Adventures in and Around Fort Worth

By Jocelyn Tatum  I n the 12 years that I have been going to Marfa almost annually, a lot has changed. But the small-town-in-a-vast-desert charm has stayed the same. Here are a few things I always plan to do in my two days and two nights in Marfa.  First, drive. I know it seems like it is far away, and it is, but this road trip goes fast because there is no traffic headed west and away from civilization. Driving is part of the right of passage to get there. I also feel like I shed the societal sludge that builds up on my shoulders as I careen across Interstate 20.  Once you turn off onto HWY 17 in Pecos, the drive starts to transition from sulfur and pumpjacks to pure beauty. It always reminds me of my road trip though the Scottish Highlands. My thoughts change with the landscape. Again, no traffic and no crowds. A tip: when you do pass a fellow road warrior once you get into the mountains, give them the friendly L-shaped finger wave the locals do th...

Yet another trip to Marfa, Texas. This time I got to sleep in a teepee. For 2014, dare to do something different than usual. Stretch yourself. I left my comfort zone when I entered the community outdoor showers and slept in a fabric hut with only a zipper between me and the rest of the world. I hope to finish my article about this weekend getaway soon and will post. I just need to find the time to write it and pitch it to a travel magazine! Stay tuned... Our front door had a zipper.  I loved this so much I had artist Kristen Soble paint it for me in watercolor. We rented bikes. 

It's been a while since I've done a travel piece, but a few days ago I got to escape to my favorite weekend getaway — Fort Davis and Marfa, Texas.  Sitting on the roof of the Indian Lodge, I look out through the valley of the Davis Mountains. It is quiet. The only thing I can hear is my fingers tapping my computer keys. I feel clean, raw, pure and more fully myself out here. I don’t know anybody, and nobody is expecting anything of me. Wispy, high clouds brush the blue-gray, autumn sky. A cool breeze tickles my bare feet and lifts my hair. The sun slowly sets over the pale gold winter grass and mountains reflecting peach hues off the high clouds. I love it here in West Texas. Lunch earlier that day             For lunch we stopped at the Pizza Foundation in Marfa. It is some of the best pizza I’ve ever had — thin, chewy homemade crust, big slices and even bigger flavor.The cheese has so much flavor that I didn’t want to...

(One of my favorite trips from Fort Worth) M onahans Sand Hills . Balmoreah's Natural Spring . Davis Mountains . McDonald Observatory . Historic working cattle ranches. State Parks . We pass all of this on our way into our Trinitarian food and fun Mecca: Fort Davis, Alpine and Marfa. Due to my passion for this raw and simple part of Texas I will write in parts so you don’t fall asleep on your computer screen. I could keep an entire blog just about West Texas. PART I: The Drive Out There T he speed limit is 80 m.p.h. and the sky is as vast as the vaqueros’ vocations that have worked this land for more than 150 years. A smile always crosses my face as I leave the complications of society and the city life behind me. The drive from the Midland/Odessa airport to our destination is roughly 150 miles west and rich with undulating landscape, history and even bigger skies. I don’t know what it is about the desert, but the drive from Odessa to our Fort Davis/Marfa/Alpine destination ha...