Marfa - Part Texas. Part Brooklyn. Part Mars.

I wish I could take credit for the great title, but I can’t. It was a line out of the BBC write up on Marfa that I read on the Internet. Another thing they said was, “Marfa is a quirky collision of saloons and espresso bars, 10-gallon hats and berets and feed stores and vegan restaurants.”  Very fitting and I agree. Some have said that this is a hipster town, but having been to Beacon, New York I have to disagree. This is an almost hipster town that has a lot going for it in its own right. There are a lot of great restaurants and some funky ones, like the late-night grilled cheese shop that I read about.  Unfortunately that was an outdated posting and the grilled cheese is no more.  Sad since I was drooling over that concept.  However as I drove around looking for the restaurants and saw basically none, I realized that all of the restaurants and all the little shops are tucked away inside houses,  down alleys and generally tough to see or notice until you know they are there. The restaurant I went up eating in one night was tough to find even though it was right there on the street. More about that later

So even though technically I was in Marfa for two nights, it really was only one and a half days since I got there late on the first day and I was leaving early on the third... and that the main day was Sunday made it even more complicated.  So the night I got there I decided to make sure that I ran out to do the “main event “in Marfa (cue the drumroll please)… The Marfa Lights. The Marfa lights were first seen in the 1880s.  There were various explanations back then, including being Apache Indian fires, and the speculation continues through today.  Some say it’s just lights of civilization, others say it’s electromagnetic fields, others say it’s extra terrestrial (hence the Mars comment in the title).  Well I figured if they were seen way back in the 1880’s it probably wasn’t the buildings and car lights of civilization.  So there HAS to be something to it.  

So out I go to the spot that’s considered the prime viewing area. It’s been developed by the city of Marfa.  There’s a viewing platform in an attractive building with bathrooms. Everything I read said to expect big crowds but there was virtually no one there when I got there. Some people filtered in including some locals. One local woman told me that she has been coming to see the lights since she was a kid and that she has seen the lights come right up to the fence, but “you have to be real quiet so you don’t scare them.“  OK then...

I think people say things like that to entice you but instead it makes you more wary. But, she was determined that the lights were there and that sometimes they danced up-and-down and sometimes you saw them running across the field in the near distance.  Most the time you just saw them in the mountains way off. As it got darker we saw a red flashing light. The crowd was getting bigger, but nowhere near huge… but everybody gasped when we first saw the red light. Then suddenly there were two to the right of it... and then another, and they took turns blinking on and off and at one point seemed to go to blue or maybe even orange. We all got pretty excited - me included. Even the locals were saying, “there are they are.”  I did manage to get some pictures of what we saw, despite the fact that everything I read said capturing the lights on camera was really difficult. I stayed for a little bit more, but no more lights seem to appear, so off I went contented that I had seen the real deal; I saw the Marfa lights.

Back to my RV… Worked on my blog and ate a little something.  I haven’t been eating too much.  I don’t love going out alone and it’s been really hot so the idea of actually making a meal is not too appealing, but I have not wasted away to nothing just yet, so obviously I am eating enough.

The next day when I woke up, I had to decide what I wanted to do. As you know, shopping really wasn’t going to make it on the list, and from what I saw, there wasn’t too much to be had anyway. So the big choice -  Do I go to the art exhibits at the Chinati foundation, a very modern or post modern indoor and outdoor art exhibit founded by Donald Judd with help from the Dia Foundation in New York  (Guess what, Dia has a gallery in Beacon... six degrees of hipster separation)?  The foundation and it’s indoor and outdoor galleries is something Martha is known for.  Or,  do I go for the drive that was recommended to Justin and Meredith by a bartender when they went into the (very, almost too) Western-themed bar they visited when they were here?  They were told if you want to see what the area has to offer in nature and quaint towns, do this drive... Go from Marfa to Alpine, Alpine to Terlingua through Big Ben Ranch State Park, to Presidio, and back to Marfa.

