Dates:
April 2, 2019 to April 16, 2019
Mileage:
0264
Location:
Van Horn RV Park
Van Horn, TX
More than one person asked us why the first stop was somewhere close to Las Cruces like Van Horn, but if you think about it, the first waypoint of a journey is generally near to the beginning just by definition. We plan to limit our driving to no more than three to five hours a day anyway, and even though setting up the RV takes only half an hour, we like to stay a day or two and see the area one that’s done. Also, ElizaBeth spent part of her youth in Van Horn, and she wanted to see how things have changed. We decided to stay for two weeks, get the RV organized, and chill out. So far, so good.
Official Campsite Picture
One place we had been before together was the Hotel El Capitan, designed by Henry Trost. Trost is also known for the first New Mexico State University Master Plan and is a part of my history at NMSU since our team in Facilities and Services wrote the 2017-2027 Master Plan.
Hotel El Capitan 
Hotel El Capitan courtyard
Other Big Bend area hotels designed by Trost are the Hotel Paisano in Marfa, the Gage Hotel in Marathon and the Holland Hotel in Alpine. The website Big Bend Galleries and Artists has some great history if you like to read more. We want to see it.
The place we’re staying has a dog park, which was enjoyed immensely until we dropped.
Sugar taking a nap
There’s nothing like an old-fashioned hardware store, and Van Horn has Higginbotham Brothers. Actually, it’s a family chain, but it is still more like an old-fashioned small-town hardware store.
We also went to Chuy’s Restaurant, one of those highway restaurants that has a lobby filled with autographed pictures of celebrities and wanna-be celebrities. There was a signed picture of a very young Vanna White and the restaurant website details their long-time relationship with John Madden.
Finally, we went to Fort Davis, our favorite place and where we took our first trip together, picked up some pecans at the Davis Mountain Nut Company, and made a stop the Fort Davis Drug Store and Hotel. This old picture says something about how much digital photography has improved as well as how much I’ve aged.
