So I made it home after 1300+ miles and 26.5 hours of driving. But what have we learned, Charlie Brown? 1. Gas early, gas often... This one is really a no-brainer, but I obviously failed this one, almost a little more spectacularly than might be a good thing. I did just fine on the way out, but … Continue reading Lessons…? →

So, I'm leaving Sanderson and the weather is looking very not good. I had originally considered the possibility of taking a route home going through two more county seats (specifically Rocksprings and Leakey), but I thought better of it with the storms that seemed imminent. My planned route out of town was closed down because … Continue reading Almost There… →

I was not particularly enthusiastic about going to Sanderson. It's not a county I could have really gone to on the way somewhere else. It's over an hour from Alpine or Fort Stockton. It's two hours from Ozona. It's almost three hours from Del Rio. It's basically completely and totally out of the way from … Continue reading 54. Sanderson, Terrell County →

It was a beautiful drive into town. I'd driven from Marfa to Alpine and from Marfa to Fort Davis, but I'd never driven from Fort Davis to Alpine before. It was absolutely lovely driving through the foggy mountain roads. I also ended coming into town from a different direction than usual, resulting in a view … Continue reading 53. Alpine, Brewster County →

The county is named after Jefferson Davis. What more do I really have to say about that? That said, there is one thing really interesting about this courthouse, though... I have never seen a turnstile at a courthouse before. How much traffic did this place get to be able to rate those? I couldn't get … Continue reading 52. Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County →

I hit Marfa around 1AM after about 200 miles of driving, a stop, and a stupid inspection stop. After 20 minutes waiting, I get to the front and a border agent asks me "Are you a citizen?" with the subtext of I'd rather be doing anything else. I replied "Yes" with the subtext of What do YOU think? He waved me through and … Continue reading 51. Marfa, Presidio County →

This entry might be more aptly titled "Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua." So, when I got to El Paso, I had hoped to, time allowing, accomplish two tasks: grab a cache in Mexico and grab one in New Mexico. New Mexico would require a bit more driving in the opposite direction from where I eventually needed to … Continue reading Wait… Remember I Mentioned A Side Trip? →

All joking aside about my flaws when it comes to photography, I wish I had the skill to photograph a landscape of the city against the mountains. I've been through El Paso before on the way to other places but A) I always saw this place at high speed from a moving vehicle and B) … Continue reading 50. El Paso, El Paso County →

A stucco courthouse? I think this is the first I've seen of these! For a moment I wondered if there was ever such a thing as a stucco kit courthouse, but I thought better of it. Besides, it's a lovely central building that more than serves its purpose. I wish I had gotten a better … Continue reading 49. Sierra Blanca, Hudspeth County →

This courthouse, on the other hand, just makes me sad. There is no art to it. There is no (for lack of a better term) majesty to it. This is not the place where the important matters of the county are debated, judged, and resolved. This is a building where bureaucrats broker, plod, and process … Continue reading 48. Van Horn, Culberson County →