Marfa and its Mystery Lights

 Sleeping Blue Heron at Big Ben

 Lupins along road to Van Horn

 My navigator sleeping on the job

 Picnic Guest

 Lots of windmills pumping water 

Texas is unbelievably big!

Leaving Big Bend for Marfa and its Mysterious Lights Monday,, May 4^th

It was indeed chilly when I woke up and I didn’t want to become target practice for any enraged camper so I did not turn on my engine to energize the heater but instead headed up to the store thinking I could sit in the laundry room where it was warm and I could get on the internet. But when I got there, I found it locked for cleaning from 7 to 8 am. A man was standing by the pop machine with a pack on his back, and I noticed that one sleeve was empty. He told me that there was another washroom that I could use. I thanked him and went back to my truck and turned the engine and heater on and drank some of my hot coffee. I opened up my computer and started it up but as I was waiting I saw the man still standing there, looking really cold. After a moment, he walked away to the road and set up a sign saying he would share gas to El Paso. 

I couldn’t sit there in my warm truck and do nothing so I drove over and asked him if he would like a cup of hot coffee. His face lit up, and he said “I sure would”. I knew Gaila and Dick would be up so I asked them for coffee and they were happy to help out. It wasn’t much, but perhaps it would lift his spirits for the day. He smiled and saluted with his coffee cup as I drove away.

I packed up and took some final photos of a sleeping heron sitting in a tree and then headed out convoy style with the Malleries. We were going west along the less travelled southern route following the Rio Grande River next to the Texas/Mexico border.  It was amazing country - mountains, desert, and a vast blue sky over it all. Mile after mile of rolling hills, the road was good, but sometimes it felt like I was on a rollercoaster. There was only one serious hill at 13 degrees but several times Dick and Gaila’s Motorhome simply dropped from view in front of me as they went down the steep little hills. We drove through Study Butte, Terlingua, had a lovely lunch at a teepee covered picnic area, and stopped to enjoy coffee and the birds at a shaded rest stop just before Presidio.  Whew was it hot! Mid to high 80s.

Along the way we were stopped at a roadside checkpoint by the border patrol. The huge German Shepherd duty dog barked like crazy at Baloo, and the handler was having difficulty holding him down. Baloo was barking back just as fiercely and I was hanging on to him while the border patrol guard asked me for my passport and then as I lay stretched across both seats, holding onto Baloo with one hand and routing through the glove compartment with the other, he asked if I thought I could reach it. I replied that I didn’t think so.  He grinned and said not to worry, to go on my way.

Our final destination was Marfa, famous for its unexplained mysterious night lights. We stopped for gas, had a look at the RV park which looked a bit dismal - it was $12.50 per person with no services, and headed east out of town to where there is a viewing area for the night lights. It turned out to be a nice flat area off the highway so we parked for the night – always more fun when it’s free! There are several plaques to read and a very nice building with washrooms and an outdoor deck for viewing the mysterious night lights. It’s right on the side of the highway and large trains go by seemingly at every ½ hour, but the price was right.

We thoroughly enjoyed Gaila’s famous burritos – no leftovers - and then after a rousing game of Monopoly we all watched for the lights, but it wasn’t until I finished reading at 11:30 that I looked outside and began to see them clearly and knew without doubt that these were the famous and mysterious Marfa lights. It looked like flickering campfires, and the light had a greenish glow, it began to zip – that word is the best I can think of – to the left and right and then up and down. It was indeed magical, and unexplainable.

The battery is charged up from driving today, so I am hoping that it was just being recalcitrant yesterday and that all will be well by tomorrow.  It’s been a simply wonderful day and I really enjoy driving with my friends Gaila and Dick, they are such fun and make my journey better in so many ways.