Texas is BIG, and if you’re going to get from Houston to the other side of the state before dark, that’s means an early start, like 5:30 AM. Fortunately, the son-in-law driver was bright eyed and bushy tailed, but the same was not true for all the rest of us. Some of us slept until well past San Antonio, but that’s OK since there’s not much to miss along that stretch of I-10.
Except to gas up with the other big guys, there was no stopping until we got to Marathon, a small town in the middle of nowhere (the same can be said of many Texas towns). 
There’s not much to see there but the historic Gage Hotel where people from all the country come to enjoy its ambience and good food.
No time for us to stay, however, other than to snap a few photos.
The original building has a feeling of western authenticity
while the new decor has a distinctive southwestern flair.
Five hundred miles and 10 hours from Houston, we arrive at our destination, Alpine, looking forward to relaxing and enjoying a grilled dinner. That was our first change of plan as we were warned no fires of any kind are allowed.
Texas is dry, dry, dry and judging from the charred landscapes we saw along the way, rain will be most welcome.
Lucky for us, I had brought the new Cusinart do everything slow cooker along and in little time we had a delicious dinner of roasted venison sausage, potatoes and broccoli. That with a good glass of wine (good in spite of being drunk from a plastic cup!) was the end of a good first day, and as we settled into our cozy space we congratulated ourselves for the beginning of a successful journey.
Wonder what tomorrow will bring.
i love your comments, so jump right in and share your thoughts
Lulu's Musings 
Miraculously, they never asked…not once. Should I take them in for a check up? Wink!
How many times did the kids ask, “Are we there yet?”
Flip the map of Texas to the east, and El Paso is in the Atlantic.
Flip it to the west, and the Sabine River’s in the Pacific.
Flip it north and Brownsville is in Canada.
Flip it south, and the Panhandle is down around the Panama Canal.
There’s a sign in San Antonio that says “El Paso 535 miles.” I always found that profound. Profoundly sad if I was driving, and Profoundly Big if I was just thinking about Texas.
except to laugh about it. we haven’t had a single, “Are we there yet?” though I must confess to having thought it a couple of times.