Davis Mountains in Far West Texas
These images of the Davis Mountains in Jeff Devis County
Texas were taken on Saturday, June 2nd.
Debbie and I made a day trip to Fort Davis and the University of Texas
(UT) McDonald Observatory. Her goal was to attend "the
largest flea market in the Big Bend" at Fort Davis and to visit the
McDonald Observatory
and take the tour. We left Sheffield early and arrived in Fort Davis
around ten in the morning by way of Fort Stockton and Alpine. Alpine is
almost due north of Terlingua. If you take Texas State Rd. 118 south
you will wind up in that area adjacent to the west entrance to Big Bend
National Park. Going north on the same road will lead you to Fort Davis
or into the heart of the Davis Mountains. Texas 118 also goes by
the McDonald Observatory and, if followed, comes out at Kent Texas just
west of the point where Interstates 10 and 20 merge.
The flea market was our first stop. The "largest flea market in the Big Bend" turned out to have around a dozen outdoor vendors clustered around some really interesting shops which are located directly across from the entry to historic old Fort Davis. Although small, the flea market was diverse in terms of items offered for sale. We saw everything from western saddles and other tack to warm puppies being offered a good home by the Fort Davis Humane society. Deb picked up a neat crucifix made of native semi-precious stones. A number of artists in this vein were present. I passed on a 1922 stamped cover on stationary from the Marfa Hotel with a 2 cent red affixed.
Historic Fort Davis, our last stop, after the McDonald
Observatory tour, is one of the best preserved and also
reconstructed Indian forts in Texas. The shots below show a
design flaw, in my mind anyway. Why place the fort under those cliffs
where you could be attacked from above? We just had time to drive in
and take a few images. Going back to tour the visitor center and a more
in depth investigation will provide fun for another trip to Fort Davis.
This area is 4,000 to 6,000 or more feet above sea level so it gets a lot more rain. The vegetation, especially the trees like these cottonwoods, is more lush in these mountain regions. Live oaks, cedars, mountain ash, and other hardwoods are a welcome relief from the cap rock country around Sheffield. There appear to be many watercourses, although not all evidencing water on this trip, through the area.
These cottonwoods are on the grounds of the fort.
Historic Fort Davis, established in 1854, like the other Indian forts,
guarded the road to El
Paso and the gold fields in California following the gold rush in 1849.
I live near Fort Lancaster that is just east of the Pecos River in
Crockett County. There was also an intermediate fort located at
Comanche Springs (present Pecos County seat at Fort Stockton). During
the
civil war the forces of the Confederacy briefly occupied these
outposts. Some of these were home to the famous Buffalo Soldiers who
did a lot of fighting and service in this region. These forts were
largely abandoned following the Indian wars of the 1870s and 1880s.
Below is Texas 118 leading up to McDonald Observatory
that is about 18 miles northwest of Fort Davis. We also passed this
interesting rock formation on the way across from a creek valley filled
with large trees. This spot is one of may favorite road stops complete
with shade, a picnic table and a grill. I have been known to pull into
a spot like that and grill a burger or some hot links.
The Prude Ranch is just down the road in that pleasant valley. Accommodations at Prude Ranch for guests including overnight lodging, west Texas cuisine including chuck wagon cookouts with campfires and horseback riding. Prude Ranch also has an indoor heated pool but oddly enough no website. If you call them for reservations please tell them I sent you. 1-800-458.6232. I haven't stayed there. Not yet! I bet that valley looks great from horseback in the autumn.
McDonald Observatory
As promised above, a glimpse of one of the telescopes on
the approach to McDonald Observatory. It is home to some of earth's
largest optical telescopes as well as a rich history in astronomical
science.
The University of Texas McDonald Observatory was originally built with funding that was the bequest of William J. McDonald, amateur astronomer. At that time, 1932, UT had no astronomy department. So in conjunction with scientists from the University of Chicago, a partnership was formed that turned out to be win win for both institutions.
The original telescope had a reflecting mirror of 82
inches and was later replaced with this 107 inch reflector. This is the
telescope that NASA uses to measure the gradual lunar orbit withdrawal.
Well you know Neil Armstrong did put a reflector for lasers on the moon
in 1969. Yes the moon is several feet farther from earth but not
spinning out of orbit any time soon.
McDonald Observatory is open daily except Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's Day. You check in at the Frank N. Bash Visitor that is open at 10 am to 5:30 pm. Tours (well worth $8) are about two and a half hours in length and begin at 11 am and 2 pm. On clear days you see live images of the sun. The light filters allow you to see sunspots and solar flares when the sun is active. The tour guide presents a brief but interesting lecture in the theater and prepares your for the tour. You may drive up to the telescopes or accompany the tour guide in a shuttle bus. We took the bus. The image below gives you a sense of how large this thing is. Guess what? The multi-ton optical telescope is moved in any direction with a flick of a switch to a very small electric motor (something on the order of 15 hp). Everything turns every which way! The whole affair is quite neat.
This building houses the Hobby Eberly Telescope,
the world's 4th largest optical telescope. It was build by a consortium
of scientists representing the University of Texas, Pennsylvania State
University, Stanford University, Ludwig Maximilians University of
Munich and the University of Goettingen Germany.
We drove back to Fort Davis and then north along Texas 17 to Balmorhea where we caught 1-10 home via Fort Stockton. The images below were taken at Wildrose Pass.
This was a killer day trip. We had to stop at McCoy's Hardware and Walmart, not to mention Lowe's grocery on the way back to Sheffield. We had a great time. You will too when you visit us West of the Pecos in the Davis Mountains.
