A Texas Rest Stop

[Wyandot Jim]

Hey Guys,

I know most of you probably don't pay much attention to rest stops across the country.

When we travel in our motor-home and just want to spend one night we use the rest stops or Wally World. No need for a RV park.

A lot of the states are closing down the rest stops because they cost to much to maintain and state money is short now.

Well Texas thinks it is important to get the tired driver off the highway. They have access for 18 wheelers, Mom, Dad, and the Kids,and us RV old farts.

Texas has been closing the old style small stops and building really nice big ones.

They have 24 hour security, clean rest rooms,playground, grills and tables, along with wi-fi and computers so you can get road and weather conditions.

Anyway here is one we spent the night in. It is about 60 mi. SE of Amarillo on US 287. Notice it isn't on an Interstate. This one is on the Southbound there is also one going Northbound just like it. There is also two more about like this one 70 miles South.

I think the theme of this one REALLY SAYS Texas. Located in big ranch and trail drive country. The XIT, Charles Goodnight and many more.

By the way Goodnight was the first to use "The Chuck-wagon" on a drive. Before that the Vaquero/ Buckaroo/ Cowboy had to bring his own food.
Jim

Done very well inside.

Outside bathrooms also inside ones. These are made to look a little like rail cars

Picnic tables

Well ya got to have a Texas Grill if ya got tables

And a place for the kids to play while the burgers and dogs are on the grill

Bye Bye we are back on the road

 

[powder smoke]

Ya I agree, rest stops are to important to close down. Over here in Maine they waited till the summer season to come then closed all the rest areas on I 95. Sure is a long haul from here to NH without being able to take a squirt .

I heard a figure of one million dollars of savingd per year for each rest area seems like a lot to me. I think it'll hurt the tourist buisness which Maine really depends on. Oh well what do us pee ons know anyway. lol ps

 

[BlkHawk73]

ME to Nh without a pitstop? Strength man, strength. we head to NYC and once in the car, we go. No stopping except for a quickie in MA for the little guy and maybe fuel - 5 or 6 hrs. Same with flying. I get on, take my seat and I'm there until landing. Gone 6 or 7 hrs in the air w/o having to visit the blue water closet. Strength man, strength. LoL

 

[mm6mm6]

Thanks for posting those pics. Texas sure knows how to make a rest stop into a welcome center!

 

[Jeff Hoover]

:lol: I remember the good ole' days as a kid when a 'rest stop' consisted of Dad passing an empty pop bottle to the back seat, and it was promptly filled up ! :lol:

Great pics, nicest rest stop I've ever seen !

 

[caryc]

Sounds like you might enjoy reading the "Trail" books by Ralph Compton.

For example "Dodge City Trail" "California Trail" and so on. I get mine from the local library. They are all about that first trail drive by Charles Goodnight and all the drives that followed it. One of the books covered that new chuck wagon idea of his very well. Before that the cooks did everything from Pack mule. Must have been some job cooking for all those men with nothing but what could be packed and unpacked from a mule each night. The Chuck Wagon caught on real fast after that first one.

These are pretty good reading but really should be started with the books in order. The ones I get at the library are paper back books and they all have a list of the "Trail" books in the order they were written in. I think there are 7 or 8 books. They cover the life of the drovers pretty well.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Hey Caryc,
Yea as a CAS shooter I really like reading about the REAL old West. This stop went into a lot of history of the area. Just GREAT
Inside the rest stop they had some of the trail recipes. I don't know if we as modern guys would want to eat a lot of it.
I guess it just depends on how hungrey we were

Thanks,
Jim

 

[contender]

Now we all know Texas knows how to treat folks,, especially visitors. Very nice!

 

[gewehrfreund]

I enjoyed my short stay in San Angelo courtesy of Uncle Sam back in the early 70's and also my even shorter stay in San Antonio for a conference in the late 80's. Wish I had more reasons to visit Texas more often.
Nice folks, lovely women and varied landscapes. How's that for an endorsement from New York State?