For the past two weeks Moonie and I have been traveling around west Texas, and seeing some of the most beautiful scenery it offers. Some of the scenery we had seen before, and some we hadn't. No matter what the view was, us galavanting girls had tremendous fun watching it. I came back with a ton of pictures and memories that will make me smile for many years to come. The first road trip we took was to Alpine and Marfa to see if the mystery lights would come out and play, and to celebrate Halloween at the annual Halloween Bash at Railroad Blues. We wound up taking a detour to Sonora on our way home to see the Caverns of Sonora. Here are some notes and photos from that first trip.
The Samhain Sashay
The music blaring from the radio was that good old rock and roll. As the wheels of the truck spun us down the road towards Alpine, Texas, we were happily singing along with it. We had high expectations that we could turn this little overnight Samhain Sashay we were taking into a memorable road trip. We were enjoying the scenery after leaving Ft. Stockton, when Moonie looked at a road sign and said, "I wonder why that sign said Sanderson, but didn't mention Marathon?" We had decided to go to Alpine via Marathon so we could drop by the White Buffalo Restaurant and eat lunch.
I pondered that for a moment, then replied, "I don't know. But I don't remember going through Sanderson the last time we went to Marathon. Of course, I'm lucky to remember my own name half the time, so that doesn't count for much."
After thinking about it for few moments Moonie said, "True, but I don't remember this scenery. Especially that one big rock." We both suck at remembering names, but we remember big odd shaped rocks." We continued down the road a little farther and as another sign mentioning Sanderson popped up Moonie said, "I think we can cut across at Sanderson and get to Marathon. I'm not sure though." After driving few more miles she said, "I know that little roadside park wasn't this far down the road. I think we better go back. Maybe even buy a map."
I nodded in agreement and replied, "Or at least ask directions." Moonie slowed downed, then stopped and turned the truck around. Neither us of giving a damn if we had driven a little out of our way for nothing, or not. As long as we finally wound up pointed in the right direction, with Ft. Stockton in our rear view mirror again, we were happy.
A sign we had missed in Ft. Stockton the first time clued us in as to which road we should be on. With a couple of correct turns this time, we were soon headed in the right direction. We thought the scenery not as good as that of the other road, but we hoped to score lunch at the White Buffalo at the end of this road.
We soon found the little road side park Moonie wanted to stop at. Partly because we had recently been confined to short day trips, our definition of Road Trip is not as rigid as some. Anything that involves at least one out of the way unnecessary road stop just to enjoy the view at the beginning of the journey, qualifies as a Road Trip. That criteria had been met. The Road Trip now truly begun. Life was good. After admiring the view, and taking a couple of pictures, we started dancing around like a couple of teenagers yelling, "Road Trip! Road Trip!"
Buffalo Magick
We were to find out how good life was for us when a few more miles down the road, we braked for a herd of buffalo grazing beside the road. The sight of a herd of buffalo grazing beside the road just blew us away. I fought my way through waist high grass, and began snapping pictures. The first one was of the herd bull. He even turned his head coyly and posed for me, then scowled and gave me his profile again when the sight of him awed me so much I didn't snap the shutter quickly enough. I was happy though, and softly thanked him for blessing me with the wonderful moment he had.
I fear he was still muttering, "Silly blonde tourists." under his breath as he ambled off. Moonie was not muttering as she told me come look at the calf. I went to where she was standing and tried to snap a picture of it. Unfortunately the mother seemed to be convinced the camera would steal her baby's soul, and kept it from the sight of lens. I thanked the mother for allowing me the gift she had, and praised her parental protectiveness. Then began to snap pictures of other members of the herd.
I have seen far more spectacular shots of buffalo than those I took. Though none that I will ever treasure as much as the ones I snapped that day. Here, in front of my very own eyes, stood a small herd of incredible animals who once roamed these plains in such vast numbers, it could take days for a herd to go by. I thought of that as I tried to get as many of that small herd into the picture frame as possible, and thanked them for sharing this moment with me.
