The final run up to the border in far west Texas.  Never a populous area due to the poor soil conditions, old 80 in these here parts in now known as Texas 20.  With the advent of I-10, most of the unfortunate small towns along this stretch look as if folks just picked up their suitcase and walked  off.  This roadway breaks off from I-10 just south of McNary and heads north into El Paso.  Essentially just renamed, all of this roadway is old highway 80 and is an exquisite example of early highway history.    There are even a segment of  rare 1930's era concrete pavement to be had!  So sit back and let me share what I've been able to find.  From southeast to northwest...

     The 1st 'town' of any size encountered on this stretch is McNary, and what a find it is!  The remains of the old Covered Wagon Trading Post are on the SW side of the road next to an abandoned Sinclair? station.  Be sure to stop and check out the remaining murals.  It is quite a big complex, and must have really been quite the draw at one time with a cafe and curios store.  However, it is in bad shape today, so be sure not to step inside/trespass or otherwise damage this great find.  Here are just a couple of great teasers from this once typical western attraction.
Authors addendum, 12-09-05:  Per Edith Brown Suiter who lived and went to school in the area, we have this great story:  "Yes, the trading post/cafe was the hangout! Leo ran the curio/trading post/gas station and he was an amateur "rock hound".  He sold turquoise & Indian jewelry over 50 yrs ago and always had his polishing 'gizmo' spinning in the back area (it was a tire hooked up to a motor to polish the rocks that he mounted into belts, necklaces, etc.)  Mexican food was the specialty of the cafe, but Johnnie was a great cook, so everything was good. We never ordered from the menu, we went into the kitchen to see what was cooking.  On Sundays, my family ate the plate lunch special ($0.85) and Johnnie knew our favorites so we each got a little extra (mine was squash) of that.  We drug our chairs up to the shuffleboard game before we could reach it on our own...we had the jukebox #'s memorized and knew if a new record had been added  (mostly country /western)... There was a rack of postcards on the counter-some were scenery, others had jokes (long counter w/ stationary metal stools with red vinyl covers--they did spin which kept us entertained for quite a while) For several years the school in Ft Hancock had no cafeteria so we went to McNary Cafe for lunch (15-25 people). Each day we would sign up for what we wanted the next day, & they would have our plates ready & at our "chosen" booths or tables---we were sooo predictable! Those were the days before seat belts (1957-62) and one of the locals said he could always recognize my mom's car because it was "all arms & legs" - she was a teacher & drove us everywhere."
Thanks for sharing with us Edith and helping bring this place back to life for a moment...!

     Just down the street, be sure to check out 'Tommy's Town'.  Judging from the style of the building, I bet this old station hails from the 20's or 30's.  A closer look at the lettering over the front door reads "McNary Station".  It's been quite some time since any fuel has been pumped out of here.   BTW, north of McNary, be sure to check out the 1936 Arroyo Diablo Bridge that is very similar in style to the concrete bridge seen earlier in Doc Rob's photographs.
Author's addendum, 02-23-06:  Thanks to a note from fellow roadie Eric Garcia, Eric mentions that "The building in McNary with "Tommy's Town" on it is an advertisement for a town about 10 miles down the road."

     Just 5 miles up the road, Ft. Hancock also has that suddenly abandoned feeling, leaving a couple of real treats for your exploration such as Berta's.  This small brick building may hail from the early part of the 1900's, though obviously the 'Quick Stop' incarnation hails from a more recent vintage.  Of course, this also begs the question 'Who was 'Berta', and why did she/he leave??  Also obviously from the early 1920's or 30's is this old station still advertising 'lubrication'.  You certainly don't see modern establishments putting forth any extra cost to spring for decorative rock walls.  Can anyone enlighten me as to what kind of station this was? 
Author's Addendum, 02-23-06:  Again, thanks to Eric Garcia..."The gas station you have in the photo that still says "Lubrication" used to be a Texaco.  It was called Lolo's Texaco, after the man that used to own it probably up until the freeway completely bypassed 80 and couldn't stay open.  A guy who used to work there still lives in Ft. Hancock, and my great grandfather Manuel Apodaca used to hang out there and get his 62 Ford Falcon serviced there."

     Acala.  Though the name may not be impressive, this was obviously an important stop for miles around.  A large cafe, two garages and a grocery store (now serving as a private residence-no trespassing) round out the 'metropolis' of Acala.  The cafe is particularly appealing and makes a must see photo stop when passing through the area.
 
 Main street Acala.  This garage, the cafe and the store sit on the east side of the road.

  A closer view of the cafe.  Note the (once) bright colors and the framework for awnings.  I'll bet this was quite the welcome sight on a Texas summer day.

  This old garage is on the west side of the road across from the 'store'.

     Leaving the oasis of Acala behind, we continue our journey northwestward.  But don't get sleepy.  5.2 miles north of Acala (3 miles south of Tornillo), be sure to look along the west side of the road for a short stretch of large cottonwood trees along the irrigation canal.  A little closer inspection will show you some wonderful 1930's era curving concrete-obviously an original 80 remnant from when this curve was straightened some time ago.  This appears to be a popular picnic area with a few local families enjoying a respite from the sun when I was passing through.  It felt cool and inviting in there with the leaves rustling overhead.  I took a break myself-enjoying the shade while observing the rural fields in the distance.
Author's addendum, 02-23-06:  Again, Eric Garcia provides some wonderful insight - "The cottonwood trees north of Acala used to have a really nice roadside park that was demolished probably around the early 80s.  This roadside park can be seen in the famous West Texas road trip movie "Fandango" starring a young Kevin Costner.  My family used to picnic there every Easter when I was a kid."

     After rousing yourself, it's just three miles ahead to the Tornillo Trading Post.  Doing a booming business, the Post was selling fruit, peppers and just about anything anyone would want...which also apparently includes balloons!

     One of the last major spots in the road prior to El Paso was Fabens.  Complete with an airport, church, motels and banks, Fabens has retained enough population to still have some semblance of life-though thankfully not so much that some great relics of the road have been ruined or torn down in the name of 'progress'.  One such great find is this unusual juxtaposition of this old lumber and building supplies store just south of town.  Why there is an old Coast Guard plane parked beside it remains a mystery to me.  And also note, how long has it been since you've seen phone numbers like these?  Not in my lifetime... (Author's note-the phone number pic has been digitally 'enhanced' to better make out the text).

     Once past Fabens, we start to leave the rural countryside behind and head into the outskirts of the El Paso metro area, so to continue your Texas Highway 80 journey, just click on the westbound rider below!