We arrived in Fort Stockton, Texas on a Thursday afternoon, after our truck indicated serious trouble with the exhaust system. Friday morning the local Dodge dealer concluded that the turbo leaked into the exhaust system requiring new parts to fix both problems. The closest parts were at a dealer Odessa, Texas and would be delivered on Monday. Our truck would be good to go on Tuesday. We had planned to spend the weekend visiting family in Austin but we didn’t have much choice.
This was our first time in Fort Stockton. We watched people pull into our RV park each evening and pull out first thing in the morning making their way across Texas. A few people live in the RV park while they work on long-term projects in the area, primarily in the oil and power industries. We didn’t meet anyone that was there for vacation. Fort Stockton is a nice little city in the middle of Texas but it’s not exactly a vacation destination. Still, we wanted to make the most of our weekend.
The Necessities
Our weekend started with the necessities. We washed the Jeep and stocked the fridge. When the temperature reached 70 degrees for the first time on our trip, we cooled off with a trip to Dairy Queen. It's my story and I can make DQ a necessity!
The Nightlife
Friday night we went in search of a rowdy Texas honky tonk, like in the movies. When we saw a sign for the Grey Mule Saloon on a historic building in old town Fort Stockton, we were sure we found one! We busted through the door expecting a rustic bar with cowboys and saloon girls, like Big Nose Kate’s in Tombstone Arizona. Instead we found a classy wine tasting room. Very nice, but not what we expected. A man walked in behind us and was equally surprised, and disappointed, to learn there is no beer to be found at the Grey Mule Saloon. We enjoyed their wine version of a Moscow Mule then moved on.
Next, we wandered into the historic bank building down the street. It's the newly opened Centennial Bar. We didn’t find the honky tonk we were looking for but we did find a beer “tap” we’d never seen before. It requires special glasses that have a hole on the bottom. The tap fills the glass from the bottom up, minimizing the head. A metal/magnetic disc seals the bottom while you drink. We were so fascinated we had to order another round!
The Dog Park
No day is complete (and no puppy is tolerable) without a trip to the dog park. The more trips the better! The Silliman Dog Park in Fort Stockton is very nice and Aly made lots of friends. When there were no friends to play with, we introduced her to the ball launcher… perhaps the best purchase I’ve ever made from Dollar Tree. Aly, however, doesn’t fully understand the rules of the game.
The Weather
After a beautiful, sunny, shorts-wearing, ice cream-eating weekend, winter reared its cold and ugly head once again. Temperatures dropped and roads turned to ice rinks. Our truck parts were stuck in Odessa and our weekend turned into a week in Fort Stockton.
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