Comment on Texas rest stops (San Antonio, San Diego: hotels, fences, stations)

[cammyspot]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Texas has some wonderful rest stops located along freeways. But numerous rest stops on lesser roads with picnic tables and trash cans but no toilet or water.

A rest stop with no toilet is useless in my opinion.

Who wants to stop and have a picnic if there is no place to relieve themselves! ? !

Sounds like the ones i pass in San Angelo everyday.

[TexasHorseLady]

There was a time when a rest stop with a toilet was a rarity, if it existed at all. We somehow managed to thoroughly enjoy our lunch, taking a "pit stop" somewhere else along the road (most likely when we stopped for gas, which was where most all of the public toilets were).

Apparently we had stronger bladders than today's folks. (Heck, I managed to ride all the way from Seattle to Dallas in 1971 while several months pregnant, with no rest stops with toilets. And still managed to stop every hour.)

[doss1]

Originally Posted by neddy

The reststop on 280 by Stonewall and the LBJ ranch is really nice, a scaled down version of that welcome center talked about by earlier post.

Yes it is. Funny thing is, the public restrooms available the LBJ ranch headquarters are just a stone's throw from them and they are nice, too.

[Two4damoney]

Originally Posted by cammyspot

Sounds like the ones i pass in San Angelo everyday.

Yep, same here.

[TexasVines]

anyone remember back in the day the smaller rest areas with no bathroom facilities would have some steps up over the barbwire fence and you could go back behind a tree

[badhornet]

I do remember those..you would step over the barbed wire and a bucket would be there to sit on and use. Good times.........

[BoranKhru]

I also remember those. I was kind of suprised to see them gone when I recently moved back down this way. The TX rest areas are the best along the I10 for sure. The other states along the route have fewer, and less maintained rest areas. The fact is, the picnic areas, or 'useless' areas others have mentioned, are actually quite nice if you actually want to stop somewhere with your family and have a nice sit down in peace. They are much less popular with other travelers and often in peaceful corners of the foiliage. I ride a bike and on cross country trips those picnic tables are a welcome sight after hours of riding. It's not very peaceful at the main stops with heavy traffic coming in and out, though the facilities are nice. The sheer abundance of those small stops along the back roads and smaller highways of Texas is actually something to be appreciated.

[Willsson]

Originally Posted by TexasVines

anyone remember back in the day the smaller rest areas with no bathroom facilities would have some steps up over the barbwire fence and you could go back behind a tree

I've been to a few dozen of those. Sounds like Texas Horse Lady has climbed that fence a few times, too.

[plwhit]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

There was a time when a rest stop with a toilet was a rarity, if it existed at all. We somehow managed to thoroughly enjoy our lunch, taking a "pit stop" somewhere else along the road (most likely when we stopped for gas, which was where most all of the public toilets were).

Apparently we had stronger bladders than today's folks. (Heck, I managed to ride all the way from Seattle to Dallas in 1971 while several months pregnant, with no rest stops with toilets. And still managed to stop every hour.)

Madam, you deserve an award

[leonora2]

I think we have great rest stops in Texas; only wish that more non-truckers were using them on the major highways!