Summertime Rolls

I've had many adventures in New Mexico this summer. Mostly, I have been out adventuring so much, my actual blogging has suffered. Now I am attempting to go back and re-tell the tales from my summer adventures.
1. Cloudcroft, Marfa and Chinati Hotsprings
This trip other than the expeditions to Austin, was probably the most ambitious. I left Albuquerque on a Thursday night and drove to Cloudcroft NM. My professional opinion, there's just not much happening in Eastern New Mexico. Once you are past San Antonio (NM)(Owl Cafe!) its pretty empty country. The wide open spaces make it easier to track the afternoon thunderstorms that rained down on the mountains of Cloudcroft as I headed that way. I didn't get to the campsite until after dark. There are not a lot of options in the mountaintop town... lots of gingerbread-y cottages I'd like to stay in, but my luck was good in getting a campsite with trees and I did have a small, short lived campfire. Temps were COLD in the high altitude and damp weather.


This chilly night in the hammock... would influence the rest of the summer's adventures to high altitude:

1) always bring extra thermal layers
2) it always rains, so always bring the tent
3) bring dry wood from home because a campfire is good when the air is cold.

Cloudcroft was a quick stay. In late, out early with lots of miles to cover to Marfa, and a deadline to get to the Chinati Foundation to see the Dan Flavins by 2 pm. Much of the morning drive was spent skirting the White Sands Missle range, then meeting up with I-10 in El Paso for the most soul-less part of the drive. Hour after hour unfolds on the freeway until you exit at Van Horn and make your way into the desert. As the ranchland unfolded storms gathered in the eastern sky toward Marfa. I stopped at Prada Marfa. The dark sky made for some good pictures.


The hipstamatic was a lot of fun on this trip, and the desert around Marfa is particularly lush this year, making for more vibrant green shots than you might imagine. Despite driving through one of the heaviest rainstorms I've ever been in and being fully convinced I was going to drive in to some crazy arroyo and be swept away, it was dry when I pulled in to Marfa and barely squeaked in to Chinati for the 2 pm tour. The Dan Flavin installation (part of the permanent collection) was something I had been looking forward to seeing for quite sometime.




6 buildings with two hallways, a study in florescent light, color and general post-modern weirdness, right up my alley.
After Chinati I had some time to kill before meeting my friend, so I drove up 117 to Ft davis It was cool and overcast, and looking stormy again so I turned back and headed in to Marfa for a burger at Padres.
Padre's is one of my most favorite bars. It's got comfy, rambling patio and is filled with vintage pinball machines, shuffleboard, beer stuff of the funky vintage variety.They always have yummy Texas beers (Lone Star, St. Arnold's Lawnmower) and delicious food... gumbo! burgers! I spent an evening under the stars chatting with my friends relatives who had just arrived in town for campmeeting ... a traditional Texas gathering that's 3 parts family reunion, 1 part tent revival and 100% old timey Texas.
Even though I stayed up late at Padre's I was up early the next morning to gather provisions for my excursion deeper in to the desert. First stop, the Marfa Farmer's Market. Armed with good advice from my hostess. I was there at 10am when they rang the bell and made a beeline to the bread lady. Oh my. I got a huge onion flaxseed loaf. That bread might be the best I have EVER had. I still have dreams about it. I made delicious roasted veggie pesto sandwiches out of it... yum! I got some onigiri with fresh cucumber for my cooler for snackin, some local honey from an old timey man and a breakfast burrito for well, breakfast (delicious carne adovada!) Now, all my cooler was almost filled... I needed one more thing LONE STAR BEER! Only available in Texas, and truly economical and delicious.
It was still early enough in the day(gotta get up and at em when you're in the desert!) I decided to throw a detour in the mix and headed off to Alpine to buy some pickle salt at the Murphy Street Raspa Company. Intersected with some pickle salt in Austin on my last visit and haven't been able to get it outta my mind. I had a fruity raspa with chili salt and set out for the desert oasis of Chinati Hot Springs.