Here I am in Alpine

[Bob Dylan]

Glad you enjoyed my place of birth and my favorite little Texas town!

Hopefully it won't get too popular and gentrified like Marfa did although more and more people are discovering the Big Bend/Davis Mountains area!

 

[WoodyinNYC]

...

And west Texas speed limits are 80 for the Interstate and 75 for the local roads. Watch out of the occasional cows.

The posted limit is 80 mph on I-10. You can set your cruise control for 84 and no cop will blink as you blaze past.

Of course, Marfa and Alpine are on Hwy 90, the mostly four-lane "old road" that once was the main route between Florida and Cali.

My parents liked to tell about the time they stopped at a small crash scene on Hwy 90, out near nowhere. An unlucky driver had killed a couple of livestock and ruined the front end of his car. The rancher bemoaned to the late arrivals at the unfortunate spot, "I've been moving my herd across this road for 40 years and never had anything happen." So I guess you could hit a stray cow, about once in 40 years or so. Mostly it's all empty. LOL.

Glad you enjoyed your visit to the wide open spaces of Texas West of the Pecos River.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I find it odd that Alpine would call itself "Gateway to Big Bend National Park" seeing it is over an hour away from there.

Is there another way to reach Big Bend SP/NP without going through Alpine? I don't remember another way to get there so to me it still makes sense. I've driven, ridden, and flown across West Texas more times than I care to remember and as previously mentioned in the grand scheme of things Alpine and Big Bend are practically neighbors relative to everything else.

Correction on the I-10 speed limit. It's been raised to 85 on the western portion. And you know what? Somebody always wants to go faster that you are at 85!

Where did they raise it 85? I've driven the whole road between San Antonio and Van Horn. The 80 mph section begins somewhere west of Junction, and I don't remember seeing any 85 mph signs anywhere. And there's only about 125 more miles west from Van Horn into El Paso, and I would imagine that they might slow down the speed limit as you get near El Paso.

I am unaware of any segment on I-10 that is officially 85MPH, but that doesn't stop many drivers from reaching or slightly exceeding that speed anyway. I don't remember many drivers who were cruising at 90MPH or more but traveling at 85MPH is fairly common in some areas. Texas does have a North-South toll road called SH-130 which has a formal 85MPH speed limit along the far less traveled southern stretch.

Regardless of the actual speed limit it's important to remember that even the most fuel efficient vehicles on the road today are extremely inefficient at 85MPH. We're probably a decade or more away from efficiently traveling long distances at 65MPH using common vehicles on conventional tires and probably another decade after that before we can hope to make 85MPH reasonably efficient.

The Holland Hotel was perfect and was exactly what we wanted after spending too many nights at chain hotels: historic building with a comfortable lobby, patio, bar and restaurant. We thought the food in the restaurant there was even better than LaPosada. A new chef did great things with our food. He was from Holland, no less, and met his wife, GM for the restaurant, while working on Holland-America line. Of course when they heard of the opening at the hotel they had to come.

The first few times I ate at the Holland I was extremely impressed. To the point that would add a couple hours and travel out of my way just to eat there. Then they got a new chef. At first I was mildly diasappointed to see my favorite dishes vanishing. Eventually the taste, quality, and service took a massive nosedive and I simply stopped visiting altogether. Now that they have a new chef yet again I'm curious to see if things have improved. Can you elaborate on what you ate and what you liked (and disliked) about the meal? Thanks!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Chris, you can take the road from Marathon ( which calls itself "The Gateway to Big Bend" also!) to the Park, but there's nothing much there except for the Gage Hotel which has a Gourmet Restaurant and expensive rooms.

You can also drive from Marfa down to Presidio, then take the River Road along the Rio Grande to the Park.

Its a long drive and pretty desolute, but is considered one of the best drives in Texas!

Can't help with the Holland Hotel, I haven't stated or eaten there in over 3 years, but if the food is better than the renowned La Posada in Arizona ( ex Harvey House and Resort Hotel), that's good indeed!

The DPS Trooper @ Ft. Stockton told me

in a cafe last year, that unless someone is driving dangerously or exceeding 90 they don't even blink when you roll by heading through the Big Nowhere!

 

[zepherdude]

I find it odd that Alpine would call itself "Gateway to Big Bend National Park" seeing it is over an hour away from there.

There is not much else down there to be a Gateway. So, Alpine can be anything it wants to be and would still be the "Gateway"!

 

[Lonestar648]

The only 85 MPH test strip is on the Toll Road from Austin to east of Seguin. DPS has found that at 85, some people feel entitled to go 95.

 

[Palmland]

Our dinner at the Holland House was nothing exotic, but so well prepared. We had chips and dip with drinks then flat iron steak for me and my wife had a veggie pasta dish. But the steak was absolutely the best in recent memory. So much better than the thing Amtrak calls a steak these days. The chips were freshly made, a bit thicker than usual, and right out of the oven served with a delicious guacamole dip as well as salsa. The pasta was excellent too.

I guess after so many great meals at LaPosada we were a bit disappointed in the menu that had primarily lamb dishes this month, not our favorite. But it's worth going there just for their famous signature soup, alone. And breakfast is always a treat with the constant parade on the BNSF).

At the Holland Hotel we sat across from the open grill and chatted with the chef when he had a free moment. The restaurant was packed, not with tourists like us but with many ranchers and wives dressed up a bit for the occasion with cowboy hats and boots (apparently owners not ranch hands from overhearing some of the conversations). Very cool.

In addition to the good independent book store we also enjoyed a shop in the original Holland Hotel next door (current version dates from 1926) that is now retail (but soon to rent a few rooms). Super friendly people and we picked up a cross adorned with barbed wire and made by those in a west Texas rehab center. Perfect for church Deacon who works with the homeless and are mostly dependent on drugs or alcohol.

 

[WoodyinNYC]

...

You can also drive from Marfa down to Presidio, then take the River Road along the Rio Grande to the Park.

It's a long drive and pretty desolate, but is considered one of the best drives in Texas!

Yes, indeed! Try to get the sun behind you on the River Road, late day EB, or early WB, for more colorful mountainsides. The River Road passes thru a scenic valley carved out over eons by the Rio Grande. Greenery along the riverside, then dry desert up into rocky mountains on either side of the Border. It was breathtaking.

The National Park allows outdoor activities like river rafting, mountain climbing, etc.

Don't let that stuff hide the fact that for us senior citizens, the area is great for simple windshield tourism, from the River Road to steep canyons and sky-island forested mountain peaks. Drive slowly and you'll see deer, peccaries, coyotes, roadrunners (my NYC friend exclaimed, "They're real things, not just cartoon characters!), snakes, birds, lizards, butterflies, assorted cactus and pines, and more.

Come by Sunset Ltd and rent a car. Any of four ways to reach the Park, direct from Alpine, or Alpine-Marfa-Park, Alpine-Marfa-Presidio-River Road-Park, Alpine-Marathon-Park. So one way in, another route out. With each one a geology class excursion.