Get our weekly newsletter, filled with good reads, news analysis—and updates on special events. Stage three on Sunday morning, April 5th, will start at the Prude Ranch and wind through the mountains of the Scenic Loop. A little extreme, but now I want to do it again and knock an hour or two off the time. Out on the prairie and turning east about 48 miles into the ride. But I don’t know why that loop took you 9 hours. The elevation changes from about 5,000 feet in town to a maximum of 6,270 feet with lots of ups and downs of several hundred feet in-between. Time to take a sweeping right turn and start climbing. The ride consists mainly of Highways 118 and 166 of which the is called the 75 mile Scenic Loop drive, for … They steer all the way around. In order to move my mind on, I finally decided to see what I could learn about Dr. DeFord via Google. I go to Fort Davis pretty much annually (to the Texas Star Party at the Prude Ranch) but would live there if I could. nice trip and thanks for sharing the trip wth us. In turn, as my thighs began to burn on the near-constant climbs, I held tightly to the idea that, until 1947, when the loop’s construction was complete, many travelers used muscle power as I was doing now. It is a fascinating part of the world. ( Log Out /  Enter your email below to send a password reset email. Fort Davis Scenic Loop - Click to enlarge. Otherwise something way too exciting would happen, though I am sure the resulting youtube post would get lots of hits. This 100-mile route is the creation of devoted cyclists in the state’s river region. In early summer, having spent years riding all kinds of bikes across all kinds of terrain—from the outskirts of Dallas, where a young Lance Armstrong once found success, to the hidden hills of the Rio Grande bottomland beyond Big Bend National Park—I wanted to see for myself whether the Fort Davis ride lived up to its billing. SHEEP PEN CANYON LOOP 5.6 mi 3-4 hrs. Visit top-rated & must-see attractions. Love the photos. I was just smart enough to be intrigued that he always welcomed me and he seemed to enjoy not only covering the basic materials that are part of any freshman class, but also then led me off into the science of physical geology. Violent volcanic activity formed the Davis Mountains 35 million years ago. Once fed, watered and prepared for the long ride we headed back down to TX118 and proceeded west towards our turn south on TX166. This scenic loop through Davis Mountains traverses an ancient volcanic playground, commonly referred to as the “Texas Alps.”. The Scenic Loop Drive. ACTIVE also makes it easy to learn and prepare for all the things you love to do with expert resources, training plans and fitness calculators. The 75-mile loop around Jeff Davis County known as the Fort Davis Loop is a frequent choice by riders. The Hill Climb, on Sunday, has two distances. Fort Davis to Alpine; then Marfa; and back to Fort Davis. Leaning into the the tighter turns at 30+mph is smart. Start on Texas 118 in Fort Davis. Thanks largely to the Nature Conservancy, which owns the 33,075-acre Davis Mountains Preserve (including Mount Livermore, the tallest peak in the range, and Madera Canyon), more than 100,000 wildland acres have been protected from development. Cyclefest is a “must do” for every cyclist. Next time you need to add a few exciting miles and go on up to the observatories and get some pics there (and of course a video of the descent). She had supplied me with 4 or 5 liters of water and a couple of apples in addition to the water and Honey Stingers I had been eating and drinking on the ride. Then there was a short dip and then the climb REALLY got serious. This was fun. The ride consists mainly of Highways 118 and 166 of which the is called the 75 mile Scenic Loop drive, for which the region is famous. A cyclist approaches the long climb toward the McDonald Observatory. So what happened to 2012 and how is 2013 going? The town has the basic services you need when riding, making it a great base to start your Davis Mountains Scenic Loop adventure. Over the winter, we launched a training program to prepare; they live in Austin and San Antonio, respectively, while Houston is my home, so we ride together only occasionally, but we often text our daily mileage back and forth. Travel to Fort Davis; State Park entrance fees Tentative Camp Schedule Friday 7:30 AM- Morning swim at Balmorhea springs; 2:00 PM- Bike up the McDonald's Observatory Hill Climb ; 5:00 PM- Drive or hike to scenic overlook in State Park; 7:00 PM- Dinner at Blue Mountain Bistro Saturday. Drive this stretch of highway, and you’ll see everything from 8,000 mountain tops to rolling green hills and lush valleys. The 76 mile route is the complete scenic loop through the Davis Mountains. The elevation at the stop at the McDonald Observatory Visitor Center is noted. Thanks for the story! View is spectacular as are those along entire loop. William, Unless you are about 107, you are a bunch younger! The climb seemed to go on and on, but eventually I topped the long stretch and had a nice descent of 100 feet or so which unleashed some boyish exuberance and three wheeled drifting. Gil, I am gonna see about getting you a nice sign like this. 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