street art

It was a drawn out and chilly stay in Marfa, Tx. We ordered car parts quickly upon arrival, but they were delayed, extending our stay to 11 days total (we originally “planned” on 5, ). With all the waiting around we got a little lazy, sleeping in to sometimes as late as 8:30! (We are still not adjusted to central time, so that’s an acceptable 7:30 Mountain time.) The mornings always started out in the 20’s, some days even in the teens, so there wasn’t much to do except stay snuggled inside our blankets with three heaters blasting until we were warm enough to start moving around for the day. Not having a car limited what we could do, but the RV park we stayed at was an easy 1/4 mile walk into town. Art galleries are something that Marfa is known for, but most were closed or by appointment only due to COVID. This could be a really depressing read for anyone up to this point, but we really did enjoy our stay at this quirky place! The people here made all the difference for us.

We loved the old west charm of this place from old and untouched to beautifully restored. There was something in every category architecturally. No cookie-cutter plan here.

It started when we were getting our tow figured out from the last stay. I got in touch with the Tumble In RV Park to ask if they knew of a local tow company we could contact. We got Robert’s name from Melvin, the Tumble In owner and made a call. While we eventually went the AAA route with our tow, Robert was a fountain of information for us. He sent me the name of every tow truck company in the area, he let us borrow tools and a jack and stands to work on our car when our parts finally arrived, he had so much to share about the area and surrounding communities, he was the epitome of southern hospitality going above and beyond with all of our interactions. Melvin was equally kind and understanding with our flexible stay at his RV park. The Tumble In was the first established park we stayed at where we didn’t feel out of place or obnoxious with all of our stuff and outdoor living style. The other businesses we frequented in Marfa were Para Llevar for wood fired pizza and our first side order taste of pimiento cheese 😋

The Stop & Read was a cute garage converted to a bookstore with new and used books, Kendall’s dog Pepper was particularly sweet with the kids. I wish we could have gone back again but with physical books we can only get so many before the cabinet is full again and we have to get rid of them at the next Little Free Library.

The Get n Go was our favorite little grocery store for organic and specialty items, oh, and Dr. Pepper with real sugar. We hope to swing back through Marfa for a few more days in February when we start heading back to mountains and New Mexico.

Racing in our backyard

Easily entertained (and so grateful they have mostly got along this whole trip)

Beauty is all around us if we’re willing to stay still and observe

Marfa sent us on our way with a stunning sunrise

Tombstone, Bisbee, and Douglas, Az.

Our final week in Arizona concluded with some touristy stops in Tombstone and Bisbee, and our first hipcamp stay on a really nice lady’s land north of Douglas, Az.

We drove through Tombstone en route to our hipcamp spot. It was a fun stroll through town but we didn’t go anywhere that would require tickets or being inside around others so we kept it short and simple.

The following day we ventured over to Bisbee, Az and did some similar strolling around but did find a good coffee roaster and a bookstore so we got a few things that needed getting. Finding high quality, freshly roasted coffee while traveling has been a challenge. We are total snobs in this department. Blame it on living in Denver and spending so much time in Guatemala where good coffee is the standard and quite easy to come by. I loved the murals painted on the sides of all the old buildings. And the way the town is built up on hills so you have to roam up and down was such a surprising find in this part of Az. I dare say it was my favorite place we visited in the whole state.

Some favorite shots from walking all over Bisbee

The place where we parked at for our hipcamp was heaven! Aside from her and her friend we were in complete solitude and silence. You’d walk outside of the camper and the silence was deafening if that makes any sense. I can’t recall having this sensation anywhere else in our travels. The landscape was sweeping, grassy mountains so it felt like we were in a painting. We could walk along the rocky roads surrounding her property and only hear or see the passing cow or deer or spying hawk. This was a very restoring and resetting place and the perfect spot to ring in the New Year. It helped frame for us what we could be on the lookout for if and when we buy some land. Our host was very hospitable checking in on us periodically and leaving us some cookies and potatoes. She also showed us her art studio and works in progress.

I’m linking to her website for future perusal.

https://www.pajaritaflora.com

Natalie was of course very inspired. We’ll see what she spins up art-wise in the coming weeks after our great visit. We left this Arizona with a lot of feelings as we continue to navigate this lifestyle. I was pleasantly surprised to see that we spent a little over a month here. When we traveled to Phoenix briefly last September with our friend it wasn’t a pleasant experience in the sweltering heat and never ending strip malls. But other parts of Arizona turned out to be everything we needed in the late fall and into winter; Warmer climate, inexpensive camping options, wide open desert spaces with plenty of amazing sunsets and opportunities for stargazing, budding friendships, kind neighbors, magical creatures and desert plants. As we mosey on over into Texas for some Kinship Market dealings, we will keep these sweet memories fresh in our minds while the wheels continue to roll.