We set off on a Tuesday night toward the Hill Country. Our plan was to eat in Kerrville and stay the night, but due to traffic we got there kind of late. After grabbing a glass of wine and relaxing a bit we powered on to Junction. There was nothing open and the place seemed kind of desolate (a drive downtown involved deer darting in front of our car...downtown) so we backtracked a bit to Segovia, where we ate surprisingly good truck stop food and crashed at an (also surprisingly good) Econolodge. That's right, we're fancy y'all.
The next day we had breakfast in Junction at Isaak restaurant. Home to some good biscuits, an older waitress that was concerned about Greg's sore throat, and the coolest sign ever.
I want this sign!
From Segovia we headed to Sonora for one of the few officially planned activities of our trip: The Caverns of Sonora. Billboards on the way advertised it as Texas' most beautiful show cave. I was skeptical as we had recently seen Natural Bridge Caverns, which is better known. My skepticism grew after finding out that the flighty eccentric man that sold us our tickets was to be our tour guide.My concerns were quickly put to rest though as the tour guide was friendly, funny and knew his stuff. And most importantly the cave was simply gorgeous. At times (like now) I regret not bringing my camera in, but the pics probably wouldn't have come out very well. Plus I enjoyed being in the moment. I highly recommend doing a Google image search for Caverns of Sonora though so that you can see what I am talking about. I was impressed by the variety of formations and in awe of the helectites - an unusual formation that the cave is known for. If you ever get a chance to go I highly recommend it.
We continued to head west, stopping along the way in Fort Stockton. Now for the only negativity in this post: Fort Stockton sucks. I mean really. It's a real shithole. I hate to be mean but if you are ever in the area just keep driving. The historic cemeteries were the highlight and even they were kind of...meh. We didn't stay long!
We arrived in Marathon Texas just before sunset. I had been using my Iphone to peruse Yelp and Tripadvisor for restaurant and bar recommendations, and came across a glowing mention of the White Buffalo Bar at the Gage Hotel. Looking back it's funny how I thought I picked the place out - had we gone in blind we quickly would have discovered it was the only place to go anyway. But what a place it was! I've been describing it as an oasis in the desert, which is very apt I think. It had a gorgeous patio, great cocktails and one of the best burgers I've ever had in my life. Bonus: without realizing it, we'd knocked another burger off of Texas Monthly's Top 50 list, which we've been working through the past few months. There's not much to do in Marathon but if you're ever nearby make a point to stop by the bar for dinner and drinks.
From Marathon we drove onto Marfa to see the Marfa Lights. I'm not entirely sure if I saw what people were talking about but I think I did? Regardless the stars were just magnificent. I'm not sure that I've ever seen so many. Also memorable: the fact that it was chilly in July! I put on Greg's sweater while we alternated between looking at the stars and trying to catch a glimpse of fleeting phenomenon.
We stayed the night in Alpine as our motel options in Marfa were pretty limited that time of night. I talked the guy behind the counter at the Ramada down 30 bucks and scored us a suite for pretty cheap. Totally unnecessary...except for the fact that it was the only available room. That was probably the best night's sleep we had on the trip.
We spent the next afternoon in Marfa, one of the main destinations of our trip. It was nice and all, but it's a pretty damn sleepy town. We could have made more of it had we planned a bit better, but all in all I have no regrets other than an awful meal at Alice's Cafe. I pity anyone that comes to Texas and thinks that's good Tex Mex. They should be ashamed of themselves! We totally should have hit up the Food Shark food truck despite the long line. Oh well, live and learn. We did some walking around downtown Marfa, doing the tourist thing and snapping photos. This included a visit to The Hotel Paisano where James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor stayed while filming Giant. They have a little exhibit set up. The gift shop was surprisingly awesome and the hotel itself was quite pretty.
Ready to move on, we decided to drive south to Terlingua. This wasn't on our original itinerary, but after discussing our trip with a friend who was planning an upcoming West Texas trip as well, we decided to add it to our "maybe" list. I'm so incredibly glad we went, as it was the highlight of our trip and such a memorable experience. Bonus: the drive down was awesome, all winding roads and mountains.
Terlingua is an old mining town - now called the Terlingua Ghost Town since the mines were abandoned. It has been established as a tourist destination, but it's still very remote and it didn't feel gimicky but genuine. The ruins are still standing - it's eerie and very cool. Some of the townspeople have restored and converted the old buildings into houses. There's plenty that can be said about Terlingua, but really you just have to go there. If we had it to do over we would have stayed another day for sure.
