Carson and I headed West before we had to jump back into the reality of a new year. Our four day road trip included a couple of stops: Alpine, Marfa, Terlingua/Big Bend and Marathon.
Video Recaps: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJ3bCm1R/
ALPINE
We rolled into Alpine around 1pm for a bite to eat and antique shops. We ate at Spicewood at Quarter Circle 7, which was so good. They have a unique cocktail menu and the building is new and beautiful. The large windows provided great views of the surrounding mountains.
MARFA
Our first night stay was at the Lincoln, a bunch of small Air Bnbs right across from the courthouse. Our house was the largest of the bunch and separate from the others. Some are just private rooms you can reserve within one house, so shared living areas.
Post-check in, we headed to the Prada Store, which is actually in the town of Valentine 40 minutes outside of Marfa.
While there are not many shops or food options, we were excited to eat at Jett's Grill in Hotel Paisano later that evening. This hotel is historically famous for the Hollywood stars that have stayed there while filming movies in the area, like Giant in 1955. The food was amazing and they have a large wine list. If you visit, make sure to look around the lobby there is so much cool history!
Carson did plenty of research on the Marfa Lights before we drove a couple miles out of town to the Marfa Lights Viewing Area. "Experts" say it is best to go later at night in the winter, however, it was miserably cold and windy so we only stayed for 15 minutes max. No infamous lights were spotted.
TERLINGUA
One of the best parts of this trip was the Casitas we stayed in at Basecamp Terlingua. These adobe style houses had indoor and outdoor showers and tubs, western style landscaping and beautiful views. The first night we stayed at Casa Nuevo, which Carson and I completely fell in love with. I believe this is the largest and nicer ones for one bed, as not all of them have a breakfast nook and outdoor bathtub. The second night we stayed in Casa Lele which was just as great, it was just smaller. Basecamp Terlingua has many different unique Bnbs all over Terlingua like TeePees and Bubble houses. HIGHLY recommend the casitas. https://basecampterlingua.com/casitas/
Our first hike was kind of a hidden gem. Carson heard about this from locals on a previous trip. You can walk for miles, plus there were so many cave paintings. The county road to the park is to the left hand-side of the Big Bend Resort in Terlingua. Keep on driving and you'll see a parking area. Walk down to the split in the fence. Yes, it is legal and not trespassing. It is a natural area. Look under, over and behind all the big boulders to find the paintings!
The Starlight Hotel in Ghost Town Terlingua is a must-see. Great food, music and drinks. We ate here both nights we were there and the margaritas are so good.
BIG BEND
Unfortunately, we only planned for one day in Big Bend, which was the only full day we were in Terlingua. The drive from the casita to the park entrance was about 15-20 minutes. The park voucher is $30 and gets you in for the week. We visited Santa Elena Canyon, Mesa Pour-off and Boquillas.
Santa Elena is the canyon the Rio Grade flows through. It is an easy 45 minute to an hour hike that takes you up the canyon to look down on the river. You can also walk in the water down the canyon.
The Mesa Pour-Off is a quick 15 minute hike down a dried creek bed to an old water fall. A beautiful and easy hike after Santa Elena
Boquillas is a small Mexican village on the other Rio Grande. There is a pretty hike to the river and the villagers put out small handmade items you can purchase. Of course I got a mug! There is a restaurant across the border you can eat at with a valid passport. However, due to COVID, Americans cannot cross at this time.
We did not make it to the Basin because the road is open only specific times of the day due to construction, but next trip we are making it a priority to go up there.
MARATHON
The drive back home allowed for a quick stop to the Gage Hotel. We ate lunch at V6, next to the hotel. An old high school friend showed us around the hotel courtyard and Gage Gardens which was all beautiful. We hope to stay at the Gage one night on our next road trip to Big Bend!
Overall we loved our trip! Next time, we will make sure we have more days to explore Big Bend. We love the area and will be back soon.
Comments