Dell City, off the beaten path but on the way to the Dunes!

Dell City, a unique farming community off
the beaten path in the Texas Mountain Trail Region

Dell City has a great view of the salt flats and Guadalupe
Mountains National Park

Accessible a few miles off 62/180 just west of Guadalupe Mountains National Park is the farming community of Dell City in Hudspeth County.

Dell City is the closest place for gas, water, and food for Guadalupe Mountains National Park Salt Basin Dunes visitors.   Click here for information on gaining access to the dunes.

Read about the El Paso Salt War, here.

One of our very favorite shots.....

This cemetery marker mirrors the roofline of the
Soccoro Mission along El Paso County's
Mission Trail

We really enjoy exploring the Mission Trail communities in El Paso County, and every now and then, we see something truly special.  Consider this grave marker in the cemetery by the Socorro Mission.  What thought and care must have taken place to build this special marker?

Visit it yourself, click here for more information!

Diesel Fried Chicken

From Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men

Yes, it is a real place, the sign still there...in Van Horn

 

"When they pulled into Van Horn it was seven oclock at night.  She'd slept a good part of the way, curlted up with her knapsack as a pillow.  He pulled into a truckstop and shut off the engine and her eyes snapped open like a deer's.  She sat up and looked at him and then looked out at the parking lot.


Where are we? she said.

Van Horn.  You hungry?


I could eat a bite.


You want some diesel fried chicken?"

Big Bend Stories

Look closely in Big Bend National Park
and you'll find evidence of past lives

Big Bend National Park's website is full of great stories about its past. 

One of our favorites is here.

One of our favorite passages:

"Houses in La Coyota had wood stoves for cooking. There were no glass windows or screens. The houses did have doors, however, which usually were shut in fear of bandits from Mexico."  Imagine the life!!

Also, in a remembrance from Mrs. German Rivera, "Mrs. Rivera remembers that there was usually running water along Alamo Creek (now a dry wash), which made subsistence farming possible. The families dug ditches to bring surface water runoff into the fields. They raised corn, wheat and many vegetables, as well as hogs and chickens for their own consumption, selling surpluses and tamales to the miners in Terlingua. The road to Terlingua went alongside the creek in those days."

More stories in the History and Culture section of their website, link here.

When you see evidence of the past in the park, stop and take the time to wonder about it!

Travel Spotlight!

Now you can join the Texas Mountain Trail as a member and support our work, connecting you to your adventure in Far West Texas.  Click here for more information!  Joining is easy!

Cycle-friendly Big Bend Resorts and Adventures

The motel cat, "Baby," near the front door to the office

Beautiful setting next to Big Bend National Park

You can practice your golf swing!

Just a couple of miles from the western entrance of Big Bend National Park, sits one of our cycle-friendly accommodations properties, the Big Bend Resorts and Adventures.  They have motel rooms, RV hookups, a campground, cafe, horseback riding, golf, party facilities, laundry facilities, and a conference room available....AND they can provide personal, escorted tours inside the park in their rugged vehicle! 

Located conveniently between the Park and Terlingua Ghostown, Big Bend Resorts and Adventures allows easy access to the park, outfitters, and many of the restaurants in the area. 

 

Lots of room inside for your bike.  This is a
cycle-friendly property.

Just a few miles from Big Bend Resorts
and Adventures, the Starlight Theatre in
Terlingua Ghostown

Way to go El Paso!!

El Paso's Museum of Art

The largest city in our region has been getting TERRIFIC (and well-deserved) press lately. 

Take a look at the New York Times, 36 Hours in El Paso article! (Printed just last week)

And this one, distributed this week in Albuquerque and Santa Fe!  This one focuses on the nightlife and the advantages to exploring the downtown area...great places to dine, listen to music,

Tiffany Dome in the Hotel El Camino Real in
downtown El Paso

The New York Times article mentions the wonderful resources of Franklin Mountains State Park, home to our own Peak Fitness Challenge, where hikers can log their miles online and become eligible for prizes!  So far, over 1,000 hiking miles have been recorded online!

Inside the restored, historic
Plaza Theatre in downtown El Paso

We agree that El Paso is a city of surprising charm...the trick is to get off I-10 and explore! 

