Do you watch Food Network’s show The Great Food Truck Race with Tyler Florence?
Teams from around the country operate food trucks in a winding string of cities, advancing to the next round of competition each week by how much the trucks earn. It’s fun to watch, and today…it was fun to watch them film in Galveston, too!
The trucks parked in Saengerfest Park on The Strand downtown, and began serving at 11 a.m. Each truck had a film crew assigned to them to capture the action – good and bad.
When I saw that the array of food included Mexican and Cajun food and seafood, all I could think was “They better have really brought their “A” game.” Galvestonians are a food-loving bunch, and these dishes are regular “food groups” there.
The crowd wasn’t disappointed. The cooks running the trucks were spirited and enjoyable, despite the pressure of the competition, and the dishes got a round of thumbs-up from everyone I talked to – which is high praise.
As the lunch hour approached, the lines got longer and some of the trucks simply couldn’t keep up the pace.
Others sold out of product and had to make a mad dash to the nearest grocery. If you watch the show, you’ll know that this is one of the biggest “oh no’s” of a day of competition because it causes a truck to miss precious hours they are allowed to serve.
Pups even came with their owners, hoping that something would drop within their reach.
I love a scary movie. Not a gory movie or one of the blood-guts-n-gore type. Just scary. Like ‘The Others,’ “Sixth Sense,” or the version of “The Changeling” with George C. Scott. Scare me with a suspenseful story, not with a splatter of blood.
But even I admit what a cult horror classic the 1974 version of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” has become. And what could be more fun than visiting a film location of a famous scary movie in time for Halloween? This one happens to be on a backroad in Texas.
Scene from ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’
If you’re familiar with the movie, then the Last Chance Gas Station, also known as Bilbo’s Texas Landmark, is sure to send a shiver up your spine. In the film the station and BBQ joint was run by the character of Drayton Sawyer, the head of a family of cannibals who offered their own specialty of human chili to unsuspecting customers. Mmmmmm.
About four miles south of Highway 71 in Bastrop, the retro-renovated station used in the film is now known as the We Slaughter Barbecue. But don’t worry, if you stop for lunch you’ll be served much more traditional brisket plates than the previous fictional owner offered. In fact, it’s really good barbecue, so you can check out the fun location and check lunch off your list at the same time.
Any cult classic lover will have a heyday inside the gift shop filled with horror memorabilia, toys, shirts and souvenirs.
The owners opened the location as a “bed and barbeque” for those who dare to stay past sundown. Guests can sleep in one of the small cabins out in back of the station. Each cabin sleeps three adults . . . so no one has to brave a night at the location alone. And of course the tiny cabins are decorated with blood red walls . . . maybe so stains won’t show?
At the time I’m writing this, the cabins are $129 per night, or slightly less if you’re brave enough to stay multiple nights.
Outside of the station sits an abandoned van that is nearly identical to the van owned by some of the unfortunate customers in the movie, and the owners have recently acquired the actual Black Maria semi truck from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre as well.
If you’re planning to attend the “Cult Classic Convention” in Bastrop this coming March (2023), this would be an ideal place to stay. But be sure to send a postcard to let loved ones know where you are . . . just in case they have to search for you later.
There’s a tiny town in far west Texas that really gets to the heart of things…and its name says it all: Valentine. The city limits sign lists its population as 217, but anyone who lives there will tell you that’s an exaggeration.
This time of year Valentine’s small post office is bustling, processing thousands of pieces of mail from all over the world – including 30 foreign countries. Surprised? You see, it’s become a tradition to send Valentines through the town’s post office so they receive special, customized romantic post marks that change every year. You can find all the details about that in one of my earlier blog posts, HERE.
Valentine, Texas Post Office
Last year I sent my own round of Valentines through the post office, and this year I was happy to finally get to see the post office halfway between Marfa and Van Horn in person.
There are two versions of the story about how Valentine got its name, and locals happily embrace both. When a Southern Pacific Railroad crew finished laying tracks in 1882, they needed to establish a stopping point for fuel. Since it was Valentine’s Day, they named the station Valentine. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the president of Wells Fargo and a significant stock holder in the railroad was named John Valentine – so they could easily say it was in his honor as well.
Trains began running through the town in 1883, and in 1886 its now infamous post office was established.
By 1890, Valentine boasted about 100 citizens, two saloons, a general store, a hotel and a meat market. Ranchers in the area took advantage of the railroad to ship cattle out of town to markets.
The settlement has the unusual distinction of being the site of the largest earthquake known to have occurred in Texas. At 5:40 a.m. on August 16, 1931 a 6.5 magnitude quake really shook things up, damaging every building and even rotating gravestones in the local cemetery.
By the 1950s though, roadways and trucking were becoming more established and led to the demise of Valentine’s rail depot…and eventually local businesses. One that managed to stay open for years was a small café, where James Dean frequently ate while filming the 1956 movie “Giant” with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson nearby. Pretty big excitement for a small, dusty town.
James Dean at the Cafe
Today Valentine looks a lot more like a classic ghost town, although it does still have living residents and even its own school. To find the post office you’ll need to drive west all the way (and yes, it only takes a minute) through Valentine past abandoned buildings, and the post office is on your right just at the edge of town.
If you can’t visit Valentine for yourself, mark your calendar to send your mail their way several weeks before their namesake holiday next year. It’s a sweetly unique Texas tradition.
When I saw that the array of food included Mexican and Cajun food and seafood, all I could think was “They better have really brought their “A” game.” Galvestonians are a food-loving bunch, and these dishes are regular “food groups” there.
