Texas Vacation 2022 - Day Seven - Winters TX to Home

 Winter's TX.  The name appears apt today.  It is DANG cold out.  We missed out on the deep freeze that hit North Texas while we were enjoying the wonders of Big Bend National Park.  Now, we are just cold.

Texas Vacation - Day Six - Alpine, TX to Winters, TX

 The car is pointed north once again and as we come over the hill towards Alpine, Mister stops and we just enjoy the view.  The Alpine/Marfa/Fort Davis area is very doable.  I like it.

Texas Vacation - Day Five - Big Bend National Park - Part 5 - Tree Zone/Chisos Area

 As we entered the park several days ago, the visitor center had information about black bears in the park and today I commented to Mister that I just didn't see how it could be.  The terrain just hasn't been what bears like in my mind.  Well, all of that just changed as we entered The Tree Zone.  In the Chisos Basin the world of trees begins and we enter a woodland of junipers, oaks, and Mexican pinons.  Higher up, there are forests of tall Amazon pines and Douglas fir.  See -- this is why we need to come back and spend time here and on the east side next year.  It's just so beautiful to end our day.

Texas Vacation - Day Five - Big Bend National Park - Part 4 - Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff Hike/Sotol Vista

 Short hike number 4 for today.  We are at Lower Burro Mesa Pouroff.  It is 1 mile roundtrip with 120 feet in elevation gain, the most overall gain of the day.  This is supposedly an easy walk that leads through a gravel creek bed (yay - those are such fun) to a narrow box canyon where water has carved a deep channel into Burro Mesa.  This 100' pouroff attests to the power of water that floods this canyon during summer rains.  Burro Mesa also shows Big Bend's volcanic past with its yellow and orange bands across the bluffs.  They are ash-flow tuffs (there is that word again), which show the layered beds created as they were deposited.  

Texas Vacation - Day Five - Big Bend National Park - Part 3 - Tuff's Canyon Hike

 We are in Big Bend at the PERFECT time to see the first signs of spring.  Little blooms here and there.

Texas Vacation - Day Five - Big Bend National Park - Part 2 - Dorgan Sublett Trail

 Perhaps the most interesting part of Big Bend, at least to me, is the ever-changing terrain and they are rapid changes sometimes.  We have both commented on it and are so surprised each occurance.

Texas Vacation - Day Five - Big Bend National Park - Part 1 Santa Elena Canyon

 Yay!!!!  We are heading back to Big Bend this morning for some hiking and nature observation.  I am super excited to get out and really stretch the legs.  But first --- a view for you of my attacker last night.  It has been found guilty of assault and battery and has been sentenced to solitary confinement --- I will give it a REALLY wide berth.  Dang devil.  I can't believe it doesn't even really appear to have suffered from a human falling into it.

Texas Vacation 2022 - Day Four (Second Half) - McDonald Observatory, TX to Alpine, TX

 We left off with the Hobby-Eberle Telescope at the end of the last post and we are now starting down Mount Fawkes, where it is located.  Across the way, we can see McDonald Observatory, which was our first stop.

Texas Vacation 2022 - Day Four (First Half) - Alpine, TX to McDonald Observatory, TX

 Happy Birthday Mister!  Travel is the BEST birthday present for my sweetheart.  This morning is COLD, but I'm trying to get a few pictures of our little home for the next few days.  Come along on my little tour.  The outside of the building and our little screened in porch are first followed by the main room.

Texas Vacation 2022 - Day Three (Second Half) - Marathon, TX to Alpine, TX

 The second half of our day begins with the entrance to Big Bend National Park.  This is the point the whole trip was planned around.  Come along and just view the splendor, with minimal comments (well, I'll try).

Texas Vacation 2022 - Day Three (First Half) - Crane, TX to Marathon, TX

Good Morning to all!  The sun is rising and we are on the road before 8 a.m.  We've opted to wait until Fort Stockton for coffee, so wish us well.  Please.  A quick drive through Crane - there's a little more, but not much.

Off we go --- to Grandfalls for gas and then down the highway.  It is STRAIGHT south and the highway appears to just go on and on and on.  I'm channeling my inner Woody Guthrie with This Land Is Your Land.  It seems super appropriate for our trip today.

Texas Vacation 2022 - Day Two - Abilene to Crane, TX

 Day two dawns and after saying good-byes to family, we are off to see a friend.  Kelly lives along our route and we are meeting at her house for coffee and cinnamon rolls.  She knows how to send a friend off on an adventure.  Kelly lives on the banks of Lake Colorado City -- what a great view each day.  I'm a little green here and that's okay.  Two weeks on Flathead Lake in April will make my world right again.

Texas Vacation 2022- Day One - Cisco Old Zoo

 We are OUTTA here!  It's time for a road trip and I'm more than ready.  Mister and I have not wandered off alone for a week since last October and our beach trip.  We are, once again, doing some Texas exploring.  When one lives in this large of a state --- it takes a LOT of trips to conquer the state and we are not even close yet.  In fact, I think I want to start marking the routes we have taken on a map so that we can actually discover what areas are left for day trips and what will require more time.  Onto the task list it goes.  Well, I went off track there, didn't I?  

So . . . we really didn't move too quick this morning, finally having the car loaded and driving west at 10:40.  Well, alrighty then.  A phone call to Jen so that she can meet up with us later is made and we are on the road.  Somehow we bypassed breakfast in our plans to depart and by the time we are in Eastland, we're hungry.  A stop at Heff's Burgers fixes it all, but now I'm stuffed.  That burger was HUGE.

After our lunch, a quick drive through Eastland follows and I'm able to learn a wee bit about this town that we pass quite often.  The old Eastland County Jail contains many artifacts and memorabilia of Eastland county and Law Enforcement history.  The jail once hosted one of the infamous Santa Claus Bank Robbers in 1927 and is the site of the last public lynching in the State of Texas.  It is only open by appointment and since today is Saturday, no one is available to do just that.  A picture is what we get.

Winter Day in Dallas

 Soooo - the weather guessers were right.  It's dang cold out and at least we don't have any desire to go out as we are still quarantining with COVID.  We'll just watch through the windows.  It's warmer that way.  This is my morning view.