Your daily photo of gorgeous Far West Texas featuring Big Bend National Park, the Davis Mountains, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, El Paso and all points in between!
Part of our mission as a non-profit supporting Far West Texas, is to promote worthy events in the region. Many event organizers approach us about getting their events on our web calendar, on this Daily Photo blog, and on our many social media outlets. We've produced this easy 2 step guide for qualifying heritage, cultural, and adventure events for organizers working in the six westernmost counties of the state, from Marathon and Big Bend all the way west to El Paso and the state line.
You can view the flyer by clicking on the image to the left, or following this link.
Be sure to start your publicity as soon as you can to attract the most visitors....six month ahead isn't too soon! Please do complete both Step 1 and Step 2 at least two weeks before your event takes place. Another tip? Send us photos, according to instructions. The .pdf of your flyer or poster is of limited value. We may only be able to post it on Facebook or Twitter.
These services are free, although we reserve additional services and exposure for our Texas Mountain Trail business members. We want to provide information for a wide range of visitors, however some events may not be appropriate for our audience. We reserve the right to post events as our staff or volunteer time will allow and as deemed suitable for our social media visitors. We want our visitors (and residents of the region) to know about the VERY BEST events Far West Texas can offer!
Now you can join us by becoming a member of our non-profit organization serving Far West Texas, our Texas Mountain Trail! We're offering great benefits for your support, including our heartfelt thanks for helping us do more to connect you with their own adventure in the Texas Mountains!
Follow this link to our membership page for a listing of all our benefit levels, and easy, safe giving! Many thanks!
Our organization, the non-profit Texas Mountain Trail, began with the roadsigns along a figure-8 in Far West Texas. The scenic driving route was set up in the mid-sixties by Governor Connolly's effort to promote ALL of Texas for HemisFair '68. Not only was there a Texas Mountain Trail in Far West Texas, but there were nine other scenic driving routes all across Texas, each designed to show the best of a particular region.
Fast forward to the 1990s, and the state's effort to promote visitation to our historic sites and to encourage travelers to find "the authentic Texas." The legislature empowered the Texas Historical Commission to develop--through a blend of federal/state/local funds--the Texas Heritage Trails program. The first region to be developed was the Abilene-based Texas Forts Trail. Our Texas Mountain Trail organization kicked off in 2005.
Since then we've been promoting the assets of Far West Texas to travelers (and in turn, helping with the economic development of the region) and developing programs like:
Far West Texas Wildlife Trail Sign
Barton Warnock Center
Big Bend Ranch State Park
The Far West Texas Wildlife Trail (in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife and our neighboring Texas Pecos Trail)
Easy avenues for you to discover your own Texas Mountain Adventure, through our Facebook page, our Twitter account, our YouTube Channel, as well as our appearance at many marathon and bike event expos and speaking engagements at places around the state including an REI store near you!
We are working on special projects JUST FOR YOU, including researching heritage foodways, Dining Along Historic Highways, the CCC in the region, and the craft of bootmaking.
And we're providing technical and marketing support for individuals and businesses that are supporting the economies of our Far West Texas communities. Won't you join us?
BECOME A MEMBER: Now you can join Texas Mountain Trail as a member, and help support the growth of the region.
Click here to make a safe, secure tax-deductible membership donation! (Membership gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law, contact your tax advisor for questions)
We also travel all over Texas, visiting with folks, encouraging them to head to the mountains and find their own adventure. We visit one-on-one with 8,000 and 10,000 people a year, at outdoor stores, marathon expos, travel shows, cycling events, anywhere we think we'll find travelers with a special affinity to the region.
We let you know what's happening in Far West Texas, from special events of note, to when the wildflowers are blooming, EVERY DAY we offer information and images through this blog (more than 1,700 daily entries so far), our website, our Facebook page, and Twitter account.
Special anniversary event at Brewster County Courthouse, Alpine
Unburned campsite at Davis Mtns State Park, April 2011
When we're especially needed, like during the April 2011 wildfire, we spread the word about Fort Davis' attractions and hotels surviving...even before the Chamber of Commerce could get back into their offices. Through our work with reporters and list-serves, we prevented rumors from taking hold.