Bicycle Travel Can Save Small Towns

Our friends, Russ and Laura, of PathLessPedaled.com traveled through our Texas Mountain Trail region on their big 2009-2010 trip, staying at several of our cycle-friendly hotels including the Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn and the Gage Hotel in Marathon.  Read one of their posts here.

They make some great points about the economic benefits of bike travel to small towns, and we agree.  While we face some special challenges due to the long distances between some of our communities, the benefits are definitely there.

We're doing what we can to promote safe bike travel, and the (many) cycling resources in our region.

Click here to read our article on Far West Texas cycling on the Bike Texas website.

Visit this page, www.texasmountaintrail.com/bike for a full listing of our cycle-friendly accommodations.

A New Front Door

Now the FRONT of the Clark Hotel Museum,
In Van Horn along Broadway Street
(Photo by Dan Baeza)
 

Take just outside the "front" door of the Clark Hotel
in 1919, now the back door of the Clark Hotel
Museum in Van Horn
(Photo courtesy, Clark Hotel Museum)

When a society takes a big turn in a new direction, sometimes "back" becomes "front," and "front" becomes "back."

Such is the case with the town of Van Horn, when travel shifted from train to the automobile....and you can see that shift at the Clark Hotel Museum. 

The front door of the hotel was at the north end of the building prior to 1925, adjacent to the train station.  When automobile became more prevalent--Van Horn is on the Bankhead Highway and the Old Spanish Trail, the "front" door shifted to the south side of the building.  Read more about it here.

Travel Spotlight!

Just across the street from the Clark Hotel Museum in Van Horn is the historic Hotel El Capitan, recently restored to its 1930 splendor and available for visitor stays with all the modern conveniences.  The Hotel El Capitan is one of our finest regional historic hotels and a participant in our cycle-friendly program, too.


The Hotel El Capitan is a marketing partner of our non-profit Texas Mountain Trail organization.

Spend the Morning at Fort Davis: Assembly

 

What's it like to be a Buffalo Solder in 1870s at Fort Davis? 

10:00 am      One of the Bugle Calls from our "Morning at the Fort" feature at Fort Davis National Historic Site

Soldiers practiced battle formations and marching. New recruits learned more basic skills. Says a soldier:  "All right men looking better – you were all in step - you might just make soldiers yet." 11:00 a.m. Recall from Drill Morning work parties ceased at the sound of this call. Says a soldier:  "Finally, a break from all that wood choppin’ – where’s that water barrel – I’m going to find me some shade somewhere."

Click here to see and hear a typical morning's work at the Fort, circa 1870s! Travel Spotlight! Marfa has a new Visitor Center in the restored WWII - era U.S.O Building!   Come on in and say "hello" and pick up travel advice and brochures.  Located on Hwy 67 just south of the blinking light at Hwy 90 in the center of Marfa!  www.visitmarfa.com/ The City of Marfa is a merketing partner and supporter of our Texas Mountain Trail non-profit organiation.

SAVE the DATE! Trappings of Texas

SAVE the DATE!  Trappings of Texas at the Museum
of the Big Bend in Alpine!

One of the region's signature events is the Trappings of Texas at the Museum of the Big Bend in Alpine.  Click here for event information!

Close up of a noseknot on a braided rawhide bosal by Pablo Lozano of Tandil, Argentina. Pablo will have his work available for purchase this February in Trappings of Texas!

 

For 27 years, the Museum of the Big Bend has exhibited some of the very best cowboy gear and fine Western Art in the longest running event of its kind in the country: Trappings Of Texas. The Exhibit will be open to the public on February 22 - April 14, 2013, with Opening Weekend occurring on February 22-23, 2013.

This one-of-a-kind event opens on Friday, February 22, with a ticketed Opening Reception and Sale. The following day, attend the free Public Auction. All weekend long, visit the chuckwagon behind the museum. The opening weekend offers visitors to the museum an opportunity to meet the men and women who are the creators of the gear and art in the museum’s exhibit and public auction.

To learn more about Trappings of Texas and to purchase tickets, call 432-837-8143 or email nacosta@sulross.edu.

Here's a video we made in 2009 for that year's Trappings exhibit and show!

Travel Spotlight!

