2 October 2025
We left the hotel at 9:30 and were on our way to Texas! We drove through Guadalupe Mountains National Park, but it was closed to visitors. After another 150 miles of scrub land and desert, we arrived at the McDonald Observatory. Since we had tickets for tomorrow’s star party, the docent let us in for free general admission today (we saved $6!!). The views from the summits were beautiful and it was interesting to learn about the history of the various telescopes.
It was only 15 miles from the observatory to Fort Davis. We stopped at the grocery store to buy food for the next two days and arrived at our bungalow at 4:00. We put away our groceries, unpacked the truck, and settled in for a night of baseball.
Accommodation: Bluebird Bungalow at Mountainside Inn
Travel:- 198 Miles / 6.5 Hours (Including Stops)
3 October 2025
Our original plan was to visit Fort Davis today, but, of course, it is closed due to the shutdown. So, with nothing else to do, we went down to the local car wash (self-serve not drive through) to try to wash some of the dust and bugs off of the truck. It was somewhat successful – it still needs a good old-fashioned wash with a bucket, sponge, and hose when we get home. But, it looks better than it did (albeit the left rear tire is still striped!)..
We left the inn around 7:20 to head to the star party at the observatory. When we arrived, there was a group of javelinas grazing near the parking lot. They weren’t aggressive and seemed like they just wanted to avoid humans; they made a bee line for the woods. We checked in for our reservation and found seats at the amphitheater. A very important item about the sky tonight – the moon was about 7/8 illuminated and was very bright, thus making viewing a bit challenging. Definitely, no sighting of the Milky Way tonight! And, sadly, no star pictures.
The program began with an introduction followed by a tour of the constellations (did I mention that there were more than 200 people?!). About half way through (and having attended multiple constellation tours), we decided to leave the amphitheater and go to look through the telescopes. There were six: 1) the moon in low resolution; 2) the moon in high resolution; 3) Saturn (first orientation); 4) Saturn (second orientation); 5) young star cluster; and 6) old star cluster. The star clusters were visible through the large, domed telescopes. Neither Markus nor I have ever looked through a telescope so large that it had to be domed! A new experience for us! We were going to return to the constellation tour but it wrapped up just as we were going back to the amphitheater. With the aid of the flashlights on our phones (this is a dark sky environment!), we found our truck and were back at the inn just before 10:00.
Funnily enough, there were two other groups of guests at the Mountainside Inn last night and tonight – both were at the star party tonight. As odd as it sounds, one family of four sat right beside us in the amphitheater. I’m not sure where they were from; it sounded like they were speaking some type of Germanic language, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t Deutsch.
4 October 2025
We had a leisurely morning and a nice breakfast (eggs and toast, that we cooked ourselves!). The truck was packed and we were on our way at 10:30. We stopped in Alpine for groceries as we have pretty much eaten everything in our fridge. Had also planned to do a walking tour of the historical downtown, but after a couple of blocks, there was nothing exciting to see. After we left Alpine, I saw two bighorn sheep scaling the side of the mountain; unfortunately, Markus didn’t see them since he was driving.
I set the GPS for Big Bend National Park, and to our surprise, it was open to traffic! We drove the Ross Maxwell Scenic through the Chisos Mountains and the Chihuahuan Desert to the Santa Elena Canyon Overlook and then the Santa Elena Canyon. The scenery was beautiful – so varied! We stopped to take a few pictures along the way, as well as at the canyon. The hike is only 1.6 miles, but the change in elevation is significant and the sun is relentless (the temperature at the trailhead was 93* today). Needless to say, we did not hike the canyon.
We reversed course and exited the park – saw a road runner! – going through Terlingua to our accommodation, which was several miles outside of town. The “old west” town of Ten Bits Ranch is unique – unlike anywhere we have ever stayed. Each “room” has a mini-fridge, microwave, coffee maker, and access to the shared kitchen, which is huge (3 fridges as well as a six burner stove and oven). We had cheese, crackers, and olives for a snack and then went to the Cantina (kitchen) to bake a small pizza for dinner (we have leftovers).
There is a firepit outside of our room, but it is still so warm (77* at 9:30) that we won’t have a fire tonight.
Accommodation: Ten Bits Ranch (1 Night)
Travel: 202 Miles / 5.5 Hours (Including Big Bend National Park)
5 October 2025
After a nice breakfast of toast with leftover pork chops and potatoes, we packed up the truck and left the ranch at 10:30. It took about 25 minutes to get to Terlingua Ghost Town. There was a really nice gift shop (I spent about a half hour there) and the remains of several stone buildings (circa 1900 – 1910), as well as a cemetery. There was also a bar and restaurant (the Starlight Theater), but it didn’t open until 5:00 PM.
