I figured Pancho Villa would have been taller. His life-size likeness at the Museum Of The Big Bend in Alpine was one of many highlights; another was a far out exhibit of Texas ariel photos painted over with shocking colors. Dozens of them in a room all their own, the sun lighting the works through impressive windows. Place was packed with history of the area, from the days before humans to now. I spent the whole morning gawking, snapping photos, and reading all the small print.
Then a drive to the Davis Mountains and the McDonald Observatory. Who knew of such a serious mountain range in Texas, but there it was. I took the curving, exciting road up to the top and checked around. Telescopes. No telling what they see through those suckers, didn't get to look through them, they were shut down for routine calibration.
With the sun moving down fast in the late Janurary afternoon, took the road to Marfa to investigate the famed mystery lights. Automobiles, campfires, train reflections, orbs, aliens with lanterns, whatever they were, wanted to see for myself. The cold dusk lasted an hour, but finally darkness took over the official viewing area 9 miles west of town. While stars blazed above, far off lights appeared on the southern horizon line, then disappeared, then reappeared, then moved around. Freaky, super freaky.