I googled the drive, and it was about 4 1/2 hours. Well, it was only 11 o’clock in the morning so that would still get me back at a decent time in the afternoon. Probably enough time to get the art exhibit. So I packed some drinks got my car and started to drive. Of course it didn’t dawn on me that all I do in the RV is drive and I’ve been doing a ton of driving -  and here I go doing a 4 plus hour drive in the car. But there I was. As I was driving to Alpine I realized that this was the longest ride I was taking so far in the car. I had already gone well over 3000 miles on this trip, and the car was rolling along behind me, but I wasn’t driving it, and I wasn’t putting miles on it, so doesn’t really count.

I drove back to Alpine (I had come through on my way in) and that was nothing exciting but driving from Alpine to Terlingua was gorgeous. I haven’t talk to much about these desert drives so maybe now‘s a good time.

First of all depending on your elevation, the desert has many different faces.  There are varying shades of green and brown - light brown,  light green, blue green,  brown green,  some lush and rich, some washed out and faded.  As the plants get bigger and more mature, they get a deeper shade of green looking more like what we were traditionally think of when we think of a pine tree.   Every once in a while you might see a standing cactus. Nothing like in Arizona; no saguaros.  These are more like yuccas and such where the changing sands have caused them to tower high. I read that they grow fast because the roots can be covered in sand drifts so the plant needs to push above quickly in order to survive, then the winds blows away the sand at the bottom and you are left with a standing yucca that looks almost like two plants stuck together - the bottoms leaves are drooping downward and the tops leaves are raised up toward the sun.    Other than that, you are mostly sage brush and pines, with more yuccas in some areas and less in others. For the most part, there were no signs of civilization. You see wires telling you people have been here and obviously there was a road, but most of the time there was little else. Sometimes you drove through flatlands flat as far as the eye could see, and then boom, you’d start climbing.  First there was little to no vegetation.  What’s there are the pale combinations of those sage greens and pale blues.  Then,  as your elevation changes those plants it get denser. Then they start to get darker. Then taller.  Similarly, flat roads (and when I say flat, I mean really flat and poker straight) become gently rolling hills.   Then,  all the sudden, you find yourself in a steep mountain pass. The road all the sudden turns and takes you by surprise... Climbing. Twisting.  Turning.  Then you repeat the same process in reverse on the way down. I think this desert is where old RVs and campers go to die. I really laughed at one point when I saw a camper like the one in Breaking Bad. I wondered what they were cooking up in that RV (if you haven’t seen the show, never mind).

At one point, as I was driving,  I saw a kick  up of wind and sand . I think it’s called a sand devil, or a dirt devil (wait, that’s a vacuum), something having to do with the devil.  DUST DEVIL (I cheated and looked it up. Thank you Google.)   But I saw this kick up of sand on the side of the road and it started to swirl and rise and grow much bigger.   This was really just seconds.  As I was driving, it moved onto the road and I had to drive right through it.  It was blinding and the wind was powerful! Later, when I told somebody about this, first of all they told me the name (which I obviously forgot), and second, they said it’s rare that it happens so close to the road. So I guess I should feel honored. It was pretty cool.

After Terlingua I found myself in Big Bend Ranch State Park. It’s really interesting... I’ve come to notice that as soon as you enter a state park things looks prettier. I don’t think anybody is taking care of the plants, they’re certainly not watering them, but they look better, prettier, lusher.  And, as there was more beauty to see, the road became much more to manage. I thought the roads through the mountains were twisty and turny before. This was the twistiest and turniest (is that a word?) road of the entire trip so far. There were completely blind curves. I swear, the roads in Big Bend Ranch State Park are like riding a roller coaster -  all of a sudden the road rises straight up in front of you and it feels like it’s literally going straight up. You can see the top but you can’t see where it’s going other than just seeing a crest.  When you reach the top, you still can’t see anything until you’re on the other side of the crest... and then all the sudden it’s straight down, and there’s a curve at the bottom of that hill.   You can’t see where the curve takes you but you can see the road emerging somewhere down later but you have no idea what the route’s  going to be to get you there. It’s a strange sensation.  It was work folks...  I realized I was clenching the wheel.  I was in high alert and still trying to take in the magnificence of the surroundings which really were exquisite.