We're sharing special stories with you on social media, like our "Dining Along Historic Highways," which not only offers heritage information, but ideas for places you can visit and dine today. Last fall we offered a "Day at the Fort" project through videos with bugle calls at Fort Davis, and a "Cycling in 1895" feature on El Paso. We have more projects in line for the coming months, including boot-making and the CCC legacy in the region.
Dining Along Historic Highways, one of our social media storytelling projects
We also work with our communities to provide special services for visitors, including our cycle-friendly hotels, our historic hotels list, the Peak Fitness Challenge and the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail. Without Texas Mountain Trail, these special services would not exist in the region!
JOIN us!
Our Texas Mountain Trail relies on support from visitors and residents of Far West Texas, and we're incredibly grateful for donors and volunteers! JOIN us today, and click HERE to become a member! We're offering terrific benefits and membership levels start at $25!
Thanks to our friend, the El Paso Troubadour, Cliff Seaman, we offer this view of the Old West in the Texas Mountain Trail region to you! (Thanks, Cliff!)
Our mission: to find and share the adventure and heritage of Far West Texas with all of you! (Our Director in front of one of the highway signs along the original driving route, the "Texas Mountain Trail"
It is truly a labor of love to share our Texas Mountain Trail region with the world, to find adventure and heritage opportunities for travelers and residents of the Far West Texas, to connect all of you with "the time of your lives."
Our friend, Dave Gibson of DAKVideo in Abilene volunteers his time and expertise to produce our video (below)
Every non-profit organization, and Texas Mountain Trail is a 501 c 3, needs support from friends to build programs. We're blessed with GREAT volunteers who lend their time and expertise to the cause...board members from all over the region, volunteers who raise their hands and say, "hey, I want to help."
And we have friends who love this blog and our work on Facebook and Twitter, who know it takes time AND money to travel the region to find those great places, and across the state to meet travelers.
Now we're asking friends to contribute in a new way, to become members of our little non-profit. In return, we've built some neat NEAT benefits as thank you's, and as opportunities to deepen your connection to the mountain.
Watch this volunteer-made video below, and then click on our giving page to become a member yourself!
Photographing images for our "Dining Along Historic
Highways" series last Saturday
When you make your annual contributions this year, may we suggest an unconventional choice?
Since 2005, the Texas Mountain Trail has been supporting the communities of Far West Texas, and connecting visitors to their own personal adventure in the mountains.
Who are we, and what is the Texas Mountain Trail? Watch this video made by a friend of our organzation.
We travel all over Texas, and over the course of the year, visit one-on-one with up to 8,000 to 10,000 visitors promoting our region, which helps the economies of our mountain communities.
Since 2008, we've posted DAILY photos right here on this blog with heritage and adventure information, and we're so incredibly grateful for the network of photographers and champions of our region who've helped us. And in 2010, we added Facebook to our efforts to reach out to folks both in the region and outside the region to spread the gospel about great places right here.
Now, you can become a friend...but WHY? As a non-profit, we depend on support to do our work, grants, community support and individual donations. In recent years, many grant opportunities have dried up; and while our communities have been incredibly supportive of our work, their budgets are stretched. We're working to find new opportunities to sustain and support our work. Yes, we're a 501 c 3 non-profit organization!
If you've enjoyed this blog, and our facebook page, and twitter account, please consider joining us in this important endeavor. Through our friends, we're offering TERRIFIC benefits, including discounts at REI and at the Museum of the Big Bend and through the Friends of Big Bend National Park too. Make this your most unconventional donation (but maybe the most fun one!) this year!
Information about joining (including making a donation through the mail) is here.
Our online giving page is here! (Joining online is easy and immediate!)
Oh! And YES, we do offer gift memberships. Simply let us know the name and address (and email address too, please) of the individual receiving the gift membership and we'll make it happen! (If giving a gift membership online, simply indicate "this is a gift membership" in the comment field after you make your donation, and we'll contact you offline for details!
