As I mentioned in my previous post, I had one hour to prepare for my unexpected road trip. I basically just threw everything I had into my suitcase and various bags, tossed them in my car, ate a slice of banana bread and left. In T or C Melissa bought batteries for her walkie talkies so we could chat on the drive. When Jess moved to Pagosa we also used walkie talkies on the drive and its one of my favorite memories so it was a blast to get to use them again. Since we lost an hour due to the time change, we had to pick up the pace towards the end to make it on time. We finally left I-10 to head out to the McDonald Observatory and there literally wasn't another car on the road. I wasn't expecting mountains so it was a pleasant surprise to watch the sunset over them.
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Finally we arrived and checked in with 3 minutes to spare! I have never before been on a trip where I hadn't planned everything or at least had a very strong idea of what was going on. So it was an unexpected pleasure to literally just throw things in my car and show up at a place. Turns out the Observatory does Star Parties several times a week. Since it is in the middle of West Texas there is very little light pollution so there is a great opportunity to see some unique things. The moon was near full so that was putting off quite a bit of light but the host showed us several different constellations as well as an iridium flare and the Hubble Telescope breezing by. Then we were able to walk around to several different telescopes and gaze up. A couple were pointed at the moon and you could see its craters. The rest were pointed at star clusters that were hundreds of light years away. It was fascinating but hard to wrap your brain around the fact that you are looking at something so far away. Around the campfire at Geronimo Trail we often gaze up at the stars and guests ask us questions so now I have even more learning in my arsenal to share so I'm very glad I tagged along. Our campsite was at Davis Mountain State Park which was just down the road. With the bright moon we didn't need a lot of artificial light to set up my tent. I was worried it was going to be cold but it was only in the 50s so it was very comfortable sleeping weather.
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| Fort Davis |
The next morning Melissa and I finally parted ways. As we were finishing chatting a gentleman got out of his RV and walked over to us and asked "can i do the unthinkable?" My mind immediately jumped to him committing a felony on us but he just wanted to ask for directions. It was weird to say our goodbyes in a gas station parking lot but I am so glad I got to spend a bit of extra time with her. And really, the walkie talkies just made the trip! Across the street from the gas station was Fort Davis. It is a massive fort that is very well preserved. Several buildings are restored and interpreted but many more are in ruins.
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| Ruins |
I can't recall ever being to a fort this big or well preserved before. I stayed for over 2 hours learning about life at the fort. They had a great restoration of the post hospital that was fascinating about how they approached medical treatment back in the day. Also the cottonwoods were starting to turn and the whole fort was set at the base of the Davis Mountains so it was a very scenic place.
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| Scenic Location |
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