CHASED DIRT: Davis Mountains S.P. TX

This stay was our longest to date at 13 days, and it was to be our last in Texas for a while. While we packed a lot of different things into that time, it was at a slower pace than some of our previous stops. I was looking forward to having full hookups so that I could start chipping away at our mountain of laundry. Our prior location outside Big Bend did have a small slightly scary coin-op laundry room, and I used it once to tackle the bedding before leaving, but I saw no reason to pay extra to do what I could do in our rig for the price we were already paying for the site. Some folks scoff at these tiny RV appliances, but for us, tossing in miniscule loads early in the morning or later in the evening while we’re inside anyhow is a great convenience.

On our first full day, we rode our bikes the five miles into town where we made a couple phone calls, picked up a few things at the grocery store, and I went into a gift shop specifically because the sign on the door read, “Please do not let Cloudy the cat out!” I poked around a bit, but I was really only there to pet Cloudy the cat. It’s what I do.

Once back at the park, I was eager to check out the viewing blinds. There were two in this park, the best ones I’ve encountered yet.

This one was adjacent to our site.

This one they call “The Best Little Bird Blind in Texas!”

For good reason!

I wasn’t seeing many birds, but then the oinky reason came strolling through to snarf up seeds and get drinks out of the bird baths.

For the last time, stop calling me a pig!

TBG and I drove up to the top of Skyline Drive for a ranger-led survival hike, but due to some pretty strong winds and blowing dust, we were the only ones who showed up. Ranger Ty said he’d be happy to have just the two of us, but we told him we’d return for the following day’s hike since we only wanted to simulate survival, not attempt actual survival. It was another slides-in type of night.

The next morning I walked up the road solo to HQ to meet up for a 0900 bird walk being led by local volunteers in the primitive area of the park. We didn’t spot many birds, but the volunteers were very knowledgeable about the area, and I learned that the Aoudad sheep also lived in this park. I was excited to have another chance to possibly see them before leaving Texas.

Phainopepla

I did spot this bird at the end of our walk, though, and the volunteers said it was a pretty good one to see. I was quite taken with its name, and I may have said it aloud emphatically a few times on our walk back up to the main park. Phain-o-PEP-la. Phain-o-PEP-la! It’s what I do.

That afternoon, TBG rode his bike on the trail up to the top of the park, and I drove up to meet him and try again for the Survival Hike.

This time, others had shown up as well, and Ranger Ty led a really fun, interactive, and informative hike. He handed out little pencils and quizzes that we filled in as he took us through several survival scenarios. I “perished” in a lightning storm because I hid in a cave. TBG took one for the group by figuratively throwing himself between us and a deadly rattler.

People we’ve met on the road are so stinkin’ nice. One of the Survival Hikers, Anne (in purple) was a recent Ft. Davis transplant from Austin, and she invited us to come to her house next time we were in town. We didn’t end up going, but we found it astonishingly kind that someone who didn’t even know us would extend such an invitation. Thank you, Anne, that was tremendously sweet of you!

To further fill up an already full day, at dusk we drove up to the nearby McDonald Observatory for one of their Star Parties.

It was a three dog night, and we knew the program was held outdoors, but we did not know the seating was on stone-slab benches, and we froze our tuchuses off. After what was a very nice star-gazing presentation, complete with a cool laser pointer used by the speaker to direct our gaze toward various astrological points of interest, telescopes aimed at five of those same points were opened up. Long lines formed quickly, and we huddled together waiting our turn and listening to monotonous telescope attendants repeating their speeches about notable figures in astronomic history, cautioning visitors not to touch the scopes, and explaining what we would see when it was our turn. There were also such pithy exchanges as this:

Star-partier: “Somebody bumped this one! All I see is something that looks like a big fuzzy cotton ball.”

Telescope Attendant: “That’s what it’s supposed to look like. A big fuzzy cotton ball.”

