Texas – ON THE ROAD with Maria + Stephen

ATX: City Tour Series: 2025-2026

15/11/202515/11/2025 by Maria+Stephen, posted in Architecture, Art, Art Museum, Cities, Coffee, Dining, Museum, Street Art and Murals, Texas, Travel

Despite having criss crossed Texas several times OTR had never managed to visit Austin (ATX). The initial reason was due to Covid 19 as we were forced to cancel a scheduled visit with friends in March 2020. So as we planned our City Tour Series for the autumn and spring of 2025/2026 we incorporated ATX as our second tour stop.The City Tour is not a road trip as we are accessing the cities via rail (see previous post) and air.

ATX is a fast growing technology center; the downtown skyline is now dominated by shimmering steel and glass high rise towers. It also appears that the architects and owners of every new building are utilizing spires, curves, cantilevers and lighting in an attempt to create the most unique and brilliant design.

Pictured directly below second from left is The Independent. At the time the building was completed in 2019 it was the tallest residential tower west of the Mississippi River. The building pictured directly below on the left is the Frost Bank Tower which was visible from the rooftop pool at the citizenM – spectacular in the evening when the spires were lit.

We arrived in the late afternoon after a direct flight from Boston. We made our way from the airport via Uber to the citizenM hotel (see previous post for our review of the brand). The hotel is located in the heart of downtown enabling us to walk to many of our destinations.

After freshening up we were quite ready for dinner and decided to start with barbecue – “fancy barbecue” – at Lamberts Downtown Barbecue. Lamberts is located in the 2nd Street District (a short walk from the hotel) in a handsome brick building constructed in 1873. The building was originally a dry goods store (The Schneider Store) which operated in the building until 1935.

**Wild Boar Ribs | Lamberts Downtown Barbecue | Austin**

We had a delightful meal – the wild boar ribs pictured above were outrageously delicious – flavored with honey and sambal! We spoke to several life long Austinites and all concurred that Lamberts is the best barbecue in town. Check ! We do not know if it is the best, but we highly recommend Lamberts.

We started our first full day in ATX with breakfast and coffee/tea at the CanteenM in the hotel. After breakfast we departed for an ambitious first day of exploration.

Our first stop was at the Mexic- Arte Museum. This museum features a small permanent collection supplemented by changing exhibitions. The Dia de los Muertos is a prominent theme. The two murals below are part of the museum’s rotating mural program. The murals are located on the outside 5th Street wall of the museum.

From the Mexic-Arte we walked north on Congress Avenue to the grounds of the state capitol. During our walk to the capitol building we found this lovely mural. The mural is painted on the south wall of the Old Bakery & Emporium. Information about the mural and the history of the building are contained in the link above.

**Mural | Generational Ties | Artist | Ruben Esquivel**

The photo of the mural below is the design we created for our upcoming Street Art Tourist book featuring mural photographs from ATX.

**Old Bakery & Emporium (photo courtesy of austintexas.gov)**

The Texas State Capitol is open to the public, and volunteers lead guided tours several times each day. After clearing security we took the forty minute tour. Our guide was originally from Rhode Island but all in on his adopted state! He was humorous and knowledgable about the history of the capitol, the operation of the state government and the history of Texas. An article containing a brief history of the building (opened May 1888) is included in this link to Authentic Texas Magazine.

As we all know everything is bigger in Texas, our guide let us know right up front that the Texas State Capitol is 15 feet taller than the U.S. Capitol. It is also the largest state capitol based on square footage and the tallest. The dome pictured below rises 300 feet from the floor making it about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. It is actually an impressive structure.

We think the state capitol is a worthwhile visit for the architecture alone. The history included in the tour is also interesting albeit the state’s subjugation of Native Americans and its slave economy were glossed over quickly. Remember, real Texans love Texas!

We decided to spend the afternoon exploring the South Congress (SoCo) area. However, before we headed across the Colorado River to SoCo we were in need of more coffee and tea and possibly a pastry or two. Houndstooth Coffee was perfectly placed on Congress just a short distance north of the bridge crossing the river. Thank you, Houndstooth.

**Colorado River | Lady Bird Lake |Austin, Texas**

SoCo has been hipster central for the locals in ATX for several years. There are many eclectic shops, restaurants, bars, street vendors and street murals. However, having said that you can see that it is definitely becoming more touristy (guilty as charged) but not giving up on its Keep Austin Weird reputation.

After poking around the neighborhood, browsing in several of the shops and capturing some mural pics, we adjourned for lunch. We did our best to stay with the hipster flow and dined at Joann’s Fine Foods which is part of the Austin Motel. Joann’s serves what the owner describes as Tex Mex Diner fare. We had a delicious lunch and enjoyed the retro decor.

