This past weekend- Memorial Day weekend, Michael and I ventured out to West Texas- Marfa/ Big Bend- my dream-cation. Living in Dallas- travelling through the state can be exhausting, especially driving south and west. Eight hours of travel and your are still in the state!
Lets face it I am a city girl, however stepping out of my comfort zone every once in a while is one of the most exciting and invigorating experiences that I could ever imagine. We managed to fit a bit in our four day excursion.
Our first stop off of Interstate 20- was the Meteor Crater- just outside of Odessa. Due to all the rain within the state- the trails were closed due to weathered conditions. There is a quaint little shop/ visitors center that had cheesy artifacts and images of the crater. People are often discouraged, because over the years the site has filled up- today the depth is roughly about six feet.
A few miles down I20 is the Monahan Sandhills State Park. Because of rain, we stopped by here twice (on our way to Marfa and on our way back to D/FW) so we could actually slide down the dunes. I realized that I am not in shape to climb up the hills repeatedly.
The first night we stayed in Alpine at the Lost Alaskan RV Park- which is by far one of the best camping grounds I have ever been to. The camp is located north of town, overlooking the mountains and desert in the distance. The tent areas were covered by a corrugated structure so you did not have to worry about rain! We settled in and then explored the town. We found a cute little Italian restaurant- Guzzi Up and tried some local beer- Big Bend Brewing Co. After dinner, we picked up a couple of things at a convenience store- cash only and headed back to camp. It was great to just kick back and enjoy the sunset after our long day of driving.
The next day, we headed to Marfa, the whole reason why I planned this trip. Throughout my undergrad career- about 8 years ago- I developed a huge fascination for Donald Judd. He has a permanent exhibit of concrete blocks at the Chinati Foundation- which open at 10am. We arrived early so we ended up driving through the main drag and proceeded to Valentine, TX where the infamous Prada Marfa resides. The building sneaks up on you, so I advise that you keep your eyes peeled as you listen to your map system.
We headed back to Marfa, in which we headed straight to the Chinati Foundation. The tricky part about this is that you have to plan to stay the entire day if you want to see the entire collection of Judd, Dan Flavin and other artists. If you want to do the extensive guided tour, I advise that you book online. Spots are first come first serve. They also offer guided tours from 2-4pm, or another option is that you can see the concrete forms for free. We opted to do the free self tour due to time conflicts.
After the exhibit, we made our way to Big Bend which is about 3 hours of driving. We stayed in the Rio Grande Village Campground, where we camped out- tents and all- again! We did some exploring/ hiking, along with some grilling. We experienced yet another wonderful sunset across the mountains along with some stargazing.
The next day, we packed up and made our way through the park. We found a few trails that we hiked, then slowly made our way to Terlingua. We stopped for some coffee and breakfast and then made our way to Presidio and then back to Marfa. Taking the extended routes, we saw some incredible views of the canyons, rivers, cliffs, and mountains. We stopped at quite a few overlooks, taking in nature's beauty.
Once we reached Marfa, we checked in at the El Cosmico, a wide glampground, where we stayed for the night. Note: Marfa is a pretty small town and easily walkable. We walk up and down the drag, had a couple of drinks at Padres, and simply just hung out. One our best meal experiences was at Mandos- a cute divey Mexican restaurant with probably the best Asada I have ever had!
The rest of the evening we drank some beer and I spent the rest of the night taking pictures, ending our night/ trip relaxed, refreshed and ready to make the drive home the next day.
I have to admit, this was the top three trips that I have ever taken! A couple of things that I would do differently is leave on a Friday and stay through Monday- not Saturday-Tuesday as we did. Also, I would suggest to travel over a non- holiday weekend- that way you can spend a day at the Chinati Foundation. I wish we would have had more time in Big Bend, but if you are looking to fly through and have some adventure, you can easily see the park in one day.
I look forward to the many trips to come in the near future and planning my next trip back to west Texas. Let me know if you have any other suggestions! I would love to hear and see what others have experienced!
Til' then, check out my gallery!