I remember my first impression – 32 years ago – of the southwestern USA and thinking back to watching “The Lone Ranger” and other such westerns as a kid. The  impression that cowboys or indians could be lurking behind craggy rocks still stays with me.

We took Route 90 (rather than I10) from San Antonio. The drive was very easy on ramrod straight roads with virtually no traffic. We saw antelope grazing, sheep and cattle; bright  blue skies with some whispy clouds. Very few people inhabit this part of Texas and one wonders what those few do. We were very close to the Mexican border at times and I couldn’t help but think about those attempts to cross the Rio Grande and the border.

We came across a beautiful reservoir and the Pecos River.

We arrived at our destination of Alpine, Texas and were amused to see that the local newspaper is named “Alpine Avalanche” – I don’t think there have been too many avalanches around here! The town is a veritable cultural oasis in these parts with a lively downtown and a university campus. Our overnight accommodation was at the quaint and cute Maverick Inn. What a delight! so truly texan looking with cactus, cart wheels, adobe buildings and more. We loved it!

We had dinner in town at The Century Bar & Grill  – recommended by both TripAdvisor and the inn staff. It was delicious and the menu was much more upscale than I would have imagined.

From Alpine we had just a short drive to Marfa, a little town I’ve heard and read about. Unfortunately there wasn’t much activity there – we forgot that today was a Holiday. Nonetheless, we walked around the downtown area and had the place to ourselves.

And onward to I10 where the speed limit is 80mph! Woohoo! not since Germany have we done this.