THANK YOU to everyone who contributes to Texas Mountain Trail's success. We want to continue to bring the beauty, heritage, romance, and adventure of the mountains to you EVERYDAY in 2013!
Three weeks from today one of the most charming holiday events in the region takes place, the Lighted Christmas Parade in Van Horn. Put December 1 on your calendar for this whole-community event. If town folks aren't on the lighted floats, they're on Broadway, the main street in Van Horn, cheering them on.
Also taking place that day is the Pecan Dessert Contest at the historic Hotel El Capitan, and we hear there's a brisket contest in town as well.
Texas Mountain Trail Spotlight:
Learn more about the Texas Mountain Trail here....and consider joining as a member! You'll receive great benefits, and you'll learn more about fun things to do in the mountains, AND you'll be helping our non-profit organization deliver more services to travelers and resident of the region. That's a win, win, win!
We've got terrific volunteers and friends, and one of them is El Pasoan, Cliff Seaman, who wrote a special song just for the Texas Mountain Trail! Sit back, imagine yourself as a cowpoke in the saddle and enjoy!
You can give online or mail in your membership gift to: Texas Mountain Trail, P.O. Box 7, Van Horn, TX 79855!
Levels and benefits:
$25 Senior/Student Texas Mountain Trail enewsletter, discounts at the Museum of the Big Bend gift shop
$50 Individual/Family All of the above, plus early notice of all our programs and opportunities
$100 Friend All of the above, plus 20% off coupon to REI (while they last!) and discount on 10K registration for the Big Bend Ultra from Friends of Big Bend National Park
$250 Supporter All of the above, plus invitations, newsletters and mailings from Friends of Big Bend National Park
$500 Champion All of the above, plus a Far West Texas Wildlife Trail map and recognition/sponsorship by name of one of our social media storytelling projects
$1000 Patron All of the above, plus recognition/sponsorship by name for one of our major Texas Mountain Trail public programs or for two of our social media storytelling projects
We're a 501 c 3 non-profit serving the visitors and residents of the six westernmost counties of the state!
TODAY is a special day for Texas Mountain Trail's friends and volunteers. TODAY, we offer a way you can bring the best of Far West Texas to travelers near and far.
TODAY, you can join us as true MEMBERS of the Texas Mountain Trail....so what do you get?
You'll help others discover the incredible beauty and impressive heritage of the Texas Mountains, while finding new ways to enjoy your own adventures. Will you be a Trail Champion?
You'll help support the communities of the region. Will you be a Trail Friend?
AND, you'll help us develop new products to get the most out of your stay--the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail, cycle-friendly routes and rides, our Peak Fitness Challenge for hikers with its Texas Mountain Trail heritage hikes, and our work on Facebook, Twitter, and this Daily Photo blog!
What else will you get? There are some TERRIFIC benefits for lending your support to the Trail.
$25 Senior/Student Texas Mountain Trail enewsletter, discounts at the Museum of the Big Bend gift shop
$50 Individual/Family All of the above, plus early notice of all our programs and opportunities
$100 Friend All of the above, plus 20% off coupon to REI (while they last!) and discount on 10K registration for the Big Bend Ultra from Friends of Big Bend National Park
$250 Supporter All of the above, plus invitations, newsletters and mailings from Friends of Big Bend National Park
$500 Champion All of the above, plus a Far West Texas Wildlife Trail map and recognition/sponsorship by name of one of our social media storytelling projects
$1000 Patron All of the above, plus recognition/sponsorship by name for one of our major Texas Mountain Trail public programs or for two of our social media storytelling projects
Click HERE for our safe, secure online giving page, or you can mail your gift to: Texas Mountain Trail, P.O. Box 7, Van Horn, TX 79855!
EVERYDAY, we bring you photos, places, people, events in Far West Texas....Join us! We're a 501 c 3 non-profit organization and gifts may be tax deductible. Click here to read notes on the tax deductibility of your gift!
