11/30/14 Another day driving through Texas

I knew Doug was in Ft. Stockton but got there too late to meet up. And also knew they'd likely be on the road before I got up.  Tho I got up earlier than planned when this guy fired up his contractor generator.

 
Even if it is Walmart, this is a but rude. Running a Harbor Freight gen at 9am on a Sunday. SMH.
11/30/2014 8:59:05 AM

I did some research and after deciding I was going to try to get to Magnolia Beach/Port Aransas area, I set Kerrville TX as my next overnight stop.  Cracker Barrel here I come.  :-)

I saw a sign saying Fort Laurence Scenic Loop and on a whim got off the highway. Eight miles later I was pulled over in a town called Sheffield Texas wondering where exactly the scenic bit started because this town looked like something from the Walking Dead. When some scary looking dude started shambling towards me I bolted. LOL. The GPS confirmed the fort did exist a few miles further down the road.  The visitor center was being rebuilt and if there's a scenic loop drive, it must be as well as I saw no sign of it. The nice man at the welcome trailer offered to let me use a golf cart to tour the ruins. I told him I'd walk. It was a nice day.


Fort Laurence
11/30/2014 1:07:19 PM



11/30/2014 1:07:44 PM


Up the chimmney
11/30/2014 1:08:39 PM



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11/30/2014 1:17:44 PM

After leaving the fort I saw signs saying one lane road ahead.


Really??
11/30/2014 1:30:19 PM


Yep. No flagman, just look-and-go as we used to say in air traffic.
11/30/2014 1:30:37 PM


I had a guy on my bumper so pulled into the picnic area to check out the view.  Pretty, but swarming with bees.
11/30/2014 1:34:46 PM


This sign might be more helpful if it were located at the turnoff rather than after the point of no return.
11/30/2014 1:38:09 PM

I got back on the road, and later saw a sign for Caverns of Sonora. I had been tempted by that on the way out but didn't stop. I exited, wondering how far THIS detour would be. It was @ 7 mi. Of course when I got there the next tour wasn't till 4:30. I decided that was too late and left. Next time. I got suckered in one last time about 5 miles from Kerrville. I was climbing a fairly steep hill and saw a sign for scenic view at the top. It was close to sunset so I pulled in. Well, there was no real view and the whole area smelled overwhelmingly of pee. :-(  I got back in the rig and realized getting out of there was gonna suck, speed limit is 75, sight distance is limited because of the hill, and there wasn't a ton of merge lane.  Sigh......  I just floored it and hoped for the best.  That is one nice thing about my rig, it has a lot of power. I can watch the gas gauge drop when I use all of it, but when I need it, it's great to have.

I pulled into the Cracker Barrel. Much to my astonishment, there was a waitlist for dinner. Guess the pickings are slim around here. But I had a big salad and spent the evening catching up a little on blogging. Hopefully I get an early start tomorrow and make it to the beach.