Western Texas

[slider effect="fade" pausetime="3000" autoplay="true" navigation="true"][/slider] I've heard it said before that Texas is 'God's Country'. I usually passed that off as good 'ol Texan egocentricity (come on, you know it's true!), but the roads I travelled today revealed nothing but huge, open expanses. It all felt so big, and I felt very...very small. I guess that kind of countryside is God-like, so I'll give them that.

From El Paso, where I woke up on a strangers couch (this was planned, and not a post-drunken state), I first had to fix the fact that my trunk was no longer closing. Thank you Home Depot. I was then faced with the choice of hopping onto I-10 right now, or take a little round-about way and eventually get to the interstate. Those who know me, know I chose the latter, and I'm glad of it.

I got onto Route 180, which spans from Hudson Oaks, TX to Valle, AZ, a massive E-W expanse of road, across an even bigger expanse of countryside. The road from El Paso quickly climbed into some hills, where I stopped and celebrated the 10 thousand mile mark of this road trip.

Hills outside of El Paso on Rt. 180 Happy 10K Geronimo Rt 180, Texas

At the top, everything opened up to what can only be described as highland plateau, with distant mountains ranges keeping it all in. Truly beautiful.

From Rt 180, as the landscape unfolds. Picnic Area Rt 180, TX

I followed Rt. 180 into Guadaloupe Mountain National Park, which is more of "an area that the road now happens to be in", similar to Teton. The face of El [otro] Capitan steals the horizon, and from beneath it, a great view of the plain below unfolds.

Guadeloupe Mountains National Park El [otro] Capitan The view from Guadeloupe Mountains

I turned back from the park about 7 miles, and got onto Texas Rt 54, which would bring me to 1_10 in about 55 miles. Along the way though, I got an even closer look at the great hills that surrounded this great plateau/valley situation. This road was highlighted in green on my AAA mea, so I knew I was in for a scenic treat.

Texas Rt. 54 Along Texas Rt. 54 Near where Texas Rt. 54 meets I-10

In VanHorn, Tx, where Rt 54 meets I-10, I naturally had lunch at this place...it looked pretty classic "American Road Trip".All American Cuisine.

Finally I-10, one of the true cross country monster roads. The region of Texas it crosses is mostly a dry scrubland, with rolling hills, though as you approach San Antonio, it becomes more lush with some deciduous trees. This road was so...long. Seriously, it took forever to reach [not even] San Antonio area. It's an 80 mph highway, and gets pretty... well, have good music if you do it. It's a beast, and I don't have many pictures to show for it.

Hope you're enjoying my travels of our American roads, and you can pick up some tips and ideas for your next road trip!