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Big Bend: Alpine to Study Butte to Terlingua to Lajitas to Presidio to Marfa to Alpine.

Article Excerpt
THERE ARE SOME three dozen mountain ranges west of the Pecos River, and on this drive you'll pass through or near half of them. You'll also cruise along one of the most picturesque stretches of the Rio Grande and through the wavy grasslands of former ranching empires. The drive is not only one of the prettiest in the state but also one of the oddest, with terrain that goes from serene to severe, sometimes within moments. You'll see gorgeous vistas, strange shapes, and odd people living in the middle of it all, and you'll wonder what was going on out here, both 40 million years ago and just last week.

Begin in the appropriately named Alpine, which sits at an altitude of 4,500 feet in the foothills of the Davis Mountains. Have a breakfast taco and a latte at La Tapatia (202 W. Holland Avenue), in the center of town, then drive to Texas Highway 118 and head south. The first few miles are scrubby, rolling hills, covered with yellow grass and the occasional cactus. About five miles out of town, you start a steep climb, and just after crossing Mile High Road, you'll begin to see, peeking up over the hills, dark, looming forms that disappear when you round a bend. Do not be alarmed. The one on your right soon reveals itself as majestic Cathedral Mountain, 6,800 feet high....