Today started out with an early morning wakeup, a bad cup of coffee at the Stone Village Tourist Camp but a good cup at the Stone Village Market. The coffee in the motel room can only be described as hot water with cream and sugar. The coffee from the market more than made up for it however. And, it was free. Can't beat that. Karen and I took our coffee on the porch while we discussed the day's events. One thing we discussed was moving to another hotel or cottage because the Stone Village Tourist Camp was more crowded than we like. More about that in a minute.
After the coffee and a quick bite to eat, I packed the car with my video equipment and Karen drove me to the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail, which is also headquarters for the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute (http://cdri.org). I met Catherine Hoyt, director of the center, an intern whose name I've forgotten already and Beth Nobles (@trailgirl). The purpose of our meeting was to interview Cindy about the sprint 2011 fires that ravaged so much of this area and to capture her thoughts on what it all means for her, for the institute and for the city of Fort Davis. The interview was wonderful. Cindy did such a wonderful job of articulating what the experience of the fire was like, what is means to the area and what they hope for the future.
After there interview was complete, my wife and kids showed up at the center and we spent some time hiking the Modesta Canyon Trail, which starts at the center. This is a good, family-friendly trail that takes you to the location of a spring at the bottom of the canyon. We had a good time on the hike but everyone was hungry so we took a shortcut on the trail, ended up earlier and headed back into town for lunch. On the way into town, I was informed that we had in fact changed our accommodations. We drove into town to a beautiful home, the Webster House. The house has four sleeping areas, a full-sized kitchen, two baths and is absolutely beautiful. Karen was really excited about the white rocking chairs on the front porch. She loves rocking while she drinks coffee.
After lunch at the Drug Store, I had a second interview with Larry Francille, a county commissioner for Jeff Davis County. I was interested in an interview with Larry because I knew he would bring a strategic perspective to the fires and the aftermath of the fires. He didn't disappoint.
The rest of the night will be relaxing around the house, eating, hanging with the family and just relaxing. I'll probably even go to bed early. Pretty tired after all of the activities today. Tomorrow is another interview with a park ranger, more b-roll and more fun.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Fort Davis 2011 Day 2
Today started out with an early morning wakeup, a bad cup of coffee at the Stone Village Tourist Camp but a good cup at the Stone Village Market. The coffee in the motel room can only be described as hot water with cream and sugar. The coffee from the market more than made up for it however. And, it was free. Can't beat that. Karen and I took our coffee on the porch while we discussed the day's events. One thing we discussed was moving to another hotel or cottage because the Stone Village Tourist Camp was more crowded than we like. More about that in a minute.
After the coffee and a quick bite to eat, I packed the car with my video equipment and Karen drove me to the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail, which is also headquarters for the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute (http://cdri.org). I met Catherine Hoyt, director of the center, an intern whose name I've forgotten already and Beth Nobles (@trailgirl). The purpose of our meeting was to interview Cindy about the sprint 2011 fires that ravaged so much of this area and to capture her thoughts on what it all means for her, for the institute and for the city of Fort Davis. The interview was wonderful. Cindy did such a wonderful job of articulating what the experience of the fire was like, what is means to the area and what they hope for the future.
After there interview was complete, my wife and kids showed up at the center and we spent some time hiking the Modesta Canyon Trail, which starts at the center. This is a good, family-friendly trail that takes you to the location of a spring at the bottom of the canyon. We had a good time on the hike but everyone was hungry so we took a shortcut on the trail, ended up earlier and headed back into town for lunch. On the way into town, I was informed that we had in fact changed our accommodations. We drove into town to a beautiful home, the Webster House. The house has four sleeping areas, a full-sized kitchen, two baths and is absolutely beautiful. Karen was really excited about the white rocking chairs on the front porch. She loves rocking while she drinks coffee.
After lunch at the Drug Store, I had a second interview with Larry Francille, a county commissioner for Jeff Davis County. I was interested in an interview with Larry because I knew he would bring a strategic perspective to the fires and the aftermath of the fires. He didn't disappoint.
The rest of the night will be relaxing around the house, eating, hanging with the family and just relaxing. I'll probably even go to bed early. Pretty tired after all of the activities today. Tomorrow is another interview with a park ranger, more b-roll and more fun.
After the coffee and a quick bite to eat, I packed the car with my video equipment and Karen drove me to the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail, which is also headquarters for the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute (http://cdri.org). I met Catherine Hoyt, director of the center, an intern whose name I've forgotten already and Beth Nobles (@trailgirl). The purpose of our meeting was to interview Cindy about the sprint 2011 fires that ravaged so much of this area and to capture her thoughts on what it all means for her, for the institute and for the city of Fort Davis. The interview was wonderful. Cindy did such a wonderful job of articulating what the experience of the fire was like, what is means to the area and what they hope for the future.
