SAT to Marathon

[Bateshorn 9969]

I’m driving to BIg Bend with Boy #1 in a couple of weeks.  Need some guidance on getting to Marathon from San Antonio, which is our first stop over night  before going in the park.  Do I take I-10 or the southerly route through Del Rio? Pros and Cons of each?  How fast can I realistically drive in West Texas if I don’t want a ticket? 
 

Help a city ATX boy out here.
 

Advice on a good place to get lunch if we leave SAT mid morning is appreciated. 

Edited December 3, 2021 by Bateshorn

[DalTxHornFan 3125]

0Generally a push time-wise.  San Antonio starting point might make a difference on route.  I've done both.  The 90 route is more interesting, but doing cruise control on I-10 is way less off a drain on the driver.

I-10 route means barbecue in Junction.  90 route means tacos in Del Rio.

Edited December 3, 2021 by DalTxHornFan

[0xdeadbeef 1654]

30 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

I’m driving to BIg Bend with Boy #1 in a couple of weeks.  Need some guidance on getting to Marathon from San Antonio, which is our first stop over night  before going in the park.  Do I take I-10 or the southerly route through Del Rio? Pros and Cons of each?  How fast can I realistically drive in West Texas if I don’t want a ticket? 
 

Advice on a good place to get lunch if we leave SAT mid morning is appreciated. 

I'm sure you see that Google Maps says I10 is 30 miles longer than the southern Del Rio route and it lists them both at about 5h 15m.   If speed is one of your objectives, I think the interstate wins hands down.   Interstates are big, wide, well maintained (for the most part), and designed for higher speeds. 

Q) How fast can I realistically drive in West Texas if I don’t want a ticket?

A) As fast as your car can go.

I've done the drive to El Paso a number of times and have never seen anyone getting a ticket in the remote stretches. The towns are few and far between, so as long as you don't blow through Junction at 100mph, speed is largely whatever you are comfortable with (for large sections of that drive).

The 'Con' for the I10 route is it's a monotonous Interstate; the southern route is probably is more interesting, but will be slower than google indicates.

Edited December 3, 2021 by 0xdeadbeef

[0xdeadbeef 1654]

23 minutes ago, Bateshorn said:

Advice on a good place to get lunch if we leave SAT mid morning is appreciated. 

My approach would be to have a late lunch in Marathon...When it's time to drive, it's petal down.   Of course there are probably no 'good' places to eat in the 4 or 5 restaurants in Marathon. 

[LCHorn 2687]

I’ve probably eaten at 4 of those 5 and they are all good.  Gage Hotel restaurant is excellent, for example, as is the cafe twenty feet away.  

[Lat22 4053]

Hwy 90 is a much nicer drive scenery wise. 

[GreenspointTexas 9883]

10 hours ago, 0xdeadbeef said:

My approach would be to have a late lunch in Marathon...When it's time to drive, it's petal down.   Of course there are probably no 'good' places to eat in the 4 or 5 restaurants in Marathon. 

Uh wut?

 

Brick vault brewery and bbq is one of the best cue spots in the state

[Bateshorn 9969]

How is Hwy 90 from a driving experience?  Are we talking fairly well maintained Texas road or turrible?

Edited December 3, 2021 by Bateshorn

[Johnny Sack 8397]

12 hours ago, 0xdeadbeef said:

My approach would be to have a late lunch in Marathon...When it's time to drive, it's petal down.   Of course there are probably no 'good' places to eat in the 4 or 5 restaurants in Marathon. 

I was there last week.  The BBQ/Brewery place next to the Gage is pretty damn good BBQ.

White Buffalo bar or the 12 Gage restaurant are also very good places to eat.  I don't think either serve lunch though.

I was coming from Houston after spending night in Boerne and needed to get to Marathon by lunch so we could do a hike later that afternoon in the park.  So I took I-10.  I drove 90 pretty much the entire way after Kerrville (slowed to 85 around Junction).  Use waze to alert you for cops and you'll be fine.

Have a great time.  I love it out there.

[High Plains Drifter 11092]

15 hours ago, 0xdeadbeef said:

I'm sure you see that Google Maps says I10 is 30 miles longer than the southern Del Rio route and it lists them both at about 5h 15m.   If speed is one of your objectives, I think the interstate wins hands down.   Interstates are big, wide, well maintained (for the most part), and designed for higher speeds. 

