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La Vista RV Park
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One must see attraction is McDonald Observatory near Fort
Davis. On our visit, we arrived at McDonald Observatory between
2:00 and 3:00 PM. We were able to view the
The dinner was so good that we decided to buy the hotel cook
book. The Hotel Limpia was built in 1884 and was named after
Limpia Creek. In Spanish, Limpia means clear or After dinner, we returned to McDonald for the Star Party.
We heard a very interesting talk on the night sky and a number
of the constellations including Taurus, Orion, Canis Major, Canis
Minor, Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, and Cassiopeia. We also found
the brightest star in the sky (Sirius) in the constellation Canis
Major. We had a great time! |
La
Vista RV Park is a small private development with just 14 sites.
While the sites are somewhat closely spaced, we were in an end
space and had a great view of high desert valley. The park is
only 6 1/2 miles south of Alpine, Texas. The campground has gravel
roads and each site has full hook-ups including telephone access.
Because there are no showers or restrooms, this development is
for self contained RV's only. Fees are $14.00 per night, $70.00
per week, or $200.00 per month. La Vista can serve as a base
for visits to other attractions in the area including Fort Davis,
McDonald Observatory, Big Bend National Park, and the strange
Marfa Mystery Lights.
Sun,
then take a guided tour, and finally, attend the evening Star
Party. Total cost of tickets for the two of us was $14.00. The
solar viewing was very interesting. We could see a sun spot that
was larger than the earth. We also saw several solar prominences
which rose between 50 and 60 thousand miles from the surface.
The guided tour gave us an in-depth look at the 107 inch Harlan
J. Smith Reflecting Telescope. This facility is best known for
its work in determining the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
They used laser beams bounced off reflectors placed on the Moon
by several Apollo missions. The laser application allowed scientists
to measure the distance from the Earth to the Moon to within
several feet.
After
the guided tour and our shopping spree in the observatory gift
shop, we drove into Fort Davis (15 miles) for dinner. We decided
to have dinner at the Limpia Hotel Dining Room. Fort Davis is
in Jefferson Davis County which is dry. In order to buy a drink
there, you have to be a member of Sutter's Club. The cost for
a temporary membership was $3.00. We stopped at the "club"
for a before dinner drink and then went downstairs for dinner.
Our bartender had recommended having the Chicken fried tenderloin
and chicken fried chicken. We took her recommendations because
she pointed out "Everything in West Texas is fried ."
clean water.
The hotel originally served a clientele looking for cooler summer
getaways. This area was perfect. Experiences SavvyCamper Homepage Related Sites About Us |