I felt so humbled, yet richly blessed as I climbed back into the truck. Until that point in our journey, neither Moonie nor I had a clue that a small herd of buffalo existed. To stand so close, and capture within the camera's lens even such a small remnant of these magnificent animals, was pure magick to me.
We discovered after finally reaching Marathon that the White Buffalo Restaurant was only opening in the evenings. We grabbed a delicious burger at the Marathon Bar Soda Fountain, and made a note to visit Marathon one evening in the future. We figured after being blessed with the touch of Buffalo Magick we had just experienced, it would be churlish indeed to gripe too much about missing lunch at the White Buffalo Restaurant because of their evening hours only policy.
A room with a View
After checking a few places out when we arrived in Alpine, and being charmed by the courteous and friendly service of one young man we spoke to, we decided a night at the Hampton Inn was going to be part of our Samhain treat. We knew it was going to be a really wonderful treat the moment we saw our suite. Moonie nearly swooned with delight at the long, set at JUST the perfect height for us, black and white marble topped vanity sink.
After doing a little unpacking, we opened the curtain, settled in around the window, and enjoyed our room with a view. To some who have seen the seven wonders of the world, it may not have seemed much of a view. But, to someone who has been viewing nothing but a big mesquite patch, and a few precious flowers for way too long, it was lovely. It had trees, mountains, and a couple of horses. What more could one who would also be remembering some of her dearest deceased equine friends that Samhain eve ask for?
As we sat and chatted about our room, and the great service we were getting, we both had blonde moment, and couldn't remember if the young man who checked us in was named Jeremy, or Jeffrey. We decided to call him concierge J, until we could remember, or find out which J name was right.
Moonie was also amusing herself reading some of the pamphlets that were in the room. The peaceful easy silence that had settled in was suddenly broken when she exclaimed, "Don't get too comfy. They have free cookies in the lobby in the afternoon! We can ask concierge J about that lap tray, and find out which J name is right when we get our free cookies."
I had become instantly enamored with a wooden lap tray that had been sitting on the bed we had decided was mine. It had big handles for grabbing it, elastic straps at the corners, and best of all, a comfy little padded cushion attached to the bottom of it with some velcro. I had mentioned asking J if the Hampton Inn would sell me one as soon as I saw it. After all, stealing it from them after being treated so well by them seemed terribly tacky. Not to mention blatantly obvious if the lap tray vanished when the forgetful blonde who had enquired about buying one checked out of the room.
Unfortunately because it was the weekend, there were no cookies. The good news was because it was Halloween, there was plenty of candy in the lobby. As we happily munched our candy treats I asked J if he could sell me one of those cushioned lap trays like I had found in our suite. I looked pleadingly at him, then dropped my eyes as if embarrassed at asking such a question, checked out his name tag, and made a mental note Jeremy was the right J word. Then gave him another pleading looked.
He said he wished he could, but I would have to talk to the manager first. And that it would depend if there were extra trays in stock. I feared she would deny my request, or there would not be extra trays in stock, and tried to resign myself to having find another lap tray like in the room, somewhere else. I thanked him for his help, then we took the rest of the goodies we had snared from the big candy bowl in the lobby back to our room.
I didn't recognize Jesus
Though the Marfa lights did not come out and play for us, we did have a blast at Railroad Blues listening to some good live rock and roll, and watching the costume contest. The place was so packed it was impossible at times to see the contestants on the stage as they vied for the prize money, which is why I missed seeing Satan. But when Moonie mentioned the good looking Jesus to me later, I slapped my forehead and replied, "Oh hell that's who that guy was? I didn't realize he supposed to be Jesus."
Moonie rolled her eyes at me and said, "Trust you not to recognize Jesus."
We also met a Blade character who's good looks rivaled Wesley's. Marie Antoinette was also there, and kept her head through out the entire evening. There also seemed to be plenty of doctors and nurses in the house, along with several fine looking cowboys. One so tall he had to bend down to enter the building. And though we didn't see them leave the building, Elvis and Priscilla were also there.
We reveled in the company of all those characters, and made merry with them. What a joy it was for us to be in among so many people intent only on having fun. It was well past the witching hour when we returned to our suite, and dawn was close to breaking before we finally quit chattering like a couple of girls at a pajama party, and went to sleep.
