WEST TEXAS WEEKLY

[Contributor Darci Pauser writes extensively on renewable energy at her blog The Field Trip ]

On the “scruffy side” of the tracks in Marathon, Texas, sits La Loma Del Chivo. An eclectic variety of buildings occupy this city block of land, from a kiva to a sweat lodge, to a bedroom sarcastically entitled the “McMansion.” The special thing about all of these buildings is their DIY flavor– all have been built not according to some professional architect’s idea of what a building should be, but according to the vision and creativity of those actually building it.

The hostel is an inexpensive option for those traveling through West Texas, or going into the Big Bend National Park. It’s even free for bicyclists traveling down highway 90. If you cannot afford the $15 a night, there is also a work-trade option, and the hostel is host to several folks in the WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) program. How refreshing to find a place where so much creativity and property is allowed to flow and the feeling is so laid-back. WWOOFers are encouraged to start whatever project they would like, and owner Guil funds the materials cost. A workshop is available for all who desire to use it. The result is papercrete buildings– some big, some small– a brick pizza oven, an organic garden, and pathways made of crushed glass tumbled smooth.
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[My dear friend Mercer Black does an excellent job of putting the Big Bend and Texas Mountains Travel Guide together. In my experience, it's one of the most effective ways for local small businesses to advertise to tourists and travelers. In addition to being cost effective and attractive, copies of the guide are circulated to people before they start planning their trip. This makes it especially effective for lodging advertising. It's one of the few print publications I'll advertise with.

Those interested should contact publisher Mercer Black of Marfa Publishing immediately via email to bigbendtravel@gmail.com or by phone to 512-739-4465.]

A Sample of the Layout

Last Chance to Participate in the 2010 Big Bend & Texas Mountains Travel Guide

The Big Bend & Texas Mountains Travel Guide has, for twenty-five years, been the primary free travel directory for the greater Big Bend region – Del Rio to El Paso, Midland/Odessa to the National Park. It covers 16 communities, 2 national parks and 14 state parks. (A full list of these communities and parks is below).

This is a high-quality, full-color magazine, chocked full of beautiful photography and informative content. The 2010 edition features, almost exclusively, the work of David Leggett, a talented photographer who has for years endeavored to capture the grandeur of West Texas skies and landscapes. (See more of his work at www.phlography.com.)

Also new in 2010, the guide will be PERFECT BOUND as opposed to the traditional saddle stitch. Perfect binding dramatically increases the shelf life of a magazine, making it more of a souvenir book than a brochure.

The 2010 guide’s 100,000 copies will be distributed at over 100 locations, including all area chambers and CVBs (Convention & Visitors Bureaus), all 12 TxDOT Travel Information Centers, the El Paso airport, Texas Sate Capital building, State Fair of Texas, San Antonio CVB and over 60 regional convenience stores, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, hotels and retail establishments.
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Cactus Hotel

• The Posada Milagro in the Terlingua Ghosttown– A charming bed and breakfast smack-dab in the middle of the historic Terlingua Ghosttown
• The breath-takingly beautiful Cibolo Creek Ranch near Marfa, Texas– a luxurious resort that offers an amazing retreat from everyday life
• The Gage Hotel of Marathon, Texas– a top-of-the-line hotel that offers historic flavor with contemporary comfort
• The Paisano Hotel in Marfa, Texas– well-known for hosting Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. This is still an amazing value and a wonderful place to rest, relax, swim and grab a steak and a Margarita

If you have a hotel that you would like to see profiled in this fashion, click here to contact me. I’m always happy to highlight the great hotels of the Big Bend.

If you’d like to be included in my lodging guide, then click here to see my rate sheet for advertising.

Stay tuned for a new installment that covers the Holland Hotel of Alpine, Texas and its new re-modeled interior.

West Texas Weekly gives you more about Big Bend lodging and historic hotels.

Visiting Cibolo Creek Ranch was a treat for me. As I stepped out of my car, black horses played together about a hundred yards away. A herd of longhorn cattle were there as well, just as they would have been in Milton Faver’s time.

The grounds are immaculately kept. The fort and the spring water that runs through transported me to a tranquil time that can rarely be re-captured. The spring water murmurs, and the beauty of the landscape suggests that a horseback ride or a siesta is in order.

The Ranch seems more remote than it is; its proximity to Mexico makes you feel as if you are either in a strangely familiar foreign country, or in an idealized version of the West. Either way, it is a wonderful feeling. I immediately felt the stress of running the Big Bend’s best online publication melt from my body and mind.

The lake is amazing and they have many great outdoor activities. Click here to visit their website and learn more.

It might sound silly, but you can feel James Dean’s star power permeate this landmark fifty years after the fact. There is an ineffable glamor here that my video may not be able to capture. The only way to experience it is to visit yourself; stop by their website and make reservations so you can see what I’m talking about.

I want to give a big thank you to Vicki, Carlos Lujan and the rest of the staff at the Paisano Hotel and Jett’s Grill. This isn’t just a great place to stop by if you’re from out of town… they go out of their way to make a wonderful experience for the whole community. A perfect day in Marfa always ends with one of Jett’s excellent Margaritas while observing the sunset to the sound of the fountain in the courtyard.

They get my kudos because they are professional about providing excellent service. Even when every other restaurant in town in closed, you can get something to eat here. That is a community service, people!

Here’s a little history on the Paisano straight from the horse’s mouth:

The Hotel Paisano was built by Charles Bassett of El Paso and opened in June 1930. It was one of five hotels that he built in west Texas and eastern New Mexico of the Gateway Hotel chain. He commissioned notable architect Henry Trost of Trost and Trost in El Paso for the architectural design. The construction company was McKee Construction out of El Paso that had built most of the early Hilton Hotels around Texas in the 1920′s and 1930′s as well as most of the office buildings in downtown El Paso of that era.
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This first installment of Historic Hotels of the Big Bend takes an informal tour of the Gage Hotel.

Marathon is a handsome little town of 400 souls here in Brewster County. J. P. Bryan has done an excellent job of nestling this luxury hotel in a small Texas town– it accents Marathon as a whole rather than overpowering it.

Designed by Trost and Trost, the Gage is a living tour of that era; it is a powerful example of Ranch Revival tempered by the masculine wrought iron and leather of the 19th century. Each room is unique and offers authentic Mexican, Native American and Cowboy furnishings.

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