One of our Texas Mountain Trail cycle-friendly properties welcomes guests to the region all year round!  The Stone Village Tourist Camp is a renovated 1935 property in the middle of Fort Davis.  From their website:

"Stone Village has been in continuous operation since it's opening in 1935, when the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC)under President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, came out to build the Davis Mountain State Park and Indian Lodge Complex. The University of Texas McDonald Observatory and the highway were also being built as well as the Balmorhea State Park, home to San Solomon Springs, one of the states largest spring fed pools." 

Stone Village Tourist Camp is one of our Texas Mountain Trail member/partners!

Last night's sunset, the first of 2013!!

The first sunset of the year, over West Marfa!

And....a NEW year begins!

Dawn at Big Bend Ranch State Park

We're excited to bring you the best of Far West Texas and the Texas Mountain Trail region all year long!

Visit this blog every day for all that's new and beautiful in the Texas Mountains...and....
Our facebook page
Our twitter account
Our YouTube channel
Our special featured documents (Dining Along Historic Highways features are there now) on Issuu
It is our joy and our mission to connect you with your adventure through projects like:

Peak Fitness Challenge
Far West Texas Wildlife Trail

Are you an event organizer in Far West Texas?  You can add your event to our web calendar...follow the link here.

Remember, you can become a MEMBER of the Texas Mountain Trail and receive great benefits such as discounts at REI, Museum of the Big Bend and Friends of Big Bend National Park!  Click here!

Thanks, 2012!

Most popular image in our Texas Mountain Trail
Facebook page, taken in July by Monte Riggs of Marfa

As we close the year, we want to share our thanks with the MANY people dedicated to our little non-profit organization and the Texas mountain communities we serve.  We've been blessed with help from publishers, photographers, videographers, writers, historians, hoteliers, restauranteurs, graphic designers, computer tech folks, regional and state non-profit organizations including our partner Texas Heritage Trail regions, state and national park staff members, museum friends,  the preservation community including the Texas Historical Commission, community champions and of course, our travelers.

Some of the highlights of our year:

Launch of the Peak Fitness Challenge (which might tally over 1,000 miles hiked TODAY!)

Preparation of the second edition of the Far West Texas Wildlife Trail Map (available in 2013)
Social media storytelling projects:  Dining along Historic Highways, Cycling in 1895, with more to come!

Launch of our new website, www.texasmountaintrail.com

Our dining promotion on #FoodieChats on Twitter

Our wonderful photography intern, Dan Baeza, took terrific images of Van Horn and the region, of Cobra Rock Boot Makers (for a social media storytelling project) AND created the Clark Hotel Museum's first-ever website.  (Great job, Dan!)

Daily posts of adventures, heritage, events, and photos right here on the Texas Mountain Trail Daily Photo blog (now more than 1,700 daily entries!) and our Facebook page and Twitter!

Speaking engagements and travel show representation ALL over Texas, enticing travelers to visit the Texas Mountain Trail region!

Launch of our first-ever membership system....read more here, and become a member here! 

MOST OF ALL, our heartiest thanks to all the friends, volunteers and board members who make Texas Mountain Trail what it is today!

Wildlife at Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center...watch and enjoy!

Last year, we took this short 16 second video at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens outside Fort Davis.

Here's a photograph of that same beetle

Want to learn more?  Here's a terrific TED Talks video about dung beetles, their behavior and how and why they roll balls of dung:

Just so you know the Nature Center isn't all about dung beetles, here are some other photos we took the same September day...enjoy!

 

Now you can JOIN the non-profit Texas Mountain Trail and support our efforts to connect travelers with their own adventure in Far West Texas.  Click here to join!

Visiting McDonald Observatory

A winter view of the Davis Mountains from the top of McDonald Observatory, north of Fort Davis.

Our region's skies are among the darkest you'll find anywhere...we're a perfect place to see the night sky and enjoy the stars and planets.  Many travelers to the region plan to attend a STAR PARTY.  We agree, this is a highlight of many trips out to the mountains...our tip?  Regardless of season, wear a hat and warm clothing.  At the Observatory's high altitude, it gets cold after dark, even in the summer!

 

Want to get up to speed on what you can see in the night sky?  Take a look at the Observatory's Stardate website, click here!

 

Click here to get to the Observatory's Visitor Center website, including links to schedule notes for Spring Break 2013.  Click here for the Observatory's FAQ page.

