Hiking in the Ft. Davis area – October 2011

This was the third year we signed up to hike with the West Texas Trail Walkers who schedule their annual three-day walks over Columbus Day weekend.  This year the hikes would be Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 7, 8 and 9.  Our friend, Jo Ann Stewart, has joined us the previous two years and did so again this year.  She arrived at our house on Wednesday afternoon and stayed in our guest room.

Thursday morning we woke fairly early and after a light breakfast we got away about 8:30 am.  We headed west through Blanco, Fredericksburg, to I-10 and Junction where we stopped for gasoline.  Next we stopped in Sonora for lunch and then at Ozona where we encountered the same great event that we witnessed last year – thousands of migrating monarch butterflies.  The town square next to the courthouse has several large pecan trees and the monarchs look like brown leaves on the trees.  We throw up a small branch and see hundreds of them take wing for a spectacular sight. 

After a while we pressed on to Ft. Stockton where we headed southwest to Alpine and arrived in Ft. Davis around 4:15 pm.  We checked into the Limpia Hotel, an old historic hotel that we discovered needs renovation.  To our chagrin, their restaurant was closed for renovation but they didn’t tell me that when I made reservations.  Their restaurant was the best place to eat in Ft. Davis.  A few years ago we took friends from England to that area and, while we didn’t stay at the Limpia Hotel, we ate there and enjoyed their food.

We had spare time so we drove to Prude Ranch, a sort of dude ranch, where most of the West Texas Trail Walkers were staying.  Then we went into Davis Mountains State Park to see the Indian Lodge (where we stayed those few years ago) and took in views from the sky line drive within the park.  Next we drove 25 miles to Marfa and had a fairly good dinner at the Jett Grill in the old Paisano Hotel where the cast of the movie “Giant” stayed all those many years ago.  By now it was dark and we drove about eight miles east of town to the Marfa Mystery Lights Viewing Area but we didn’t see any mystery lights.  Perhaps we should have had more wine than we did with dinner.

Friday we woke to clear, cool weather that would hold up for the entire weekend.  Our first hike didn’t start until noon so we slept in and met for breakfast about 8:30 am.  The Ft. Davis Drug Store, just across the street, was recommended by the hotel so we gathered there and had a large, delicious breakfast.  We killed some time walking around the hotel gift shop and patio area.  We drove to the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center just a few miles out of town where the hike would start at noon.  Rita was suffering from back pains but gamely hiked the five kilometer (three mile) hike with Jo Ann and me.  Jo Ann and I continued on with the ten kilometer (six mile) hike that first descended into a narrow dry creek bed then climbed to an overlook on top of a hill.  We finished about 2:30 pm and drove back to the hotel for a short rest.

We met for an early dinner at the Cueva de Leon Mexican restaurant in Ft. Davis.  It was good Tex-Mex food but too much.  We ate early because we had reservations for the Lunar Program at the McDonald’s Observatory.  This program is only shown infrequently and always a few days before a full moon.  There were only 12 of us and we met in one of the small observatories with a smaller telescope but the program was very informative and our speaker was very good.  One of the speaker’s projects was to show us how craters are formed.  He had a container with flour coated with a thin layer of cocoa.  We stood over the container and dropped rocks and marbles into the mixture to see how different craters are created.  Next we each had individual time to go to the telescope and view various areas of the moon.  Our speaker took photos of the moon and sent them to us by email.

Saturday our hike began in the morning so we had an early breakfast at the drug store across the street again.  Today we hiked in the Davis Mountain State Park – again Rita did the five kilometer hike while Jo Ann and I did the ten kilometer hike.  The hike involved more strenuous climbing than the previous day.  After we finished we went to a pizza and sub shop called Murphy’s in Ft. Davis. 

Today was the 100^th anniversary of the Ft. Davis State Bank and Courthouse.  A big celebration was held but we missed much of it.  While we were hiking the bank had a mock holdup and a barbecue lunch was held on the courthouse grounds.  Today was also the 50^th anniversary of the Ft. Davis National Historical Site.  The fort is actually over a hundred years old but it was established as a national historical site just 50 years ago.  So we went to the fort and saw a nice celebration which was not a re-enactment, as I mistakenly called it, but a “living history” event.  There were soldiers, women and children in period costumes of the time and a small ceremony with flag-raising kicked off the afternoon’s events.