We walked off our lunch literally by trekking from SoCo over to E. Cesar Chavez St. to find the mural of Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Selena was known as the Queen of Tejano Music. Tragically, she died at the age of 23.

We also consumed more coffee at Flat Track Coffee. The Selena mural just happens to be painted on the side wall of the building where Flat Track Coffee and Dogspeed Cycles are co-located. Yes – that is awesome!

From Flat Track we walked to our last stop of the day. No-we are not having a brain scan in ATX. Yes, we are being fitted for a hat at Trovador.

On Friday we took an Uber north to the Hyde Park neighborhood for fika at Terrible Love Coffee. The shop has outdoor seating only which was a tad disappointing, but we secured a shady picnic table. More importantly, our beverages were first rate! Also, if you decide to visit the shop it can be hard to find as it is located in the old boiler room of a former school complex. The retrofitted building is, however a step up as the owner originally operated out of an old horse trailer! A nice article about the owner’s journey by The Austin Chronicle is embedded in the link.

The renowned Blanton Art Museum (University of Texas) was the next target of our curious minds and needed for its air conditioning!

The Blanton has almost 100,000 square feet of gallery space so we picked our spots in regard to which collections and galleries to view. It is a recommended visit for any fine art fan. The photos below are some of the paintings we found most interesting.

**Jerry Bywaters |*Oil Field Girls* | 1940 | Oil on Board**

**Yasuo Kuniyoshi | *Waitresses from the Sparhawk* | 1924-25 | Oil on Canvas**

After concluding our visit at the museum we found ourselves hankering for another taste of barbecue. As the day was particularly hot we opted to get a ride from the museum to the Original Blacks Barbecue (Since 1932). Adding to the excitement of more barbecue was the arrival of our vehicle – an autonomous Waymo Jaguar!

After our late and tasty lunch we retreated to the hotel for a lie down and a quiet evening at the pool with cocktails from the roof top bar.

After enjoying a relaxing evening by the pool we decided that a day by the pool would be quite nice (after returning from coffee, of course). We summoned an Uber to convey us to the Houndstooth Coffee cafe located in the East Austin neighborhood of Chestnut.

After a restful afternoon by the pool we strolled down to Republic Square for dinner. We were ready for a break from barbecue and Tex-Mex and figured the highly rated Wu Chow would make for a distinctly different experience. We highly recommend Wu Chow.

Day five – first stop Houndstooth Coffee at the downtown location followed by a visit to The ContemporAry. The ContemporAry is very much what you might infer from an art museum with this name. It is a smallish museum that has a schedule of changing exhibitions. We recommend checking their website to see what exhibitions are currently on display before visiting. There were two artists on display as part of an exhibition titled The Canvas Can Do Miracles that we particularly enjoyed.

**Hayal Pozanti | *This Sudden Smiling | 2024 |* Oil Stick on Linen**

**Hayal Pozanti | *Veil Between Worlds* | 2023 | Oil Stick on Linen**

**Ragna Bley | *Antarctica | 2024 |* Acrylic and Oil on Linen**

**Ragna Bley | *Inter-Waver |* 2016 | Acrylic on Canvas**

***Congress Avenue Viewed from the ContemporAry Roof***

We had not taken in any live music in a city full of live music, so we decided that it was more than past time to catch some live sets. The Elephant Room was just around the corner from the hotel and had a full evening of jazz on tap. The Elephant Room is a classic basement jazz club and since it was Sunday evening the cover was only five dollars and there was no minimum drink requirement. Oh baby, who is better than us!

We took in several sets by the Chris Jones Quartet. Chris Jones is a well known bassist in the ATX area. The quartet played a number of songs composed and arranged by Chris. An excellent start to the musical portion of the ATX City Tour.

We had been crossing back and forth across Lady Bird Lake during our wanderings but not gotten down to the lake. Retro Boats ATX provided us with an easy and enjoyable way to get on the water and get a great view of the waterfront skyline. Kayak rentals are available but it was just too dang hot – if we are honest. Retro Boats rents vintage speedboats for cruising on the lake. We felt compelled to rent the 1973 Glastron GT-150, which is the same model that was used in the Bond flick “Live and Let Die”. We were not able to get airborne with the boat as Bond did in the film but we are after all not Bond – James Bond!

Ward | Steve Ward | Video

After our voyage on the lake we stopped for lunch at Jo’s and then meandered back to the citizenM for pool time and cocktail sipping. Finito!

When we planned our tour of ATX, we were not locked in on visiting the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum. However, some friends that had visited the library last year thought it was worthwhile.

The five years in which LBJ was president were tumultuous times. The Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement were in full swing. The museum provided an historic timeline that brought back many memories from our young adult years.

It was also eye opening to realize how much legislation LBJ was able get passed related to ensuring civil rights, reducing poverty and protecting the environment. It also became apparent how LBJ agonized about our involvement in Vietnam. If you are a history fan, the LJB Presidential Library is recommended by OTR.

