After deciding to take a short 3 day trip over spring break, a girlfriend and I had LOTS of options for destinations....Lake Tahoe, South Carolina, and even Colorado all came to mind. It was at that time I remembered a serious case of wanderlust I had after seeing a travel blogger's post about her West Texas adventures. I convinced my city-girl friend to pack her hiking clothes and go "glamping" with me. The destination : Marfa, Texas!
We set out on the long drive through the middle of nowhere with lots of music to keep us company. Of course, we made sure to stop anytime we needed a selfie or landscape photo, but it wasn't long before we realized it was going to be over a hundred miles before we hit the next gas station. When you're down to a quarter tank of gas, its not a bad idea to stop at the next station you see, no matter how big of a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" vibe it may give off!
I had only heard of Marfa (population: one.blinking.light) on some paranormal tv show because of reason - the Marfa Mystery Lights. Being a bit of a "see-it-for-myself" type of girl, that was reason enough for me to want to drive the seven hours through nothingness. Apparently, these lights aren't exactly visible all the time. ::side-eye to you Marfa Mystery Lights:: There is a viewing station about 10 miles outside of town where you can safely stand in the cold desert air to (hopefully) catch a glimpse.
Not 2 miles down the road, you hit the good ol' "welcome" sign.
After seeing The Simple Sol post about a large plot of land equipped with themed trailers, teepees, and other camping options, I KNEW I needed to visit this place! We snagged a trailer for our trip, and upon arriving, it became clear this place was a place to "disconnect." El Cosmico only offers wifi at their main lobby area....on PURPOSE. For a small fee, you can camp in your own tent on the property which also has outdoor shower houses.
Upon checking in (3 pm) we realized all but the gas station and dollar store close down for siesta-like hours. Almost all of the restaurants close at 2p, for the day, and only a handful open back up for dinner. We decided to hit an art gallery, then Jett's Grill at the Hotel Paisano for some margaritas to hold us over until dinner. By the way, the margarita was perfect!
We met a local bartender from the Hotel Saint George with some great things to say about the bar's food, so when 5pm rolled around, we headed that way. The bar is a small area, but the burgers and turkey meatballs were ::heart-eye emoji:: The bar manager there recommended we try out the Lost Horse Saloon - a hole-in-the-wall type dive bar with live music and plenty of cold drinks! The band seemed to be a local rockabilly band. The lead singer mentioned a local man, whom everyone seemed to know, was filling in for their drummer.
Our first night in great ol' West Texas definitely did NOT disappoint! Neither of us had been to Big Bend National Park, but me being a "researcher," I couldn't wait to go hiking. After roughly four hours of sleep then being on the road for the better part of the day, we were both really tired. El Cosmico offers small fire-pits outside their lobby, and they also have hot tubs for rent....all of which people were taking advantage of when we returned. While you can't bring in outside alcohol, they do sell a large variety of beer and wine. We locked ourselves out that first night, and although it was after 10pm (lobby closing time) there was a number on the door which we called. After two failed attempts to get into the camper, we were finally able to retire to our quaint, wood-paneled, and WARM trailer for some zzz's!!!
El Cosmico is definitely a place where you will get to know your neighbors and meet lots of different people! Marfa won my heart over!!!!!!