Just outside the sublime Big Bend National Park, with its mountains and mesas, desert flowers, roadrunners and coyotes, lies the small West Texas Town of Marathon. Artists and wanna-be cowboys make their home in Marathon, which is appropriate since the sunsets and star-scapes here outdo anything ever seen in an old western film.
On the edge of Marathon sits the aptly named Marathon Motel & RV Park. You can can’t miss it because its terrific, 1950s vintage motel sign appears on postcards throughout Big Bend Country. My favorite is the black-and-white photo of the sign being struck by lighting.
The motel itself is cozy and comfortable, with rooms spread across the property in little cabins. The adobe courtyard (and garden) makes an idea spot for star gazing, and there’s a little cabin where breakfast is served in the morning. Eggs and bacon, just like a cowboy would like it. There's also a little cabin from which the very local radio station, Basin Radio, broadcasts. This is a great service, since most commercial radio stations don't reach this remote area.
The Marathon Motel isn’t expensive at all, but its views are far better than anything I’ve ever seen at any Ritz Carlton, and I guarantee the company of the other guests is better, too. In fact, whenever I run into a travel writer that sniffs at me that they “only cover luxury properties” – I think of the Marathon Motel and feel terribly sorry for them.
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