After learning a lot about LBJ we were, of course, in need of coffee and tea. We visited Merit Coffee on North Lamar and then went downtown to 6th St (Dirty 6th) for some mural hunting before retiring to the hotel to freshen up for an early dinner at Jeffrey’s.

Jeffrey’s is considered by most everyone (in ATX) as the best place to dine on steak in ATX. The restaurant was opened in 1975 and is still in top form 50 years later. The only reservation we were able to obtain during our entire stay was a 1730 slot on 7 October!

The steaks are dry aged for 32 days and grilled over live oak before going into the 1200 degree broiler. Our sommelier, lead server and support team were all quite professional, knowledgable and friendly (without being overly solicitous). We highly recommend dining at Jeffrey’s when in ATX (book in advance).

The next morning we were definitely in need of burning some calories so we walked to the Seaholm District in southwest ATX. First stop – Merit Coffee’s Seaholm Cafe. The Seaholm District was previously an industrial area that has been repurposed into a mixed use urban neighborhood.

After fika we walked a bit further west to take in the Be Well murals on South Lamar Boulevard and then circled back around to visit the Central Library and view the interesting architecture in the area.

The photos below were edited from the murals above for inclusion in Street Art Tourist, Volume Nine.

The Austin Central Public Library was built in 2018. The building is situated above Lady Bird Lake and provides views of the lake and city skyline.

***Austin Central Library (Photo Courtesy of Guide to Austin Architecture)***

The open design of the Central Library creates a dramatic space and bathes much of the library in natural light. The library also boasts a rooftop garden and reading stations. Impressive!

Pictured in the photos below is the United States Courthouse. When was the last time you saw a limestone art deco U.S. Courthouse? This structure works beautifully in ATX.

Pictured below is The Independent, a luxury residential tower. The tower is know locally as the jenga tower.

Viewing architecture is inevitably a prelude to lunch. Walton’s Fancy and Staple was close by on Sixth Street so we popped in for a hearty lunch. Walton’s has been operating in ATX since 1969.

After our luncheon break we strolled back to the hotel to relax and recharge for another evening of jazz . We had made reservations at the Parker Jazz Club. The Parker, like the Elephant Room, is also a basement club but a bit more upscale in regard to the club decor and service. Saxophonist Woody Witt was the featured artist on the evening of our visit.

Woody was touring in support of his new CD (Awakening) recorded in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The quartet backing him on the tour were the same Brazilian musicians that recorded the CD with him. The quintet performed two 45 minute sets featuring a number of compositions from the new CD. An excellent night of jazz at the Parker!

Thursday – Day Nine: our last full day in ATX. We opted to spend the morning back in SoCo to hunt for more street art and try the coffee and tea at La La Land Kind Cafe. The cafe is part of a growing chain that is associated with the La La Land Foundation. The Foundation sponsors young people between the ages of 17 and 25 who are in or transitioning from foster care with training and paid internships in their cafes. Quite lovely on all counts.

After our fika break at La La Land we walked to the Bouldin Creek neighborhood, which is home to Sightseer Coffee and Sugar Mama’s Bake Shop. The building is also a mural destination with several murals by Eleanor Niz @Elenizzle. Solid!

We made our way back to the CitizenM after a fun and productive day exploring the SoCo and Bouldin Creek neighborhoods. After a brief siesta we set out for dinner and another evening of live jazz.

Taqueria de Diez also known by Austinites as D/10 opened in 2024. This tacqueria has a distinctively Mexican menu as opposed to Tex-Mex. We had a hard time finding the restaurant as the door is in an alley with just a small sign – but don’t give up – it is absolutely worth the effort. Muy delicioso! Thank you to Jeffrey at the citizenM for the tip.

Nica on 4th is a new jazz club and cocktail bar (opened 18 September) with jazz nightly from 1800 until 0100. This was the most elegant of the three jazz clubs we visited and is next door to the Parker Jazz Club. We sampled some of their craft cocktails while enjoying three sets of jazz. The first quartet of the evening consisted of one University of North Texas (UTN) alumna and three current students. UNT has a reputation as one the best collegiate jazz programs in the United States. UNT sponsored a jazz band back in the 1940s which grew into the first college degree program for jazz.

We had a great time in ATX. The city is a lively mix of big city activities and small town friendliness and accessibility. How much time you might want spend here is as always a function of your interests and energy level. The city offers a multitude of opportunities for great dining, live music, fine art, street art, interesting architecture, excellent specialty coffee as well as plenty of recreational options.

That is a wrap on our ATX City Tour. Next up is Miami in January 2026 as part of our City Tour Series.

Be seeing you!