We lasted through two telescopes before we’d seen enough big fuzzy cotton balls and completely lost the feeling in our toes. As with caverns, I think I may have reached my lifetime quota of formal star-gazing.

Sunday morning dawned clear and cold, but we bundled up and took a short 1.5 mile hike up part of the Skyline Drive Trail

to an overlook

where the sun was.

A few days earlier, I had seen TBG out front chatting with a lady who had a little dog with her, so you know I had to go out to give scritches. One thing led to another, and we were invited to Sunday supper with them and their friends across the road from us. On the menu was wild Texas hog and Run Over Chicken. That began our Texas friendship with Susan & James and Lori & Drew (and all the pups Dinah, Ruby, Marty, and Mr. Jones.) We all had a nice gathering at Lori & Drew’s rig, and they generously provided the delicious meats. I brought my potato salad and was granted honorary Texan status because of it. On a subsequent get-together, they all requested I make it again, so I know they weren’t just being polite the first time.

The next morning, TBG had an errand in town, and he gave Susan a ride, so she could get some internet. Their tow vehicle had died mid-way through their stay, and although we all had many laughs at poor Susan’s expense over her jonesing for the internet, we took turns enabling her addiction whenever we needed fixes of our own.

Once they were back, TBG and I set off for another hike in the park.

Montezuma Quail Trail

It wasn’t a very long one at 2.5 miles,

but it was a good workout with a 700′ gain.

It connected to another trail that led to the Indian Lodge, which is a really cool CCC-built structure (hotel now) that is a state park within the state park.

the height of hilarity

We hit our three-month Roadiversary during this stay, and we celebrated with an 11-mile hike around Sheep Pen Canyon Loop.

TBG employing the finger-in-the-sign-arrow joke again.

While it was long, the only climb was in the first mile or so, then the trail rings the top of the peak.

A short spur trail about halfway around the loop led up to the park’s highest point, Limpia Vista at 5700′.

Three-monthers!

In all those miles, we didn’t encounter anyone else.

‘cept this leettle leezard.

The next three days were a mix of short walks in the park, a couple of runs into town, another group dinner across the road, and a visit to the town’s historical namesake, Fort Davis.

Officer’s Row

We toured the old buildings, learning about life at the fort long ago, and we took a hike up the nature trail to the overlook.

Overlooking Fort Davis, both old fort and new town

You can see the clouds had moved in, bringing rain the following day, which gave us the excuse to go up to the lodge with the gang for lunch.

The Lunch Gang clockwise: TBG, James, Drew, Lori, Susan, and me.

For the remainder of the day, TBG worked on a belt for Lori, and I took (yet another) drive up to the park’s high point to get reception to work on this here blog. While I was parked, engrossed in composing and being frustrated with the speed at which things were not loading, darkness fell, and a thick fog rolled in. My drive back down the twisty, cliff-side road was heart-stopping to say the least.

The rain and fog were gone the next morning, though, and TBG and I headed out for more trekking to try to finish the trails in the park and hoping to find them damn sheep.

Well, that’s not funny at all.

We’re just as good as sheep, and we were here first!

This trail was supposed to connect to the old fort’s nature trail, but we couldn’t find the route once we got up to the end. What we did find was a thousand pellets of sheep poo, and the whole area smelled like a barnyard.

That’s gotta hurt.

There was also evidence of very recent snacking. I was sure they were lazing in the rocks just out of sight over the ledges, having a good sheepish chuckle at us. But then TBG spotted something in the fields down below.

An Auodad ram!

and a second one!

Once we’d seen them, we didn’t want to stop watching them, and it was hard to head back.

But the views were nice that way, too.

Having pretty much exhausted the trails the park had to offer, for our last hurrah we took a drive to the Davis Mountains Preserve. It’s a private preserve that opens to the public only a few times a year, and lucky for us our last weekend was one of those times.

While en route, I espied a shining beacon on a roadside cliff.