In the evening we drove the 20 miles to Alpine and had a very good meal with wine at the Reata restaurant, one of the better, if not the best, restaurant in West Texas.  Not only was the food good but the portions were gigantic – which is appropriate since Reata was the legendary ranch in the movie “Giant”.

Sunday morning Jo Ann informed us that a thunderstorm struck after midnight but Rita and I slept through it.  There was evidence of rainfall but not very much.  Sunday was also our last and most rugged hike held at a Boy Scout ranch about 40 miles from of Ft. Davis.  We had an early breakfast and left in the dark arriving at the Buffalo Trail Scout Ranch as the sun rose.  Jo Ann hiked the 20 kilometer hike which involved a steep uphill climb for the first half.  I hiked the second half of that hike (only ten kilometers) which skirted a mostly dry creek with beautiful scenery.  Rita did part of that hike for five kilometers.  We finished in the afternoon and said our goodbyes to the nice people of the West Texas Trail Walkers who organized a fine weekend of hiking.  We also learned that next year the hikes will be in Caprock Canyon State Park which is close to Palo Duro Canyon.  We hope to be there.

We drove back to Ft. Davis and indulged in banana splits and ice cream sundaes.  Later we had dinner at the Drug Store and I had a decent chicken fried steak.

Monday we had breakfast one last time at the Drug Store (we now know all the staff), checked out of the hotel and started our drive back home.  First we drove to Balmorea and viewed the Balmorea State Park with its swimming area formed by natural springs and a desert wetland wildlife area.  We headed east on I-10 at 85 miles per hour past Ft. Stockton to Sonora where we stopped for lunch once more.  Then we took a back road to Fort McKavett, a nicely restored Texas State Historic Site that was established by the US Army in 1852.  After a walk around the grounds we drove back to I-10 and headed east.  In Kerrville we drove around the town to see places Jo Ann had visited when her grandparents lived there.  She found their house and when I took a photo of her in front of the house the owner came out and, after he heard her story, invited us in to see the house.  It turned out that the current owner is the mayor of Kerrville so we were in good company.

We continued on to Boerne where we stopped for dinner at the historic Ye Old Kendall Inn.  We had a very good dinner with wine to top off a good weekend of hiking, food, wine and good company.  We arrived home about 9:00 pm and were pleasantly surprised to find our rain gauge reporting about four inches of rain fall.  Jo Ann spent the night with us once more and headed home Tuesday morning, the next day.

Panama Trip – September 2011

We commenced our first trip to Panama on Friday, September 16, leaving the house about 9:00 am for the drive to the San Antonio airport.  We had about an hour flight to Houston on Continental Airlines where we caught another Continental flight to Panama which took about four hours.  It was dark when we arrived and as we walked out of the airport the humidity hit us.  Gretchen had arranged for an Embassy employee, who has a transport business on the side, to meet us and take us to their apartment.  They have a nice, modern three-bedroom apartment in the Embassy Club development of the Clayton district of Panama where the US military used to have a base.  They are within walking distance of the new US Embassy built just a few years ago.

Sophie-Claire was asleep when we arrived but we peeked in on her as we wouldn’t get much of a chance tomorrow.  Gretchen and Chris fed us a nice dinner and we turned in early for the big day tomorrow.

Saturday we had arranged for a full day total transit of the Panama Canal.  We did get to see Sophie-Claire a little bit in the morning but we had to leave early and she was staying with a baby sitter.  We drove to Flamenco Marina located at the end of the Amador Causeway where we would board our ship, the Pacific Queen, to start the trip. 

