Hit the Road Jack

View from Davis Mountains State Park

Hey Jack - It’s about time we hit the road again.  It has been a long stretch and I had the hitch itch bad.  We finally got back on the road on beautiful sunny morning in January.  First stop Moriarty. What? Wait – that is only twenty miles away.   We stopped at RV Sales for a fast repair and we were quickly on our way again.  Whew, we got out of there without a new Excel this time.  Next stop Roswell. Oh, well that first day on the road is good one to take it slow and get re-adjusted to life in the BiFF (our name for our Big Fricking Fifth wheel).   Is everything packed away properly and button down securely? Did we bring everything we might possible need for the next 6 months?  Did we bring the dog???  You get the picture. We did an overnight in Roswell and were quickly on our way again the next day a little more relaxed but still adjusting.    Fort Davis, Texas here we come!

Driving through southeast New Mexico and western Texas it was very much evident that the oil industry  was alive and booming.  Oil tankers abound on the roads and oil rigs everywhere on the landscape.  The communities of Carlsbad and Roswell looked quite robust since the last time I drove this way due this new oil boom.  But I have to say the drive from Carlsbad to Pecos, TX is some of the more barren land anywhere!  So if you have to see an oil rig this is the place to do it, cause there ain’t much of anything else to see on the Permian Basin.  Glad to say once you get south of I10 on Highway 17 the landscape does improve greatly.  It is still quiet dry but the addition of mountains and wide open ranges adds character.   Who knew Texas had mountains? 

We stayed in the small town of Fort Davis for the next three days.  The weather was clear and made for some spectacular star gazing.  There is a very nice state park just outside of town with full hook-ups if you come this way.  We did not stay at the park because their site said it was closed for the season but that was not the case as we found out when exploring the area.   They decided to open early.  Oh, well we were already settled in nearby MacMillen RV park. This is off season according to the locals but apparently in the summer this place gets quite bit of tourists due to its’ cooler altitude and the nearby McDonald Observatory.   One night we did a star party at the observatory.  We froze our tushies off but definitely something that should be done.  We were a party of about 50 brave souls but we were told in the summer it would swell to 400.  There is something to be said for visiting places off season.  The stars were magnificent!  It is amazing what the night sky looks like when the air is clear and no city lights.  The star guide speaker had this high powered laser light that easily pointed out the constellations.  Hmm that’s a Pegasus? Sure it is, if you say so. 

We took a few drives to the nearby towns of Alpine and Marfa. No, we did not see the mysterious Marfa orbs.  This is a land that cowboy songs made famous.   I think I see some deer and antelope playing over that way.  We enjoyed the area very much but it was time to head to the even more remote Big Bend National Park.  Oh - don't forget to check out the Fort Davis fort! 

Historic Fort Davis