….West Texas? Seriously. Big Bend National Park is our destination, the best kept secret of the US National Park System.

Its almost a five hour drive from El Paso. Along the way we drove through Marfa, famous for its cutting edge artists (Seriously). This is not a Prada store but an art installation on the road in the middle of no where.

We spent last night in Marathon, about 40 minutes away from the park entrance at the historic Gage Hotel.   Dinner at the 12 Gage, the hotel restaurant was as good as anything I have eaten in major cities around the world — roast quail and braised elk tenderloins — all under the watchful eye of the white buffalo in the bar. Not to mention the outstanding IPA from the Big Bend Brewery just down the block.Great meal, great hotel. This morning we will explore Marathon then head to the Park. I’ll tell you more about Marathon and Big Bend later today (or maybe tomorrow, depending on how much of the Big Bend Brewery IPA I drink tonight).

(Don and Katherine’s trip is being hosted by the Brewster County Tourism Council. For more information on Big Bend travel, see Big Bend Texas Travel Company)