Highway 190 the whole way — Menard, Eldorado, Iraan, Fort Stockton, Alpine. No interstate, no shortcuts. Two lanes from start to finish and almost no other vehicles. The Hill Country scrubland gave way to Chihuahuan desert somewhere past Fort Stockton, the landscape flattening and drying out, the sky getting bigger. Stopped at the Walmart in Alpine for food — felt like the entire town was in there. Just the two of us and the road after that.
Terlingua is a ghost town that didn't finish dying. The Starlight Theatre lives inside its ruins — string lights overhead, coyotes somewhere out in the dark, a cold beer for dad. The right kind of end to a long day.
Highlights
- Highway 190 — two lanes, almost no other vehicles
- Menard · Eldorado · Iraan · Fort Stockton · Alpine
- Hill Country into Chihuahuan Desert
- Sky getting bigger past Fort Stockton
- Terlingua Ghost Town at dusk
Stops
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Menard
Hwy 190 begins
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Eldorado
Still Hill Country
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Iraan
Desert starting to take hold
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Fort Stockton
Last real stop before the big empty
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Alpine
Walmart stop — felt like the whole town was inside
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Terlingua Ghost Town
An old mercury mining town that didn't finish dying
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Starlight Theatre
Restaurant inside the ruin. The right kind of place.
Food
Stay