Day 7 - Big Bend Natl Park to Van Horn TX

After a robust breakfast at the Park Lodge restaurant, we went on a short walk called the Window View Trail, which goes out to a beautiful point in a natural amphitheater. As the sun was rising on this Sunday morning, that was our church service. Our impression of the Big Bend National Park was very positive - it's a huge natural area that is a geologist's dream - and also a birder's we heard. We also saw lots of bicyclists and motorcyclists in the area. Some of the mountains and landforms were really awe-inspiring. We didn't do the Park justice by being there only one day. From there we headed across country to Fort Davis TX. This was another pre-Civil War outpost that is in various stages of restoration. Just a few miles away was our next stop - the McDonald Observatory, a world-famous astronomy research facility. We took the tour and were very impressed, although they didn't let us look out the telescope. They have night programs three nights a week and we missed them. Our evening meal was at John Madden's favorite restaurant. He's a famous football announcer so the restaurant was full of sports memoribilia. Now for Dorothy's Health status report. After one full week on the road, I am happy to report that she is doing fine. At the Observatory, we had to climb 70 steps (at 6500 feet elevation) to get to one area for the presentation. She wasn't puffing as much as I was when we got there. Of course when she really felt good was when a young mother told her this morning that she didn't think that Dorothy was old enough to be retired and just cruising around the West. She can live off that one for a few days.