Davis Mountain State Park, Fort Davis, TX
I woke up a bit before the sunrise and was able to snap this picture. It was a gorgeous cool morning and the only thing up were me and some bunnies.
A bit later Ned and I decided to ride our bikes around the park and learn about some of the history here. (Yeah, I rallied not even hung over!). The state park was originally known as Camp Furlong. It housed General Pershing’s troops of nearly 10,000, several tanks and some of the original military aircraft. This was circa 1916.
The local park ranger, Martin, was a real sweetheart. The visitor’s center doesn’t open til 9, but he opened it up just for us and gave us a personal tour. Those early morning bike rides definitely pay off!
Pancho Villa had attacked the town of Columbus and killed a bunch of people. The car in the lower right corner is riddled with bullets from a family trying to escape. Their big mistake was turning on their headlights.
General Pershing spent two years tracking Pancho Villa thru Mexico, but never found him. There’s a lot of controversy around why Pancho Villa attacked this area. One conspiracy theory is that the U.S. wanted to get troops in training for WW1 so they paid Pancho Villa to provoke a war. Another theory is that someone sold him bad ammunition and he was seeking revenge.
Here’s a picture of General Pershing and Pancho Villa hanging together several years earlier. So they clearly knew each other and were thought to be friends. You be the judge. (Another item to add to my reading list - learn more about Pancho Villa). Anyone have any good recommendations?
We crossed over the Rio Grande heading into Texas from NM.
Our first big outing of the day was heading to El Paso to take the Wyler Tram up to the top of the mountain to get an epic view of El Paso. We decided to take the long way and go along Skyline Drive. It didn’t disappoint as far as the view went. Good thing too cuz the tram that we were hoping to take was closed today.
Before we left the sprawl of El Paso we visited a tortilla factory in an industrial neighborhood. It was a crack-up. The tortilla making was done the for day, but you could walk up to a counter and get whatever Mexican food was still available. Imagine a couple of hot dishes in a steam table. Apparently they sell out before noon most days. Ned had a brisket burrito and I had a red chili colorado burrito, the only two options still available. It was delish!!! Nice soft homemade tortillas with authentic spicy Mexican food. It was nothing like our big American burritos. They were about 1/4 of the size and rolled up tightly with the meat inside. Yum!
Next stop the first cold springs of the trip, at our beloved Balmorhea!! This would be our 4th or 5th visit here. It’s touted as the largest outdoor swimming pool, but has a huge section for scuba divers. Doh! It was just closed on account of some structural issues. Onward to Plan B.
What we did come across on our way to Fort Davis was the iconic Prada Store in the middle of nowhere. If you don’t know about this, it’s a 2005 contemporary art statement. We must be getting close to Marfa.
Fort Davis National Site was established in 1854 to protect travelers on the San Antonio - El Paso Road. Troops from the post helped bring about the peaceful settlement and development of the region. It was deactivated in 1891. We toured a couple of the buildings. Mainly it just made me glad I’m not an enlisted soldier living in the 1860’s.
We got a sweet campsite under a big tree at Davis Mountain State Park.
Ned honing his washer toss skills for the big family reunion in August. Note to Josh and Marlina, the curse of the red washers has been broken. My best score yet:). There was a huge transformer powering three counties that blew this afternoon. We don’t have cell and I have no idea if the wifi will be back up, so this posting could be a day late...