El Paso del Norte

13/09/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in Art, Art Museum, Baseball, Cities, Coffee, Dining, History, Museum, Street Art and Murals, Texas, The American West, Travel, Western history

We had been in Texas and New Mexico several times prior to our most recent trip, but for some reason had steered around El Paso (EP). Perhaps the timing was just not right or we were concerned about conditions there based on the reporting regarding the immigration issues at the border. Regardless, we were ready to explore EP as part of our OTR 9.0 adventure and draw our own conclusions about the city.

**El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico viewed from Scenic Drive**

We made the decision to stay in the city and booked a hotel in the University district for three nights. We are glad we chose this area as it enabled us to walk to a number of casual but excellent restaurants and coffee shops dotting the university neighborhood. This was especially nice as EP is a sprawling metropolis that requires some driving in order to explore the city.

Of course, the first entry point for any worthwhile city visit is COFFEE! We were traveling from the east after our recent visit to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, therefore we were able to vector directly to an excellent specialty coffee shop and roaster on the east side of the city. We were most fortunate that the founder and owner of Global Coffee, Erika, sat with us for quite awhile. She shared with us her family history and the ties with Mexico that exist in a border town that has been a major immigration point for centuries(El Paso del Norte). Erika is a delightful and talented young woman and we wish her all the success she deserves with her business and family. https://globalcoffeeco.com/

After refueling we went directly to the tank museum, officially known as the 1st Armored Division & Fort Bliss Museum. The United States Army has had a post in EP since 1849, which has served as an infantry post, a cavalry post, an air defense artillery post and currently operates as a maneuver training post. The size of the Fort Bliss training area (965,00 acres) and its mountainous desert terrain have made it a vital training location for the many forces that have been deployed to the Middle East over the last three decades.

The museum chronicles the history of the post and the units stationed there from the the initial mission of patrolling along the Rio Grande before the Civil War through the current mission of the units stationed within the base. From a Western United States history perspective this includes the Indian Wars and the Mexican Punitive Expedition.

The Indian Wars is an umbrella term for the United States Army prosecution and ultimate decimation of the Native American peoples across the Western United States. The Indian Wars were waged throughout the Civil War until 1890 when the last of the Native American bands were imprisoned or sent to reservations. Many of the actions by the federals were in direct violation of treaties negotiated between the federal government and the Native Americans (standard operating procedure).

Another interesting piece of history is the Mexican Punitive Expedition. Between December 1916 and February 1917 American forces under the command of General “Black Jack” Pershing crossed into Mexico in pursuit of Mexican Revolutionary leader Pancho Villa. Villa had attacked a town in New Mexico killing a number of U.S. citizens. The incursion into Mexico was ostensibly in retaliation for the raid. However, the main motivation was to support the Mexican leader, Venustiano Carranza, whom the U.S. was backing. The Mexican Revolution was destabilizing Mexico and jeopardizing U.S. corporate interests. Pancho Villa had to go! The U.S. Army, however, did not capture Pancho Villa and returned to the U.S. after several skirmishes with Mexican Federal soldiers who greatly resented the incursion into Mexico. An early example of the numerous unsuccessful and unwarranted interventions by the U.S. government in the internal affairs of another sovereign nation! P.S. Pancho Villa survived the Mexican Revolution and was granted amnesty only to be assassinated three years later.

After checking in at our hotel we walked a couple of blocks to have supper at a popular local eatery – The Shack. The restaurant is owned by two brothers – Adrian and Michael Soto – they grew up in the restaurant business working and learning at their mother’s restaurant, Mima’s Cafe. The Shack has a wide array of dishes but we went for the Mexican inspired dishes and had a great dinner at this casual and friendly spot. https://theshackwings.com/

Since our hotel was a considerable distance across town from Global Coffee we opted to try our luck at Casa Cafetzin which was just a five minute drive from our hotel. Erika from Global Coffee had recommended Casa Cafetzin, so we were fairly certain that we would be starting our day on a great coffee and tea note. If we are being honest, we might admit that we would have passed by this cafe due to its location attached to a modest motel. Fortunately, due to the recommendation from Erika, we did not pass up a great coffee and tea experience. Cafetzin was excellent and the baristas were all terrific! Thank you Erika!

https://casa-cafetzin.mailchimpsites.com

After departing Casa Cafetzin we headed downtown for a day of viewing fine art and street art. Our first stop was at the El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA). The EPMA came into existence in 1959 as the result of a large donation of European art by a private foundation. The donated collection became the impetus to build a first class art museum serving the El Paso – Juarez Borderplex. Today the museum houses over 7000 works. The museum has also operated an art school for the last twenty years. Fittingly, the EPMA operates as a bilingual institution, reflecting the heritage and diversity of the Borderplex (75,000 people cross back and forth between El Paso and Juarez on a daily basis). https://epma.art/visit

***Artist: Fremont Ellis, El Paso Smelter at Night, 1919***

We really enjoyed the portraiture works on display. The painting top left, below, The Telephone Operator (The Weaver of Public Thought), was our favorite. The artist Gerrit Beneker, is probably most well known for the posters he created during World War One in support of the war effort.