We started in the Pacific Ocean and went under the Bridge of the Americas, through the Miraflores Locks, Miraflores Lake, Pedro Miguel Locks, under the new Centennial Bridge, through the Gaillard Cut of the Continental Divide, Gatun Lake, and the Gatun Locks to the Atlantic Ocean side of Panama.  We saw much canal traffic from large container ships and roll on–roll off ships, to smaller tankers, tug boats, and private yachts.  We also saw several sea birds such as the magnificent frigate bird, egrets, and brown pelicans.  Going through the locks was interesting and we had an excellent guide on board who explained the process very well.

We ended up in the town of Colon in a heavy downpour.  Here we boarded buses that took us back to our start at Flamenco Marina.  We stopped for a light dinner at a Middle Eastern café called Beirut Café.  Sophie-Claire was asleep, looking angelic, by the time we arrived home.

Sunday we had some Sophie-Claire time.  Gretchen, Chris, Sophie-Claire and I went for a hike in the Metropolitan Park and hiked jungle trails for two to three miles.  We saw an assortment of tropical plants, flowers, ferns, a few unidentifiable birds, and a Central American agouti which is known locally as a neque.  We also saw a lizard that walks on water (or so it appears) and it is really called the Jesus Christ lizard.  Sophie-Claire, comfortable in her Baby Bjorn carrier, was a trooper and loved the outdoors.

Back to the apartment and a nice brunch then off again to Casco Viejo or the old, historic town of Panama.  Actually it is the second old town because Captain Henry Morgan burned down the first town of Panama.  Then the Spaniards moved to a location that was difficult to attack especially in low tide – Casco Viejo.  We walked around for an hour or more viewing old, restored houses, the National Theater, cathedrals, beautiful hotels, green plazas and the Presidential Palace which is located here.  We found a couple of great places to stop – one for iced coffee and empanadas and the other for great ice cream.  We went back to the apartment and spent time playing with Sophie-Claire.

Monday we spent time in the morning playing with Sophie-Claire once more – a chore we just had to make ourselves do.  Her nanny Eladia normally comes around 7:30 when Chris and Gretchen go to work but for the next two weeks Eladia was told she could come around 9:30 am.  That way she had more time to spend with her own children and we had private time with Sophie-Claire.  I should mention that Sophie-Claire loves Eladia and the feeling is mutual.  And when Sophie-Claire went down for her morning nap, Rita and I could take a walk as we did this morning.  We walked to a local grocery store called El Rey and had lunch at a small café next door.  This was the pattern most days while Gretchen and Chris worked and we didn’t mind it a bit.

A couple of days I took Gretchen to work and kept their car.  I hesitated to drive far since I didn’t have a good map, it wasn’t clear if we were covered on their insurance, and the drivers in Panama are terrible.  The roads aren’t much better either.  One day Rita and I drove to the Miraflores Locks which were close to their apartment.  We went through a small museum that covered the history of the building of the canal.  We also saw a short film on the canal then we walked out on a viewing platform and watched some ships go through although it wasn’t as exciting since we saw that on our transit.  Another day Rita and I walked to the Embassy Club café and swimming pool which is like a country club setting.  We had a good lunch and explored the game rooms and gym.

Friday Gretchen and Chris took a day off work and we packed the car for a long weekend trip.  We headed out of town across the Bridge of the Americas and took the Pan American highway through La Chorrera, Coronado, Anton, Penonome, Cocle, Nata, Aguadulce, and a short distance past Divisa we turned off on the road to Ocu where real Panama hats are made.  As you may know, what we call Panama hats are really made in Ecuador but were erroneously contributed to Panama during a visit by Teddy Roosevelt.  In some of these small remote towns the real Panama hat, which is black and white and inferior to the Ecuador hat, is made in small craft shops.  We went looking for one for about an hour on back roads, sometimes unpaved, in the countryside around Ocu.  We saw plenty of men on horseback carrying machetes and other colorful people but we didn’t find the craft shop.  We went into Ocu and had lunch at a questionable outside café but we didn’t get sick.

We pressed onwards on narrow back roads through the small villages of Menchaca, Chumical, Las Minas, and Los Pozos where we couldn’t find the road we wanted and ended up in the town of Pese where we took the wrong road again.  We finally ended up in the fairly large town of Chitre and the highway we eventually needed.  We pressed on through Las Tablas and Pocri to the fishing village of Pedasi where we had reservations at the Casa Margarita B&B.  We checked in then met at the bar for drinks and eventually dinner in the hotel restaurant.  I must mention that Sophie-Claire was great in the car and hardly offered a complaint for the long road trip.

