There was no breakfast at the Stone Village, so we walked 100 yards to the Stone Village Deli and got some breakfast tacos and lovely coffee, sitting and eating them at the tables outside. The man at the till was lovely - really friendly and chatty. He collects coins, so we grabbed him a few British and Euro coins and dropped them off as we left - he was really appreciative.

We had booked for the solar viewing at the nearby McDonald Observatory, so that was our first destination. The night sky is impressive in West Texas, due to a lack of light pollution, so the University of Texas built telescopes in the Davis Mountains to take advantage of the brilliant night skies. They do night time star parties but unfortunately we weren't there on the right days. However, you could go and see the sun through their telescopes so we thought that would be the next best thing. How often do you get to look safely at the surface of the sun?

We set off and got halfway along the road before realising we'd forgotten the water. We decided to go back for it, as we were going hiking in the Davis Mountains afterwards, so turned around. Then we thought we'd pick it up after the Observatory but before the walk, then we realised that we would pass the entrance to the State Park before we got to the motel, so we'd best get it now. We drove up and down the same stretch of road several times before nipping back to the hotel and getting the water. It was fortunate that the water error had been purely Paul's fault as the rest of us would never have heard the end of it!

We still managed to be a bit early to the Observatory, so had a look around the outside first and took some natural looking photos.





We also had a mooch in the shop and watched a short film about light pollution before the solar viewing. The viewing itself was fascinating - the guide was great and gave us loads of information about the history of the Observatory before we got to see the sun on a screen. It was fascinating to see solar flares and sunspots and to learn a bit more about our sun and our galaxy. It makes you feel very small and insignificant when you think about the vastness of space and that was quite a lot to think about. We also learned about the eclipse due in August 2017 and made a mental note to plan a trip to coincide!


There was a tour of the telescopes that we could have gone on as well but it would have taken another couple of hours and we wanted to explore the State Park as well, so we headed off back down the hill.

The Rangers at the park recommended a couple of trails and we picked the Indian Lodge trail. We read the warning signs about Javelinas (wild pigs) - although we did secretly hope to spot one - and then drove up to the Indian Lodge hotel to start the hike.

It was a really nice peaceful walk with nobody else on the trail. We did try to get a closer look at the hunting birds above us with the binoculars but we're still not sure what they were. Next time we go away, we'll have to swot up on the wildlife beforehand. We did spot some lizards and huge butterflies and dragonflies but no javelinas, alas.

There were some great views across the Davis Mountains though.



Plus Paul thought this cactus really needed an accessory.



It was another roasting hot day, so we were pretty tired by the time we got back to the car. On the drive back to Fort Davis we all agreed to drop our stuff off and then walk to the Fort Davis Drugstore for a well earned ice cream. It is a proper old-fashioned Drugstore, serving sodas, burgers and of course, ice cream. (Texas has their own ice cream, Bluebell, but unfortunately there was none available while we were there as there had been a factory problem that had caused a recall. The ice cream we had was pretty nice but it would have been good to try the Bluebell, which was just coming back into the stores as we were flying home. )

After the ice cream, we strolled back to the motel and had a good old fooling in the pool session, involving dunking, chasing and Dad winning on a regular basis!

We decided to try a different Mexican and ate at Cueve de Leon which was a stone's throw from the motel. The food was nice and you can see the Sleeping Lion mountain from the restaurant which explains the name.

After the meal, we called to playground for a bit as it had been such a big hit last night! Then it was another Drugstore ice cream before waddling back to the motel to lie in the hammock before settling down to watch Modern Family with a night cap.

It had been nice to have a break from travelling and explore a little bit more. We really enjoyed Fort Davis and could have easily spent more time here - it's a charming place and the motel was really good (and good value).

The Observatory sounds really interesting, as does the hike! Love the cowboy hats!

Texas is sounding like an attractive destination!

The observatory was fascinating - we learned loads! Glad you like the hats - we really needed them in that heat and they really did the trick.

Texas is really great - definitely my favourite state that we've been to so far. There is so much to see and do and the people are so friendly.

Am thoroughly enjoying your trip reports and Texas sounds brilliant

Thanks - it was awesome!

The Observatory sounds fun, pity you didn't get to try the local icecream though.

I know. We had plenty of ice cream but it was a shame not to try the local speciality.

Great day, observatory sounds fascinating and love all The ice cream and pool time, both well earned after all the hiking.

Love the idea of a drugstore ice cream!
Another great day 😊