The Hotel Paisano Marfa

... didn't get back to the RV until midnight. Sylvia crawled up on the bed and we both went to sleep. We went to the twilight progam and the starlight program. I saw the Milky Way, the Swan Nebula, twin stars, the red giant! The red super giant was another star we saw. I saw a galaxy 3,000 light years away. I saw Saturn's biggest moon - Titan!

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!

... Easter Island, Pitcairn Island, and ended in French Polynesia. Way to go Paul, your my hero! I next made my way south to the Rio Grande Village for a picnic and to get a permit for the back country. I got my first look at the river and an old Hot Spring. The spring was run up till the late 40's by the locals as a "cure", but has been abandoned since. The buildings are all falling down but the riverside spring is still ...

... Goodyear Blimp, it is probably 200 ft long 50 ft in diameter and has 3 large fins in the rear. It was secured to a latticed structure in the middle of nowhere. The next day, it was about a ½ mi in the air surveying a 75 mile radius. · Pecan orchards that ran for about four miles. In the middle of cattle country and cowboys is Alpine, TX where we stayed at the Lost Alaskan RV Park. Very friendly staff, the resort has lots of pine trees and a nice central complex. In town, we ...

... It was a microbrewery, so we were able to try their very own beers. And the food was homely, freshly cooked and very affordable. Laura's choice was a particular winner: cedar wood pork chop. This is pretty much exactly what the name denotes, a pork chop that has been cooked on a piece of cedar wood. And a very clever trick it is true because the pork soaks up the incredible flavour of the wood, becoming both very tender and very, very, very tasty - something to ...

... maintained, but as we walked around we discovered that it was on purpose. Inside some of these buildings, there were very modern interiors for shops or offices, but they had left the outside with peeling paint and unreadable original signs. Quaint, maybe? We're still not decided. The town was pretty quiet because the tourist season was over so we really only had one option for dinner--but we still had a nice time strolling through the town ...

Well maybe not the stars but certainly the sun. For those of you who listen to Stardate on Pulic Radio, this is a fun place to go and for those of us who are not real scientific...it is sometimes a bit of a technical blur through which you wander happily thinking you may actually understand what they are doing and talking about. The exhibits are great (most young kids would get it) and the visit to the telescopes is a bit ...

... which is nestled in the saddle of the Chisos Mountains (5400 feet) just in time for sunset. The rooms are spartanly decorated so Zoe and I had to actually talk to each other after dinner. We arose the next morning and took a beautiful hike on Lost Mine Trail (see photo) which climbs to 7,500 feet and was a wonderful introduction to the flora in the park. Zoe's plan to rid herself of me was unsuccessful as the mountain lions never ...