Holistic B&B in remote Marathon deserves a return visit
By Camille Flores
Assistant Features Editor
San Antonio Express-News
October 10, 2004
MARATHON — The first time I visited Eve’s Garden Organic Bed & Breakfast in Marathon, I was looking for a healthful meal. The drive between El Paso and San Antonio on U.S. 90 is surreally beautiful, lonesome for the most part, and devoid of vegetarian restaurants. I had spotted an ad for Eve’s in a regional magazine and determined to find it on the off chance it served lunch as well as breakfast.
Many Texans are familiar with Marathon as the gateway to Big Bend country, and have at least heard of the historic Gage Hotel, a monument to Texas chic. The town itself was a real surprise for me, however: an unexpected oasis of urban amenities in the desert. A couple of independent coffee houses (I actually ordered a soy latte), bistros and galleries line the main drag. You can even score a massage, for a big-city price.
My curiosity on overdrive, I decided to set aside a future weekend to explore this New Age-meets-the-Old West town. I returned later in the summer, when most travelers avoid routes that run south of I-10. That’s too bad. At more than 4,000 feet, Marathon evenings are cool and crisp, with temperatures that drop once the sun goes down. Summer and fall bring the best sunsets over the nearby Davis Mountains, too, along with chilling thunderstorms that put on quite a show as they traverse the plain. The entrance to Big Bend National Park lies 69 miles to the south.
My second impression of Eve’s was as good as the first. The architectural fusion of Middle East and Old Mexico both calmed and delighted me as the B&B rose like the mirage of a gold-domed hacienda from the dusty neighborhood that surrounds it.
The “real world” faded quickly as I passed through the mud-bricked archway, a feeling reinforced by visual surprises I would find behind each brightly painted door. Furnished to please the senses — piles of pillows, draped fabrics, candles — each room is a haven of cool quiet. Part the curtains though, and the outside streams in with views of the gardens. There’s whimsy, too, in the painted floors, and shards of colored glass and recycled aluminum scraps embedded in the thick plaster walls. Kate Thayer, one of the owners, is an artist, and it shows in every detail.
Officially named Eve’s Garden Organic Bed & Breakfast and Ecology Resource Center, the compound evolved from the original adobe home and sheds into an experimental station for alternative living. Kate and co-owner Clyde Curry describe it as a place for like-minded people to meet and share ideas. “The word ‘organic’ relates to more than food,” said Thayer. “Organic refers more to our way of doing things. We purposely used the word to attract the kind of people we would like to call our friends.” She added that not everything served in the kitchen is certified organic: “We use local when we can and organic when it’s available.”
Each of the buildings in the compound demonstrates a step in the couple’s experimental process. A straw-bale adobe house that’s rented to groups and families was one of the early projects. “One of the things I learned as I built the straw bale home is that adobe construction requires a lot of wood both in the frame and roof. But I didn’t see a lot of trees around,” Curry explained.
The domed architecture of the Middle East presented an alternative, but Curry knew he had to find or develop a stronger, lighter-weight brick to meet local safety considerations. He did, with the help of the “friends” that Kate was talking about. The resulting monolithic domes of Eve’s Garden B&B are so true to type that you can sit in the middle of the room and hear your voice reverberate as if you were plugged into a sound system. If you know Gregorian chants, this is the place to sing them.
Absent straight walls or hard edges, the elements of the compound seem naturally to form hidden nooks and crannies where I could linger or read undisturbed. On the other hand, other areas invite congregation. My favorite was the grape arbor where guests sit on long bancos and chat before dinner.
To the right of the arbor, but hidden behind a privacy screen, is a large hot tub — perfect for soaking on starlit nights. To the left, an open-air room houses a lap pool that fits my dream for a perfect midnight swim. Imagine my surprise to find evenings almost too chilly to attempt it when the time came. I did it though. Then stumbled as fast as I could in the dark to the hot tub to recover.
But before the anticipated swim, I had to find dinner. At the suggestion of another guest, I headed off to find the town’s best kept secret, Bill and Joan Carlisle’s Escala del Sol (Stairway to the Sun) on the main street. I say “secret” because this shadow eatery exists only part of the time. The owners, who moved to Marathon years ago from Vermont where Bill was a chef, “borrow” the kitchen at nearby Maria’s, a popular daytime restaurant, for use on weekend nights.
I chose a table on the patio because I’d been briefed on the best sunset views, and settled in with a bottle of wine from the local market (this place is BYOB) and the complimentary home-baked bread with herbed olive oil. For the princely sum of $10 (the average price of the dinners), I dined on plump cabbage rolls, baby spinach and glazed carrots, sweet melon balls and pineapple, and real mashed potatoes.
The menu varies at the pleasure of the cooks, but I was told the house specialties are usually available, including shrimp scampi, soups, and for strict vegetarians, tofu stir fry and a vegan quiche. My source hadn’t lied about the quality of the food or the sunsets.
The breakfast next morning at Eve’s wasn’t far off that mark, with strong, fresh coffee, Swiss chard omelet, juice and homemade bread and jam. Meat is available for those who want it.
I like Eve’s because you get to eat with the crew, which includes Kate, Clyde (and Clyde’s son Luke, if he’s up) and assorted characters who may show up for coffee. I met Dennie Austin, a jeweler with an extensive knowledge of area minerals, which he generously shares. It didn’t take long for the breakfast conversation to turn to environmental politics, however, mostly because I brought it up. This group isn’t the kind to force a discussion, but rather to encourage whatever topic is on their guests’ minds.
By noon it was time to pack up and head to San Antonio. I stopped for a hike at Seminole Canyon State Park and Historic Site about 50 miles west of Del Rio, which seemed an extension of my stay at Eve’s Garden. More than anything else, it had been a quiet adventure for the mind and spirit. Next time I’ll stay longer, maybe visit Big Bend for a few days, too. Enough to justify that $65 massage.
Further information: Rooms at Eve’s Garden Bed & Breakfast run $115 to $135 a night; $245 for the straw bale house (sleeps eight), with special rates for weeklong stays. For more information, call (432) 386-4165 or go to www.evesgarden.org
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