Jan 18th - Eye in the Sky

Our eye in the sky!

We left Marfa without seeing the "Lights"  - the reported mysterious lights in the sky that have been reported in this part of Texas since 1881.  The lights have become so popular that the city of Marfa built a viewing center to help the ranchers keep the public out of their cattle fields.  As dusk settled in so did the viewers so that by full dark there were several people hoping to see the "lights".  Alas, the moon rose almost full but no spectral lights were to be seen in the southern sky over the fields of Marfa.  We stayed in the well maintained parking lot with hopes that we wouldn't be asked to leave by the local authorities.  Nothing disturbed us but the regular trains running through 200 feet to our north.  We continued on our way this morning with our nose pointed west once more.  As we were getting close to Van Horn, TX a large white blimp like object appeared about 500 feet over our heads.  We saw these objects several times last year in our travels through Arizona, Texas and New Mexico but never one quite so low and close to us.  After taking a few pictures of it we passed the "launching" pad of the TARS (Tethered Aerostat Radar System) from the US Air Force which provides detection and monitoring of the border between Mexico and the USA. (Also watches over the Florida Straits and parts of the Caribbean in the support of the counter drug program.

Suffice to say they look like fat white birds floating around the sky.  We stopped in Van Horn and decided to stay in the RV park here and do a little exploring on our bikes.  It was an incredibly warm beautiful day - the best we have had in a very long time.  We took advantage of every minute!

Hwy 54 north of Van Horn, Tx

Van Horn "art"