Van Horn, Texas. It’s a small town smack-dab in the middle of Texas no-where-land when heading east on I-10. Up bright and early to leave Tucson for a long day on the road, we were prepared for the stretch of highway that lie ahead.
Random sculptures pop up occasionally, welcome to artists’ country
A personal victory to capture this sign
There’s a tourist trap that claims to be at the Continental Divide. Let it be known: It’s MILES before the Continental Divide. If you are planning to stop and take your picture with this sign (something we would NEVER do on the highway shoulder in an RV with a toad), or even capture the sign with your camera as you zoom by, you’ll give up long after that tourist trap before it actually appears. Something I’ve done many, many times. But, yippee skippy! I captured it this time!
Let the kitschy tourist traps begin!
What’s “The Thing”, you ask? It’s a cheesy “mummified” mother and child (not real), supposedly handmade by a carnival sideshow owner to lure in tourists in the early mid-century.
We’ve traveled this route several times. There’s a brief drive through New Mexico, where we usually find a nice rest stop to have a picnic lunch, this trip being no exception. New Mexico has the prettiest rest stops in the west, with sculptures, architecture and paint designs all reflecting the Southwest heritage. After tossing the birds leftover bread crusts, we hit the road towards El Paso, then ultimately, Van Horn, Texas for the night.
Our picnic spot. Stretch those legs! Breathe fresh air!
Sharing lunch with the locals
Wide open spaces, plus a few bees on the windshield
We always breathe a sigh of relief once we’re past El Paso. Interstate 10 borders Juarez, Mexico, and this part of El Paso is less than desirable, with evidence of Juarez’ danger all around. It’s not a long stretch of highway, but one we always hope to get through without mechanical failure or tire issues.
Uhh, no thank you, Juarez
Several hours past El Paso we arrive in Van Horn. It’s a town one person said, and I quote, “One does not stay in Van Horn because one wants to, but because one has to.” This stretch of Texas highway goes on and on and on without a town in sight, and just when you think you can’t take another mile on the road for one day, you’re in Van Horn. This is true traveling both east and west on I-10. With dear friends in Austin, it’s a route that’s quite familiar to us. This stretch of highway is good for reading a good book, taking a nap, or, if you’re the passenger 😉, catching up on photo editing and blog posts.
There are a few RV parks in Van Horn to choose from, but we always stay at the same one every single time. Van Horn RV Park used to be a KOA park, and a few years ago it became an independent park, approved by Good Sam. Not much to look at, but the folks here are always friendly, and there’s a little on-site market if you need ice or the bare necessities.
But, best of all, Van Horn RV Park has its own little café. The café is open for breakfast and dinner, which tells you this place is geared for long-haul overnighters that plan to hit the road early the following morning. We’ve never had dinner in the café, but if anyone ever stops in there some choices include Salisbury steak, burgers, and fried catfish.
Trying to get creative: That’s our RV. I must be tired…
This trip we pulled in after the usual 7 ½ hour drive from Tucson, poured a glass of wine, and I made a simple dinner of chicken baked in a sauce of salsa, apricot preserves, chopped pineapple, onion and chili-type seasonings, with a salad and ranch dressing. We consider ranch dressing comfort food. Don’t judge. Also, don’t be too impressed by my “simple” but seemingly complicated sauce. It’s one I made up for dinner at home, then froze the extra to use for this trip. We both hit the hay by 9 p.m. It’s only our second night, and we’ve already been through two time zones.
We were up at 6:45 a.m., buttoned up the RV, and went over to the café for a homey breakfast and fresh coffee to fill us up for the long trip across more of Nowhere, Texas. At breakfast, since we were the only customers, we chatted up the couple that worked there, Mikey & Amie. He’s the cook, she’s the server. Mikey is quite the character. They both grew up in Florida, but Mikey’s upbringing was pretty rural, eating whatever they killed that day, be it gator, possum, raccoon, or squirrel. When Amie started dating him, his mom served squirrel gravy over white rice. Amie told his mom that she wasn’t about to eat squirrel, and his mom joked that she has “too much city in her” for Mikey. Hilarious. Mikey even has a tattoo of a saltine cracker on his upper arm, heh heh. Now THAT’S rural. These two are the kind of people I like – true to themselves and where they come from, no matter where that might be. Mikey and Amie are full-time RV’ers, staying about 6 months at a time wherever they land, work in RV parks that have a need for a cook and server, and were a wealth of knowledge for our upcoming time in the Florida Keys. You never know who you’re going to meet while on the road. It’s part of the fun.
Mikey, keeping it real
Amie wrote down travel tips for us when we visit Florida
Why yes, we do enjoy obscene amounts of black pepper
Keep looking up 😊