Fort and Marfa Lights

October 16 – Most of the trucks and RV’s had cleared out when I got up at 7:30.  It was COLD though, at 43 out.  Had to turn the heat on and get the chill out.  Once we got moving and had breakfast, Bill checked the tires and we needed some air.   We left about 9:15 and as soon as we got to the other side of town there was a small Pilot Truck stop.  It’s the first we’ve seen since before Santa Fe.  We filled the diesel, the DEF, the tired and cleaned the very nasty buggy windshield.  The whole ordeal took about 45 minutes.  We can’t pump our DEF from the pump as it’s on the wrong side of the RV.  Bill has to fill a 2.5 gallon container and poor it in and then refill.  He refilled it a 3^rd time for next time we get low.

The roads all day until we got into Texas we bumpy and jammed with truck traffic along 100 miles of oil fields, gas fields with NOTHING but tanks and drills and pipelines going in and “villages” of RVs or mobile home for the workers.  There is nothing out there, so I imagine those guys all make good money.  There must have been 20 miles of 2 foot wide pipe staged along the road and 1 foot pipe on the other side of the road.  It continues on into Pecos, TX and for a ways on the other side.

The hilly drive to Ft. Davis National Historic Site was a welcome change of scenery as well as the quality of the road.  The fort has many of the original buildings from 1867 although the first fort was established there in 1854.  There are several building in a sad state since they were built with adobe brick but once the fort was

Inside enlisted men's barracks

abandoned in 1891 and a lot of the wood flooring was scavenged and once the roofs gave way the adobe started to falter in the elements.  There are several buildings that have been refurbished and have displays and/or are restored to how they looked in their hay days.  Most of the buildings are just block outlines of where they were originally.  The Fort had a hospital that was later enlarged and the setting is beautiful against the Davis Mountains.

Once we completed our walking tour we dove the last short drive of the day to Marfa, TX, know for the Marfa Lights.  Bill’s sister Carole had told me of the many years ago.  I have been intrigued ever since.  There is no solid explanation for the lights.  They have been studied by scientists from all over the world.  The lights take different forms on different nights.  There is no guarantee you can see the lights but since so many trek to try to see them, a round building with parking was building at the viewing area people staked out.  The have soft lighting in the lot and the building even has rest rooms.  The back side, away from the road, is rounded with some seating and a short wall to encourage visitors not to venture out and get bit by snakes or poisonous insects. 

one Marfa light

We found our tiny campground, The Tumble In, and our space had been reserved.  I had paid when I made the reservation so they use a tiny vintage travel trailer as the “office” and you self register.  There’s a manager (camp host) on site and there’s a bathhouse and rec room of sorts with kitchen facilities and a washer and dryer.  I will say, they have the best wifi we’ve had over many places we’ve been.  Bill called me to come out when he was hooking up the water, electric and sewer.  A metal bracket that went under a tanklike part above the black and gray water handles and connection had began sagging.  We rigged it up with what we had on had, a 2 x 6 piece of wood and some small wood pieces.  He took photos to send to our mobile guy to ask about it.  One more thing!

I made chorizo and cheese quesadillas and salad for dinner and we got showered and left for the viewing sight about 9.  Bill had read that most people posted seeing the lights after 10.  Well, it’s 7 miles east of the campground and boy is it dark out there.  We took our chairs, jackets, blankets and a bottle of water and we sat.  We really didn’t know what we were looking for but even if we didn’t see the Marfa lights, God’s creation above us was truly

2nd Marfa light

a pastoral work of art.  Being so far from a city with light disturbances, we could see nothing but stars.  We could see the Milky Way and the entire sky was so cluttered with stars we could not pick out the big dipper or the little dipper.  Bill said that sky was worth the trip!  Well, we DID see the Marfa lights!  There’s a radio tower with a red light blinking that we found out is where you focus on.  Then there were appearing and disappearing white lights and a green light.  They’d move around and go completely out, then one might appear, then several, then none.  It was amazing!  We watched for almost an hour and headed back.  What an experience!  We drive that way when we leave tomorrow so we’re going to see what it looks like in that area in the day light.

Crazy lights next door

I am up extra late taking advantage of the wifi but still didn’t get caught up.  I had to find a place for 2 nights near Dallas/Ft.Worth as Bill has friends there he wants to visit.  Since the dates hit on a weekend the first 4 places I called were full.  We did find what looks like a good place at a reasonable price but it’s a bit further out than we planned.  So now our trip home is mapped out and all reservations are made.  We will be back in Ocoee on October 25.