1884 Scobee House and Masonic Lodge, Fort Davis Historic Walking Tour

Two more locations on the Fort Davis Historic Walking Tour--the 1884 Scobee House (left) and the Masonic Lodge (right).  Pick up your copy of the walking tour brochure at the Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce office in the center of town!

From the brochure: 

"1884 Scobee House--S.A. Thompson, a surveyor, used this building as an office.  In 1902, it became the original post office.  It was enlarged in 1925 and in 1945 was bought by Barry Scobee, who resided there until his death in 1977.  Scobee was a colorful writer and newspaper man.  He and his wife managed Hotel Limpia for a short time.  Scobee Mountain is named after him."

"Masonic Lodge--Originally a single story rock building, the lodge was later attached to the Scobee home.  It was used as a drug store, grocery store, bank and residence.  In 1928, it was purchased by the Masons and a second story was added."

Mary's Post Office, Fort Davis Historic Walking Tour

From the Fort Davis Historic Walking Tour brochure, available at the Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce Office:

"In 1908, James L. Edwards built this post office for his wife, who was postmistress.  Alice Sproul bought it in 1914 and served as postmistress until 1922.  Her niece, Mary Sproul, inherited the building, which is now used as a vacation rental.

Announcing our Newest Cycle-Friendly Property!

Van Horn's Hotel El Capitan, is the latest to join our roster of cycle-friendly hotels.  It is also one of our distinguished historic hotels, built in 1930, and recently (and lovingly) restored and open again for business.  Located at the Crossroads of the Texas Mountain Trail--at the intersection of Hwys 90 and 54, and two blocks north of I-10--it is a new elegant jumping off point for adventures all over the region.  It is a great place to rest before heading north to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park, or for cyclists wanting to explore scenic and virtually undiscovered cycling road--Hwy 54.

To read more about the Hotel El Capitan, visit their website, http://www.hotelelcapitan.net/

To read about historic hotels in the region, visit www.texasmountaintrail.com/historichotels

To see the list of cycle-friendly hotels in the region, visit www.texasmountaintrail.com/bike

Another View from the Road

On Hwy 90 between Van Horn and Marfa near Valentine, TX

More Fall Color from McKittrick Canyon

The National Park Service trailguide for McKittrick Canyon starts with this,"McKittrick Canyon is one of the best places to witness the diversity of life found in the Guadalupe Mountains. This is an extremely scenic hike through a canyon that contains a year-round spring fed stream. It will introduce hikers to the extremely unique riparian woodland ecosystem. It is especially beautiful in fall when the big-tooth maples are turning various shades of red, orange, and yellow. This normally occurs in the last two weeks of October to the first week of November."

And wow, this year we had great color!  You can view a slideshow of photos of the color in the canyon here.

You can download the trailguide here.

Our regional hiking guide is here!

Pratt Cabin--McKittrick Canyon Trail

We recently discovered what is now one of our favorite "dream houses" in the region--Pratt Cabin on the McKittrick Canyon Trail in Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  You can read more about it here.  Wallace E. Pratt and his family built the cabin in 1931-2, providing them a place to escape the summer heat of Houston, their home.  Pratt, a petroleum geologist and conservationist donated their land to the National Park Service enabling public access to McKittrick Canyon.  A slideshow of more photos of the cabin is here.

To read more about Wallace E. Pratt, click here.

For a trail guide for McKittrick Canyon, click here.

For regional hiking information, click here!

Big Bend Ranch State Park--Rancherias Trail

Next Saturday, November 14, Big Bend Ranch State Park is holding a BIG party and you're invited...their Fiesta!  Activities within the park are FREE--guided hikes and mountain biking tours, bird watching, jeep tours, geology and rock art tours.  For complete information, click here or check our Texas Mountain Trail calendar listing for the event, here.

Come on out and explore Texas' largest and wildest state park!

Hiking McKittrick Canyon Trail

Fall color graces the trail of McKittrick Canyon in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  Every autumn the normally sparsely traveled trail becomes a mecca for those seeking cool temperatures and spectacular hues.  Put it on your "must do" list for your next visit!

