Running through Marathon, Texas

On the mode location from a travel to acold West Texas successful precocious July, my person and I swung done tiny Marathon, Texas, for lunch. Fifty miles eastbound of Marfa and 50 miles northbound of Big Bend National Park, Marathon is known arsenic the gateway to distant Big Bend. Only astir 365 radical unrecorded successful Marathon, and yet it boasts a beauteous edifice and respective bully restaurants, bars, and shops. Also, surprisingly, a European-style garden-park, which I anticipation to spot connected a aboriginal visit.

The Gage Hotel

The centerpiece of the main roadworthy done municipality is the western-elegant Gage Hotel, built successful 1927 and restored and reopened successful 1982.

The yellow-brick edifice offers much than a night’s slumber for outdoorsy types connected their mode to Big Bend. With a spa, restaurant, the White Buffalo Bar, and beauteous landscaping, patios, and pool, the edifice is simply a destination successful itself. One time I privation to travel backmost present for star-gazing nether the inky-black skies of West Texas.

Cottonwood-shaded sidewalk connected the quiescent main thoroughfare done town

A immense trunking yucca towers implicit a shady courtyard. Behind the wall…

…a longhorn-shaped statement of cattle skulls adorns an adobe wall. How meta!

This is ranch country, aft all.

A mural connected a obstruction depicts rainfall falling connected the Glass Mountains northbound of Marathon.

I wandered the grounds, admiring the patios and towering yuccas.

Arched portals decorated with chile ristras specify the outdoor spaces.

Another inviting patio

A tile-roofed portal with ristras is irresistible.

On the different side, much cattle skulls, ristras, and yuccas adhd occidental benignant to the adobe building.

And cheque retired the size of these flowering yuccas!

Cat posed with them for scale.

Coyote fencing and yuccas

Smaller, softer yuccas here

A treble portal with a doorbell marks the entranceway to Los Portales, a courtyard with motel-style rooms astatine the Gage.

I didn’t task into this much backstage space, but it was shaded and lovely.

The beforehand of the edifice has a rocking-chair structure overlooking the main roadworthy done town.

Colorful pots formal it up nether the Lone Star flag.

The edifice lobby is simply a survey successful rustic comfort, with deep-cushioned furniture, a curlicued robust chandelier, and saddles and taxidermy connected the walls.

A chiseled wood angel stands watch.

In a sitting room, a Mexican charro saddle with metallic accents is displayed successful the corner.

And a stuffed upland lion lounges connected a console table.

Its relative begs for caput scratches retired connected the beforehand porch.

Brick Vault BBQ

We ate luncheon down the thoroughfare astatine Brick Vault Barbecue.

I got the sliced brisket sandwich, and it was delicious.

Eve’s Garden B&B

After luncheon we drove astir for a peek astatine the remainder of the municipality and spotted this greenhouse operation with a purple doorway.

And a cobalt partition with a prickly pear mural imitating beingness successful the garden.

This is Eve’s Garden B&B, which has a charming plot with this mosaic motion embedded successful the path.

Another spot of the mosaic path

And more! I would emotion to person explored the full garden, but since I wasn’t a impermanent I conscionable peeked from the parking area.

And here’s the colorful beforehand of Eve’s Garden B&B.

That’s it for my bid astir my travel to West Texas! For a look backmost astatine the native botanical plot astatine the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center, click here. You’ll find links to the remainder of the bid astatine the extremity of each post.

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