We set up camp in a pull through spot, No. We pulled into Hilltop RV Park which sits along I-10 with views over the plains to, I believe, the Davis Mountains to the west and the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend to the south. The strategic position of the fort was to protect and support the movement of goods and people through the area, those who were willing to risk it all to settle west of the 100th meridian. The town of Fort Stockton was once on the edge of civilization west of the Mississippi, a place where the US constructed a fort, in land that could be equated in todays times to the unknowns of landing on Mars, and looked sort of similar. Map Illustration of 100th Meridian Fort Stockton, Texas For us though, packing all the comforts of home into our wagon train (along with lotion and saline nose spray for dryness) we were stoked with the prospects for furthering our adventures. It is hard to image what these early settlers must have thought as they crossed into these desolate looking landscapes, especially after what they left behind back east. West of this line was arid and seemingly lifeless to the west bound settlers. East of this mark provided enough rainfall for certain crops. During the mid 19th century, settlers were moving west to start a new life living off the land by farming and ranching. This longitudinal line on the map was first used by Geologist John Wesley Powell in 1878 to mark the contrast between the humid east and desert west based on annual rainfall amounts. The drive though was interesting with lots of high rolling bluffs, trees turned to shrubs, and as we got to Fort Stockton, it was high, dry desert with lots of scrub brush, earth covered with grey and tan soil and rocks, and all topped with a huge sky filled with arid air and big blue sky. We made our way through some farm and ranch roads until we hit I-10 where we did the thing we don’t do, and headed straight down the interstate in a westerly direction. We said goodbyes to many of our new friends and fellow winter storm survivors at Lady Bird Johnson Park as we slow rolled out. Our time there will go down as one of our favorites so far and a place we need to return to with some unfinished business. By contrast, the drama of the storm and the damage it wreaked statewide sucked, yet certainly made it memorable. We totally enjoyed our time in Fredericksburg, the place is scenic, interesting, historic, and the people were amazing. Thanks for all the scoop and keep it coming! But most likely we’ll just return the favor of travel information if he ever asked. In some ways I feel like we need to spike a TWT ball or something here. Pretty cool and all, but the most astounding thing about this recent email chain with him was that we have actually found real estate in the world that he has yet to visit, the mountains of West Texas.
The folks who enjoy this lifestyle use a 20 foot long 6 inch bore canon to fire the chicken and the components must “resist” the impact. Many of you might guess this has something to do with the heat of a customized fried chicken wing smothered in buffalo sauce but it is actually a federal standard requiring that jet wings get shot with a 4 pound chicken, dead but thawed, sauce on the side. He went on to explain how he spent time there observing the chicken wing test.
His recent email to us, knowing we were somewhere in Texas, suggested a stop over in San Antonio. He usually sniffs out amazing food and drink along his travels.
If possible, we try to heed his suggestions as the guy has traveled seemingly everywhere in the world and, in fact, we narrowly missed him while he was in Theodore Roosevelt National Park during our journey. He keeps up with our travels and emails us with suggestions and comments on places to see, eat, and drink. We have one friend from Savannah who is an engineer for a business jet manufacturer. We get many in the blog itself but more who send us text, emails, and even call from time to time. The TWT team would like to thank all of you for your comments.
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