Chisos Mountains Big Bend

Backcountry Camping in Big Bend National Park • The Chisos Mountains As soon as Sara took a job in Odessa, Texas, we looked at a map to identify the nearest places to hike and camp. The only National Parks within driving distance of West Texas were Guadalupe, Carlsbad Caverns, and Big Bend. Over the labor …

McDonald Observatory Star Tours

Visiting the McDonald Observatory I’ve visited the McDonald Observatory twice now and thoroughly enjoyed it both times. On the first visit, Sara and I quickly stopped at the observatory while driving back to Odessa from Alpine, choosing to drive the scenic highway 118 home. From highway 118 we drove up highway 78, the highest highway in …

Cadillac Ranch Amarillo

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo is the largest city in the Texas Panhandle and known as the “Yellow Rose of Texas” (Amarillo means yellow in Spanish). Amarillo is also sometimes called Bomb City because it hosts America’s only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility. For travelers, Amarillo is best known for the Cadillac Ranch, Route 66, and Big …