Saturday was our big adventure day.  First I had a walk around the small town which was colorful and clean with friendly locals, many dogs, a variety of flowers, several butterflies, and chickens loose everywhere.  We all piled into the car and headed to the local beach where our hotel had arranged a boat and captain who was waiting for us.  He and his son helped us wade to their small boat (about 20 feet long) which is called a panga.  The outboard motor was powerful and soon we were on our way.  Sophie-Claire had her little life jacket on and loved the breezy, loud ride.  She fell asleep just as we neared our destination after about a 30 to 45 minute ride.

Our destination was Isla de la Iguanas or Iguana Island and it was about six miles off the coast in the Pacific Ocean.  It isn’t a very big island but it does have nesting grounds for about 5,000 frigate birds which filled the sky above the island.  The waters also have humpback whales this time of the year and our captain took us around the island but we never saw any.  The captain cut off the engine and we coasted onto the white sand beach after slowly floating over a coral reef with several colorful fish.  On the island we found hermit crabs, which entranced Sophie-Claire, and some red and purple Pacific land crabs.

Our hotel also provided beach chairs and a picnic lunch with drinks so we set ourselves up under a nice shady spot of coconut trees.  There were a few other people but the crowds really arrived in the afternoon when we were leaving.  Chris, Sophie-Claire and I hiked across the island to a cove where we saw thousands of frigate birds feeding.  We walked back to the beach and took Sophie-Claire into the water for her first ocean swim.  She loved it and splashed around with her little life jacket snugly around her.  Gretchen even took her hands off the life jacket and let Sophie-Claire free float.  We had our picnic lunch under the trees and Chris did a bit of snorkeling while the rest of us watched.  Later Gretchen, Rita and I went hiking again on another trail which ended up at the same pretty cove.  And true to its name, we saw several iguanas on the island on our hikes and on the beach.

By mid-afternoon black clouds were building up and we decided to head back to the hotel.  Sophie-Claire had herself a big, busy day.  Our panga came and we loaded everything back into the boat and headed back.  The ride back was very choppy with rain splattering on us as well.  Sophie-Claire once more laughed on the ride back but fell asleep even on this very bumpy ride.  She is a water girl.  Back at the hotel we napped for a while and I had a beer in a hammock on our balcony while watching Panama flycatchers, ruddy quail-doves, and blue-gray tanagers.  I also saw green hummingbirds getting nectar from the flowers but I couldn’t tell what kind they were.  Panama has about 40 different hummingbirds. 

In the evening we hired a babysitter (employee of the hotel), dressed up a bit and headed out to a late dinner at an upscale resort.  A few miles down the road in a very remote part of the area is the Villa Camilla where celebrities such as Michael Jordan and Shakira have stayed.  We had dinner reservations for 8:00 pm and had a table set up by the swimming pool.  The resort was built and is run by a Frenchman and it is tastefully decorated.  It wasn’t very crowded but the setting was tranquil with the sounds of the ocean waves in the distance.  Our meal was good but not exceptional.  We did have a nice Bordeaux wine and Chris says French wines are difficult to find in Panama.

Sunday we had breakfast at our hotel and didn’t check out until close to noon.  Chris, Gretchen and Sophie-Claire walked around town while Rita and I talked to the American hotel owner who is from Pennsylvania.  Finally we checked out, loaded the car, and went a few blocks away to the Iguana restaurant for lunch.  It was a local café with basic amenities – a big difference from the night before.  But we had fish, beer, and chips which were all tasty.  After lunch we made a stop at Dulceria Yedy, a local sweet shop where we had their delicious flan and espresso.  Yedy, the elderly lady who owns the shop, has photos of herself with several Panamanian celebrities who have visited the shop.  She came out to greet us and offered to be photographed with Sophie-Claire but by that time Sophie-Claire was tired and buckled into her car seat.

