Destination West Texas: Abandoned Forts and Marfa Lights

It's a system.

Christmas break road trips are great IF you plan ahead.  This year I was too busy facilitating Christmas to remember I had a trip to pack for; so I spent Christmas Day packing up the car for a trip out to West Texas.

My travel companion and best friend for 30 years, Melissa--check.
Sandwich fixings for six days in the cooler--check.
A box of basic camping equipment--check.
A medicine cabinet in one big Ziplock bag(just in case)--check.
Kleenex, wet wipes, hand sanitizer--check, check, check.
Lots of road trip snacks--check.

All loaded in the back of the SUV.

Ready to go and on the road at 8 a.m. as the carful of kids aim the SUV west, rolling across the Texas Hill Country towards Junction, on State Highway 29.  Our final destination for the day, Alpine, deep in the heart of far West Texas, is just beyond the horizon.

A couple of hours into the drive we're ready for some pancakes so our first stop is Storm's Drive-In in Burnet--a local breakfast and burger joint in operation since 1950. According the locals, they also serve up a juicy cheeseburger if you driving through after breakfast.

Outside of Junction we merge onto I-10 and thanks to the 80 mph speed limit, the miles start to rip by.  Our next stop, Fort Lancaster State Historic Site, is between Ozona and Sheffield, off State Highway 290 West which loops back to I-10.

Fort Lancaster State Historic Site is one the forts that protected pioneers along the San Antonio-El Paso Road. All that remains today are the foundations of the old buildings yet this site has lots to offer.

Golf Cart Full of Kids Selfie

Did I tell you they have a golf cart you can borrow to check out the fort?

Suddenly the carful of kids HAVE to see every last building foundation. There's also a covered picnic area where we make lunch--kids love a picnic.  Next time, add historical sites to your itinerary, more memorable than a fast-food restaurant along the interstate.

An hour or so later the carful of kids are back on the road and headed west. Next up, we stop in Fort Stockton, the largest town in-between San Antonio and El Paso, for last-minute gas and groceries.

There's a rule when driving in West Texas, if you see gas--buy gas, you just never know when you will see it again. They have a Wal-mart which will be the last one for days so if you forgot it and need it--get it in Fort Stockton or go without.

Alpine is the county seat for Brewster county and home to Sul Ross State University and the largest town in Far West Texas. We had arranged a room here with points at the Best Western Alpine Inn--gotta love a free room with breakfast. After getting into town, we stopped by a diner for a quick bite.

Next stop is the Marfa Lights, a West Texas legend--the viewing station is 18 miles west of Alpine on US Highway 67. There's parking off the highway with a nice viewing area complete with telescopes and bathrooms.

A trip out to West Texas isn't complete without staring into the dark for the mysterious lights on the horizon. It's really dark and in the winter, it's really COLD.

This ends our first day of mainly driving to our destination but even that can be part of road trip fun.

Know before you go: If forts aren't your thing then you can check out the Caverns of Sonora, conveniently located along I-10 in Sonora, Texas, 186 miles northwest from San Antonio.

Up Next: Marfa and Fort Davis.