The museum’s collection also demonstrates an impressive commitment to diversity and regionalism based on the works on display when we visited. Fritz Scholder (top left, below) is one of our favorites and well known for his insightful depictions of Native American stereotypes. Scholder was a member of the Luiseno tribe.

We were also surprised and pleased to see a portrait, Mrs. Viola Andrews – My Mother (bottom left) by the figurative painter, Benny Andrews. We had the fortune of seeing a number of his works several years ago at the Ogden Museum of Fine Arts in New Orleans (see our post, Fine Art Tourist: Ogden Museum of Southern Art ).

We also enjoyed the works of American art featuring West Texas and the Southwest. The museum has works by El Paso native Tom Lea and many other noted western artists including the self-taught Fremont Ellis.

After departing the EPMA we stopped for some tacos and then went in search of street art downtown. We have included a few of the murals we found there. The art works below are all located on walls on Leon Street, all by different artists.

Dinner was another great find for us, a short walk from the hotel, in the University District. Kaedama serves outstanding ramen dishes! We did not think that we would be greedily shoveling awesome Japanese noodle soup dishes into our faces when we arrived in EP. The business started as a food truck owned by two friends – Garbiel Valencia and Andres Romero – and became popular very quickly. The friends decided to open a brick and mortar location and were able to open relatively quickly in part to an enthusiastic response to a crowdfunding campaign. The restaurant even gathered a visit from Food Network Chef and TV host Guy Fieri while he was visiting EP. A great way to finish day two! https://www.facebook.com/Kaedama915/

***Artist: @DEKO_UNO***, ***Kerby Avenue, El Paso, Texas***

On our final day in EP, we journeyed across town to visit La Mision de San Antonio de la Ysleta de Sur. The Ysleta mission is the first permanent mission established in Texas. The mission was founded in 1680 by Indian and Spanish settlers who fled New Mexico as a result of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The revolt was the culmination of more than 100 years of incursions by Spanish soldiers and, of course, missionaries. The indigenous Pueblos killed 400 Spanish soldiers and drove about 2000 Spanish settlers out of the Albuquerque area.

The original mission was built by the Tigua Indians in 1862. The mission has been rebuilt several times due to flooding and fire. The last time was in 1908 after a fire destroyed the roof and bell tower. The Tigua Indians are still active in the mission, celebrating traditional holidays and the Tigua Feast of San Antonio, their patron saint.

As with many other missions along what is now the border, the mission was located in Mexico until the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo transferred this territory to the United States. While the mission was technically in the United States, it continued to be administered by the Mexican church until 1872.

After visiting the mission we found our way to the El Segundo Barrio near downtown to view the many notable murals. As the name suggests the Segundo was the second neighborhood in EP. Since the 1830s this area has been a major entry point for Mexican immigrants coming into the United States. The majority of the immigrants in the barrio were and still are migrant farm workers.

***Artists: Jesus Alvarado and Victor Casas, El Segundo Barrio, El Paso, Texas***

The Segundo still reflects its Tejano culture and traditions very proudly (we hope the murals we have featured reflect that same sense of tradition, culture and aspiration). At one point, the city planned to demolish much of the barrio as a way to eliminate the significant substandard housing stock instead of addressing the root causes in a humane fashion. Fortunately, civic groups formed and defeated the city’s plan to demolish the historic area.

Unfortunately, the preservation of the barrio has not improved the economic conditions significantly. Many of the Mexican-American residents and immigrants still toil as farm workers. The barrio is poor by any measure, albeit rich in culture, tradition and pride in its heritage.

On our final night in EP we took in a ballgame. The El Paso Chihuahuas are the Triple-affiliate of the San Diego Padres and compete in the Pacific Coast League. This team has been located in a number cities (Spokane, Albuquerque, Portland, Tucson) prior to arriving in El Paso in 2014 to play in their brand new stadium. The stadium is very attractive and sits right in downtown.

The Chihuahuas are not having their best season, but to the delight of their very enthusiastic fans, the club rallied late in the game to defeat the division leading OKC Dodgers. Go Chihuahuas!

We departed EP and Texas the following morning to head across the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico. We enjoyed our time in Texas and EP and have no reservations about recommending visiting EP. This was our third time traveling across the state and we still have not explored several areas within the state. Everything is bigger in Texas!

We hope you enjoyed this post. Be seeing you! 2023 May OTR 9.0

P.S. You have probably read much about the immigration issues along the Texas/Mexico border. While were in the city we witnesses significant Border Patrol activity along the border fence on the United States side of the Rio Grande. We also observed the large military presence patrolling along the Rio Grande on the river side of the border fence utilizing Humvees and foot patrols.

