West Texas

We took a drive through the scenic Davis Mountains and saw several small antelope along the roadside, wholly unaffected by our presence. We stopped at the McDonald Observatory, operated by the University of Texas, and were able to look at the sun through a 16-inch telescope, seeing sunspots and effusions (clouds of gas leaving the sun's surface). We also had a tour of two large telescopes, one with an 82-inch mirror, and the other with the world's largest mirror, measuring more than 400 inches across. We returned to the observatory that night for a 'star party' and were able to see Venus, Jupiter and the moon through telescopes. We were lucky enough to have an expert give us more information on the moon than we'll ever need, and also received quite an education in the constellations. It was all very good fun.

Davis Mountains State Park, Texas. More info HERE

From Fort Davis we traveled south to the bottom tip of Texas to Big Bend National Park, and the Chihuahuan Desert. It was beautiful for the wide, expansive basins between mountain ranges. We drove up the Chisos Mountains and took a few pictures before driving down a long, narrow and winding dirt road to a natural wonder known as J. O. Langford's Hot Springs.  After only a half mile walk to the spring and back, we were both exhausted.

Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Texas. More info HERE

J. O . Langford's Hot Spring, Big Bend National Park, Texas