Big Sky National Monument - Stonewall, TX

Lyndon Johnson is not a president often associated with the Antiquities Act. In his term, he enlarged four existing national monuments and established another two, most of which he did only at the behest of others. The exception to this is Big Sky National Monument. Set close to his ranch in Stonewall,Texas, Lyndon used to load VIPs into the back of his Lincoln Continental and go careening across the open prairies that would one day become the monument. He’s quoted saying that he loved seeing the faces of those unfamiliar with the Texas sky, crushed under the weight of it. And admittedly, there is something magical about the skies over the Lone Star State, something countless have commented upon. It’s in every song and story the state has to offer, the wide panorama of open sky that ensures storms can never sneak up on you, that teaches you from an early age how small you are in the world. It’s only fitting that a state obsessed with size would be blanketed by an equally big sky. Previ

Nieve, TX and the Beautiful Snow Valley - Nieve, TX

There is a strange phenomenon that results when the warm, humid air of the Gulf encounters the dry airs of the Chihuahuan Desert. Converging over Hill Country, they produce a microclimate that allows below-freezing temperatures to persist year round. The place this phenomenon occurs is the aptly named Snow Valley. 

For the natives that called the area home, the valley was used for certain rites and rituals, though it was of no practical use to them, a sentiment shared by the first Europeans in the region. The valley held no apparent economic incentives, and because it followed its own peculiar weather cycles, its exploration required provisions and preparations that diminished any potential returns the land might supply. It was a harsh, pointless place, and for this very reason, an early nickname of the region was “White Hell.”

This changed in 1824 when a band of Mexican ranchers settled in the valley, raising a hybridized Merino in the snowy hills. They prospered in the region and founded the little town of Nieve, which saw no great development until 1970 when a developer in Colorado began purchasing parcels of the valley to turn into a winter sports park. In the gradual creation of this park, most of the local population was driven off, and the ranches were replaced with hotels and restaurants and boutique shops catering to a steady stream of tourists seeking respite from the heat of the surrounding state.

Practicalities:

Nieve has a number of hotels to choose from, though the cheapest runs from $200 per night. The more expensive hotels offer ski and snowboard rentals and offer classes in both. For those looking for something more romantic, there are a number of businesses that offer horse-drawn sleigh rides through the valley. Be aware that while the temperatures in the valley routinely stay below freezing, in the summer they have been known to get up into the mid 50s and 60s, melting the snows, a trend that has become more and more prevalent over the past few decades.


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