Riata Inn Marfa

It turned out to be a very long day. Rode about 900 miles!! The day started out great with a ride over to this little town called Gibsland. Gibsland is about 40 miles away from the hotel I stayed at last night.<br><br>Gibsland is famous for being the spot where Bonnie and Clyde met their fate at the hands of some "law enforcement officials" There is a marker that actually marks the very spot. Check out the photos of the marker and the little town ...

We went to the McDonald Obseratory, it was near Fort Davis, Texas. It is on top of a big mountain. We left at 11:30am and got there at 1:45 pm. The tour started at 2pm and ended at 4:30pm. We toured two big telescopes and watched how they moved. The biggest telescope is the 3rd largest in the world. We ate dinner in Fort Davis - a BBQ again ...

We went to Fort Davis, established in 1854. It is one of the nations best preseved frontier forts. We stopped at a snake place to see snakes. Mamaw did not come in. We went shopping. After that, we went to Marfia again and we saw more lights this time. The nights are darker here so I can see a lot more stars then back in Zanesville. I even saw the Milky Way!

... and corn, all sizes and package sizes. Peppers of many sorts in the produce section, and a big bin of loose pinto beans. We had a problem with the "air bags" (not the kind that inflate in an accident, but the kind that bolster your truck springs, allowing you to carry a heavy load with no problem) - but in a bad luck/good luck kind of way, we found a truck garage 15 miles away (we could easily still drive it) and they fixed it - it had just slipped ...

Today we drove from the Laird Ranch in Balmorhea to Santa Fe. We drove through some cool little TX towns such as Johnson City and Fredericksburg (wine country in TX). The drive through most of TX was the same view - desert, cactus and tumbleweed with lots of wind. But as we crossed over into NM we could start to see some amazing mountain views! We stopped and happily ate the rest of our Coopers BBQ for lunch ...

... the worst day to be a tourist, as all of the galleries and shops are closed. It didn't matter. I enjoyed myself by walking around and hanging out at "the" local coffee shop. I discovered that there would be a live band playing later that night. I first hung out at the hotel's patio and bar, which turns out is "the" bar/nightlife in town. Marfa has a population of about 800 residents, which gives you an idea of what's there. It felt significantly smaller ...

... fun testing the off road capabilities of the van. This is not gnarly technical 4 wheel'n, but it is pretty rough with large rocks, sandy washes, and plenty of steep ups and downs. I love camping in the back country! No one around for miles and miles and utterly quiet and peaceful. In fact, it was way quiet, almost like a black hole of silence. No birds chirping or coyotes barking. I took a great hike out to a remote ...

We spent another day on the road, sprinting across the south west again. We left Benson and before long we crossed the border into New Mexico. It is always surprising how the scenery seems to suddenly change in a new state. Firstly, we went through the Texas Canyon which was a rocky pass and then the mountains seemed to disappear and if we had thought Arizona was flat, arid and bleak we were soon to find out that it had nothing on New Mexico! It is hard to take video or ...

... time we reached Mexico City. We have driven all the way up in vans, making our stops along the way, and now we are so close to the United States, that I can see it. This Saturday- or tomorrow, I will cross the border to El Paso and spend the day there preparing for my group's final presentation, which we will do on Tuesday in downtown El Paso. The last two weeks before arriving here, we were in Chihuahua City, the capital of the state. We met with an organized group ...

Up and going at 8:15, first stop at 11:12 at rest area east of Benson. I added a quart of oil. Next I got gas at The Thing Trading Post but I didn't see the Thing. On to the rest area near the New Mexico line and then stoped at the New Mexico weigh station to watch the sunset. Gas in El Paso and a couple more stops with a final stop for the day at ...