Texas Road Trips

When it comes to the vast expanses of the western regions of Texas, one thing is certain — the counties in this part of the Lone Star State seem to go on forever. Crockett County, named after Alamo hero Davy Crockett, covers 2,807 square miles of land or more than 1,800,000 acres. That’s a whole lot of land by any measure.

Ozona, located on Interstate 10 between Houston and El Paso, is the county seat of Crockett County. Ozona was originally known as Powell Well when it was founded in 1891 by E.M. Powell, a land surveyor. The name of the community was later changed to Ozona because of the open and fresh air or ozone.
For those traveling down those long stretches of Interstate 10, Ozona is a great place to stop and stretch. And that’s exactly what I did on a recent road trip from my home in Katy to the Franklin Mountains. I stopped to top off my gas tank in Ozona and noticed a small cafe next door, appropriately named The Cafe Next Door. I couldn’t resist.
The Cafe Next Door offers a full menu of mouth-watering home-style dishes, including hamburgers. I ordered my usual bacon cheeseburger with a side of onion rings and a tall glass of iced tea. The onion rings, our waitress cautioned, would be enough to feed two. I assured her that I would have no problem with that.
The burger was really delicious. It had a healthy portion of meat beneath a warm blanket of cheese, crispy bacon, and fresh vegetables. The onion rings were cooked to perfection. They were so good, in fact, that I completely forgot about the french fries lying undisturbed on the table. But, because I only have so much room in my stomach I had to set my priorities and eat more onion rings than french fries.
The wait staff was friendly and attentive to our needs. And the general atmosphere of the place was great. This is a small town cafe at its best — friendly folks, delicious food, time to eat a meal without feeling as though I had to rush. My friends and I enjoyed eating at The Cafe Next Door. We have marked it down as a must-stop on future road trips.

I hope you’ll stop and check out the food at The Cafe Next Door on one of your future road trips on Interstate 10. This is the kind of eatery, after all, that adds a measure of culinary adventure to any road trip.

Fort Stockton is located along Interstate 10 — not quite halfway between San Antonio and El Paso. Fort Stockton was originally a military fort named for Lt. Edward Dorsey Stockton, an officer in the First Infantry who died in San Antonio in 1857. Established in 1859 at Comanche Springs, within the site of the present city, Fort Stockton provided protection for travelers, freighters, and the mail service.
From its earliest days, Comanche Springs was a favorite rest stop for folks traveling between San Antonio and El Paso. Not much has changed. Fort Stockton is still a place where those traveling across the Chihuahuan Desert along Interstate 10 can find a bit of rest and refreshment. And for those who have some time, it’s worth checking out Fort Stockton’s Historic District.
On a recent road trip from Katy to the Franklin Mountains in El Paso, some friends and I stopped to eat at the Sagebrush Cafe in Fort Stockton. This modest eatery offers a full menu of homemade dishes, including hamburgers. And, for soda lovers, the Sagebrush offers a variety of Texas soft drinks, including one mighty tasty Texas Root Beer made with pure cane sugar.
Because there is nothing I like more on a Texas road trip than a delicious homemade hamburger, I ordered the bacon cheeseburger with onion rings and a cold Texas Root Beer. I am not a big soda drinker but just could not resist the temptation to try the root beer. And, of course, I was not disappointed. Texas Root Beer is a product of the Dublin Bottling Works in Dublin, Texas. These folks have been bottling sodas for more than 120 years and have definitely perfected the art.
My bacon cheeseburger was a work of art in itself — with a healthy portion of perfectly cooked meat, crispy bacon, pepperjack cheese, moist buns, and fresh lettuce, tomato, and pickles. The first bite was a foretaste of what would be an absolutely delicious meal. Everything about this burger was right. This was an honest-to-goodness absolutely delicious burger. And the pepper-sprinkled onion rings certainly held their own as well. Delicious.
There are more than plenty of fast food places along Interstate 10. But, I prefer to explore and discover more interesting stops along the way. I learned about the Sagebrush Cafe by asking a local guy working at a gas station. I’m glad I took his advice. The Sagebrush Cafe has earned a spot on my list of favorite places to eat in the Lone Star State.