Marathon Monsoon

I love going to the Big Bend area during the late July-August monsoon. There’s nothing more majestic than a giant rainstorm crossing the high-meadows of the southern-most extension of The Rockies. Actually I’ll travel to Marfa, Marathon or Fort Davis at the drop of a sombrero, but a recent trip was especially sublime for a number of reasons. It was the first time I’d taken off work in a long while and I really needed a rest. It rained most of every day, which made for lovely sleeping and reading with the doors and windows flung wide open onto Los Portales of The Gage Hotel where we stayed (below right). 

BFF Deborah Fondren (left) traveled from New Mexico to meet me for the 3-day sleep-read-eat and drink-a-thon. Each morning we had Anderson’s coffee with half & half and brown sugar, and each evening we had happy hours at the White Buffalo Bar and dinner at the 12-Gage Restaurant. Of course we had to make the trek to the fabulous Marfa Book store and a dependably delicious lunch at the Food Shark Truck. We were disappointed that we couldn’t get into the recently re-opened Cochineal Restaurant, but that’s OK, we’ll be back.  

Marci Roberts (above far right), who owns the 112-year-old The French Grocer in Marathon, joined us for drinks one afternoon, and it was great to see her again. 

We also went next door to the studio of James Evans, Marci’s partner, so I could buy James' wonderful photography books, Crazy From The Heat, and Big Bend. James is my favorite photographer and I love giving his books as gifts.