Just when I thought the view couldn’t get any better, I saw water.  It looked like a small creek, but that’s because I didn’t realize how high up I was.  It was the Rio Grande I was seeing. Further down the road, yes with more twists and turns thank you very much, I would come to be following the Rio Grande more closely and I could really see how beautiful it was. At one point I went to a “scenic turn off“ a rocky, incredibly steep access road took me to a high bluff overlooking stacked rocks and those were natural formations. At another point I pulled over and was looking at the river and thinking what a perfect place it was for a big giant wall since that was Mexico right on the other side of the river.  Later, I did see a sign warning of the penalties for illegally crossing the border in these locations. But I digress...

I came out of the park and drove to Presidio, which is a small little typical western town -  a couple of small buildings housing some commercial establishments,  a couple of bigger buildings housing bigger commercial establishments.  After that it’s ton of either prefab homes or small little concrete houses. Interestingly, every single one of these little towns that I’ve encountered has also had, at some point, a small cluster of really, really nice homes. They seem so out of place and yet it seems to be a constant. I’m not totally sure what to make of that.

I stopped for gas in Presidio.  The gas station also housed what seemed to be the only restaurant in town.  About halfway in the park I realized I was down to a quarter of a tank of gas and I really had no desire to be stuck in the middle of the desert, with no gas, and no phone service.

The drive from Presidio back to Marfa was surprisingly less interesting and less diverse than the parallel ride from Alpine to Terlingua. I forgot to say that on that other ride there was a border patrol checkpoint along that first beautiful road. It was not for my direction but I stopped to make sure that I wasn’t going to have any issues coming back. The officer, almost imperceptibly, chuckled, And said, “you’re United States citizen right?” When I said yes, she laughed openly and said I wouldn’t have any issue.  So now I’m on the ride back from Presidio and I encountered the similar border patrol checkpoint on the parallel road. Interestingly it was about 40 miles from the actual border that I had been following along the Rio Grande. I’m not sure about how that works. Anyway, when I got there the officer did ask me a lot of questions about where I was going where I’ve been.  She looked a little puzzled when she asked where I was coming from and I said, “Marfa,” and then she asked where I’m going and I said, “Marfa.” But then I explained the ride and she was bouyant about how beautiful that ride is and asked me if I enjoyed the experience. She looked at my license, and waved me on. I can’t help but feel that everybody didn’t get similar treatment.

I got to Marfa and went to the Chinati Foundation. The only problem was that I got there too late as they were just getting ready to close. I didn’t realize they closed at five, and my ride had taken longer than I expected. But she said their permanent exhibition of the works of John Chamberlain has its own building and I could go look at that. I asked her what that exhibition was like, she pointed to a heap of  mashed together car parts. It actually looked kind of interesting, so I figured at least I would get to see that. At least I was seeing some art while I was in Marfa. It was only a five minute drive.  I walked up to the building and it looked empty. A young guy, probably in his early 20s, came up and asked me if I wanted to see what was what. He said it was so hot inside that he was sitting outside in his car.

So, the exhibit was interesting if you like mashed car parts. Actually I liked seeing a couple of them  and found them intriguing (ironically, especially the very first one), but seeing about 30 of them really didn’t do too much for me. The best part of the exhibit was that the young guy had who was working there could not say enough about how much he disliked the work and the artist. He really didn’t think it was art.  He really couldn’t see that there was a ton of “sexual expression” as stated by the artist (Just for the record, neither could I, and if it were there I would see it). So he walked me around to every piece of art and basically told me what in particular he didn’t like about that particular piece versus the others. It was really funny. I asked him why he was working there and he looked at me and said, “This is Marfa.  There is nothing to do in Marfa and nothing to do translates into no jobs.” So this was a job, so he took it.  He said it was a pretty good job in that they were flexible with his school timing, but he just didn’t like the art or artist.  He did not seem to see a problem with that.

On the recommendation of Justin and Meredith from their trip, I had made a reservation the day before to go to Cochineal.  I drove up and down the street and all around trying to find it.  The GPS was telling me it was on the main road but set back.  I could not see it.  Of course once I did find it it was it, it wasn’t really “hiding,“ but it was hard to find.