And yet, we could clearly see immigrants massed on the Mexican side as well as detainees on the U.S. side. Currently around 900 immigrants per day are crossing from Mexico into the EP port of entry and allowed to legally enter the U.S. The city works with a number of non-governmental agencies to provide the immigrants with shelter, food and water. It is quite apparent that the city is doing everything it can do to ensure the immigrants are treated humanely. The majority of immigrants currently entering at EP are from Central and South American countries and Cuba. Venezuela accounts for approximately 70% of the immigrants.

We can only imagine how bad conditions must be in Venezuela and the other countries for individuals and families to risk everything to escape the poverty, crime and repressive governments in their respective countries.

Far West Texas Cool

05/09/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in 4WD Drive, Architecture, Coffee, Dining, Live Music, Scenic Drive, Street Art and Murals, Texas, The American West, Travel, Western history

After departing Seminole Canyon, we made our way west to Marathon (Mare-a-thun) to spend a couple of days in comfort, before heading to the Big Bend backcountry. While our attempt to drive the entire way from Seminole Canyon to Marathon via ranch roads was not successful, it did not dampen our appetites. First order of business, Texas style bbq at the Brick Vault Brewery & BBQ. Mighty fine beef brisket (almost as good as Keef’s!). After our hardy and delicious lunch, we strolled down the block to check in at the Gage Hotel.

After checking in, we enjoyed our first hot shower in several days, followed by a lie down. When we awoke we were very thirsty. Fortunately, the White Buffalo Bar is adjacent to the hotel and was ready to serve us cocktails and wine. With our thirst at least partially quenched, we made our way from the bar to the dining room of the 12 Gage Restaurant.

The restaurant markets their fare as “West Texas Cuisine with a gourmet twist”. We totally agree with the description. All of the restaurant’s vegetables and herbs are grown in their own garden. All of the wild game and fowl is sourced locally and the beef comes from the Iron Mountain Ranch about seven miles up the road. All of the food was delicious!

Marathon, like many of the other towns in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, was founded when the railroad arrived. Railroad workers building east from El Paso reached what is now Marathon in 1882. In this case, it was the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway (later the Southern Pacific). Around the same time, a former sea captain by the name of Albion Shepard had purchased land north of Marathon to develop a ranch (Iron Mountain). Shepard is credited with naming the town Marathon, because it reminded him of the plains of Marathon, Greece, which he had seen during his seafaring days.

***Iron Mountain Ranch*** ***(Photo Bill Murphree)***

***The “Long View” Across the Plains to the Glass Mountains***

Alfred Gage was a native of the Green Mountain State (Vermont) who ventured to Texas in 1878 at the age of 18 to make his fortune. He did just that – building a 500,000 acre ranching empire. As Marathon became an established shipping center for the ranching industry, he recognized the need for hotel accommodations for business and other travelers. He commissioned the construction of the hotel which opened in 1927. Gage was based in San Antonio but spend considerable time in Marathon, utilizing the hotel as his residence, office and entertainment venue while in town.

Over the last several years, Marathon has become a destination in its own right. Previously, it was mostly a jumping off place for people on their way to Big Bend NP (BIBE). The current owner of the Gage Hotel (JP Bryan) also owns and operates the White Buffalo Bar, 12 Gage Restaurant, Brick Vault Brewery and the V6 Coffee Bar. Additionally, he has purchased and renovated a number of properties in town for retail space and art galleries. We found that Marathon more than lived up to our expectations for a couple day stay to unwind and enjoy find food and lodging before our adventures in Big Bend NP. We definitely recommend a visit to Marathon on your way into or out of BIBE.

After our stay we drove the 60 or so miles south to BIBE (see our post Three Nights in the Backcountry). After our stay in BIBE we made the drive up the immensely scenic Texas State Highway 118 to spend a couple of days in Alpine. The 118 runs through Study Butte (Stew-dee) and Terlingua before heading north through the Chichuahuan Desert.

Our first stop in Alpine, unsurprisingly to any of our regular readers, was for coffee and tea. We had spent an afternoon in Alpine in March 2020 before the pandemic lockdown made its way to Far West Texas and knew from that visit that Cedar Coffee and Supply would meet our needs.

Staying in Alpine provided us with the opportunity to stay at the Holland Hotel, our fourth Henry Trost designed hotel. Henry and his brother Gustavus were early 20th century architects based in El Paso. They were renowned for their Spanish Colonial Revival Style hotel designs – tile floors and roofs, courtyards, exposed beams and wrought iron are used throughout. The lobbies and courtyards are the centerpiece attractions for us – comfortable, wonderful spots to read, drink coffee or wine and perhaps do a bit of people watching.