These images of the Davis Mountains in Jeff Devis County
Texas were taken on Saturday, June 2nd.
Debbie and I made a day trip to Fort Davis and the University of Texas
(UT) McDonald Observatory. Her goal was to attend "the
largest flea market in the Big Bend" at Fort Davis and to visit the
McDonald Observatory
and take the tour. We left Sheffield early and arrived in Fort Davis
around ten in the morning by way of Fort Stockton and Alpine. Alpine is
almost due north of Terlingua. If you take Texas State Rd. 118 south
you will wind up in that area adjacent to the west entrance to Big Bend
National Park. Going north on the same road will lead you to Fort Davis
or into the heart of the Davis Mountains. Texas 118 also goes by
the McDonald Observatory and, if followed, comes out at Kent Texas just
west of the point where Interstates 10 and 20 merge.The flea market was our first stop. The "largest flea market in the Big Bend" turned out to have around a dozen outdoor vendors clustered around some really interesting shops which are located directly across from the entry to historic old Fort Davis. Although small, the flea market was diverse in terms of items offered for sale. We saw everything from western saddles and other tack to warm puppies being offered a good home by the Fort Davis Humane society. Deb picked up a neat crucifix made of native semi-precious stones. A number of artists in this vein were present. I passed on a 1922 stamped cover on stationary from the Marfa Hotel with a 2 cent red affixed.
Historic Fort Davis, our last stop, after the McDonald
Observatory tour, is one of the best preserved and also
reconstructed Indian forts in Texas. The shots below show a
design flaw, in my mind anyway. Why place the fort under those cliffs
where you could be attacked from above? We just had time to drive in
and take a few images. Going back to tour the visitor center and a more
in depth investigation will provide fun for another trip to Fort Davis.
This area is 4,000 to 6,000 or more feet above sea level so it gets a lot more rain. The vegetation, especially the trees like these cottonwoods, is more lush in these mountain regions. Live oaks, cedars, mountain ash, and other hardwoods are a welcome relief from the cap rock country around Sheffield. There appear to be many watercourses, although not all evidencing water on this trip, through the area.
These cottonwoods are on the grounds of the fort.
Historic Fort Davis, established in 1854, like the other Indian forts,
guarded the road to El
Paso and the gold fields in California following the gold rush in 1849.
I live near Fort Lancaster that is just east of the Pecos River in
Crockett County. There was also an intermediate fort located at
Comanche Springs (present Pecos County seat at Fort Stockton). During
the
civil war the forces of the Confederacy briefly occupied these
outposts. Some of these were home to the famous Buffalo Soldiers who
did a lot of fighting and service in this region. These forts were
largely abandoned following the Indian wars of the 1870s and 1880s.Below is Texas 118 leading up to McDonald Observatory
that is about 18 miles northwest of Fort Davis. We also passed this
interesting rock formation on the way across from a creek valley filled
with large trees. This spot is one of may favorite road stops complete
with shade, a picnic table and a grill. I have been known to pull into
a spot like that and grill a burger or some hot links.The Prude Ranch is just down the road in that pleasant valley. Accommodations at Prude Ranch for guests including overnight lodging, west Texas cuisine including chuck wagon cookouts with campfires and horseback riding. Prude Ranch also has an indoor heated pool but oddly enough no website. If you call them for reservations please tell them I sent you. 1-800-458.6232. I haven't stayed there. Not yet! I bet that valley looks great from horseback in the autumn.
McDonald Observatory
As promised above, a glimpse of one of the telescopes on
the approach to McDonald Observatory. It is home to some of earth's
largest optical telescopes as well as a rich history in astronomical
science.The University of Texas McDonald Observatory was originally built with funding that was the bequest of William J. McDonald, amateur astronomer. At that time, 1932, UT had no astronomy department. So in conjunction with scientists from the University of Chicago, a partnership was formed that turned out to be win win for both institutions.
The original telescope had a reflecting mirror of 82
inches and was later replaced with this 107 inch reflector. This is the
telescope that NASA uses to measure the gradual lunar orbit withdrawal.
Well you know Neil Armstrong did put a reflector for lasers on the moon
in 1969. Yes the moon is several feet farther from earth but not
spinning out of orbit any time soon.McDonald Observatory is open daily except Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year's Day. You check in at the Frank N. Bash Visitor that is open at 10 am to 5:30 pm. Tours (well worth $8) are about two and a half hours in length and begin at 11 am and 2 pm. On clear days you see live images of the sun. The light filters allow you to see sunspots and solar flares when the sun is active. The tour guide presents a brief but interesting lecture in the theater and prepares your for the tour. You may drive up to the telescopes or accompany the tour guide in a shuttle bus. We took the bus. The image below gives you a sense of how large this thing is. Guess what? The multi-ton optical telescope is moved in any direction with a flick of a switch to a very small electric motor (something on the order of 15 hp). Everything turns every which way! The whole affair is quite neat.
This building houses the Hobby Eberly Telescope,
the world's 4th largest optical telescope. It was build by a consortium
of scientists representing the University of Texas, Pennsylvania State
University, Stanford University, Ludwig Maximilians University of
Munich and the University of Goettingen Germany.We drove back to Fort Davis and then north along Texas 17 to Balmorhea where we caught 1-10 home via Fort Stockton. The images below were taken at Wildrose Pass.
Wildrose Pass looking north
Flowering Cholla Cactus
This was a killer day trip. We had to stop at McCoy's Hardware and Walmart, not to mention Lowe's grocery on the way back to Sheffield. We had a great time. You will too when you visit us West of the Pecos in the Davis Mountains.