 Once there, I had the most amazing meal.  I started with a Flaming Jack Rabbit cocktail.  It was a wonderful mix of habanero-infused whiskey, carrot juice, and ginger juice. Elegant in its simplicity.  Don’t knock it till you try it, because it was fantastic. My order of homemade bread came with my choices of spreads – I chose anchovy butter and roasted garlic. The roasted garlic was not roasted to a spreading consistency so I just missed mixed it in with the anchovy butter and it was heaven in every bite. Rich and salty, redolent of umami, served with  chewy and crunchy (yes,m at the same time) bread - this was near perfection. Next I had tuna tartare with anchovy remoulade (anchovies must be a favorite here).  The tartare was fresh, bright and delicious, the remoulade was a wee bit salty and fishy, in sharp contrast to the perfect anchovy butter I had just moments before.

My main course was a vegetable paella served in a small cast-iron pan. Zucchini and yellow squash, mini peppers and onions were grilled perfectly and served in al dente rice that still had a creamy exterior. The only thing I was missing was that crispy crust that a real authentic paella will usually have.  Probably due to not having any rich animal fats to crisp it up.   But trust me, I wasn’t missing it too much.  By the end, and I could not believe I ate everything, I was full beyond belief and well sated. The waitress had been extraordinary and the one of the women who owns the restaurant had come over quite a few times to discuss my thoughts of what I was eating. She was particularly intrigued with putting the garlic in the anchovy butter and said they may have to do that as an option. They can call it Steven butter.  Haha... probably not.  No room for dessert so I paid the (unbelievably expensive) bill and off I went.

I should mention that Marfa, aside from the Lights and such, seems to thrive on what I am going to call retro-kitch.  There are signs of it all over.  The office in the RV park was a tiny little trailer from the 50’s.  If you want to stay in an RV park and feel like it felt back in the 50’s and the 60’s, there is an RV park where you can rent a vintage travel trailer and live the dream.  At one of the local restaurants, the “parking lot” is all vintage cars.  Of course, we can’t park our cars there, but it was sure fun to see those old cars, especially since what they are calling vintage cars were just plain old cars back in the day.  It’s bad when I remember the vintage being the current.  I have to admit that I never really cared for the AMC  very much... but there it was!  It was much more fun to look at now than it was then.   

I went back to see the Marfa lights again and this time there was a woman there who was really intrigued by the whole thing and had read several books about the lights. She quickly told me that, in fact, the red flashing light was a beacon on a tower, and anything to the right of that was civilization. Bubble. Burst.  She said the real Marfa lights show up either to the left of the red light or closer in the field, and they tend to move up and down as well as side to side. The civilization lights only move side to side. Oh well it was a fun thought for the day that I had actually seen them. And I suspect I had you going for a while too…

I stayed pretty late talking to those bubble-bursting fellow tourists and after all the rest of the crowd had gone we really enjoyed looking up at the dark dark sky.  It wasn’t as dark as in some of the national parks that I am anxious to get to see (called dark sky preserves, I believe), but it was darker than I am used to and it was a particularly clear night.  I have an app on my phone called Night Sky that you can hold up to the sky and it will tell you all the stars and planets you are seeing as well as the constellations that the stars form (or supposedly form... some of them I just don’t get).  The sky’s view made up for the bubble-bursting, so we parted as friends. 

The next day I packed up and left and hit the road for Carlsbad Caverns. The ride out of Marfa was yet again,  magnificent... after I got through a couple of rough patches in small really  towns. I’ll have to do a post of that ride because I have videos. They’re a little shaky because my phone was on its holster, but you can see the beauty of the terrain and the changes I was talking about as you go up and down. Of course this time the twisty turny routes were being taken in a 40 foot RV towing a car behind it. It was bad enough just in the jeep!  It was pretty wild in the RV.  But the landscape was so lush and so gorgeous it was worth it.

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Thanks

Here are some more random shots from the various desert drives.  I thought you might enjoy seeing them. 

Ok.  This is not from driving in the desert, but this is my site in the desert.