annual Community Day celebration on Sunday, April 27, 2014. Festivities will take place throughout the day, from 1 – 7:00 PM. All events are free and open to the public and everyone is welcome.

Exhibition spaces at Judd Foundation and Chinati will be open from 1 – 5:00 pm. La Mansana de Chinati/The Block, Donald Judd’s former residence and studios with permanent installations of his early works, will be open for self-guided visits.

Visitors may explore selections from Chinati’s permanent collection including the John Chamberlain building, Dan Flavin’s Untitled (Marfa Project), Donald Judd’s 100 works in mill aluminum and 15 works in concrete, Richard Long’s Sea Lava Circles, and Claus Oldenburg and Coosje von Bruggen’s Monument to the Last Horse.  Donald Judd: Prints, Chinati’s 2013-14 special exhibition curated by Director Emerita Marianne Stockebrand, features 70 works on paper as well as a wall work and various pieces of Judd’s furniture. Zoe Leonard’s 100 North Nevill Street, Chinati’s special exhibition at the Ice Plant, will also be open for self-guided visits throughout the afternoon.

A special student exhibition of pinhole photographs by sixty Marfa and Ft. Davis junior high and high school artists will open at Chinati, in the Arena, at 1:30 pm. The photographs were created during studio classes led by Chinati’s education staff as part of each school’s fine arts curriculum.

A nature walk on the Chinati grounds and discussion of Donald Judd’s outdoor works in concrete will be co-presented by Monte Riggs, Tierra Grande Texas Master Naturalist, and Jenny Moore, Chinati Foundation Executive Director, beginning at 2:30 pm in the Chinati courtyard. Participants will be introduced to examples of native grasses and provided with field guides, notebooks, and other tools for exploring the grounds and artworks.

A community dinner with barbeque by Juan and David Martinez and family and beverages by Big Bend Brewing will be served in the Arena, at Chinati, from 5 – 7:00 pm with live music by Mariachi Alegre, of El Paso.

Remnant of Fort D.A. Russell still visible in Marfa

The Chinati Foundation is located at 1 Cavalry Row, on the former Ft DA Russell grounds. La Mansana de Chinati/The Block, The John Chamberlain Building, and Zoe Leonard’s 100 North Nevill Street are located in downtown Marfa. Maps of exhibition spaces and a full schedule of events will be available at the Chinati front office and at all downtown locations on the day of the event.

Community Day is supported with generous grants from Elke and Wilhelm Hoppe Endowment, Texas Commission on the Arts, The Charles Englehard Foundation, The George & Mary Josephine Hamman Foundation, The Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation, and The Trull Foundation. Chinati also acknowledges the generous financial and in-kind contributions of Laura Belkin, Joey Benton, Big Bend Brewing, Big Bend Sentinel, exhibitions 2d, Pueblo Market, Beth Nobles, Monte Riggs, Tierra Grande Texas Master Naturalists, and Victoria J. Welsh.

For more information, contact Chinati at 432 729 4362 or information@chinati.org.

#30DaysofBiking

Our Texas Mountain Trail region is a terrific place for bike touring.  Here's an itinerary we created and posted on Adventure Cycling Association's Bike Overnights blog! 

Click here to read the itinerary which includes visits to Marfa, Fort Davis, Alpine and Marathon!

A Museum for Travelers and a Cycling Event for Everyone!

Today we're featuring the photography of Dan Baeza showcasing the Clark Hotel Museum in Van Horn.  The museum tells the story of early travel in Far West Texas and the history of Van Horn and Culberson County, which is steeped in cross-country travel and hospitality to travelers.

Read more about the Clark Hotel Museum, and the "Front to back, back to front" story here. 

#30DaysofBiking

We want to give everyone EARLY notice of a great cycling event in our Texas Mountain Trail region, a fundraiser for the Food Pantry of Jeff Davis County.  Mark your calendars and start planning to take part in the October 4th, Wheels and Heels for Meals event!  Participants will be raising support for the Food Pantry as part of their involvement in the event...which is definitely a WIN/WIN/WIN!!

From the calendar entry on our Texas Mountain Trail regional events calendar: 

Wheels/Heels for Meals is a charity bike ride from the Food Pantry of Jeff Davis County to Valentine and back. Other shorter rides are also available. There are 2 pit stops along the way and lunch is served in Valentine. This year, a walk has been added. The entry may walk 2 to 8 miles. At the end of the day, there is the traditional cook out at Dolce Far Niente. - See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/events/fort-davis-wheelsheels-meals#sthash.yLHMoPnx.dpuf

Wheels/Heels for Meals is a charity bike ride from the Food Pantry of Jeff Davis County to Valentine and back. Other shorter rides are also available. There are 2 pit stops along the way and lunch is served in Valentine. This year, a walk has been added. The entry may walk 2 to 8 miles. At the end of the day, there is the traditional cook out at Dolce Far Niente. - See more at: http://texasmountaintrail.com/events/fort-davis-wheelsheels-meals#sthash.yLHMoPnx.dpuf

"Wheels/Heels for Meals is a charity bike ride from the Food Pantry of Jeff Davis County to Valentine and back. Other shorter rides are also available. There are 2 pit stops along the way and lunch is served in Valentine. This year, a walk has been added. The entry may walk 2 to 8 miles. At the end of the day, there is the traditional cook out at Dolce Far Niente."

Sound like fun?  Put this one on your calendar and stay tuned for more information throughout the year!