#Ford Taurus -- Apparently, the answer is no. I'd researched KD's BBQ in Midland, Texas, before the trip, and the thought of gorging on brisket there keeps me going during my day-long drive in the 2010 Ford Taurus Limited from Longview to El Paso.
How disappointed I am to find that KD's is not open on Sundays or Mondays, apparently due to staffing cutbacks that are apparently due to the depressed economy. There's a warning on a billboard outside of town, but I don't want to believe that. So I drive into Midland and see the deserted red buildings for myself. I even wander back to the smokehouse hoping for signs of human life or uneaten brisket. (All of you who suggested I should have detoured south into Hill Country were absolutely right. I've written down all your dining recommendations and will be trying them on my next trip.)
I also swing by the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum. It's too late to see the Chaparral cars, so I have to settle for the outdoor oil patch exhibit.
As I drive out of Midland, I give Sync Services another try. But my cell signal is weak and it can't understand my pronunciation of "Odessa, Texas," no way, no how. So I give the next town of note -- Pecos, Texas -- a try, but as the computer voice directs me to turn my shiny beige 2010 Taurus onto a gravel road lined with dilapidated trailers, I quickly order up a "cancel guidance."
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 1,739 miles
eclogite says:
04:14 AM, 06/25/09
Too bad you picked up I-10 so far west. You could've stopped at Cooper's in Junction, Texas for some of the best BBQ you'll ever have...
rick8365 says:
06:06 AM, 06/25/09
Sorry about all the shuttered doors....thanks for the Chaparral link, very cool.
I knew you weren't really be ham-handed - if you were the shifter wouldn't be at all intimidating.
:-)
brn says:
06:35 AM, 06/25/09
"How disappointed I am to find that KD's is not open on Sundays or Mondays"
I thought these stories were submitted from the road and published same day. I'm disappointed too.
fuhteng says:
07:35 AM, 06/25/09
Aww... But it is cool to see places that I've been! (I've been to that KD's because I lived in Midland). I don't think you're missing much on the BBQ front. Kansas City has the best BBQ in the country! :p
estreka says:
07:40 AM, 06/25/09
"All of you who suggested I should have detoured south into Hill Country were absolutely right. I've written down all your dining recommendations and will be trying them on my next trip."
The Oasis http://www.oasis-austin.com/
Chez Nous http://www.cheznousaustin.com/
Taqueria Aranda's http://www.taqueriasarandas.com/
Iguana Grill http://www.iguanagrillaustin.com/
Stubbs http://www.stubbsaustin.com/
If you're looking for an excuse to go, you could see SXSW, Austin City Limits, Urban Music Festival, OSMF, or 6th St.
Fun roads to drive:
HY 620 (Bee Cave to Anderson Mill)
RR 2222 (Mopac-west)
RR 2244 (Mopac-west)
Devil's Backbone (RR 12)
HY 360
Westlake Drive
Scenic Drive
slickersdrip says:
09:02 AM, 06/25/09
I second The Oasis. They have great fish there.
Estreka, I'll have to steal that recommendation and try RR 12 this weekend...
eriches says:
03:02 PM, 06/25/09
@brn: "I thought these stories were submitted from the road and published same day. I'm disappointed too."
We would have liked to do this in real time, but in this case, we were working with an embargo date. Driving impressions on the non-SHO 2010 Taurus could not be published until Monday 6/22. I got the car on Friday 6/19 and had to be back in LA by Monday night. So real-time blogging wasn't an option. -Erin
@estreka: You've got me covered for my next driving vacation in the Hill Country. :)
eriches says:
03:03 PM, 06/25/09
@brn: "I thought these stories were submitted from the road and published same day. I'm disappointed too."
We would have liked to do this in real time, but in this case, we were working with an embargo date. Driving impressions on the non-SHO 2010 Taurus could not be published until Monday 6/22. I got the car on Friday 6/19 and had to be back in LA by Monday night. So real-time blogging wasn't an option. -Erin
@estreka: You've got me covered for my next driving vacation in the Hill Country. :)
eriches says:
03:04 PM, 06/25/09
Darn it, Movable Type! Sorry for double posting, friends.
honfatboy says:
04:25 PM, 06/26/09
Big Spring, TX: Al and Son's Barbeque. 45 mins outside Midland.