Road Trip 2025: Day 26

The rangers at Big Bend highly recommended that we visit Balmorhea State Park, which is three hours north of the national park. En route, they suggested we stop in at Fort Davis National Historic Site. Since I try not to pass up an opportunity to learn history, that was our first stop of the day. G3 and Kati were slightly less enthusiastic about the visit. G3 said he’s seen a lot of forts and they’re all the same. He isn’t entirely wrong. They all do start to look alike after a while, but the story behind each of them does vary.

Fort Davis was built in 1854 and named after then Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis. (He is remembered more as the president of the Confederacy than President Pierce’s Secretary of War.) The fort was established to protect mail, goods, and settlers traveling between San Antonio and El Paso. While no Native American tribe lived in the area, the Apache, Comanche, and Kiowa—all of whom were in the process of being forced off their land—frequently traveled through the territory. They had been known to raid white settlers, and so the American government felt compelled to protect them, and the land they now perceived as theirs. Westward settlement would not have been possible without the support of the military.

Briefly, during the Civil War, the fort was occupied by the Confederates. But the Union managed to reclaim it, only to abandon it before the war ended. Following the end of the war, the US Army once again occupied the fort and set about rebuilding it.

Following the Civil War, African American troops, known as “Buffalo Soldiers,” were stationed at Fort Davis. Not surprisingly, they were treated poorly. Discrimination was a way of life. Henry Flipper was the first African American to graduate from West Point. In the early 1880s, he served at Fort Davis until he was accused of embezzlement. The Court Martial found him guilty of lesser charges and dismissed him from the army. Nearly a century later, his descendants challenged the verdict and he was posthumously upgraded to an honorable discharge. In 1999, President Clinton fully pardoned him.

The main duty of soldiers serving at Fort Davis was to drive Native Americans out of the area. In 1880, the army spend a great deal of time and energy chasing the Apache, led by Victorio, out of Texas and into Mexico where they were slaughtered by the Mexicans. Victorio and the Apache were simply trying to avoid confinement on a reservation. Five years later, the army was sent from Fort Davis into Arizona to apprehend Geronimo. By 1891–two years after the massacre at Wounded Knee—the Indian wars were considered over. The fort was no longer necessary since the Native Americans had all been removed to reservations, and so it shut down.

We ate lunch at a cute restaurant, La Cueva de Oso. They actually advertise themselves as being the cutest restaurant in Balmorhea. I am apt to agree. Stepping inside you feel more like you are stepping into a house. The decorations are Mexican and even though it was crowded, it didn’t feel cramped. The food was good but a bit pricey.

Balmorhea State Park has the largest spring fed swimming pool in the world. It was built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Every day, 15 million gallons of spring water flow through the pool. It holds 3.5 million gallons, covers a surface area of 1.3 acres, and is 25 feet deep. Fish and turtles live in the pool. And G3 was happy and excited to discover there is a diving board. However, there is no lifeguard so you swim at your own risk. I did not know that G3 could do a back flip off the diving board until I saw him do it. I was surprised. He spent most of the afternoon diving and entertaining some younger boys who lined up on the side of the pool and cheered for him each time he dove. They even started scoring him which I thought was cute. I dove in a few times as well—nothing fancy, just feet first to avoid injury—and I swam. Real swimming today, unlike in the Rio Grande. G3 got out of the pool when we heard thunder and saw lightning. Rain fell shortly after. I suggested we stay and wait out the storm, but G3 said he was good and that we could leave.

It is 7:00 and still 102 degrees. Kati is dying. She may not survive the heat overnight. We are camping at Monahan’s Sandhill State Park. It’s a state park because of the sand dunes. Seriously though, hot temperatures plus sand makes me want to swim. Otherwise, all this sand feels like a cruel joke. G3 figured out a way to hang his hammock from the sunshade at the campsite. I am contemplating doing the same. It’s too hot to sleep in a tent tonight.

At the moment, G3 is practicing driving. Why not? The campground is practically deserted and there isn’t much here to crash into aside of sand. Plus, as I said, the heat is killing Kati. Letting G3 drive is a perfect excuse to sit in air conditioning. Kati said G3 did well. She let him drive all through the state park so he could practice turning at stop signs.

It is a gorgeous night. There are just two other campsites occupied and they are way over on the other end of the campground. No one else in their right mind wants to camp in sand dunes in 100 degree heat. Although, it has cooled down and is far more pleasant now that the sun has disappeared. It’s a warm night so we didn’t bother with tents. G3 strung all our hammocks up. He was the only one tall enough to reach. We then climbed up one of the dunes to see the set. We actually missed the sun but the sky was a brilliant orange. G3 had fun rolling down the dunes. I enjoyed watching him act like a little kid and have so much fun. It’s too hot for a fire, and there are fire restrictions in place anyway, but we had a nice evening sitting on our camping chairs and talking. Simple, quiet family time. There is a comfortable breeze blowing, although Kati is still melting. Before she retreated to her hammock, we walked down to the bathroom. On the way back, G3 stealthily crept up on us and scared the crap out of Kati. She may never forgive him.