We headed back to “the city” as Panamanians call it and took our highway back through Pocri and Las Tablas where a festival was being held.  We spent an hour on a detour road around Las Tablas which the local police could not have messed up more.  We finally made it through and back to the main highway which took us to Chitre and Divisa where we took the Pan American highway back to Panama City.  We also hit very heavy rain which obscured the traffic for several hours.  Chris had a difficult time in the long deluge but we finally made it back to their apartment about 6:00 pm.  Sophie-Claire was once more a great traveler who slept much of the way and was cheerful when awake.

Gretchen took off work on Monday and at noon she took us, and Sophie-Claire, to the US Embassy where we had lunch in the cafeteria.  Chris ate with us and we sat with some of his office’s employees.  Gretchen took us around her offices and introduced us to her supervisor and many of her co-workers.  As should be the case, Sophie-Claire was the center of attraction.

Gretchen returned to work on Tuesday and for the next few days Rita and I had more Sophie-Claire time around the house.  One day her nanny, Eladia, prepared a local soup dish called sancocho which was delicious.  We also witnessed Sophie-Claire try her first hand-held tasting of a tomato.  She made a face but continued to eat it.  She also had new teeth bothering her and woke up in the night a couple of times.  But basically she is a very jolly child.

Friday Chris and Gretchen took off work again and with Eladia taking care of Sophie-Claire, the four of us drove to the village of Gamboa.  On the way we saw dozens of large blue morph butterflies and I saw a toucan on the wing.  We arrived at the impressive Gamboa Rain Forest Resort where we started our Monkey Island tour at 8:30 am.  The resort is located on the Chagres River and our small boat (but bigger than a panga) with three other people, driver and guide, set out into the Panama Canal towards Monkey Island.  Once we arrived we coasted very slowly in a jungle looking for wildlife.  And we found some.  Among the birds we saw snail kites, black-bellied whistling ducks, mangrove swallows, black hawks, a lesser ani, and a purple gallinule.  We also saw a baby crocodile, more neques, and monkeys.  First we saw a group of howler monkeys with the head monkey making howling noises.  Later we came across three white-faced capuchin monkeys – one who boarded our boat looking for handouts.  Finally our boat headed back to the resort.

Then we took another tour called the Treetop Tram Tour.  A guide was assigned to the four of us and we all rode up a hill on an aerial tramway together.  At the top we departed the tram and walked through a jungle rainforest to a platform which we climbed to the top.  Here we saw another of the toucans with huge yellow bills.  From the top we had great views of the Panama Canal and Chagres River.  Our guide pointed out several tropical plants and after the tour we had lunch in one of the resort restaurants on the river.

Saturday we walked to the Embassy Club swimming pool with Sophie-Claire.  Gretchen, Chris and I went into the pool with Sophie-Claire who had a great time splashing around once more.  She does love the water.  Following that we drove to a local area that has several handicraft stalls with local ware.  Rita bought a couple of items and called it good.  We had lunch at a Greek cafeteria called Nikos.  Then Chris and Gretchen had to pick up some framed photos downtown so we had a good tour of the high rise condos.  In the afternoon Chris and I took a walk and came across some green parrots in their neighborhood as well as a coati mundi which closely resembles a raccoon. 

In the evening the four adults went out for dinner at a very nice restaurant called Maitos.  All of us had great food and I had a starter of smoked pork in little corn tacos followed by a main course of corvina, a local fish, with shrimp.  Dessert was a chocolate, caramel and marshmallow concoction that was delicious.  We had bottles of white and red wines.  It was a wonderful, delicious end to a great trip.

Sunday we woke to a loud thunderstorm with much lightning right over us.  I loved it!  We stayed in bed until the storm blew over then packed our bags for departure.  We played with Sophie-Claire until it was time for Chris to take us to the airport.  We flew Continental again to Houston and then on to San Antonio arriving after 8:00 pm.  By the time we stopped for dinner and again at a grocery store for a few items, it was 11:00 pm when we arrived home.  But it was a great trip.  We had a great time with Gretchen and Chris but especially with Sophie-Claire.