Transition to the High Desert

In some ways, it was hard to believe we had made our home at Enchanted Rock for 8 months. The original plan was for 3 months. But looking back now we find we filled two thirds of a year with so many wonderful memories, like turkey vultures gliding over the Summit at dusk; enthusiastic stump grinding during park closure; big Fourth of July feast & tall tales with neighbors; the Perseid meteor shower from an air mattress in the bed of our truck; inventing the lawn game Tocci Ball & making music videos with Zach; Kona Ice breaks & popsicles on the porch; tremendous thunderstorm clouds and spontaneous waterfalls; waves of spring wildflowers; and so, so many sunsets at the boneyard. The list really could go on… Plus there was one last farewell to the rangers and fellow neighbor hosts with cider and a community campfire. Thank you to our friends and to Enchanted Rock for being such a wonderful home to us! We miss you already.

Jesse, Khara, Sally and the Casita Grande recently made it to West Texas, where we are set up to live and work at the Marathon Motel & RV Park for a season or two. About 40 minutes north of Big Bend National Park, lots of folks visit Marathon as a home base for their travels down to the desert, mountain and canyon landscapes along the Rio Grande. Officially, Marathon is known as a CDP, Census Designated Place, aka an unincorporated community. In fact, though Brewster County is Texas’s largest in terms of land area, it has only one city, Alpine (about 30 minutes to our west).

As Workampers at the Motel, we are caring for the rooms and grounds and enjoying new views from the tiny house. The porch faces west so we can watch the glowing sun set each night over Cathedral Mountain. You can also see cars and trains approach in the distance. Then of course comes the horn to alert you the train is close! Often loud, but also, temporary. 🙂 This part of West Texas is well known for its incredible dark night skies. So the owner at the Motel has arranged the opportunity for guests to appreciate this view of the universe with nightly telescope exploration and star parties. Universities of Texas and Tennessee also have large telescopes on site that are operated remotely.

Around Marathon, we have wandered the streets to find a tiny tennis court behind the fire station, a sweet li’l library with a brand new, musical instrument garden, and the Marathon School for all 58 K-12 students led by their new principal, who is also our neighbor. The historic Gage Hotel is dominant on the main drag, hosting many guests and weddings, in addition to a high-end restaurant, sweet coffee bar and beautiful gardens, where we recently spotted sooooooo many monarchs resting on their super migration to Mexico. This remote old western frontier does have a funky artsy vibe, a seemingly eclectic mashup of traditional and bohemian perspectives! We are glad to hang our hats & boots out here for a while, get to know all the friendly folks and have a home base of our own for hikes at Big Bend and the Davis Mountains.