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Don’t Follow the Lights

by Brian on May 18, 2012 in Texas, Travel, United States

Sam: “There are dead things, dead faces in the water.”

Gollum: “All dead. All rotten. Elves and men and orcses. A great battle long ago. The Dead Marshes. Yes, yes that is their name. This way. Don’t follow the lights.”

At first we thought they were car headlamps shining faintly across the vast expanse of the West Texas desert. Slowly they moved to the right, roughly in a row; four in all, until one of the middle lights went dark. The others followed suit, winking out in no particular order. Other lights appeared within the general vicinity, mostly white but also red and blue. Some drifted left. Others moved vertically or bounced around at random.

Reports of Marfa’s softly glowing mystery lights date back as far as the 1800’s, with rumors of even earlier sightings. They’ve been explained as everything from swamp gas, to the reflections of car headlamps, to UFOs. Some still maintain there is no explanation for the nocturnal apparitions.

If you find yourself in Marfa, TX, look to the south for an interesting show. But if you’re tempted to strike out in pursuit of the lights to uncover their mystery, know that miles of dangerous desert have long helped shield their secret. It’s probably best if you enjoy them from a distance and don’t follow the lights.

Photo of the Day: Saint Mary’s Church, Fredericksburg, TX

by Brian on May 15, 2012 in Photo of the Day, Texas, Travel, United States

The Caverns of Sonora

by Brian on May 14, 2012 in Texas, Travel, United States

A worthwhile stop in its own right, the Caverns of Sonora is also perfectly situated to break up the long drive through West Texas. A small campground with water and electric right at the cave makes it especially convenient for those of us with RVs or tents.

We had originally planned to go on the “Discovery Challenge Adventure” tour that requires a 50 foot repel into the cavern. The high price ($120 each) repelled us alright, but that probably turned out for the best. As we understand it, the Discovery tour doesn’t go into the areas of the cave with significant formations. And Sonora’s formations are some of the most unique and spectacular we’ve seen anywhere, including the path through the “Belly of the Whale” shown above. Check out more photos of Sonora on our Facebook Page.

We owe a special shoutout to CountrySkipper.com (another Travel blog) for giving us the 411 on Sonora. We drove straight past it in the fall and probably would have missed it again on our way back west had Sabrina not given us the heads up. Thanks for the awesome tip!

As a reminder, reader suggestions are always welcomed. Let us know about the great stuff hidden in your backyard that doesn’t make it into guidebooks. If we can get there, we’ll write about it here.

Texas Wildflowers

by Brian on May 9, 2012 in Texas, Travel, United States

Bluebonnets along back country roads in Fredericksburg, TX.

Nature didn’t exactly cooperate with us while we were in Austin. First we stopped by the Congress Avenue Bridge at dusk to watch the nightly flight of the roughly 1.5 million bats who live there. Only the bats didn’t appear until after dark, which is to say they didn’t really appear to us at all.

The following day we drove to the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center; a huge mistake. Notwithstanding wildflower blooms everywhere along roadways, and a claim on their website that over 20 flowers were blooming at the center, we paid $9 each to see this:

Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, Austin TX

Money well spent. The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, TX took $9 each to see this scrub.

I don’t blame the bats for being tardy, or the flowers for not blooming on schedule. I do blame the humans who work at the Wildflower Center for charging full admission without warning when they know perfectly well there is nothing to see.

Our advice? Skip the Wildflower Center altogether. It’s expensive, unpredictable, and, most importantly, you can see fabulous wildflower displays along the back roads for free. Ask at a visitor center for the best routes, which is what we did once we arrived in Fredericksburg where nature didn’t disapoint.

Everything is Big

by Brian on May 8, 2012 in Texas, Travel, United States

In keeping with Texas’ well known slogan its State Capitol building in Austin is indeed the largest in the country. Despite its size, the interior isn’t as elaborate as many other state buildings we’ve visited, although the several stories of space under its giant dome is quite impressive.

We also found all of that real estate, 360,000 square feet of floor space and nearly 400 rooms, mostly empty – except for us visitors of course. That’s not really surprising considering the Texas Legislature only meets every other year and then for only 140 days in regular session.