Blogs from Fort Davis , Texas, United States, North America

Saturday, 18 January, 2014 Sorry, I got way behind, but we’ve been out of cell phone and wifi reach. On Wednesday morning we left Uvalde and headed west on Highway 90. We drove through Del Rio, then past Amistad NRA. The water there was a gorgeous blue. We saw along the way some pronghorn antelope and some big horn sheep. We stopped for the night in Marathon, TX. Thursday morning we headed for Big Bend National Park. We stopped at Panther Junction at the visitor center and the post office, then drove east to Rio Grande Village where we enjoyed nice, hot showers. Then it was back past Panther Junction and on to Chisos Basin campground. We found a fairly level spot and set up without problem. We spent an hour or so sitting and soaking ... read more

The McDonald Observatory, first of all, has nothing to do with the burger place. It is named after the man who left all of his fortune upon his death for the construction of an observatory. Mr. McDonald’s family thought he was nuts and they fought for the money in court. When it was all said and done, the University of Texas at Austin had about $800,000 to build a telescope and the structure to support it. Today, the McDonald Observatory holds the third largest telescope in the world, in the area of Fort Davis, which is considered the darkest site in the continental United States. Here the stars shine in their full splendor! For $5 you can attend a Solar Viewing, which will show you the sun through their telescope filters live. This is one of ... read more