Big Bend 2024 (Day 7)

On the first day of our trip, on the way into Marfa, we passed several things that we didn’t get a chance to take pictures of. So instead, we got them on the way out–reverse order! 😉

The obligatory “Welcome to Marfa” sign, of course. It was hard to get this picture because the sun was behind the sign. This meant that the sun was shining directly into my face. That meant the only thing I saw on the phone screen was the reflection of my face! Well, I took several pics, and this one came out the best. Yay!

We saw the blimp on the way into town, but it was in the sky on its tether then. This time it was grounded. It’s a U.S. Border Patrol surveillance blimp, we discovered (thank you, Google). We joked that the feds were going to be after us for stopping to take pictures, but we got away unscathed. Ha!

The other thing I had seen pictures of was the Prada store. Here it was in person! Cool. From the pictures I’d seen, I thought it was more remote, but you can see how close it is to the road. Right there!

It’s not a real store, of course, just an art installation, but it does have merchandise (shoes and purses) on display. When we first drove up, there was a camper van parked in front of it. I asked the folks if they’d mind moving it a bit so I could get pictures, and they were very accommodating.

As we were looking in the window, the wife showed me some pictures she had taken of it in early 2023, the last time they’d come through. Purses looked the same. I remarked that it was nice that folks seemed to leave it alone. The husband said there was graffiti on the back. He said he thought they probably painted it regularly but left the back for people’s individual art expressions. Who knows?!

The thing I hadn’t seen before is the fence that surrounds it, which has apparently become a mecca for people to put locks on. I’d seen these in Italy, where people place locks to pledge their undying love. I’m assuming this is the same idea. The locks were on every surface.

After that excitement, it was a long slog to the El Paso airport–about 2.5 hours. Marilyn, Randy, and I were scheduled to be on the same flight to DFW, which wouldn’t be leaving for several hours. Since that flight was delayed 15 minutes and Marilyn had only a 45-minute turnaround for her next flight, she checked at the ticket counter to see what they would advise. Guess what? They scheduled her for a direct flight to Chicago that left in just 1 hour. Instead of worrying about making a connection, she got home early with no worries. Couldn’t have worked out any better.

After having lunch at the airport, I saw Lois and Richard whizzing by on a cart. We called hellos. (And Lois, you were right about the rain!) Then Christa saw me walking by from where she was waiting for her flight, and we had a chance to share a few parting words. I saw Randy at our gate. He had a short turnaround, too. I hope he made his next flight!

Then an Uber drive home. This really seems to be a nice alternative to parking at the airport. For a 5-day or longer trip, the price is comparable, and the nice thing is not having to drive. I just provided a few directions.

I’ve missed the kitties this week, and as soon as I walked in the door, they were there to greet me. It was a great trip, thanks to The Nature Conservancy, Iconic Adventures, and my fellow travelers. But once I was again surrounded by L’il Bit and Kiki, I felt truly happy to be home.