We arrived in the early evening just in time to snap a few photos and watch a thunderstorm roll in over the desert. We sat on the porch of the Starlight Theatre (which is now one of my favorite places on the planet - more on that later!) where we had a unique vantage point to watch the rain move in from miles away. I've heard the porch is a spectacular place to watch the sunset, but we got the storm instead. I'm not complaining though - it really added to the ambiance of our time there.
When it got too blustery, we hunkered down inside the Starlight Theatre for some food and drinks. I could live at that place! The decor is awesome, the bartender is friendly as hell - he called me by name the whole time..."Jen, did you see these new tank tops for sale?" "Jen, have you met Jason over here?") The food was yummy too. We split two apps of venison sausage with cheese and jalapeno and chicken-fried antelope with lone star beer gravy. At this point Greg's head cold was really acting up, but he hung in there while I had a few drinks. It was a mellow place to hang out and we spent a total of a couple of hours there.
Now, our hotel had the most uncomfortable bed I've ever slept on, but it almost added to its charm in a weird way. Greg and I chuckled about how much we tossed and turned but hey it was a good deal. As an example of how laid back Terlingua is: when I asked what time checkout was, the lady behind the counter (and presumed owner) said "eh...I don't care". Awesome.
In the morning we went to the cemetery since we didn't make it there the night before due to the rain. You guys, I cannot say enough about this amazing cemetery.
There's a lot of history there, due to both the mining trade and the flu epidemic of 1918. It is at once run down and well kept. By this I mean that you can see tipped over crosses made of rotting wood (we saw a headstone that was a cross mounted in a paint can) but you can also see the tell tale signs of recent visits - people are regularly coming to leave tokens on the graves of their loved ones - bottle caps, coins, candles, flags. Modern cemeteries are usually fairly uniform and sterile, so the Terlingua cemetery with its homemade headstones and its intrinsic personality really left an impression on me. The cemetery is also a hangout on Dia De Los Muertos, when people come there to drink and spend time with the departed. I've always loved the Mexican culture's way of mourning and celebrating the dead. Terlingua isn't exactly Mexico but it's pretty damn close and you can tell. (We actually had to go through a few border patrol checkpoints on this trip which surprised me). Anyway, what I wouldn't give to be in Terlingua on the Day of the Dead.
What I wouldn't give to be in Terlingua right now actually! If you ever get the chance, just go. The town hosts a well-known chili cookoff that is probably a blast to attend, but I'm glad we went during a quieter time.
After a filling breakfast at a tiny mom and pop cafe called India's, we continued on our way via a lovely drive through Big Bend State Park. We chose the park route instead of doubling back on the same highway and I'm so glad we did. The mountains and desert are so gorgeous. Texas, you never cease to amaze me.
We stopped in Langtry, home of the infamous Judge Roy Bean and read some historical markers and took a somewhat iffy drive near a big canyon that is this close to the Rio Grand. There was literally no one around (and nothing open) and Greg had to assure me that the dangerous border towns people speak of are the ones on the Mexican side.
A quick stop in Del Rio for some good BBQ, then it was back to the Hill Country. After all of the desert driving, I was glad to be back in familiar territory. We stayed in Kerrville, took some fun pics at Stonehenge 2 in the morning then headed to Boerne to eat at The Peach Cafe (formerly the Peach Tree, a childhood favorite when I lived in Boerne). If you ever get a chance to have brunch there I highly recommend it! They have these cheesy roll things you guys. Mmmm cheesy roll things...
Where was I? Oh, so making the most of our remaining day, we drove up to Enchanted rock to take a peek then back to Fredericksburg to spend the afternoon. Unfortunately I have to say that Fredericksburg was kind of a bust (other than the magnificent pie at Fredericksburg pie company). It's just too damn touristy now. The stores weren't my thing at all. Tacky tacky clothes and way too many people. I did have a good glass of Texas wine though and the salsa shop was cool (funny moment: Greg popping a big dollop of salsa in his mouth right as I read the label and saw "ghost pepper"...he was ok though. He's tough.)
We hit up the Espada aqueduct in San Antonio (since we missed it on our last trip there) before driving on home. The original plan was to stay another night, but we were beat and ready to sleep in our own bed. I love traveling just enough to miss home and not a moment longer - it was perfect. Greg is the perfect road buddy and I like to think I'm a pretty good copilot. I truly am the Chewbacca to his Han Solo. Seriously though, what a great (and fairly cheap!) trip. I'm finally adjusted to being back to my routine. I joked for days that I left my heart in the desert :) I'm so glad we went and that we have those kickass memories to share now.