After there interview was complete, my wife and kids showed up at the center and we spent some time hiking the Modesta Canyon Trail, which starts at the center. This is a good, family-friendly trail that takes you to the location of a spring at the bottom of the canyon. We had a good time on the hike but everyone was hungry so we took a shortcut on the trail, ended up earlier and headed back into town for lunch. On the way into town, I was informed that we had in fact changed our accommodations. We drove into town to a beautiful home, the Webster House. The house has four sleeping areas, a full-sized kitchen, two baths and is absolutely beautiful. Karen was really excited about the white rocking chairs on the front porch. She loves rocking while she drinks coffee.
After lunch at the Drug Store, I had a second interview with Larry Francille, a county commissioner for Jeff Davis County. I was interested in an interview with Larry because I knew he would bring a strategic perspective to the fires and the aftermath of the fires. He didn't disappoint.
The rest of the night will be relaxing around the house, eating, hanging with the family and just relaxing. I'll probably even go to bed early. Pretty tired after all of the activities today. Tomorrow is another interview with a park ranger, more b-roll and more fun.
Fort Davis 2011 - Day 1
Fort Davis Vacation Day 1
My family and I have made our annual trek out to far west Texas and more specifically to Fort Davis. We arrived in Fort Davis a little before 4PM. Pulled up to the Stone Village Tourist Camp. We were greeted by the proprietor of the small motel along state highway 118, the main street in Fort Davis, given our key and shown to our room. The rooms at the motel are quaint and as the name implies have walls made of stone.
The drive into Fort Davis was a surprise to us. I would guess that at least 50% of the ground between Balmorhea and Fort Davis was scorched by the fires that consumed much of the area early summer. I'll try to get pictures of the devastation on the way out of the area on Monday. Watching the news casts about the fire barely communicates the extent of the fires. I can't imagine, based on the size and extent of the burn area, what it must have been like to live through that event.
As a family, we don't have much planned while we are here. We'll take a few hikes, eat some food, relax. We are sad to see that the Caboose, the concessionaire that sold Blue Bell ice cream has closed. The family that ran the Caboose and two neighboring businesses, the Chuck Wagon restaurant and a novelty store decided it was time to retire. The Caboose, which is actually a railroad caboose car, red color and all, was always a favorite with the us. We'll just have to find some more treats here in Fort Davis.
While I am here, I'll be capturing video for a promotional video for the Fort Davis area. The video will include interviews of three individuals that are willing to share their stories about the fires that plagued the area this last summer and the impact those fires had on the area. But more to the point of the video, they will share their stories of the rebirth of the landscape and their hopes for the area. In the end, I will use my family's experiences while we are here to demonstrate that Fort Davis and the surrounding area is a great place to visit.
My family and I have made our annual trek out to far west Texas and more specifically to Fort Davis. We arrived in Fort Davis a little before 4PM. Pulled up to the Stone Village Tourist Camp. We were greeted by the proprietor of the small motel along state highway 118, the main street in Fort Davis, given our key and shown to our room. The rooms at the motel are quaint and as the name implies have walls made of stone.
The drive into Fort Davis was a surprise to us. I would guess that at least 50% of the ground between Balmorhea and Fort Davis was scorched by the fires that consumed much of the area early summer. I'll try to get pictures of the devastation on the way out of the area on Monday. Watching the news casts about the fire barely communicates the extent of the fires. I can't imagine, based on the size and extent of the burn area, what it must have been like to live through that event.
As a family, we don't have much planned while we are here. We'll take a few hikes, eat some food, relax. We are sad to see that the Caboose, the concessionaire that sold Blue Bell ice cream has closed. The family that ran the Caboose and two neighboring businesses, the Chuck Wagon restaurant and a novelty store decided it was time to retire. The Caboose, which is actually a railroad caboose car, red color and all, was always a favorite with the us. We'll just have to find some more treats here in Fort Davis.
While I am here, I'll be capturing video for a promotional video for the Fort Davis area. The video will include interviews of three individuals that are willing to share their stories about the fires that plagued the area this last summer and the impact those fires had on the area. But more to the point of the video, they will share their stories of the rebirth of the landscape and their hopes for the area. In the end, I will use my family's experiences while we are here to demonstrate that Fort Davis and the surrounding area is a great place to visit.
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