While wasting away in the Corpus Christi summer, we began to peruse an Elderhostel catalog

^{Fort Davis and the Copper Canyon
August 22 - September 2, 1998
(Our First Elderhostel Experience)
NOTE: Comments by Gina are in blue
While wasting away in the Corpus Christi summer, we began to peruse an Elderhostel catalog. Elderhostel is a nonprofit, educational travel organization for people over 55 years old--at least one person of each couple must meet that criterion. A ten-day trip to West Texas and Mexico caught our eyes. August and West Texas may conjure up visions of burning hot, dry days, but we were assured that this was a perfect time of year to visit Fort Davis at an elevation of 5,500 feet and the Copper Canyon in Mexico at an elevation of 8,000 feet.

So off we went, driving the 500 miles to Fort Davis. We closely paralleled the Mexican border on highway U.S. 90, an absolutely beautiful road with no traffic on it and only very small towns spaced 60 miles apart. The best of the towns is Alpine, Texas, population 5,000 with a very pretty university, Sul Ross University. Alpine may be the best of the towns we drove through, but Sanderson was the most interesting. It was a tiny little town that looked like it was deserted -- a motel that was closed down, a few closed up looking businesses lining the streets and Grandmother's Restaurant. We stopped at Grandmother's Restaurant for a cup of coffee and a special desert called an apple roll-up. The young couple that owned and ran the restaurant (we think) seemed to be unaware that nobody lived in the town and that there were no other customers. She poured us coffee and chatted with us, as if she had known us all her life and had nothing better to do (she probably didn't). She even knew one of Erv's high school classmates who lives on a nearby ranch. The restaurant was newly decorated and even included a fully stocked craft department. We did buy a "crying cowboy" on our return trip to Grandmother's on the way home. I can't help but wonder just how long Grandmother's can stay in business. I hope it's still there next time we're out that way.

Arriving in Fort Davis, population 1212, one is impressed by the tiny town with a sleepy court house square and old hotels and stores. The people are so friendly that we weren't sure they were "for real". If you've ever seen the movie "The Stepford Wives", you'll know what I mean. It was like being on a movie set. Everyone and I mean everyone, stopped and waved and asked how we were doing as we walked by. The mechanic at the local garage stopped working on a car to wave and say howdy. People driving up the street would wave and stop in the middle of the street for you to cross. Even teenagers would stop for you and wave. All of the young people we saw (14-24 years old) were polite, called us sir and ma'am, wore no make-up or jewelry, definitely no tattoos or body piercing, and dressed in "normal" clothes. The owner of one of the restaurants that we liked a lot -"Indian Emily's"- didn't want us to pay for breakfast. He said it was his way of blessing us. (We paid anyway.) We were told that the local high school had 24 seniors -- all graduated -- 21 went to college (most on scholarships) and the other 3 joined the armed forces. I'm telling you, things just weren't normal in that town. It was too perfect. I wanted to stay an extra week just to see if they could keep up the charade that much longer or whether they were for real!!! The city didn't even have a city police force. We checked into the Limpia Hotel along with fourteen other couples. We met our tour guides, Wendy, a misplaced British lady, and Bill Quintana, a retired Hispanic cowboy. The guides gave us an introductory lecture and made sure every detail was taken care of. Of the thirty of us, most were retired schoolteachers. All were well educated and there was not a smoker in the bunch. Of course, everyone except Gina, was over 55 years of age.

The theme of the trip was history, culture, and stargazing. Classes were hosted by the Davis Mountains Environmental Educational Center (DMEEC). The classes were held at the center about 1 mile from the hotel. I thought that everyone should walk to and from the classes. Erv and I did. We even made a few other couples feel guilty and they walked also, but most rode the bus to and from class. Usually our day started with a continental breakfast at the hotel, then our class, next came lunch, a few hours to freshen up and do whatever, the afternoon outing, and then dinner. All the meals were included in the price, which made the trip very economical. I didn't care for the continental breakfast, so Erv and I would walk to Indian Emily's so I could have a real breakfast most mornings. Erv enjoyed the continental breakfast. He's so good - he would rather have Raison Bran and yogurt than bacon and eggs!!! Can't imagine!!!

A well known cowboy, author, artist, and historian, Bill Leftwich, gave us a lengthy talk on the history of the Old West, and showed us an elaborate display of antique saddles, guns, boots, and ropes. Bill and his wife hosted us at their adobe hacienda where his artwork is on display. Erv bought one of the books that he had written.

The old fort had a guide to give a complete tour of the fort grounds and give a detail description of life at the fort in the 1800's. During the day at the fort they sound all the different types of bugle calls the army uses. Of course, they don't have a bugler; it's on tape, but it is very nice. Large speakers placed all over the fort and parade grounds allow you to hear each one and there are even sound effects that sound like soldiers parading on the grounds with officers giving orders, and soldiers marching. Each of us was given a timetable with an explanation of each bugle call so we would know what we were hearing at any particular time.

