As you may know by now,  Lyle and I moved to California! Our new adventure began early on October 6. We headed out west towards Marfa, Texas. I thoroughly enjoy the drive out to West Texas. Some people have told me it’s boring because it’s just miles of nothing, but I think that’s my favorite part! I love how open and free it feels!

Anyway, we make it to El Cosmico, checked in and began exploring the grounds. We decided to have a night of “glamping” and stayed in one of their tents. It came fully equipped with a queen size bed, sheets and blankets, a chair and a desk, wood floors, electrical outlets and plenty of lighting. They also had teepees, yurts, trailers and self camping available. While exploring the grounds, we found an area full of hammocks. I’m obsessed with hammocks and was very excited about this find. However, it had just recently rained so they were all pretty soaked and we unfortunately never got to relax on them.

After a bit of wandering, we we were off to Prada Marfa. One thing I did not know was that it is not actually located in Marfa. It’s roughly 30 miles west in Valentine, Texas. Inside is the 2005 fall/winter collection from Prada. You’re not allowed to go inside and there are plenty of security cameras and alarms around the building to prevent you from even trying. I remember learning about this installation in one of my art history classes and have been wanting to visit ever since. I’m not really sure why it took me so long to go but I finally made it!

We made our way back to El Cosmico to relax for a bit before grabbing some dinner. We ended up waiting too long and missed dinner. By “missed dinner” I mean the town seemed to shut down around 8:30 and we couldn’t find anywhere to eat. We had to settle for getting some food from the gas station (ehhh). We got rained in in the outdoor communal kitchen and waited for it to slow down to a drizzle before making a run for it back to the tent. When it finally stopped raining, I decided to capture some night shots. Fun fact: it was pretty much pitch black out when we suddenly heard what sounded like chains rattling nearby. I was freaking out trying to listen to figure out which direction it was coming from/heading to. Spoiler: it was just a dog going about his way. We went back to the tent for bed and not even 20 minutes into falling asleep it began storming. That lasted just about all night long, and I swore at one point the tent was about to blow away.

I realize that a lot of this sounds like a horrible time, but it really wasn’t. It’s all about what you make of the situation. Sure we didn’t get to really enjoy some of the amenities but it doesn’t really matter because I still had a great time and that’s what matters. That also just means a trip back during good weather is in order! 

We woke up to find the ground flooded, like at least 3 inches of water everywhere. We grabbed our things and headed out for some coffee and exploring. We spent the morning checking out the exhibits in Ballroom Marfa. Art galleries are my favorite places to visit, so it was pretty neat to check out a local one. Then we grabbed some lunch and headed out to Monahans Sandhills State Park. I hope you enjoyed our day one (and a half) adventure! Be sure to check back for part two of day two of our trip!