One final post from Fort Davis

This is the last day in Fort Davis. I've been without a computer the last two days because the power supply went out.

We spent all of day 4 at the Woodward Ranch hunting for agate. We found quit a bit so Karen will have lots of rock to polish. We had planned on going to a baseball game at Kokernot Field in Alpine but were too tired.

Today we spent most of the day just hanging around Fort Davis. We decided to go on a ride on the Scenic Highway. If you ever get the chance to take the Scenic Drive, do. It is a beautiful drive

Well, it's too darn hard to blog on my iPhone so I think I'll quit. Maybe I can write more later.

Fort Davis Vacation Day 3

Day 3 was a full day of activities. We got a bit of a late start but headed into Fort Davis for a bit of shopping by Karen. There wasn't much open at the time so we headed down to Alpine for sightseeing and lunch.

The first stop was to Kokernot Field, the home of the Alpine Cowboys Semi-pro Baseball Team and a field with some interesting history (http://www.bigbendcowboys.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=5&Itemid=3).

I'll post video of the field later today. One of the biggest claims to fame for the field is that Satchell Paige pitched there at some point in his career. The field itself is modeled after Wrigley Field in Chicago. If you ever get a chance to visit the field, its definitely worth a stop.



After the field, we shopped downtown Alpine and had lunch at the "Bread and Breakfast." A good meal and excellent service. We intended to go to the Woodward Ranch (http://www.woodwardranch.net/) but the weather turned south on us so we headed back to Fort Davis for a bit of rest before heading out that evening.

After a short rest, the boys and I headed back to Alpine to watch a movie at the Rangra Theater. We saw Inception. We arrived back at the cabin around 1AM.

Today (Day 4) we will head to the Woodward Ranch so Karen can collect rocks and then will attend a baseball game at Kokernot Field. The Alpine Cowboys are in a playoff game with another regional team. Should be fun.

Fort Davis Vacation Day 2

Its actually the 3rd day of our vacation as I'm writing this post. Yesterday was very busy and I spent some time putting together a little video of our hike (below). We spent the late morning and early afternoon hiking a long trail in the Fort Davis State Park. It was tiring but rewarding hike. After the hike, we went to the Black Bear Lodge in the state park to have lunch. The Black Bear Restaurant is a good place to eat. The food was good and the service was wonderful.

We spent the later part of the afternoon in Fort Davis shopping and hanging around. Karen found a thrift store, which she always enjoys.

Jon came down with a bad headache and not feeling well that evening. It was either him pushing too hard on the hiking trail or eating too much at the Black Bear Restaurant. We gave him some medicine for his headache and let him sleep all night. He is much better this morning and even had a good breakfast with Karen and me.

Here's the video of the hike in Fort Davis State Park.

Vacation in Fort Davis - Start of Day 2

Karen and I were up early this morning. We wanted to watch the sunrise. The biggest challenge was finding due east. For some reason, every time I come here I lose track of directions. It usually comes back after a day or so. Anyhow, we got up, made coffee and sat on the porch here at Hope's Ranch and watched the sun rise, listened to the bird's chirp and talked about the boys.

Speaking of the boys ... they are still in bed. Well, two of them are. Jason is up taking a shower. I believe they have become used to sleeping in until late morning this summer so getting up at 7AM is not happening. Since the boys are still sleeping, I'm thinking were in for a late morning/early afternoon hike. Possibly starting at the National Historic Site and venturing out from there. I believe this is a fairly easy trail. We've decided no big hikes this year. We're here mostly just to relax.

So, here we go with Day 2.

Vacation in Fort Davis - Day 1

We arrived at Fort Davis, Texas this afternoon around 3PM. The trip, of course, started in Abilene. We stopped for lunch in Odessa at the Fuddruckers. I made the boys stand in front of the restaurant and take a picture. As you can see, it almost killed them.

After arriving in Fort Davis, we checked into the office of the Old Schoolhouse to get directions to the house we are renting for the week.

We checked into the house and were greeted by a resident of the house.

Turns out, our friend is a coachwhip snake and basically harmless ... at least to humans. The owner of the property, who is a zoologist, came out and gave us a Snake 101 course.

A little at fly central then it was off to the Caboose for ice cream.

To end the day, Jon and I took a walk to the cemertery (we're staying in a house on Cemetery Road). The cemetery was fine but mostly, I just enjoyed walking and talking with Jon. He's a great kid.