A chance encounter with dogs led to a local treasure
Marfa
In 2009, Jennie Lyn Hamilton –– then an actor and filmmaker, and now director of Marfa Live Arts –– made her pilgrimage to Marfa. Inspired by John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley: In Search of America, she was in her 1979 Toyota Mini Mirage with plans to spend a month in town during her year-and-a-half-long trip through the West. But fate intervened when Hamilton’s dog saw another dog in a yard owned by Marfa Film Festival co-founder and filmmaker Cory Van Dyke, and she decided to introduce the pups through the fence.
Little did Hamilton or Van Dyke know that this chance meeting of two dogs would turn into a 17-year personal and professional partnership, with the duo purchasing a plot of land just outside the city limits the following year to open and operate Marfa’s long-serving RV and camping park, the Tumble In, which will celebrate its 15th year in operation this month.
Before they developed the property, the land was like any other in the surrounding area –– overgrown with cactus, mesquite, and an abundance of goatheads. Van Dyke, who also owns the Lumberyard in Marfa, said, “Jennie and I were thinking about starting up an RV/camping business because there was no easy, affordable option with facilities for people to camp while coming through. It’s definitely a different clientele than the visitors that stay at the hotels or now Airbnbs. Many come for the Marfa Lights. The Tumble In is the closest place you can stay to the viewing center. We’ve had a bunch of campers claim to see the Marfa Lights from atop their RVs at the park.”
Over the years, the RV park has seen Marfa’s tourist boom and weathered the pandemic bust with consistent numbers in visitors, keeping true to the owners’ decision to keep the park mostly visitor-based, only allowing a handful of permanent residents on site. “We’ve always had a few locals living out there full time, but we’ve tried to keep it low,” Van Dyke said. “It’s provided a lot of initial housing for folks who move to Marfa and who end up finding a place after a few months at the Tumble In. But primarily, we wanted a place where people could come visit. A place where visitors could explore.” “We’ll always have a handful of long-termers, but we want to fill the void of places where you could camp.”
The success and longevity of Tumble In, Van Dyke said, is also largely attributed to the work of the managers that have served the visitors’ needs for emergency repairs and making sure the common areas are safe and clean. The current manager, Melvin McSpadden, has been living and working at the RV park for eight years, making him the longest-serving manager in the park’s 15-year history. “Our old friend Jon Coleman was the first,” Van Dyke said. “Then we had Terry Moten for about five years, and then Melvin came. He’s the best, and our guests really love him. He’s been here about eight years, and I hope he stays another 10.”
Van Dyke continued, “One of our visitors actually recommended Melvin to me. He was staying at the park at the time and looking for work. I guess they talked and found out Melvin had experience being an electrician and being basically a jack-of-all-trades. We bonded over Houston things. I grew up in Conroe, and when I found out he’d gotten into trouble for breaking into Astroworld when he was a kid, there was no further discussion. He was in.”
According to McSpadden, he came to Marfa via Magnolia, Texas, in November 2017 and was hired by mid-December 2017. “I was originally looking to park and live in Alpine, but I didn’t care for the RV parks there,” he said. “I came here, and it was perfect. It’s far away enough from town to be alone if I want to be alone, but close enough to town that I can hear the music playing at the bars if I want to. I was out here for a couple weeks and Cory asked if I could replace a floor on a trailer. He asked if I was looking for a job, and I was, and well, I’m still here.”
McSpadden and his sidekick Brian (an 8-year-old pit bull mix) spend most of their time playing fetch or golfing when there’s downtime at Tumble In, a far cry from his past life he was leaving behind. “I left the city because I didn’t like who I was anymore. I had to escape my ex-wife, and I wanted to come out here to West Texas and look for another chance. Cory and Jennie Lyn have been gracious, and this really is the best job and the best place I could ask for,” McSpadden said. He added that his early time in Marfa was met with a city-view weariness. “Everyone was so nice, and I was just like, ‘What do they want from me?’ Where I come from, people are only nice if they want something from you, but I found the people here don’t want anything. If anything, they give way more than they take.”
Though the initial culture shock has worn off and he’s become more comfortable in town, McSpadden is grateful for all he’s found here and his opportunity to become a part of the community. “I’ve made so many friends that are really good people. I don’t see myself leaving any time soon,” he said.
To book a spot at Tumble In and meet Melvin and Brian, please visit www.tumbleinmarfa.com.
