2021-06-30 | New Roads Magazine
Unexpected, Texas
Set out in a Silverado RST Diesel to explore the vast landscapes of West Texas.
Texas is big. A state the size of a country. A place so large they put slogans about it on T-shirts and belt buckles (also big). So vast that the treasures you can find, the adventures you can have, and the paths you can explore are all but limitless. You’ll need a special kind of truck to get around, around here.
Thankfully, the Chevy Silverado RST Diesel is up for the job. With maximum highway driving range of up to 726 miles† thanks to its EPA-estimated 33 MPG on the highway,† it’s the ideal tool for crushing miles in search of impossible vistas and impressive barbecue — a machine matched to the size, scale, and possibility of the Lone Star State. Follow along as we wander from Austin all over West Texas with a little help from the far-ranging Silverado Diesel.
The Details Matter
SILVERADO RST
3.0L
DURAMAX® TURBO-DIESEL ENGINE AVAILABLE
277/460
HP/LB.-FT. OF TORQUE AVAILABLE
10-SPEED
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AVAILABLE
Hwy 67 between Rankin and Big Lake, Texas
Cruising the West Texas roads leaves plenty of time for windows open, listening to quiet country music, and contemplation. In the early evening, this stretch of Highway 67 between Rankin and Big Lake is lovely, lonely, and just about perfect in the Silverado.
Seguin, Texas: The Texas Theatre
The newly renovated theater is beloved by cinema buffs and locals alike. It has a long, interesting history and is one of the few small-town theaters in Texas still maintained in its original state. It’s worth making the drive to see it, now restored, in something like its original grandeur.
Van Horn, Texas
A closed restaurant on East Broadway in Van Horn, next to a downtown hotel, calls to mind the diverting pastime of trying out classic American diners. Places like these are thick on the ground all over West Texas and offer a delightful reprieve from the standard fast-food dinner while on the road.
On the way to Marfa, Texas
West Texas lays claim to Big Bend National Park, but it is also home to numerous smaller mountain ranges and many beautiful state parks. Here you can see the Davis Mountains in the distance and the next adventure right around the corner.
Driftwood, Texas
Built in 1903, the former Driftwood Country Store operated for over 80 years. It was at times not only the store, but the barbershop, the post office, and the gas station as well, serving as the social center of a small ranching community. In a 21st-century update, an available 4G LTE Wi-Fi®† Hotspot means Silverado can be the center of your world, keeping you connected to home or the office even when you’re miles from either.
At home on the range
With a maximum highway driving range of up to 726 miles,† Silverado Diesel can spend more time cruising the wide open roads of West Texas, with fewer stops to find a place to fill up.
Lockhart, Texas: North Church Street
Lockhart is referred to as the “Barbecue Capital of Texas” — so load up some friends, thanks to the ample rear leg room in Silverado Crew Cab, and set a course in the available navigation system† for a late lunch. In addition to barbecue, Lockhart has this classic outdoor hand-painted advertisement, one of the few surviving examples in the state.
Between Alpine and Fort Stockton, Texas
Silverado’s muscular style stands out against the flat desert landscape as the descending late afternoon sun paints the clouds above. The Glass Mountains, rising from the flat, are visible in the distance.
STORY: SEYTH MIERSMA / PHOTOGRAPHY: DAN WINTERS