Dancing Frogs!
This is one of the weirdest, most Texan…read moretruck stops that I've ever been to. On the roof of the place, you'll find a few giant dancing frogs, made by the Texas artist, Daddy-O Wade. The frogs are immortalized playing Mexican musical instruments, like a froggy mariachi band on the roof of the pump area. Nice. Daddy-O Wade made other famous Texan works of art, like the giant boots outside of North Star Mall in San Antonio, and the giant tractor trailer sign made out of ranch gates also along I-35E.
I'd always heard that this truck stop used to have an ulterior purpose here back in the day. It used to be that the signs would change from "Gas" to a lit martini glass at night, hinting at what else goes on at this truck stop at night.
Inside, the place looks ancient and worn. In the entry way, be sure to check out all the signed photos and head shots of the famous celebrities that have stopped by. This is Willie Nelson's favorite gas station! George Strait apparently likes their tacos.
I've heard that the story of this place was that since this town is in the middle of the belt buckle of the Bible Belt, you couldn't buy beer here in this part of Texas for the longest time. Then one day Carl decided he was sick of sobriety, so he bought the town, which was a few mobile homes. He incorporated it separately from the rest of the community, and became mayor of his own town, which he named after himself, and built this truck stop as City Hall. Once he was in power, he immediately legalized the sale of beer, and relaxed the rules. Hoooray! The system works. After he legalized alcohol, he set up a strip club in the back of the gas station, with mirrored ceilings, a stage, and a pole in the center. But it's classy, people get married here. At one point, he had a swimming pool for the truckers, and sold giant chicken fried steaks. Send that mayor to Washington!
They sell beer here now. Lots of Lone Star Beer and Shiner. They also have truck driver supplies, like caffeine pills, CB antennae, and mud flaps with a silhouette of a naked lady. They also sell Bio-Willie, which is Willie Nelson's own brand of gasoline, made from renewable resources.
A while back, part of the truck stop burned down, but the giant mariachi frogs on the roof miraculously survived. It's been lovingly rebuilt, but it's not quite the same. The pool and the steaks are gone.
There are showers in the back, for truckers, that work on quarters. The place is clean, and they offer lots of snack, drinks and parking.
The truck stop is located along the way from Waco to Dallas.
