Vacations Blog

The Davis Mountains are a range of mountains in West Texas, located near Fort Davis, after which they are named. I highly recommend staying at the historic Indian Lodge. Indian Lodge is a unique inn located in Jeff Davis County northwest of Fort Davis within the bounds of Davis Mountains State Park. Built in the 1930s, it was opened to the public in 1939. The Indian Lodge resembles a Southwestern Native-American-style, multilevel pueblo village and boasts eighteen-inch adobe walls, hand-carved cedar furniture, and ceilings of pine viga and latilla.

There is so much to do in this area that you will be entertained for days (and nights!) including:

· Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center and Botanical Gardens which offers a Kid’s Corner program, a Chihuahuan Desert Mining Heritage Exhibit, and a variety of other activities

· Fort Davis National Historic Site which is one of the best surviving examples of an Indian Wars’ frontier military post in the Southwest.

· McDonald Observatory of the University of Texas. It is open to the public daily from 10-5:30pm. Enjoy solar viewings or attend the Star Parties which take place every Tuesday, Friday & Saturday evenings.

· Davis Mountain State Park where the attractions include scenic drives, two scenic overlooks, and 4 miles of hiking trails

· Historic Prude Ranch has combined the best of the modern world with old west wilderness to create a fun packed western vacation for children or the entire family.

· The 72-mile scenic loop drive through the Davis Mountains,

· The Marfa Mystery Lights where, if you are lucky, you will get a glimpse of these mysterious lights that have been reported for hundred of years from the Marfa Lights Viewing Area.

I hope you enjoy your visit to the Davis Mountains as much as my family and I did. Do you have a favorite spot in the area? Please feel free to let me know . . . as I’m known for saying, I’m always looking for my next great vacation!

Until next time . . .

Paige aka PJsTravelinTexas

Some other great blogs to visit for more information on the Davis Mountains are:

1. The Davis Mountains of Texas by Paul Van Tine
2. The Marfa Mystery Lights with pictures by J. Bunnell
3. The Historic Prude Ranch by Professional Travel Guide

If you’re not from Texas and you’re thinking about taking a little traveling vacation through West Texas, then I have a few tips for you. By the way, when I say travel I mean from one little town to another (or even city to town) but I’m predominantly talking about highway travel here.

For hard and fast state laws and regulations you can find a wealth of information at Findlaw or the Texas DPS website. But I’m going to tell you about a few things that aren’t official but will take the mystery out of your cross-country trip.

1. Friendliness: People really do drive friendly in Texas. If you are driving on a two-lane highway do not be surprised if as a car comes towards you and passes you the driver raises a finger (or even the whole hand) to wave at you. Please note that unless you are driving erratically or the gesture is accompanied by a honk and yell this is normally a very friendly gesture. Try it out for yourself (just make sure to use the correct finger – index versus middle) and you’ll be amazed at how many waves you get back!
2. Strange Passing Rituals: If you happen to be traveling along a two lane highway and find yourself quickly gaining on a car in front of you, please do not panic if you see that car suddenly veer off to the right and drive on the shoulder. Texans are very considerate for the most part and the person in front of you is giving you the opportunity to pass them so that your travel is not slowed and you are not inconvenienced. Granted this can be a bit disconcerting when you are driving at speeds in excess of 70. Your best bet is to get past them quickly before a curve appears or they veer just a tad bit too far and gravel begins flying up at your car. Is this legal? Who knows! But it is a fact of life on Texas two-lanes. Now you will also understand why that car that just flew up behind you is flashing their lights, tailgating, and honking. They are expecting you to pull over so that they can pass.
3. Do Not Run Out Of Gas: Pay very close attention to your map and know the distances your car can travel…even when sitting on empty. It is entirely possible to go hundreds of miles on country roads and not pass an open gas station. If you are driving late at night the odds double that the stores will be closed in the little towns that you are passing through.
4. Make Sure You Have In-Car Entertainment For The Kids: Do not count on the passing scenery to entice your little ones for very long. If you are in West Texas you will find miles and miles of flat country with little to no variety in the scenery. Texas has a wild and beautiful feel to it but it is also a wide and long state and it literally takes hours to get from one location to another.

Well those are all the tips I have for now, hopefully it will be enough to make you feel like a Texas native while you are traversing our rugged countryside. Have you ever driven across Texas on a trip? If so, do you have any additional tips you would like to see here? Or possibly something happened while driving that you did not understand at the time and still puzzles you? If so, just let me know and I will do my best to take the mystery out of driving across Texas!

Until next time . . .

Paige aka PJsTravelinTexas