Marfa Flights: Aerial Views of Big Bend Country

XI. Up the Starry Stairway: Exploring the Pristine Davis Mountains and McDonald Observatory

UP THE STARRY STAIRWAY Exploring the Pristine Davis Mountains and McDonald Observatory XI. 156 : 113. Sawtooth Mountain , Palisade Detail Twenty-eight miles north-northwest of Marfa The sheer face of the Sawtooth Mountain palisade soars over Broke Tank Draw (upper center). Looking down the spine of this ridge, one can see how ancient magma pushed up into a giant crack in the earth that served as a mold for the mountain. Later erosion washed the more vulnerable material away, and dramatic hard rock of the sill remained. The peak is 7,686 feet high. : 157 114. Sawtooth Mountain, Columns Detail Southeast of Texas Highway 116 Projecting out of the shadows, Sawtooth Mountain shows its namesake rocky fangs. The columns are made of igneous syenite that is hard as granite. Texas Highway 116 passes through the valley in shadow above the spires. Bear Mountain (upper right), elevation 7,256 feet, seems tame by comparison. My motivation to pair these two images was the riveting negative space between the mountains and how those shadow areas interact when the two images are placed side by side as a diptych. : 159 115. Davis Mountains Vista Twenty-one miles west-northwest of Fort Davis The Davis Mountains, covering more that 600 square miles, make up the largest mountain range that lies wholly within the state of Texas. The mountains are named for Jefferson Davis, the US secretary of war under President Franklin Pierce and later the president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. Jeff Davis County, which covers this area, and Fort Davis, which is the county seat, are also his namesakes. 116. Telescope Domes McDonald Observatory The large telescopes of McDonald Observatory are the Hobby-Eberly Telescope on Mount Fowlkes (lower center) and the Otto Struve Telescope and the Harlan J. Smith Telescope on Mount Locke (upper center). As a research unit of the University of Texas at Austin, the observatory uses an array of telescopes and instruments to do research on planets, stars, galaxies, and theoretical astronomy, including dark energy. McDonald Observatory is open to the public with a wonderful public outreach program including educational presentations and stargazing parties. 117. The Highest Paved Road in Texas Ten miles northwest of Fort Davis Set in the largely undeveloped Davis Mountains, McDonald Observatory benefits from the Dark Skies initiative to reduce nighttime light pollution that could interfere with the observatory ’s work. Texas Spur 78 climbs nearly to the top of Mount Locke, making it the highest paved road in Texas at 6,791 feet elevation. Recently the observatory’s Frank N. Bash Visitors Center dedicated the Wren-Marcario wheelchair-accessible telescope, which is the first of its kind. Just beyond the observatory, back on earth, is the Eppenauer Ranch with its oval horse-training track. The Nature Conservancy has been acquiring large amounts of property for conservation in the Davis Mountains. 118. Mount Livermore Davis Mountains Mount Livermore, with its domed high point known as Baldy Peak, is the highest mountain in the Davis Mountains at 8,378 feet elevation. When one looks southwest toward the desert from which they rise, the Davis Mountains manifest themselves as a “sky island” type of mountain range, surrounded by plains. Mount Livermore features several springs on its slopes that, in conjunction with the cooler mountain climate and higher precipitation , support a unique ecosystem. The Davis Mountains provide an almost pristine habitat for many species of wildlife and plants, including a mind-boggling array of birds and even aspen trees. The nights are cool, even in the summer, and regularly freezing in the winter. I remember driving through Wild Rose Pass in a snowstorm to visit Larry Francell in Fort Davis, where he is county commissioner. Exploring the Pristine Davis Mountains and McDonald Observatory : 163 119. Turning toward Home Fourteen miles southwest of Fort Davis Leaving the Davis Mountains (upper left) behind, we climb to 12,000 feet for a moment. The thin air and desert light fill me with wonder as we return from our final flight. Here the land opens up from dense mountains to the high desert. Far below us are (center, top to bottom) Blue Mountain (elevation 7,286 feet), Texas Highway...