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While we’re spending time in Texas, working on making progress on the vintage bus restoration, we’re keeping our eyes out for fun and interesting places to visit and photograph. The Petrified Wood Station was one of the first things we found, and a treasure at that! Ben had heard of it before, since old gas stations are one of the things he loves to photograph. I only first saw it listed in our trusty “Roadside America” app.

When we visited, we were actually passing by in the bus, so we kind of just parked on the side of the road across the street. We always try to be polite, so we first went to the door to introduce ourselves and ask the man inside if it was ok that we shoot. After chatting a bit he told us about the history of the place he showed us some photos. It turns out that the place started out as a tourist camp in the 1920s and the gas station was built shortly after to accomodate travelers. It wasn’t until the mid thirties, though, that the station was covered in petrified wood, which has made it a great attraction to this day.

And it’s not just the gas station. Right next door is the Whistle Stop Cafe, also lined with petrified wood (we didn’t get a chance to eat there, but Yelp gave it great reviews so we hope to do so while we’re in town!), and a few other buildings. The gas station was by far the best, in our opinion at least. Just another blast from the past that has been beautifully kept up to keep that vintage vibe.