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.

Playing Basketball with the Boys

Took a little video while me and the boys played basketball at University Church.

Melting Snow

Last week, Abilene experienced one of the worst winter storms than it has experienced in some time. While we all like the arrival of the snow because it happens so seldom here in Abilene, we were all more happy to see it leave. As the snow started to melt, I had this idea to follow the snow from where it was around our house, back to the lake as it melted. Here is that video.

Puzzle Time

Karen bought a new (to us) antique table for the house. Its a pretty nice table. She intended it to be used as a game and puzzle table. This weekend, she and the boys used the table for the first time and put together a puzzle. Mamaw even came over and lent a hand. Here is a video of that puzzle time.

Kokernot Field in Alpine Texas

While vacationing in the Fort Davis - Alpine area of far West Texas, we stumbled across this baseball field in Alpine. Named, Kokernot field for the family that built it, the field has been the home for baseball for a number of years, even dating back to the days of the all-negro leagues. One person of note that played baseball here was Satchell Paige. My middle son has been interested in the negro baseball league for some time now so this was especially important for him.




We hope to return in future years and watch a game at the field. We love baseball, especially the Texas Rangers but how special would it be to see a game at such a historic field?

If you ever have the chance to visit the field while you are in the Alpine area, don't miss it. It is a wonderful field to visit and is well maintained.

Hiking at Abilene State Park

In September 2010, we took a hike through Abilene State Park, something we do a few times a year. Its not a hard hike so we can just relax and stroll along the paths. Here is a video of that hike.



This video was shot and edited entirely on iPhone 4

Playing in the Leaves

There is always lots of leaves in our front yard each Fall. I wait for most of them to fall before raking them up. Josh and Jon helped me rake part of the yard. Before we bagged them up, they wanted to jump into the pile.



Love to see them do this because it means they still have some of the child left in them. Pretty soon, they will be too grown up to jump in the leaves. Then, when they get to my age and want to do it again, they will resist the temptation lest they throw their back out.

Enjoy!

dave

Davis Mountains - Madera Canyon Hike

We spent a week in Fort Davis Texas. One afternoon while driving down the Scenic Highway, Texas 166, we stumbled across the Madera Canyon Nature Trail. We only walked part of the trail since we had a couple of whiners in the car with us. Be that as it may, it is a beautiful spot to hike and enjoy the outdoors.

Fort Davis - Karen Shoots a Video

Karen really likes to hunt rocks when we are visiting in Fort Davis, Texas. We spend a fair amount of time driving around and just taking in the beauty that is everywhere around Fort Davis. Because of everything else going on, Karen doesn't get her hands on the video camera very often. I think that is a good thing.

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.