Q) How fast can I realistically drive in West Texas if I don’t want a ticket?

A) As fast as your car can go.

I've done the drive to El Paso a number of times and have never seen anyone getting a ticket in the remote stretches. The towns are few and far between, so as long as you don't blow through Junction at 100mph, speed is largely whatever you are comfortable with (for large sections of that drive).

The 'Con' for the I10 route is it's a monotonous Interstate; the southern route is probably is more interesting, but will be slower than google indicates.

 

15 hours ago, 0xdeadbeef said:

My approach would be to have a late lunch in Marathon...When it's time to drive, it's petal down.   Of course there are probably no 'good' places to eat in the 4 or 5 restaurants in Marathon. 

 

I'm going to have to disagree with your police work there, Lou.

Local sheriffs love to catch them some speeders on I-10 and 90. DPS also on I-10. I wouldn't speed more than five over, and I drive I-10 multiple times per year, and 90 probably once or twice per year. But overall, probably less chance on 90.

 

4 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Uh wut?

 

Brick vault brewery and bbq is one of the best cue spots in the state

 

Goddamn right it is. And their beer is good as well, and they sell growlers. Try em all and get a growler of your favorite and put it in a ice chest.

 

 

OP- i'd drive 90. Very scenic. Long stretches with little traffic once you get some ways from Del Rio. The bridge over the Pecos River is worth the drive by itself. Stop and check it out. 90 is a US highway, its well maintained. It seems like to me that 90 takes longer despite what google might say, although its worth it imo.

 

[Hank Scorpio 17853]

4 hours ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Uh wut?

 

Brick vault brewery and bbq is one of the best cue spots in the state

Brick vault is so fucking good. Their pork ribs are amazing.

And there’s finally a god damn liquor store next to it so you don’t have to stock up on the way or drive to Alpine. 

[deadshank 24653]

18 hours ago, 0xdeadbeef said:

 Of course there are probably no 'good' places to eat in the 4 or 5 restaurants in Marathon. 

 

[sidis 9893]

3 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Brick vault is so fucking good. Their pork ribs are amazing.

And there’s finally a god damn liquor store next to it so you don’t have to stock up on the way or drive to Alpine. 

it is always unnerving when hank posts anything unaffected or sincere.  i have no idea if brick vault is good or not or if the pork ribs are amazing.  i want to think they are.  but it's hank.

[Bateshorn 9969]

Goddamnit, I just realized this was a Scorpio post. Now I gotta come up with a contingency plan. Like, should I buy booze in San Antonio to be safe? 

12 minutes ago, sidis said:

it is always unnerving when hank posts anything unaffected or sincere.  i have no idea if brick vault is good or not or if the pork ribs are amazing.  i want to think they are.  but it's hank.

 

Edited December 3, 2021 by Bateshorn

[Lat22 4053]

22 hours ago, Bateshorn said:

 

Advice on a good place to get lunch if we leave SAT mid morning is appreciated. 

I used to get the gizzards at the Town and Country in Sanderson. 

[Hank Scorpio 17853]

The pork ribs are actually dog ribs and the liquor store is an abandoned well. 

[tx 3 putt 78027]

6 hours ago, sidis said:

it is always unnerving when hank posts anything unaffected or sincere.  i have no idea if brick vault is good or not or if the pork ribs are amazing.  i want to think they are.  but it's hank.

[Steel Shank 9440]

If you take 10, there's a lunch spot in Roosevelt (just past Junction) that was mentioned on Surly as a good spot. 

Linky-poo:

 https://www.google.com/maps/place/Back+Door+Cafe/@30.4905033,-100.0563278,108m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x8658f9ffc45b01b5:0x4048e1e6bc277c56!8m2!3d30.4905671!4d-100.0562998?hl=en-US

[CycleTex87 2991]

I’ve done the I-10 drive out and back from Houston to Fort Stockton probably a dozen times this year.  I usually go through Austin and Fredericksburg instead of San Antonio because I-10 between Houston and San Antonio sucks the life blood out of me.  That said, 85-90 is a good speed, and west of San Antonio is a pretty drive even for interstate roads. Slow down around Junction, Sonora, Ozona, etc.