We were given a lecture on the natural history of the Chihuahuan Desert. The Chihuahua Desert is mostly in Mexico, with only the northern most part in Texas and New Mexico.
After a sunset nature walk through the State Park, we met with an astronomer. He told us more about the constellations than we wanted to know, and then, in pitch darkness, he let us look through the telescopes. This was better than the daytime tour of the McDonald Observatory where we looked at sunspots and learned how telescopes work.
In preparation for trip into Mexico, we were given a lecture on the history and culture of Mexico.
One night we went out to see the famous Marfa Lights. We all were able to see them and had our own ideas of what caused them. They were not quite as spectacular as I thought they were going to be, but interesting to watch. One of the group had a Ph.D. in Physics and we hoped that he could give us a good explanation -- but alas -- his expertise was in lightning, so he didn't have a clue about the lights.}
After four full days in Fort Davis, a luxury tour bus arrived to take us to Chihuahua City. This was a seven-hour bus ride through the desert and mountains. A Mexican tour guide was on the bus to give us details of the trip and more history of Mexico. In Chihuahua City we checked into a first class hotel followed by a tour of the city and an entertaining dinner in a near by steak house restaurant. A folkloric ballet provided the entertainment. Everyone turned in early to be ready for an early reveille to be on a 6:00 a.m. train.

The trip to Copper Canyon is filled with intrigue and mystery. The huge landmass is a Mexican national park, four times larger than the Grand Canyon. Copper Canyon is home to the shy Tarahumara Indians, many of whom still live in caves. As we passed through small villages and made a stop at Divisadero lookout point, we saw Tarahumara Indian women selling handmade crafts

This is the famous Copper Canyon train that climbs to over 8,000 feet, crosses 39 bridges, and goes through 86 tunnels, one almost a mile long. However, we were only going to the canyon rim, a ride of seven hours. The railroad is said to be one of the most scenic in the world. The train twists and winds its way on its journey up to the town of Creel. It crosses expansive bridges spanning rivers, burrows through mountains, and provides a glimpse of the people and customs native to the region. We soon realized why the railroad, which took 90 years to build, is often referred to as the "eighth wonder of the world."

We departed the train at a stop that only serves the hotel. The hotel, Hotel Posada Mirador, clings to the cliff over looking the canyon. From each room balcony, there is a clear view of the canyon floor 6,000 feet below. The food at the hotel was unbelievably good and the waiters provided great entertainment with songs and a comedy routine. There were several hikes along the rim and into the canyon. Great photo opportunities abound in the majestic canyon with its gorgeous rim and sheer cliffs. Our Mexican guide was not as pampering as our Elderhostel person Wendy was. He just told everyone to be ready at a certain time for the hike up or down or over a trail. I was amazed at how many of the people actually went on the hikes. One day, 19 out of the 30 people actually went on and finished a rather long hike. Wendy was astonished. I told her there ought to be more walking and exercise several days before, but she didn't think that anyone else would want to hike. She was wrong, and I was right (OF COURSE)! One of the hotel dogs felt that it was his responsibility to lead anyone going for a hike. He took his responsibility very seriously. Each time that Erv and I started up a trail, here came the dog. He seemed to instinctively know which trail we wanted to take. Then he would run up ahead of us as if to scout the trail and wait. We would see him standing, looking over his shoulder for us. Then, when he saw that we were behind him, he would go on further up the trail. He was a great dog and if I could have fit him in my backpack, I would have brought him home with me. Of course, we don't think that he had ever had a bath or a vaccination, and I guess he would have been horribly homesick for his beautiful home -- SO, I guess that it's a good thing that I left him there.

Taramara Indians live in the canyon and some of the women and children come to the hotel to sell baskets that they make while sitting outside the hotel. Taramaras are very unique. They are extremely soft spoken, never make eye contact, and are known for their ability to run for hours or even days. They have maintained their culture and dress in the isolation of the canyon.

After two nights at Posada Mirador, we returned to Chihuahua City for an over night stay and more touring of the city. The tour included a visit to the home of Pancho Villa, which is now a museum of the Mexican Revolution. This time, we took a bus back to Chihuahua, not the train. We were supposed to switch seats all of the time so that everyone would get a chance to sit in the front. Thank goodness nobody took the front seat when they boarded. After everyone was seated, I asked if I could have it and was given it gladly. I get very car sick and I believe that if I had to sit in the back over that twisted mountainous road, I would have left more than my impression in that seat and on everyone around me.

From Chihuahua, we again had a seven-hour bus ride back to Fort Davis for our last night of the trip. The last dinner was served from an authentic chuck wagon. The man who made dinner from the wagon is a many time winner of the National Chuck Wagon Cook-Off and lives right in Fort Davis. After dinner, he and another cowboy (Washtub Jerry) entertained us with the old songs of the range and their tall Texan tales. We were then given our "diplomas" from Elderhostel and visited with many of the "town folk".

The last morning, we had coffee, said our good-byes and dove off towards the sun. The drive home was long, but the purple sage was in full bloom giving a rare sight in the desert. And we did get to stop at Grandmother's for a cup of coffee and an apple roll-up.