Alpine’s origins are similar to Marathon’s and many other towns in the Trans-Pecos–cattle and the railroad. Alpine grew from a tent encampment of railroad workers in cattlemen along a spring fed creek in 1882, to a small town. The spring was the key element for the railroad as the locomotives were steam powered at that time. In 1921, the state opened Sul Ross State Normal College in Alpine. The opening of the college brought a significant increase in population and, as an added bonus, the first paved roads in town. At the turn of the century the population was estimated at 300 people. After the college opened the population ballooned to around 3000.

Today, the freight trains continue to chug through town, although they have no need to stop for water as the steam locomotives have long since been replaced. The town is serviced by AMTRAK as Alpine serves as a jumping off point for BIBE for those people that would prefer to travel by rail to this remote national park. The Sunset Limited stops in Alpine six times per week – three times from the west and three times from the east. The eastbound Sunset Limited originates in Los Angeles from the west and New Orleans from the east. The town continues to be anchored by what is now the Sul Ross State University.

On our first evening in Alpine we dined at the The Century Bar and Grill located in the Holland Hotel. The Century provided us with another fine dining experience featuring delicious regional cuisine. We also had the opportunity to chat with our servers, both students at the university who were actually a couple. They were quite friendly and most knowledgable about the geology and history of the area. We meet the nicest people on the road!

On our second evening in Alpine we decided to take advantage of the live music scene in town. The Petit Bijou bills itself as the “teeniest tiniest wine bar in Texas”, contrary to the usual boast that everything is bigger in Texas. You can see the Airstream bar in one of the photos below – the claim that it is the teeniest tiniest wine bar in Texas just might be valid. We were in for a treat – a jazz show that was canceled earlier in the week due to a wind storm was set to open the evening, followed by a country duo from Austin.

We enjoyed a couple sets of great jazz and country music while getting acquainted with a number of the very friendly folks sitting at our neighboring tables. The food and wine was delicious and we were fortunate to meet and spend some time chatting with Ginger Hillary, the petit Bijou proprietor. As Hans Christian wrote “to travel is to live”.

One of the reasons we visited in March 2020 was the town’s reputation as home to excellent street art. We found several murals that we had not seen previously which we have included in the photos below.

We hope you enjoyed this post. As always, we look forward to your comments and suggestions. Our next post will feature El Paso, our last stop in Texas.

Be seeing you! April 2023, OTR 9.0

Texarkana to Marathon: Howdy Y’all

21/08/2023 by Maria+Stephen, posted in 4WD Drive, Biking, Camping, Coffee, Dining, Hiking, Texas, The American West, Travel

Our first stop in Texas was the town of Texarkana (TXK), a twin city with Texarkana, Arkansas. TXK sits on the western side of the Texas/Arkansas border. Our purpose in stopping off in TXK was to purchase a new tire for Maria’s bike as she had suffered a tire destroying flat on our previous ride in Little Rock.

We had not planned on stopping in TXK and therefore knew little about the town other than its twin city status. When we entered the downtown area to access the bike shop we were caught off guard at how run down the town appeared. The streets were largely deserted and many of the buildings were dilapidated and vacant.

A quick online inquiry revealed that TXK has one of the highest crime rates in the U.S. and a poverty rate of 25%. As another indication of the problems the town is experiencing we found that while the bike shop was open for business, the entrance door is locked at all times and customers are only admitted after stating your business. When we brought Maria’s bike in for repair we could not help but notice that all of the shop’s inventory of bikes were chained together!

This is one of the few towns where we really felt uncomfortable and decided not to poke around other than taking some photos of street art we had passed on the way into town.

In lieu of burgers, we found a bbq joint about thirty miles south of TXK in Atlanta, Texas. The Texas BBQ was very rustic, but we would have to say the bbq was pretty dang tasty!

Atlanta, Texas was named after the city in Georgia as a number of the settlers arriving in 1871 were from the city of Atlanta, Georgia. The arrival of the Texas and Pacific Railroad in the same year was a boon to the area’s main economic activity – timber (the piney woods of East Texas) as it allowed the efficient transport of lumber. The town also benefited from the discovery of oil in 1935, which greatly helped the town survive the Great Depression.

About two hours south of Atlanta sits the town of Nacogdoches. The town is considered to be the oldest town in Texas – having by founded by the Spanish in 1779. What is now the town was a Caddo Indian Settlement from approximately 800 A.D. until the early 1700s when the Spanish arrived and began building missions, displacing the Caddo.

While Nacogdoches is considered the oldest town in Texas, the bigger claim to fame is The Battle of Nacogdoches which started in 1835 and was a precursor to the Texas Revolution. At this point in history, Texas was part of Mexico, although there were many settlers from the United States residing there in addition to the Tejanos. One of the major issues the U.S. settlers had with Mexico was over slavery. Mexico abolished slavery in 1829 and the U.S. settlers were dependent on slavery for their economic prosperity. Eventually, Texas seceded from Mexico (Remember the Alamo!) and was an independent republic for just under ten years. Texas was admitted as a state in 1845.

