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We said our goodbyes to Frances and Joe early and got on our way about 7:30 AM. It was foggy for quite a while.
We drove slowly and the sun started to finally came through about 90 miles down the road. By then we were near where the Pecos River joins the Rio Grande.
The lookout sneaks up on you but we were forewarned and were looking for it so we able to pull off and take a few pictures. I didn't realize there were mountains and some elevation down south in Texas.
By the time we got to our destination of Alpine, Texas we were up to 4514 feet.
We found the Lost Alaskan RV Park easily and got set up.
It was in the high 70's and turned into a beautiful day. We left for a visit to the historic Fort Davis. Along the way we saw some beautiful country.
26 miles up the road we found Fort Davis.
Fort Davis is currently run by the National Park Service. In the 1850's the location was an important stop for travelers and wagon trains making their way out to California and the Gold Rush along the San Antonio - El Paso Road on the Chihuahua Trail.
The Indians were not too happy about it and subjected travelers to attack and many died.
The U.S. government was charged with protecting the trail and fought off the Kiowas, Comanche and Apache. From 1854 until 1891 about 250 troops were station here.
The Visitor Center was set up in the barracks which had been restored. We watched a short video that was narrated by Kareem Abdul Jabar.
He did a good job and it was the first time I'd seen in western attire...
A lot of buildings at Fort Davis have been restored although many on the grounds just have the foundations showing.
We were able to see the commissary, enlisted quarters, officers houses, commander's quarters and the hospital.
The grounds really stretch out over a large area so we had a good hike getting around to see all the buildings.
Fort Davis was named for Secretary of War Jefferson Davis and was closed in 1891 when the government consolidated its frontier forts. It was authorized as a National Historic Site in 1961 and restoration has been ongoing ever since. If you get the chance to see it, you may agree Fort Davis is "one of the best examples of an Indian wars frontier military posts". Having just been at Fort Clark, we think it gives you a very good glimpse into the past.
That is it for this edition. Thanks for viewing the Roadrunner Chronicles!
