The Cheese Weasels Do Big Bend, Texas

[Stichill]

Day 2 - Saturday 24 March 2018 - Marathon

As the sun began to dip lower in the sky, we kept rolling west along US 90 past Sanderson, bound for Marathon.



Finally we came across a welcome sight and pulled into the compound.







I'd made pre-paid reservations, so it was quick in and out of the office to retrieve the room keys.



We found our rooms, two of them side-by-side in a little cabin. Having been built in the 1940s, the cabins were very nostalgic, even still having their original crank-out metal casement windows.





We found a sunny courtyard and garden in the middle of the facility.





And soon the bourbon was flowing over ice.



We got hungry soon enough and made reservations at what looked to be a fairly fancy restaurant back in town. The time to start walking arrived quickly and we headed back up the road to Marathon's thriving little downtown.


We passed a telescope in a shed that's owned by the motel. Sadly, this night would prove to be too overcast for us to enjoy the dark desert skies.






Due to its location relatively close to Big Bend National Park, during the high season Marathon attracts a fairly wealthy class of visitors. There's a coffee bar, at least one art gallery, and the boutique [url=http://gagehotel.com]Gage Hotel, restaurant, and bar. To be sure, a much higher level of amenities than we'd expected!



















After enjoying our delicious meal prepared exquisitely by the hotel's chef, we walked to a local grocery store for supplies like water. I also found a baseball-style sunhat with a neck-protecting flap out back. I bought it as it was starting to dawn on me that the sun was fierce and I've been a cave dweller all winter.

After going to the store, we headed back to the [url=http://gagehotel.com/dining/white-buffalo-bar/]hotel bar for a nightcap.



It was after dark when we headed back to the Marathon Motel, its neon beacon guiding us back along the pitch-black highway.



We repaired to the courtyard patio once again, where we were treated by a guitar and harmonica duo playing and singing soulful tunes in the dimly lit environs. Soon the exertions of the day weighed heavily on us and we wandered back to our cabin and fell into a deep and restful sleep.