Today, Nacogdoches is an attractive town with a well preserved downtown brimming with mercantile establishments and red brick streets. The economy that once depended heavily on cotton, timber and tobacco now is centered around the Stephen F. Austin State University which brings 12,000 students to the town.

Always looking for bike trails and with several days until our camping reservation at Mustang Island SP, we detoured slightly inland to the town of Spring, which is located just north of metro Houston. The area is densely populated and covered with the usual urban/suburban sprawl that we tend to avoid. However, the trail looked interesting, and it is billed as the longest urban forested greenway in the United States. We are really glad we opted to check it out. It was a lush oasis in the middle of a crowded metro area.

After spending two days cycling on the greenway we departed Spring for Mustang Island SP (MISP) which is located a short distance from Corpus Christi. This was our first stay at the Texas shore. The camping spots were just off the beach behind the dunes and as an added bonus the beaches in this area allow vehicles to drive on the beach!

We stayed three days at MISP. We divided our time between bicycling along the shore road, walking and driving on the beach and, of course, drinking coffee and tea at Island Joe’s Coffee and Gallery (made from containers – see photos below). All in all, a good first experience at the Texas shore – our only complaint being the windy nights which curtailed sitting by the campfire.

Our next destination on the Texas State Park portion of OTR 9.0 was Garner State Park (GSP). GSP is located in the Hill Country west of San Antonio. Therefore, we felt compelled to pop into San Antonio to check out Estate Coffee Company. Estate is a small batch roaster with a minimalist espresso bar and cafe in downtown. Estate was excellent and the stop gave us a nicely timed break on the four hour drive to GSP.

The Frio River (Rio Frio) runs through GSP and provides about three miles of river access within the park. This was most fortunate for us as the weather in Hill Country was a matching set of 85s – temperature and humidity! We had luckily secured a campsite directly above the river and we were able to access the river via a five minute walk. We spent much of our two days at GSP sitting or wading in the river. P.S. While there was a feral hog alert in effect we fortunately did not encounter any of the beasts during our stay!

Seminole Canyon SP & Historic Site (SCSP) was the next stop on our journey west across South Texas. SCSP opened to the public as a state park in 1980. The land that now encompasses the park was privately owned until the late 1970s. The state purchased the land to protect and preserve more than 200 pictographs located in the canyon and caves, which date back 7000 years.

***Seminole Canyon, Nine Miles West of Comstock, Tex***as

We hiked the Canyon Rim Trail which provided spectacular views of the Seminole and Presa Canyons. The rim trail leads to the park’s southern boundary at the Rio Grande River with Mexico directly beyond.

We also broke out the bicycles for some dirt riding on the Rio Grande Trail. While one of us had a minor crash (see video below) our early evening ride was lots of fun and provided beautiful views of the Rio Grande and Mexico!

Our final stop before heading to Big Bend NP (see our post Three Nights in the Backcountry) was the town of Marathon (pronounced Marathen). We made a brief stop in Marathon in March 2020 en route back to Connecticut during our pandemic-shortened trip. As with the majority of towns we traveled through on our way home, Marathon was locked down tight. With a population of just 365 it was deserted for all intents and purposes. We made a note to return on a future trip to stay at the charming Gage Hotel and check out the town.

Marathon is a straight shot west from SCSP on State Route 90. We had traveled SR90 on our 2020 trip and recalled that significant sections were not attractive, There was a fair amount of truck traffic hauling oil from the fields along 90 and a lot of Border Patrol activity. We decided to attempt to wend our way through the maze of ranch roads using our DeLorme Atlas. We also figured that we could use the east-west Union Pacific Rail Line as a rough guide. We made good progress but eventually ran into a locked gate and after considering our options decided to backtrack until we could intersect with the 90 and finish the trip on the highway. A fun adventure nonetheless!

Ranch Road Adventure

One of the items you will become accustomed to seeing (not necessarily appreciating) driving through (and camping) farm and cattle country is the carcass pit. The carcass pit is just what it sounds like – when farm and ranch animals die (for whatever reason) they are hauled to holes that have been dug at various locations on the property and thrown into the pit to decompose.

You might go right by a pit while rumbling down a dirt road if you didn’t know that ranchers often use a skull as sign post (see photo below). In theory carcass pits need to follow state approved methods to avoid contaminating water as well as discouraging scavengers from dragging contaminated carcasses from the pit. While there are groups trying to end the practice I do not foresee that happening anytime soon – livestock mortality is a fact of life on ranches and farms.

In a future post we will share our experiences and thoughts on two cool towns in Far West Texas – Marathon and Alpine. We hope you found this post interesting and informative.