Hate West Texas?

Ha ha, great joke. Greg, tell them all the truth, tell them how you couldn't keep a straight face while posting that. Right Greg?

All you haters have it exactly right. West Texas is awful. No one should ever go there. Ever. You'll hate it. Stay in the big, comfortable cities like Dallas and Austin and Houston. Please.

 

It's a mixed bag... there are plenty of wide open spaces to drive fast but compared to other parts of the country there are barely anything for curves to have fun in. You could put tires on one of those French bullet trains to make the perfect west TX speedster. The speed limits are a bit higher (80 vs 70 in other states) but that extra 10 doesn't help much if you encounter Walker Texas Ranger when you are driving 155mph. If you are into flying there aren't many things to hit on the wide open plains but that also means that you are never going to have the thrill of real tactical low level flying through canyons and buzzing fishermen in remote mountain lakes. There are a few low level routes through the mountains in Big Bend but it's not very convenient. I personally find the outdoor recreation opportunities to be absolutely dismal, the closest thing to a mountain to climb is Enchanted Rock which is 2 1/2 hours away in Fredricksburg and it's pretty crowded with everybody coming up from San Antonio. As lousy as Arkansas can be they have plenty of places to get away and hike in something that vaguely approximates a mountain. What I really miss is being able to drive an hour or two out into the Cascades or Sierra Nevada mountains and drive a twisty remote road and climb something really proper. I find the summers in TX to be rather uncomfortable compared to the more temperate west coast, there are many times that it's just too damn hot to drive around in a convertible. Some might say that I'm whining about the weather being to hot but I have spent some time in much hotter places like Kuwait and I still maintain that W TX is just too hot in the summer.

Having said all that.... This last weekend was absolutely beautiful for mid November with temperatures in the mid 80s. I spent Sunday driving (top down and 3 cuban cigars ) a few hundred miles just exploring the roads and towns up north of Abilene and taking pictures.
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My wife and I are both from Houston proper - grew up there. We moved out to Midland for a 6mos job position last yr and have been trying to get back ever since we left. We are currently building a house in Midland that will be finished right around Christmas and have already purchased another acre of land in "Old Midland" to build our, hate to use the cliche, dream home. We are both big city people and everybody is shocked that we love it out there. I think it's only a matter of time (and small climate change - more rain) before it blossoms into a big city. There are two big downsides:

1. Lack of restaurants
2. Besides the BMW?mercedes dealership, there isn't anybody to work on Porsches or Ferraris/Lambos I am having to buy an enclosed trailer to cart cars back and forth between Midland & Dallas

 

You didn't pick up what I was putting down.

 

Well, this is an early post, but whut the heck.

This Spring Break, I'm gonna do a Comanche run.

Gonna start somewhere near the old Ft. Bent and then start running for the border.

I'll be driving the Shark.

Think about camping out under all the twinkling stars with a Ferrari.

Who knows what might happen?

Dale

 

Head out toward Fort Davis, stay at the Gage Hotel or The Lodge and visit the old fort. Stand in the middle of the old parade field when it is 35 degrees with the wind blowing and hear the rumble of old wooden wheels and the thump of horse hoofs as they cross the grounds. They have a soundtrack playing through camoflauged speakers and you actually feel as though a ghost troop is passing by you as you stand there. Kind of eerie.

For a good driving road head west out of Odessa heading toward Orla as though going to Carlsbad, NM. At Orla turn left at the only light in town and head for El Paso. 45 miles of twisty, turny 2 lane asphalt road with only one cross road. I made the 45 miles in 26 minutes in a 3 series IS BMW. After meeting up with the Carlsbad to El Paso highway you continue west past Guadalupe Peak (the highest point in Texas at 9000 feet) and across the salt lakes.

In Odessa at Odessa College is a life-size reproduction of Shakespeare's Globe Theater that is used for productions regularly. Go to the Odessa Country Club and be sure to have the mini muffins. You will want some to bring home. You can play a links style golf course that reminds you of a European course at the Club at Mission Dorado between Midland and Odessa. Take a drive past Permian High School on 42nd street at University and see the board that lists all the successes their football team has had over the years. This is the school that Friday Night Lights was written about. They were the team that originated the use of the theme from Hawaii Five-0 during the playoffs. If you reach the playoffs in 5A and go 5 and 0 you win the state championship.........MOJO,

In Midland see if you can find Rattlesnake Raceway. This is where JIm Hall did all the testing on the Chaparrals and is his personal track. Also make it out to the Petroleum Museum on I-20 at the south edge of town to view all the Chaparrals.

If around Abilene, go south out of town to Buffalo Gap and go to the beer garden and steak house. Nice little drive and good food.

