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BUESCHER STATE PARK

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It’s that special time of year between Thanksgiving and Christmas when the To Do lists pile up with gift shopping, meal preparing, house cleaning, party planning, seeing family and friends, traveling, eating and generally stressing.

When I go “home” for the holidays, I exhaust myself trying to see as many people and do as many things as I possibly can.  That was the case during the Thanksgiving holiday and I came back feeling completely overwhelmed.

Fortunately central Texas heated up for a few days, just long enough for me to have an escape to Buescher State Park near Smithville, TX.

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PEDERNALES FALLS STATE PARK

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Pedernales Falls State Park is fairly close to home for me, but the short drive doesn’t make it any less spectacular.

The main attraction at the park is, of course, Pedernales Falls.  It’s a massive area in the Pedernales River that’s packed with giant boulders, pools and rushing water, and it’s all accessible to the public.

I’ll tell you more about that in a minute.  First, if you’ve been following this blog, you’ve probably thought, “I wonder how Ashley sets up camp.”  Well you’re in luck!  I have the Readers’ Digest version right here…

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SONORA

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XBar7830If you’re looking for a relaxing get away with all the comforts of home, Sonora‘s the place.

It’s on I-10, just south of Eldorado, and it’s home to X Bar Ranch Nature Retreat and the Caverns of Sonora.

I was tired when I arrived at X Bar Ranch.  Before Sonora, I visited Balmorhea, where I camped, and Marfa, where I slept in a safari tent and bathed outdoors.  I loved doing all of those things, but four days of traveling, living outside (in the rain) and packing in as much activity in as I possibly could made me ready for some peace and quiet.

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BALMORHEA STATE PARK

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It’s a true oasis in the middle of the west Texas desert.

When planning my trip out to west, I had a whole list of places I wanted to go.  Balmorhea wasn’t one of them.

I looked at the map, studying small towns along I-10 on the way to Marfa.  I saw Fort Davis and Fort Stockton and a few others on my wish list, but then I saw Balmorhea State Park.

Hmm…how do you even pronounce that?  I looked it up on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department web site and, much to my surprise, Balmorhea moved up to the top of my list.

It’s a tiny town about an hour north of Marfa in west Texas.  It’s in the middle of the desert, surrounded by mountains, and home to San Solomon Springs and the world’s largest spring-fed swimming pool.  (Among other surprises.)

Balmorhea is the perfect place to make a refreshing stop for the night on your way to or from Big Bend Ranch State Park or Big Bend National Park.

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MARFA

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Marfa!  What a quirky little town!  I live near Austin and let me tell you, Marfa could show Austin a thing or two about being weird.

In fact, the majority of people I met in Marfa were from Austin.  So much so that if you were from Austin, you didn’t need any further explanation about what brought you out west.

One of the main attractions in Marfa is art.  Art galleries outnumber restaurants in this little town, and in the past few years Marfa has been known for it’s large, outdoor installments.  The most famous of those is Prada Marfa, a “storefront” situated out of town in the middle of nowhere.

It was my first stop of many on my 24-hour trip, mostly because it was about a half hour out of town.  Take Hwy 90 west from Marfa, through Valentine and it should be about 2 miles out, on your left.  You can’t miss it.  (The drive through the desert is worth it!) Read more →