I praised the service and accommodations to the woman at the desk the next morning as we were checking out. I mentioned who I was, and that I would be giving the Hampton Inn a rave review in my next blog entry. Then said, "The only gripe I have is I can't buy one of those neat lap trays." She raised her eyebrows and said, "Who says you can't?" I told her Jeremy had informed me I would have to talk to the manager, and it would depend if there any extra trays in stock. "I am the manager." she replied. "And we have plenty in stock." By the time we left the Hampton Inn, Moonie and I both had handy cushioned lap trays.
We left Alpine happy and content with the way our little overnight Samhain Sashay had turned out. Moonie had decided to go home via Marathon, then Sanderson so we could enjoy the scenery along that first "wrong" road we had taken. When we reached Sanderson we stocked up with some fresh cokes, snacks and even a road map. Moonie sat studying the map for a moment, then said, "You know if we went to Comstock, then Juno, we would wind up in Sonora. We've been talking about seeing the Sonora caverns, and now is as good a time as any." I didn't hesitate for a second in agreeing with her. We grinned at each other, then speed dialed our husbands to inform them we would be gone another night. Our Samhain Sashay had not yet ended. The trip to the Sonora Caverns was just beginning.
Journey to Sonora
After taking photos of some beautiful rock paintings in a small park at Sanderson, we began our journey to the Sonora Caverns. We would make so many stops and little detours along the way, darkness would fall long before we reached Sonora. But we would not regret one of those stops or little detours because in making them, we saw some superb scenery. Since Moonie had designated me the official photographer on this road trip, not even bringing her camera along, I did my best to photograph as much of that superb scenery as possible.
The first scenic stop along our way was at Langtry. Langtry, Texas, was the home of Judge Roy Bean, and named in honor of Lillie Langtry. I was pleasantly amazed to see how much time and effort had gone into preserving this little piece of west Texas history. The exhibits inside the visitors center were excellent! I loved the old phone ear piece you lifted to start to the hologram show inside the little window into time exhibits. I just wish the holograms had showed up when I tried to photograph them.
I was eager to see what lay beyond the information center, and left it before Moonie did. I took a quick shot of the original Jersey Lilly saloon/courthouse. Then one of a cactus towering far above the white Opera House Town Hall and Seat of Justice building.
Moonie caught up to me at that point, so we stepped back in time, and entered the original Jersey Lilly. We stood and absorbed the ambiance of the room for a few seconds, then I zoomed in on the sign hanging behind the bar. After snapping a picture of it, I angled myself in the corner of the room, readjusted the zoom, and tried for a good shot of the room I was in. Very pleased with what I saw in the preview of the picture, I moved on to the Billiard Room. Drawn to some photos on the wall I studied them for a few moments, then shot a fairly decent picture of those old photos.
No billiard table was in the room, but what was left of the original billiard table legs were resting in peace in front of a sunny little window. I snapped a good clear shot of them, and we enjoyed wandering around the room a little longer. We both knew the history of Judge Roy Bean, and enjoyed discussing it as we walked across the wooden floors of the rooms that history happened in.
We enjoyed our walk through the cactus garden just as much. I snapped a few pics in the cactus garden, but mainly focused on simply relaxing, and taking in the beauty of that well tended little cactus garden. By the time our walk through the gardens was over, we were more than ready to hit the road again and see what other sights we could find on our journey to the underground treasures of the Caverns Of Sonora.
The next scenic stop we made was at Eagle Nest Creek. This magnificent creek, also known as Eagle Nest Canyon took our breath away when we first saw it. I walked back across the bridge we had just crossed, taking several shots over it as I did. Then I looked both ways, and carefully crossed the road to take some shots of the other side of it. After previewing the last of those shots I carefully crossed the road again, the joined Moonie on a short hike down closer to the edge of Eagle Nest Creek. We got as close to the edge as possible, then sat for a moment on the edge of the creek, and soaked up the wonderful vibrations all around us.