For information on the park, visit: www.nps.gov/gumo or the Texas Mountain Trail hiking page: http://www.texasmountaintrail.blogspot.com/

Dia de los Muertos, Day 5!

This booth at Mercado Mayapan is full of sugar skulls, a traditional element of the Day of the Dead (or Dia de los Muertos) celebration.  Sugar skulls make it fun for the living and the dead...see all our entries this week for links and more information about it!

Dia de los Muertos, Day 4!

Details of altars honoring family members.  To learn more about Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, visit the El Paso CVB's website, here.  To learn more about altar-making, visit Texas Monthly's page, here!

Dia de los Muertos, Day 3!

Day three of our celebration of Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, and photos from an altar display.  Texas Monthly has a good article on making your own altar, to read it click here!

Dia de los Muertos, Day 2!

"On Mexico's Day of the Dead, the skeletons jump for sheer joy. And no wonder: they’ve been cooped up the whole year long and now they’re ready to party. Watch the calaveras shake, rattle and roll as they celebrate the biggest event of the graveyard’s social calendar!" says El Paso's Cinco Puntos Press' website.

They've published a wonderful and charming children's book about the holiday called, "The Festival of Bones," for more information on the holiday and the book, click here!

Dia de los Muertos!

Dia de los Muertos is Day of the Dead, a joyful celebration in the region.  For more information, visit El Paso CVB's page about it, click here!

From Above, Day 3

This is the third "taste" of a wonderful aerial photography exhibit now on display at UTEP's Centennial Museum....photographs by Adriel Heisey.  They were taken from the open seat of his tiny, experimental Kolb TwinStar airplane.  Check out Friday's and Saturday's entries on this blog for more information.

From Above, Day 2

One of the stunning aerial photographs by Adriel Heisey on view at UTEP's Centennial Museum.  See yesterday's entry for more information on this exhibition. 

From Above!

For the next three days, we'll be featuring photographs from an exhibition showing at El Paso's Centennial Museum on the UTEP campus.

Here's a description of the show:

From Above: Images of a Storied Land

Showing through January 15, 2009

The exhibition, created by the Center for Desert Archaeology in collaboration with the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, features 28 large-format aerial photographs by Adriel Heisey. The images convey the beauty, mystery, and fragility of past human activity on the Southwestern landscape.


Heisey photographs ancient and modern landscapes from a unique vantage point: the open seat of his tiny, experimental Kolb TwinStar airplane, soaring above the earth to capture the imprints that both ancient and modern cultures have left on the landscape.


Heisey’s aerial photographs have been featured in numerous publications, including Arizona Highways, New Mexico Magazine, National Geographic, American Photo, Photo Life, Whole Earth, Journal of the Southwest, and Nature Conservancy.

We woke up to snow this morning!

Many communities in the region woke up to snow this morning.  In most places, it will melt off soon, but it sure is pretty while it lasts!

Marathon town view

The tiny town of Marathon is considered the easternmost gateway city to Big Bend National Park, so Marathon has several lodging options including Eve's Garden Organic Bed and Breakfast and Ecology Resource Center.  From their website:

"Eve’s Garden is a research level organic gardening demonstration site and an urban hacienda, combining to provide a comfortable Bed and Breakfast environment and a conversational forum to address issues regarding the ecology we live in.

Every effort has been made to combine elements of “art”, “architecture”, and “ecology” in the layout and construction of this unusually progressive piece of work. A large amount of recycled content, strawbale buildings, paper adobe/fiber cement buildings, high Mexican contemporary color treatments, and a focus on locally produced food, conspire to create an aura of thoughtfulness."

Looking down and taking your time on the trail

Rich rewards await the hiker willing to take the trail slowly...this tiny beauty of a rock was found on the South Rim Trail of Big Bend National Park.  Take your time, look around!  You never know what you'll find.

Check out our hiking page, for regional information on trails:  www.texasmountaintrail.com/hike

Pronghorn antelope near Marfa

Click on the photo for a closer view.  Taken north east of Marfa near the golf course.