Day two in Fort Davis was divided between Davis Mountain State Park
and the McDonald Observatory.
Anyone on the road in this part of Texas owes it to himself or
herself to spend a little time in this state park. The setting is a canyon a
few miles out of Fort Davis. The campsites are very nice, and there is plenty
of hiking to keep you exercised. The CCC produced these trails during the
depression. They also built a large lodge, which is now a very nice looking
hotel. So if you are not a camper, there is still a way for you to spend a few
days here. We drove the overlook road to the top of the ridge forming one side
of the canyon. The road had many picnic areas that afforded magnificent views.
We could see down to our RV on the southwestern edge of town.
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| RV Park is just to the right of the curly part of the antenna. |
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| Looking towards Marfa, TX. Marfa is a story for another trip. |
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| Park campground in foreground, Lodge in the distance. |
The wind has been blowing hard all day, but in the canyon it was
peaceful. By the time we got to the McDonald Observatory several miles away it
was hard to keep a hat on. At an elevation just under 6800’, the observatory
sits on the highest mountain served by the Texas highway system. There are
several telescopes at the facility, but the largest are 82” and 107” in mirror
size. The 107” telescope was finished to support the NASA solar exploration of
the late sixties, and using the reflector left on the moon by Apollo 11
astronauts, used laser technology to accurately confirm the exact distance
between earth and the moon.
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| Approach to McDonald Observatory |
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| Lots of great scenery. Looking back the way we came. |
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| 82" on left. 107" on the right. The whole dome rotates in sync with stars. |
We did not have time to take advantage of the full tour because it
is two and a half hours long, but we were able to drive around the grounds and
take in the displays and videos at the visitor center. Oh, for you NPR listeners, this is the group that does the "Star Date" pieces on astronomy.
It turned out the Overland Trail Museum was closed today, but here is the story.
It was a good day, and we topped it off with a rib eye steak in
downtown Fort Davis. There are a handful of small family restaurants on the
main drag. Thankfully no chains, just locally owned and operated. We were
guided to the Drug Store for the rib eye, but Lupita’s for Mexican food was
highly recommended, too. There are no chain hotels, either, which is part of
the charm of this small town. There are a number of small B&B style accommodations,
and the lodge up in the state park.
Fort Davis is really a nice quiet place to visit. Just ignore the
blowing dust.
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