At Big Spring make it up to Scenic Mountain State Park and enjoy the short drive to the top of the small rise in the terrain that qualifies for a mountain in west Texas. This drive was built of native quarry stone by the Corps of Engineers in the 30's and is an enjoyable, albeit short, drive and scenic overlook. You can see 40 miles in every direction with no smog. If you like good mexican food go to Casa Blanca on Hwy 87 north (North Gregg Street). It is small, very clean, good service, low prices and has the best salsa in the area. On 87 south is the namesake destination of Big Spring. Discover by Col Randolph Marcy on a military exloration. It is a spring that was dammed up later but originally was a buffalo watering hole where Apache and Commanche indians hunted. It was the original site of Big Spring which was later moved about 10 miles north to the current site of the railroad which was just being built at that time. Just about 10 miles west of town on a hill overlooking the old air field is the home of "Colonel"Connie Edwards. He is the man who provided most of the vintage aircraft used in the movie, "The Battle of Britain". P51's, Spitfires and others.

At the old Webb Air Force base in Big Spring is the West Texas version of the Viet Nam Veterans memorial. It is a very good site and a good place to visit while in that area.....

There are a lot of things to do in west Texas if you know where to look. There is just a lot of miles to be driven between each spot. But if you like to drive and explore, it is a great area to do it in. And the sunsets during the spring and fall are absolutely beautiful. No smog.............

 

MarkPDX,

Is that Lake Fort Phantom you are overlooking with your vette????

 

I spent a decade in Midland one year.

 

If interested in history and aviation don't forget to check out the Silent Wings Museum in Lubbock... I had the ENORMOUS privledge of spending some time with the WWII Glider veterans when that museum opened... those guys had big brass ones to fly non-powered aircraft under conditions that they did.
http://silentwingsmuseum.com/info.htm
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Mark,

I agree with you. And you're also right about the weather, we've been blessed this fall.

And thanks for sharing the pics--very nice. Please share more if you have them.

B~

 

I have never been, but judging by the descrptions here, I'm sure I would hate it. LOL

 

I got a taste of West Texas last year driving in the Texas 1000 Road Rallie. We did almost 1,500 miles in 5 days of driving, and really loved the feel of the high desert. Did Ft. Stockton, Marfa, Ft Davis, Lajitas and Terlinqua to name a few. and all were worth the visit. Don't knock it until you try it. Big open roads with sweeping turns makes for fast worry free driving.
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Great shots. Federalized 959?

 

Chinati Foundation in Marfa with all of Don Judd's art.............and after dark those crazy lights come out.

Pass the peyote....

 

Yes a real one. The owner and is wife are both in their 70's and drive the hell out of it. Own a bunch of dealerships in Boston.

 

Yes it is

 

Please keep the tips coming. I have been wanting to do a Big Bend run for years and years. This Spring it looks like it might happen. Just the Shark and me and nuthin but miles and miles of Texas.

Dale

 

Do they live in TX??

 

If you make it to "the Bend" be sure to stay one night at the motel in the upper canyon and take the three mile hike to the "Eye of the Canyon". When you reach the point where the stream drops over the edge of a high cliff you can see over 100 miles and the floor of the canyon is about 1500 feet below. It is a really spectacular view. Also visit the sand slide in Boquillas Canyon and observe the appearance of the Rio Grande flowing uphill in Santa Elena Canyon.

The Lodge at Fort Davis is an adobe style motel that blends very well with the old abandoned fort thing. Very quaint and minimal. The time we were there it was very clean and well maintained but that was a number of years ago. Also take the trip over to the McDonald Observatory that you see in the photos a few responses back. It was built way out there because of no intrusion of city light to impede the deep space observations. Very interesting indeed......

 

Not one of my favorite lakes but Abilene cannot be too picky. They don't have another to choose from. I went to college at McMurry, corner of South 14th and Sayles Blvd.

Abilene is amazing in that the population just centers around 100,000 and they have 3 four year universities, McMurry, Hardin-Simmons and Abilene Christian University. And all three have their own recognized areas they stand out in.

The dragstrip out on the I-20 bypass is for sale as the owner passed away about the time of the season final this year. I hear the asking price is around $1,000,000.

What plane did you say you are associated with? I have seen KC 135's, B1's, c 130's and even the occasional C5 buzzing around the skies of Abilene.

 

Dale,

Here are a few photos from Big Bend. It is well worth the trip and plan on spending about three days there exploring.

The motel I spoke of is the Chisos Lodge in the Chisos Basin up high into the rock cliffs. It actually opens into green, vegetation and trees.
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And how about this sunset shot of Santa Elena Canyon?
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Yeah, Ft Phantom is the biggest lake around, my house is next to Lake Kirby but it's not nearly as large.

The AF base really does a lot to make this town, biggest employer in the city. From what I hear back in the 80s the base was scaled back quite a bit and the town was really hurting until it was announced that Dyess would be getting the B-1 which was a pretty big deal at the time.

Been out to the drag stip a few times to watch but have never tried running my car, thats unfortunate that the owner passed. It's an interesting way to spend a few hours on a slow friday night.

I'm a 130 guy