Fredericksburg to Van Horn

Fredericksburg to Van Horn

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."

Well, actually it was 6:15am and time for everyone to be up according to Madame Punky. So up I got to take the kids for their morning constitution. With that out of the way, Tina and I got ready for the day then packed the car. Breakfast was another disappointment with a waffle, some hard boiled eggs and cold cereal with weak coffee. But it was paid for so we took it and headed for the car, leaving town at 8am.

Today's drive took us from Fredericksburg, up in the West Texas Hills, southwest to intersect I-10 down in the low country. Actually they're both at pretty much the same elevation, 1,500 feet, but the change in scenery along the way made it feel that way.

View of Guadalupe Mountains North of Van Horn

Once on I-10 we dialed it up to 80mph and headed west. Traffic was light and there was a haze in the air off in the distance that looked like blowing dust but we never ran into anything like a dust storm, just a heavy haze. We made one stop for a bite to eat and gas about three hours into the drive. Tina and I switched places and it was back n the road. Half an hour later and Tina was struggling to stay awake so we switched back.

It was a fast run with one more stop at a rest stop for the dogs (and us) to take a pee break and then we rolled into Van Horn and El Capitan Hotel around 1:30pm. Five and a half hours to cover 391 miles.

Hotel El Capitan in Van Horn

The Hotel El Capitan is an old hotel built in 1930 in Van Horn which at the time was considered to be the crossroads for the  Guadalupe Mountains and theCarlsbad Caverns to the North and Big Bend National Parks to the South that were set to open. The Hotel El Capitan was for the most part a cattleman's hotel for its first 40 years. Ranchers from all over the area bought and sold cattle in business meetings held in the lobby. The railroad depot was across the street so many rail travelers stopped in for a night in their travels between California and San Antonio. 

Lobby of the newly remodeled Hotel El Capitan

The hotel was also the prime location for social events within a 100 mile radius of Van Horn. Many weddings, reunions, parties, receptions, proms and meetings were held at the El Capitan. The hotel operated until 1960 when the I-10 freeway came through town and the majority of traffic bypassed town. Shortly after it closed, it was purchased by the Van Horn State Bank and remodeled into a bank. In 2007 the building was purchased by an El Paso family and after a year of restoration re-opened as the Hotel El Capitan.

Taking a short snooze after a long drive!

We spent the afternoon lounging around and taking the dogs for walks then went to dinner in the hotel restaurant. Tina had Salmon and I experimented with a Pecan Crusted Steak with a White Jalapena Sauce, Asparagas and Mashed Potatoes followed by warm Pecan Pie with Ice Cream and Coffee!