Once again, we traversed the park to the Persimmon Gap Entrance (retrospectively, we wish we had a map and taken some of the 4-wheel drive routes, but hindsight is 20/20!) and continued north to Fort Stockton. We arrived at the hotel just after 3:00 and ordered BBQ for dinner to pick up at 4:00. We were back to the hotel and had filled our plates by 4:30; we were hungry since breakfast was at 9:00 this morning. We spent the rest of the evening watching football and keeping up with the post-season baseball scores.
Accommodation: Fairfield Inn & Suites (1 Night)
Travel: 176 Miles / 4.5 Hours (Including Stops)
6 October 2025
Breakfast this morning was entirely unappealing (I think we are getting jaded about the hotel breakfasts) – and they did not serve decaf coffee! So, we opted for breakfast at the Sage Brush Cafe. They had two breakfast specials, the Young Country (a biscuit with gravy, one egg, and choice of meat) and the Simple Breakfast (an egg, a sweet cream pancake, and choice of meat) – both with free coffee (no decaf – apparently Texans drink only high test!). Markus had the Young Country and I had the Simple Breakfast. The very best part of the breakfast was the pancake – deliciously fluffy and yummy!
We wanted to do the Fort Stockton Historic Driving Tour, but with 5+ hours ahead of us – and running slightly behind schedule due to the breakfast diversion – we skipped the tour and headed north toward Amarillo. The drive was uneventful, almost entirely on Texas State Roads with 75 mph speed limits. We passed through oil fields and cotton fields; a complete dichotomy!
Our first stop upon arriving in Amarillo at 4:30 was the Jeep dealership as we were 400 miles overdue for an oil change. Hard to believe we have driven more than 7,000 miles in the last 6 1/2 weeks! There are three Jeep dealerships in Amarillo, but only one had an Express Lane for oil changes, etc. We checked in at Service and were told that it would be an hour. We decided to wait, and 1 hour and 5 minutes (and $250) later, our Gladiator was road ready once again with new air filters, as well as new oil and topped up fluids.
We finally made it to the house just before 6:00. We were pleasantly surprised that there was a garage, so the truck will be well protected tonight! In addition to the garage, there is a nice kitchen, three bedrooms (including a large master bedroom and bathroom), a patio with a firepit (and pool, currently closed for the season), and laundry.
Oklahoma Excerpt from June 11, 1979 Journal (My 14 Year Old Self): Tonight we’re in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We drove almost 500 miles today. We stopped in Amarillo, Texas for breakfast. I love that accent!
Accommodation: McKinley House (booking.com) / Original was Tritch Cottage at Wrenwood Ranch (2 Nights)
REVISED Travel: 355 Miles / 5.75 Hours (Excluding Jeep Service)
7 October 2025
Today was a slow day. Markus got his hair cut (at least 6 weeks overdue!), then we began our Route 66 Road Trip by visiting Cadillac Ranch (complete with a souvenir truck that sells paint – in case you have an artistic urge – and various other momentos), after which we stopped in the Route 66 Visitor’s Center. We also drove Sixth Avenue – the Route 66 Historic District; we stopped in at Aunt Eek’s Books and Curiosities (definitely indescribable (you have to experience it for yourself!), where I bought two cookbooks for $1 each.
Some Background: Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway, Main Street of America is a historic highway in the US that runs from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. It spans approximately 2,449 miles and is one of the original highways within the US Highway system and is known as the Mother Road.
It was the first road that connected people and goods from the Midwest all the way to the West Coast and was popular in the 30s and 40s. Along the Route, you would find many attractions and landmarks that included diners, motels, gas stations, and roadside attractions.
Route 66 is famous for its role in American culture and history, as it is the subject of countless songs, books, movies, and TV shows. Many portions of the Route still exist and have become beloved symbols of American nostalgia. (credit: https://www.visitamarillo.com/things-to-do/route-66/)
We stocked up on groceries for the next couple of days and were back at the house by 3:30. We were hopeful to watch baseball, but the Toronto / Detroit game was delayed by 3 hours due to weather.
Travel: 27 Miles / 3 Hours (Including Stops)
8 October 2025
We continued our Route 66 tour today with stops at the Cross at Groom, and such oddities as the Leaning Tower, the Devil’s Rope Museum / Historical Museum, the Phillips 66 Station (McLean), the Cactus Inn, and finally the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock. There is an operating cafe at the U-Drop Inn and we had burritos for lunch – pulled pork for me and brisket for Markus. We were absolutely stuffed; we should have shared!
An interesting tidbit that we learned at the barbed wire museum (Devil’s Rope) – barbed wire was used as telephone lines, connecting as many as 20 telephones in rural homes.
Shortly after Shamrock, we crossed into Oklahoma. Of course, we had to stop at the Visitors Center so that we could get a map of the state! We also picked up a guide to Route 66 in Oklahoma. It gave us a couple of good ideas for tomorrow.
Accommodation: Home2 Suites / Original was Staybridge Suites Austin-Round Rock
Travel: 194 Miles / 6 Hours (Including Stops)
Original Itinerary:
Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – University of Texas at Austin; Texas Science and Natural History Museum; D, D, & D Recs for Austin in November