Had we not seen another awesome sight on our journey to Sonora, we would have been perfectly happy. The road had another surprise in store for us though in the form of the mouth of the mighty Pecos River. We didn't even realize we were crossing the same river that trickles along nearby my house. All we knew at first was there was bridge work ahead resulting in only one lane of the bridge being open. As we sat waiting for the red light to change so we could safely cross the bridge I said, "I hope this isn't a really scenic creek or whatever it is under this bridge, because we won't be able to pull over on the bridge to take pictures with all this work going on."
The light finally changed, and shortly after we began crossing that bridge Moonie exclaimed, "Oh BB! I think this is going to be a very scenic crossing!" She was right, and imagine our surprise when we finally saw the sign at the end of the bridge that told us we had just crossed the Pecos River. Then we saw where we could pull into a place that would allow us to take some pictures of the mouth of this still mighty river. As we stood there and looked over its banks into the hills of Old Mexico, I found myself awestruck at just how far our Samhain Sashay had already taken us.
Not long after crossing the Pecos we discovered a place called Seminole Canyon. After a quick look around, we both agreed that this was where we wanted to come back and spend a few days and nights in. Our next stop was at the little town of Comstock for some drinks and directions. When we asked about the road road to Juno the man told us Juno no longer existed, but yes, that road would take us to Sonora. He warned us it was a narrow winding road, that the river ran parallel to in many places. He also mentioned deer and other critters being abundant along that road.
We found out very quickly he wasn't kidding about the river running what seemed to be perilously close to the road in places. We also saw several deer along the side of the road. We were enjoying the scenery when darkness seemed to suddenly fall upon us. Moonie remarked it didn't usually get dark this early. And that's when we both realized we had forgotten about the time change!
We were to drive that weird winding road the rest of the way in pitch darkness. Our eyes peeled for deer, and night birds that would suddenly fly up from the pavement. Moonie did a great job of dodging those as we cautiously made our way down that road. By the time we finally arrived safely in Sonora, we were convinced we had just come from the Twilight Zone road. Oddly enough, when we mentioned traveling that road to a store clerk in Sonora, he said, "Oh, you took the Twilight Zone road to here."
As we crawled into our motel room beds that evening we were two tired but very happy women. We had been touched by Buffalo Magick on our journey to Alpine. Had fun celebrating Samhain there. Walked through the buildings that were named after Lilly Langtry. Seen the mouth of the still mighty Pecos. Discovered Seminole Canyon. And survived the Twilight Zone road. Tomorrow we would go deep beneath the earth and discover the underground treasures of the Caverns of Sonora.
Cave Kisses
Drops of water that fall upon you while exploring the Caverns of Sonora are called Cave Kisses. I was fortunate enough to have received two such kisses while exploring those beautiful caverns. We were also fortunate enough to be blessed with a wonderful guide! Brandy made our journey through caverns a very memorable one. Her love and respect for the caverns very evident as she led us through them.
I found the Caverns of Sonora every bit as beautiful and awe inspiring as those at Carlsbad. Going through both those caverns was a reminder of just how old our earth really is. And how our lifetime is nothing but the blink of an eye compared to the living wonders still slowly growing beneath our earth.
Sadly, the beautiful and unique butterfly formation that once graced the caverns, but was recently vandalized is a reminder of just how fragile that ancient beauty is. The vandalization of it a terribly sad reminder of just how thoughtless humans can sometimes be. I hope he receives the maximum prison sentence possible for robbing all of us who would have been content just to gave upon it, perhaps photograph it, but leave that natural wonder safely intact for all those would come behind us.
Making the trip the Caverns of Sonora was well worth it. Even if the vandalization of the butterfly formation made it a bitter sweet journey. The caverns held so many other beautiful sights, one would miss seeing so very much if a person did not make that journey through them because that unique formation is no longer as it was.
My journey through the Caverns of Sonora is something I will never regret doing. It gave me an even deeper respect and love for the natural underground wonders that caves offers us. It's a very intimate journey, the trails much more narrow than those of Carlsbad. It's a journey through the corridors of time that left me totally awestruck.
