Road trips are on my list of 'things I love to do' falling between going to the dentist and getting punched in the kidneys. My lovely lady took me out to West Texas for vacation / my birthday and this road trip was an entirely new experience. Texas really is an awe inspiring place. Leaving Austin, we headed through Fredricksburg where Oktoberfest was happening, and that looked like somewhere I need to be (next year, whos with me? http://www.oktoberfestinfbg.com/). I-10 for hours but the speed limit was 85, so at least they made it fun. The scenery was constantly changing; The hill country, to barren wide open spaces, to mountains with critters everywhere. We went through Alpine to Marfa, stayed at the Thunderbird for a few days and saw the sights, but we got there Saturday evening, and the city pretty much shuts down Sunday and through the week.
Remember that if you ever go out there. Plan your trip for Thursday'ish through Sunday.
So Monday we hit the road for Terlingua which took us through Presidio, Big Bend National Park, and Lajitas. Angela and I's (I or me? meh.) jaws were agape pretty much the entire trip; "This country is amazing" was repeated alot. The spectrum of colors and variation of alien looking plants and cactuses with the occasional HUGE spider creeping across the roads, Roadrunners, Eagles, and Vultures. We stopped every once in a while to take it in and get some photos... We stopped in Lajitas to get some food and have some drinks. There was this brand new resort called The Badlands Hotel -
http://www.lajitas.com/ (think 'golf course in the desert' kinda place) which was in stark contrast to the surroundings so it was oasis like. Fun huh?
We stayed in a terrible hotel in Terlingua (El Dorado Hotel, DO NOT STAY HERE -
http://www.eldorado-hotel.net/ - My Mac warns me "This site may harm your computer, ironic?), and ate at the Starlight Theater that night which lost its liquor license, was out of coke, sprite was funky, and had no Antelope. Good times. The next morning was spent shooting photos around the Ghost Town and trying to imagine what life out there must be like; Present and past tense.
We then hit the road to Marathon where we stayed at the Gage Hotel which I swear was a saloon / brothel in a former life. Really nice place with stuffed dead animals all over... even in the restaurant, which, was fantastic btw. Spent some time in the pool, having some drinks which was a great way to wrap up the vacation.
The drive home however... well. I'm not a fan of road trips and ending vacations are worse than coming down from a Friday night binge. Next trip, can I have a helicopter?
