TravelWorld International Magazine Summer 2024

Just another
WILD and CRAZY
Terri and Vanessa
Road Trip!
Two For the Road in Texas
Searching for the Weird and Wild in Texas Hill Country
People are attracted to the Texas Hill
Country for many reasons: beautiful
scenery, amazing wine, the chance to
enjoy a backcountry road trip, and
more. But Terri and I had a different
goal in mind: we were looking for
Texas roadside weirdness…and the
Hill Country didn’t disappoint!
Story and Photos by
Terri Marshall and Vanessa Orr
Some of the sights we found were
beautiful, like the painted churches
that dotted the landscape. Others were
what we titled “Texas weird,” like the
cowboy boots we found everywhere
and the old Pioneer Town where we
stayed in a former boarding house. And
then there were the “Hold my beer”
highlights, which included Stonehenge
mixed with Easter Island, The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre Gas Station now
turned barbecue joint, and giant
animal statues that caused us to slam
on brakes and back up to admire these
icons of absurdity.
German and Czech settlers painted their churches to
resemble the churches from their homelands.
Photo by Vanessa Orr
Was it a coincidence that at the first
church we visited, the sky turned
from a beautiful robin’s-egg blue to a
swirling, angry mass of clouds?
TERRI:
That is so weird how the sky
changed so quickly. Do you think
there’s a storm coming?
VANESSA:
Probably more like divine
retribution. Just get in the car.
Quick.
Speaking of religious icons, West
San Antonio is home to the World’s
Largest Virgin Mary Mosaic, which is
located at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts
Center. The four-story artwork, created
While the outsides of these painted churches look like any
other building, the insides are absolutely breathtaking.
Photo by Vanessa Orr
by artist Jesse Trevino, is designed
to look like a votive candle with an
eternal flame on top. Even if you’re not
a believer, this stunning artwork is a
must-see.
And of course, we did get to see the
Alamo, which, while another item off
the bucket list, is simply not strange
enough for this story.
SO THE TRIP STARTS LIKE THIS:
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TERRI:
For your birthday this year, I think
we should do a road trip through
Texas Hill Country. We could
start in San Antonio, since you’ve
never seen the Alamo, and end
up in Galveston for the NATJA
conference.
VANESSA:
I’m in for the Alamo, but what else
is there to see? Other than hills?
TERRI:
Mermaids, giant pigs, Pearl the
Squirrel, the Cartoon Saloon,
and the oldest dance hall in Texas.
And that’s just a start.
VANESSA:
Start the car.
START THE DAMN CAR!
Since we couldn’t drive the whole
way, we flew into Houston and
rented a car to drive to San Antonio.
Because staying on an interstate
for a few hours doesn’t cut it for
us, we detoured to visit a few of
the approximately 20 painted
churches that on the outside look
like any other church. But inside
it’s a completely different story!
The German and Czech settlers in
this region of Texas decorated the
building interiors to resemble the
churches in their homelands, and they
are dazzling!
We checked out three of these beauties
near Schulenburg, TX, though with
some trepidation.
VANESSA:
You know lightning will strike
when I go through the door.
Terri:
Nah, I’m an angel,
so I can protect us.
VANESSA:
So we’re toast.
Church sky before / THC Dark Skies after Vanessa went to church:
Was it a coincidence that the sky turned dark after Vanessa entered the first painted church?
We think not. (First photo by Vanessa Orr, second photo by Terri Marshall)
The World’s Largest Virgin
Mary Mosaic at the Guadalupe
Cultural Arts Center.
Photo by Vanessa Orr
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