Escapees May-June 2023

History, Mystery and the Universe HOP Fort Davis, Texas, September 18–22, 2023

Rose ParadeHOP Pasadena, CA December 2023

Two-Person Rig: $1,375 Additional Person: $695 One-Person Rig: $875

Fort Davis, Texas, is known as “The Gateway to the Big Bend,” and where friendly folks and cowboy hospitality reside, and where the stars at night are big and bright, and the skies are not cloudy all day! The Davis Mountains have the world’s largest dark-sky communities and the fi rst to cross an international boundary. The most diverse dry region in the world is the Chihuahua Desert. Come learn about the plants and animals that call this areahome. Visit the McDonald Observatory, known for one of the largest telescopes in the world and enjoy the world-famous Stargazing Party! Tour Fort Davis Historical site, a restored 1800s military post built to protect the mail and freight wagons along the San Antonio to El Paso Trail. Visit Building 98, built in 1895 as of fi cers’ quarters and view murals painted by WWII German POWs. Mona Blocker Garcia, owner and cousin to Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright) of the TV series Bonanza, will be our tour guide. Enjoy dinner and visit Hotel Paisano, once the headquarters for fi lming the movie “Giant,” starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. View the “Actual Contact”: Ten-foot steel pillars inscribed with mysterious images resembling a space alien. During the day, these images look like faint drawings, but each image lights up at night, bringing a space alien to life. Stop by and check out the mystery of the Marfa Lights. Native American residents knew about them before the fi rst documented sighting in 1883. The lights can be assorted colors, randomly moving throughout the sky above the tree line. The terrain is rugged; no streets or houses are in the area.

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ESCAPEES Magazine May/June 2023