Day 219. March 13, 2014. Out of gas!!

LOCATION:  From Seminole Canyon State Park, we drove about 150 miles west.  Now about 80 miles north of Big Bend National Park in Texas

WEATHER:  Beautiful..sunny, high about 65

Our camper neighbors from San Francisco took this beautiful picture of our Airstream.  The night sky is beautiful here, since there are no city lights.

We packed up and drove west to Langtry.  There is a nice visitor center there showing the story of Judge Roy Bean, and the town's saloon.  Our goal today was to get closer to Big Bend.  Spring Break is creating issues....many of the campgrounds are full.

So, we were just trying to get farther west.  Our plan was to buy gas in Langtry.  This sign (out of gas) greeted us.  OH NO,!!!

It would have been $4.50/gallon for desperate drivers like us if they hadn't run out earlier this AM.    They told us our two options were to go back east (wrong direction) 30 miles to a town that might have gas, or 60 miles west (our direction).  We had enough gas to go 40 miles.  So, we decided to head west.  When we ran out of gas, we just pulled over.  Thankfully, we have a gas can.  George stuck out his thumb to hitch a ride to the next town, about 25 miles.  Immediately, an RV stopped.  Wouldn't you know.....kind Midwesterners from Wisconsin in an RV whose brand was aptly called Hitchhiker.  They drove him into town.  He said they were worried about leaving me.  It is supposed to be a dangerous area.....close to the border, lonely and desolate terrain. I had a good book, and I locked the doors, so was OK.    About an hour and a half later, George returned.  A super kind man, Sonny Sanchez, had picked up  George  at the gas station, and drove him the 25 miles back (50 miles round trip) even though he wasn't going in that direction.  

We planned to stay in Alpine, Texas.  We found a super nice commercial campground.  We unhooked and went into the cute town.  We went a really nice bar/restaurant called the Saddle Club.  We shared this bottle of prickly pear lager that was brewed locally, in Big Bend Brewery.

Here is the decor (steer's skull) over the bar called Social Irrigation. 

DINNER:  very basic....a can of spicy beans with some dried sausage we had bought at a smokehouse.