February 14 -15, 2024:
I’m on the road at 9:30 AM driving straight on I-10 east with a emergency stop to get my radio synced to my iPhone music library, that's critical for this trip and . These devices sure can be annoying at times, but the weather is really cooperating today, nothing but sun and the temperature is about 70 degrees in the afternoon, gotta love that !
I make my first stop in Deming, NM where I park and walk around a few blocks to see what’s new or has changed since my last visit here. Deming is doing okay, looking fine actually. I love the great murals, street. The Deming Luna Mimbres Museum is also great, I've been there, but no time today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deming,_New_Mexico
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Deming has great downtown murals and art |
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| Another great mural |
I bypass Las Cruces, NM to allow more time to wander in downtown El Paso, Texas. I managed to orient myself into the downtown area, park and walk around the historic, scenic old hispanic area known as Barrio Duranguito. Photo OP’s are everywhere, I was soon losing track of where I left the van. Afterwards, I make my way through the rush hour traffic, not as easy, to the Walmart where I will spend a quiet night, hopefully.
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| Historic preservationist fought to save this historic neighborhood |
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| Interesting mural |
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| I wondered about the Bowie Bears ? |
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| It's all about the butt |
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| Interesting mural |
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| Beautiful old building |
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| Not sure what kine of surplus is here ? |
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| This is a sanctuary City |
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| Is this the border wall ? |
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| Elvis is alive here |
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| The welcome arch is quite nice |
It's Feb15th as I get on the road about 8 AM heading east on I-10 in the rush hour traffic, luckily I’m on the eastern side of El Paso so I get through the heavy congestion rather easy.
There are very few towns heading east out of El Paso on I-10, it’s mostly wide open cattle range land. I have to give Texas good marks for the construction work on the highway, they have a great job, the road back in Arizona and New Mexico was terrible. They are also really improving their roadside rest areas, they were unusually clean and with nice picnic table facilities.
My first stop is in Sierra Blanca, Texas which is in a sad distressed town but full of photo ops. I've been here several times always hopeful that it will show improvement, but it's not happening, very sad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Blanca,_Texas
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| It's an historic railroad town, but the museum now appears closed |
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| The best cafe also appears closed |
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| Once a beautiful building, no ice or beer these days |
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| The adobe walled State Theater is slowly eroding away |
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| A better view |
My next stop is Van Horn,Texas to explore, it's another decaying town. The high point was going inside the Hotel El Capitan to look around. It was designed by famous architect Henry Trost, who was responsible for the design of 550 buildings from California to Texas from 1900 -1933. The space project, Blue Origin located at the Corn Ranch owned/operated by Jeff Bezos is pretty exciting stuff, but doesn't appear to be a boost to the local economy.
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| Doesn't look like they got anything left ? |
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| Space fantasy |
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| Hotel El Capitan looks pretty comfortable |
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| The Clark Hotel is very historical |
I have come to a crossroads decision here, to continue on route 80 towards Marfa to Alpine, Texas (the more direct route) or to continue on I-10 to the exit for route 118 south which looks way more interesting ? I take the more interesting route, it was the right thing to do. Route 118 was impressive, passing through the Davis Mountains with varying forest zones with a wide variance of trees and shrubs.
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| Long stretches of beautiful Juniper trees |
I stop at the impressive, world class McDonald Observatory for a visit, it's truly out of this world ! I go through the museum building with great mind altering exhibits and then drive up the steep access road to two of the huge Observatory Telescopes. These buildings are enormous, very impressive and are sometimes open for guided tours, but not today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonald_Observatory
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| Money we'll spent by a wealthy bachelor |
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| I imagine it to be a fascinating read |
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| One of the great centers in the world ! |
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| I have to admit that I rarely ask questions ? |
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| An over achiever, don't think I could ever be a planet-hunter |
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| The McDonald Observatory |
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| The observatory is located at a high elevation for better viewing conditions |
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| The Hobby - Eberly Telescope |
I make another stop in Fort Davis, TX and walk around the downtown, it’s a historic place, the site of Fort Davis with a beautiful old stone Jeff Davis County Court House, the attractive Hotel Limpia and several interesting restaurants, cafes and shops. The fort was a Confederate supply point during the civil war and was then used during the Indian wars.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Davis,_Texas
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| Historic marker |
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| Jeff Davis County Courthouse |
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| Historic Church in front of interesting rock formation |
I arrive at my destination of Alpine Texas in late afternoon, have a light meal and go to the Railroad Bar for their Blues Jam session, I remember this place from an earlier RV trip years ago, it looks exactly the same. It started off pretty weak but then became better and better as more players joined the mix. I was then enjoying the music and the two beers, which went done fine, but then started gurgling in my stomach. I’ve been having some sort of stomach distress for the last few days, sure hope it doesn’t last. It really sucks when you’re have a good time and common sense tells you need to stop and get some rest.
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| It's dark, sort of dingy like a blues club should be |
Afterwards, I'm riding around the downtown area in the dark looking for a place to stealth camp for the night. This dead end street adjacent to the Auto Parts store near the Railroad tracks looks good.
The Cowboy Poetry Gathering starts tomorrow, Friday morning, stay tuned for more.
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