West Texas Adventures: Scenic Tour

Ah, the conclusion of our West Texas trip. I've featured Fort Davis, Alpine and Marfa, and all I have left is the scenic view.

By the last day of our trip, we had exhausted most of our to-do, to-see resources, especially since many of the local businesses were closed on Sunday. Taking a tip from an Eskimo Hut local, we chose to take a scenic drive through the mountains, around the outskirts of Big Bend, through Lajitas and along the border of Mexico. The approximately five hour trip definitely had some nice views.

 

 

It also had some unique pit stops and sites, such as a teepee hut rest area.

A real western movie set

 

A mid-desert porta potty

Loose livestock accompanied by plenty of loose livestock warning signs

When rounding out the drive in Presidio, we planned to cap the day by staying at Chinati Hot Springs. We drove 36 miles from Presidio to Ruidosa (a town that's basically made of a few houses in the middle the Chihuahuan Desert) and then ran into a seven mile dirt road that was supposed to lead us to our destination.

Believe it or not, the unnerving drive down the dirt road to the middle of nowhere (literally) eventually led us to a secluded oasis, Chinati Hot Springs.

 

 

 

We didn't actually have reservations and lucked out on availability due to a cancellation, but when we learned that we were supposed to have brought food, our hungry hearts sunk. Rather than making a two hour round trip to civilization just to eat, we decided to head two hours back to Marfa to stay at El Cosmico.

So yes, not much came from our five hour drive, but we did get to explore uncharted waters, capture a few great photos, and listen to jimmy-rigged music (no radio in the mountains!) while doing so.

We also officially added staying at Chinati Hot Springs to our to-do list.

That wraps it up. That's our West Texas anniversary vacation in four posts: Fort Davis, Alpine, Marfa and this scenic drive. Our weekend concluded with an eight hour drive home, one-year old wedding cake and one-year old gifted barleywine style ale beer.

 

 

Happy one year anniversary to me and Jeffery! Love you babe!