 

 

From the historic site marker at the top of the Observatory complex:

 

"Original unit in complex forming one of the greatest observatory centers in the world.  Built in teh 1930s under terms of legacy from William Johnson McDonald (1844-1926).  A Paris (Texas) banker interested in the stars. A well-educated man, McDonald lived frugally.  As a hobby, he read science books and viewed planets through a small telescope.  His will granted to the Universityy of Texas $800,000 "to build an observatory and promote the study of Astronomy." 

 

"This site was selected because of its high ratio of clear nights, its 6,800 foot altitude, its distance from artificially-lighted cities, and its quite low altitude which permits the observation of southern skies."

 

"The Observatory was operated for its first 25 years mainly by astronomers from the University of Chicago, more recently primarily from the University of Texas.  Until 1948, its 82-inch telescope was the second-largest in the world.  Its fine work and site has resulted in the addition of other telescopes, including a 107-inch instrument sponsored jointly by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science Foundation and the University of Texas."

 

"Discoveries here have included interstellar polarization and the satellites of several planets. (1968)

Now you can JOIN the Texas Mountain Trail (a 501 c 3 non-profit organization) and get advance notice of special events and opportunities in the Far West Texas region.  Click HERE!

To Stay Plugged In or NOT?

YES!  You can connect to the internet from the patio
of the Chisos Mountain Lodge in Big Bend National Park!
Chat with your friends as the sun sets in view of "The Window!"
But are you sure you want to plug in?



Here's a tip for your trip to the Texas Mountains:  bring your phone, or your tablet, but don't plug in!  This is your best opportunity to RELAX and enjoy the quiet, the unspoiled vistas, the uncrowded towns. 

We live in the most remote part of Texas, and sometimes connections are quite tenuous...you won't find connectivity everywhere.  But that's part of the charm and the value of BEING here. 

Now you can JOIN the Texas Mountain Trail...click HERE! 

Hike the Peak Fitness Challenge!

Hikers in Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Franklin Mountains State Park!  Join the Peak Fitness Challenge and all the miles you hike qualify you for prize drawings EVERY month!  Sign in, log your miles now, it is FREE and fun! 

Click here to learn more about the "Texas Mountain Trail Heritage Hikes," which are a part of the challenge!

Big big thanks to our friends at PhiDev, Inc. and GeoBetty.com in El Paso, along with the park's superintendents, interpretive and other staff members.  Y'all are terrific partners and we're so very grateful for your enthusiastic support of our Texas Mountain Trail! 

 

Now you can JOIN the Texas Mountain Trail and help suppport some terrific projects including the Peak Fitness Challenge.  CLICK HERE to join!

Marfa's U.S.O. Hall....Visit it Today!

The interior of Marfa's U.S.O. Hall is nearly untouched from
its heyday during World War II.  Now the town's Visitor Center, you can
see it yourself...just south one block from the blinking light
in the center of town on Hwy 67 South.

Yesterday, we posted the 1941 Christmas menu from Fort D.A. Russell in Marfa, as part of our "Dining Along Historic Highways" series.  (See the full document--inside and out--HERE with our thanks to the Alpine's Museum of the Big Bend)   Today, take a look inside the U.S.O. Hall from that era! 

With the historical exhibits and photographs of soldiers and airmen, it takes little imagination to put yourself back into Marfa, 1941.

Read more about World War II in Texas, here.
Other Fort D.A. Russell sites you can visit in Marfa today include:
Building 98
Chinati Foundation

JOIN the Texas Mountain Trail!  Click HERE!

See inside a 1941 Fort D.A. Russell Christmas Menu!

Click HERE to see inside....a Christmas menu from Fort D.A. Russell in 1941, plus places you can still visit in Marfa to put you back in the Fort during W.W.II.

The full document is part of our continuing series on "Dining Along Historic Highways!"

Happy Holidays to everyone from the Texas Mountain Trail!  And hearty thanks to the Museum of the Big Bend, Marfa Public Library/Portal to Texas History and Monte Riggs for content for this special feature!  Y'all are great!

JOIN the Texas Mountain Trail!  Click HERE!

December photos around the region!

Photos from around the region in December.....warm, cold, cozy, adventurous!

Magoffin Home Historic Site in El Paso

Run on Hwy 54 north of Van Horn

Santa at the Presidio County Courthouse, Marfa

South Rim, Big Bend National Park