The Golden Draw of the Davis Mountains, TX
It all started around ~35 million years ago. The earth was in a state of intense geological flux and in West Texas the subduction of the Farallon Plate caused a volcanic explosion with ~10,000 times the force of Mt. Saint Helens. Over the next 10 million years of movement and flow, the Davis Mountains were created. As I sit peacefully meditating on the wild expanse of golden hills around me, I’m right in the middle of the creation and I find it hard to imagine the forces involved.
The Davis Mountains are a stunning chain of mountains centered in the West of Texas rising up to 8,378 ft. on the summit of Mount Livermore. They are wild, remote, exposed and absolutely spectacular. As we wound our way through the hills on our way here we were oohed and aahed by the view. The ride is a 40 mile jaunt from I-10, so it’s not exactly a hop and a skip but it’s definitely worth the trip. This is way “out there” and it’s just so darn peaceful that I’m completely captivated.
It’s also really dry….really, really dry. In fact it’s hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, on the other side of Texas, we were running the aircon in an attempt to dry out the RV. Things have certainly changed and we’ve dropped from ~80% humidity to a meager ~10%, a number several factors drier than a Noël Coward martini(*). The body just doesn’t adapt overnight and the whole process leads to a rather comic set of progressions that I just had to share. I’ve aptly titled them “you know it’s dry when….”
You know it’s Dry When….
- You consider harnessing the static electricity from the pets to recharge the RV house batteries
- Your eyeballs feel like they’ve been scrubbed with 80-grit sandpaper
- You begin to see the formations of the Grand Canyon in your skin
- You’re able to reproduce the hair-raising effects of the Van Der Graff Generator without….ermmm…the generator
- You create a steady supply of ready salt seasoning from the instantaneous evaporation on your skin
- Nina-the-human-camel is actually thirsty
Much more to come from here, but for the sake of maintaining a minimal of decorum it’s probably best that I leave it there.
(*) For those interested, the famous quote from Noël Coward was that a perfect martini should be made by “filling a glass with gin then waving it in the general direction of Italy”
I’m just impressed that you came up with the Van der Graff Generator. I would have been trying to google, “round spark generating thingie”, and would have ended up with pictures of disco balls.
LOL…you know I had to dig reaaaaalllly deep for that one. It was hidden waaay back in the ‘ol grey cells. Almost didn’t make it out 🙂 Nina
I had to follow the generator link to see if it was the one I was thinking it would be. Yup. Never knew the name of it, though. Have just seen them in various science museums we’ve visited. Thanks for bringing back other good memories.
Linda,
Yeah, I remember using one back in my High School Physics class. Brings back fun memories indeed!
Nina
I loved your description of the geology of the Davis Mountains. Will have to go look on Google Earth. Of course, the dry comments made my day. I live on the dry side of Oregon.
Sue, Of course…the dry side of Oregon. I only learned about that from another RVer we met some time ago. I always thought Oregon was land-of-the-rain until that point. Looking forward to our visit there at some point. Nina
Guessing you came in on 17 from 10? That ride is spectacular, much better than the scenic loop heading north from there on 118, at least from what I saw of it. We didn’t get on 17 until we were leaving and I really regretted not getting out there to make some photos while we were there.
If you are still around make sure to stop by Wild Ridge Photography downtown. Its a small little shack right by the liquor store. Charles, the proprietor / photographer is a really nice guy that I met while doing laundry and later visited in his gallery. Has some awesome black and white work that I think you’ll like. You may have to knock but if there is an old van out front he should be there. Tell him Brent and Christine (blue Mazda w/ kayaks) said hello.
Brent,
Yeah, we took the drive from I-10. It was gorgeous and really quite an easy drive too. Cheers for the tip on Wild Ridge Photography. I will definitely go check them out and let him know you sent us.
Nina
Woooww!
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/indian_lodge/
I did not know that the middle of nowhere was so beautiful and that it is here in Texas.
Rick, Yup we’re camped right next to the lodge right now at the Davis Mountains campground. Wonderful campground with stunning views right outside the RV! Nina
love the pics…haven’t been to that part of the woods yet…will put it on the list now….
Jil, Yeah, this is definitely worth the visit. A gorgeous spot! Nina
We couldn’t figure out why Koa was so damn static-y when we were in NM! Makes so much more sense now…. and thankfully it’s eased up now that we’re further north. I don’t think he appreciated being shocked every time we pet him….
Christy….LOL. The static can get pretty bad. We’ve zapped all the pets a few times poor things. Nina