Well, it was an interesting start to the trip. My flight to El Paso, scheduled for 7:15 AM, was on showing on time…excellent! I scheduled an Uber pickup for 5 AM, set my alarm for 4:15, and hit the sack. Didn’t expect to sleep since I was going to bed way earlier than usual, but I did drop off. I woke up a couple of times, checked the clock and went back to sleep. Then woke up at 4:14 and waited for the alarm to go off. It didn’t! When I next checked, it was 4:17. I discovered I’d set the alarm for PM, not AM. Yikes! But I was awake on time anyway, so it’s all good.

I checked on the Uber, and despite having shown another name scheduled for the past few days, now it had a different driver name, and he was going to be on time. Excellent. And an excellent driver and ride to the airport. Thank you Uber! When I mentioned that the driver name had been different, the driver said that meant the original accepter must have had something come up and had to decline at the last minute. The fellow who picked me up had accepted the ride just 18 minutes before picking me up, and he was 11 minutes away. Seeming serendipity. I feel very fortunate because I’m not sure how many drivers are out and about at 4-something in the morning! Thank you, God!

When I reserved the flight, the price for first class was better than main cabin premium, so that’s what I chose. I was in seat 1A, so was first off the airplane. First class meant priority for my luggage, and my bag was second on the carousel. The flight was on time, comfortable, and uneventful. Altogether a great start for the trip!

I do have to wait a couple of hours for the pickup by The Nature Conservancy/Iconic Adventures, but spotted a table with two chairs on my way to baggage claim, so got my bag and then claimed a seat. That’s where I’m sitting now as I type this. I haven’t done this blog for a while, so this is a good chance to get back in the groove. Now that I’ve started, it should be easier to keep up as the week goes on.

Altogether an auspicious beginning! More later…

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Got picked up at the airport by Alex (Iconic) and Jason (The Nature Conservancy). Met the other person arriving today, and we were off to pick up some other folks who’d arrived the day before. Then we went to meet the other van with other folks who’d arrived before, too. We’re all trying to learn each other’s names…with varying levels of success! 😉

Finally we were off on our journey to Marfa, about a 3-hour drive. This area of west Texas is mostly flat and featureless, so not much to see. We did drive through a kind-of mountain range. That’s about the only way we could really tell we were making progress.

But the van was comfortable, the company congenial, so it was pretty pleasant. There were three notable things to see. The fake Prada store, which is right next to the highway (unlike in the middle of an empty space, as it seems to be in the pictures I’ve seen), a cut-out billboard art installation of cowboys, etc., and the “Welcome to Marfa” sign. Since we sped past them on the highway, I didn’t get to take any pictures!

Likewise, coming into town was just where houses and low buildings started appearing. We went right to the hotel and got checked in. Dinner was at a restaurant not far away. Food was good. Meal was long! We got an orientation and another opportunity to try to learn people’s names. Then about half the group headed out to try to see the famous “Marfa lights,” that apparently no one can explain. We saw some oddly moving, appearing/disappearing lights, called it the lights, and headed back to the hotel. We’re staying at the iconic Hotel Paisano. This means kind of old; a period piece from the 40’s or 50’s, I’d guess. Rooms are comfortable, and now that I’ve done some other computer updates on a website, I’m free to hit the sack.

Looking forward to a day of light hiking and learning tomorrow. No pics today. We’ll see what happens tomorrow!