We are at a picnic area on TX163, a dozen or so miles north of I-10 and Ozona (map). A pair of historic markers here informs us that this spot has been both a cattle-drive waystation and a stage stop at various times.
We had a lovely drive yesterday. 163 turned out to be quite scenic, although I was surprised at how narrow and twisty it was for a state highway here, at least south of Juno. It was posted at 55, with many dips and turns posted lower. This is in contrast to most Texas highways, posted at 70, which is the limit here on this wide stretch.
Juno, by the way, turns out to be a dot on the map more than a town. There was one building, a bar/store, now defunct.
163 follows the Devil's River, which we would have visited but it was fenced off. The only traffic we saw on the road were several Border Patrol trucks -- we wonder if they installed the fence, which was quite high, or the ranchers did.
In a few minutes we will continue north to Sterling City, where we will connect with US87 into Big Spring, a stretch of road we've traversed before.
Oh my gosh! Your photo takes us back to our first year as fulltimers when we had a mechanical mishap on I-10 (not quite at the rest top). We had a 100+ mile tow to Odessa (across the back roads at 80 miles per hour) on a tow truck I thought was way too small. Ahhh, the fond memories of that first year. BTW, that mishap was the one and only breakdown we've had and was a result of a mechanic knocking off our connection for monitoring the air system. We were so naive....now, we're experienced and much smarter (not). He he, thanks for the memory jog - and the photo.
ReplyDeleteHappy Trails!