Praha, Texas
It’s a beautiful Saturday in December with temperatures almost perfect for a ragtop. Sure, it is a little chilly but if you dress appropriately you will not even notice it.
I wanted to get to the countryside the quickest way possible so I decided on I-10 west. That was a mistake. Instead of letting my car stretch its legs I was stuck in traffic! My destination was Praha, a small town between Schulenburg and Flatonia. More specifically, I was interested in seeing the town’s church: St. Mary’s Catholic Church. I had seen a picture of the church and was impressed by the picture and its history. When I discovered it was only a short drive from Houston, I knew I was in for a drive.
Once out of the construction traffic, I was finally able to dial up a decent speed. Still, a drive that should have taken an hour and half took over two hours because of the construction on I-10. We exited I-10 in Schulenburg and pulled into a gas station to put the top down (driving on the highway with the top down is not always pleasant with all the noise and smells coming off of trucks or poorly tuned cars).
In Schulenburg, we headed south to US 90 and continued west on this road. Once on 90, I wondered if maybe I should have existed I-10 earlier because this road hardly had any traffic and it was a pleasure to drive. It wasn’t very twisty or challenging but it was very enjoyable with some nice scenery.
From Schulenburg it is a short drive to FM 1295 where we turn to go into Praha. This road also looked like it would be fun to drive but we only drove as far as the church – I think I may have to return to explore it.
We parked our car at St. Mary’s parking lot and as we were walking towards the church, its friendly caretaker welcomed us. He gave us a short but interesting history of the church and its settlers and stuck around to answer our many questions.
As the name implies, Praha was settled by Czech immigrants and is named after the Czech capital city of Prague. There is not much to this little town except for the church but it (the church) still gets plenty of visitors be they tourists from as far away as the ‘Old Country’ (as the Czech Republic is referred to around here), Russia, Germany, India or its parishioners from all over the countryside.
What was interesting for me was the construction of the church. On the outside, you see nothing but stone but once inside you forget about the stone and concentrate on all the woodwork. If you look up, you will see its painted ceiling that is supposed to be original and un-restored. At the back, behind the altar, there are two scenes from the Old Country.
St Mary’s is a place of worship for about 100 families. But in mid-August it hosts the Praska Pout, a Czech celebration complete with church service followed by food, music and dancing. I am told that, depending on the day of the week the 15th falls on, they may have anywhere from 3000 to 7000 people show up for the event.
After touring St Mary’s, we looked around the small town (don’t expect to see much) and drove back to US 90. Being it was about time for lunch we headed for La Grange via Flatonia. To make our way to La Grange, we took 609, another road with little traffic that allowed you to appreciate your car. This doesn’t necessarily mean I had the urge to speed (I doubt I exceeded the speed limit) and I do not think that is necessary to enjoy a sport car. Instead, I enjoyed the sound of the engine (the stereo was not even on), the gentle curves and hills of 609.
Once in La Grange, we took a short break to wander through the outdoor market setup in the town square (as we did in Fayetteville and Bellville) before having lunch at “Tim’s on the Square Cafe”. I was expecting to have lunch in a country-style restaurant but it was a nice surprise to find this restaurant instead (many times these restaurants get carried away with the “country” theme). The food and service was good and I would recommend making a stop here – just look for them by the town square.
After looking over the maps and chatting with the staff of the restaurant, we decided to head home via 159. Again, this was another road that allow you to enjoy your car. My stomach being stuffed with pork chops, I was ready for a leisurely paced drive. Top still down, jacket and scarf in place and heater on just enough to make me snug, I was on my way down 159 when I spotted a local sheriff heading my way. A check of the speedometer and, surprise! I was some 15 miles over the speed limit. No problem, I was still far enough from him to hit the brakes to stay out of trouble. What’s more, I was heading down a hill, as was he, so if he had a radar, I knew it would not be aimed at me (unless he went out of his way to do so and I knew he did not have the time to react). I was expecting some sort of finger waving from the sheriff but instead just got friendly smile and wave.
The route:
I-10 west to Schulenburg
Top down in Schulenburg
In Schulenburg, catch US 90 and continue west to FM 1295
Left onto FM 1295
Continue on FM1295 to Praha – you will see church shortly after you turn onto FM 1295.
From Praha back to US 90.
Turn left onto US 90 and continue to Flatonia
In Flatonia, turn right onto State Route 95.
Watch for 609 and take it to La Grange.
Catch State Route 159.
At one point, to stay on 159, you will have to turn right – if you keep going straight, you will be on State Route 237. (This is a fun turn so watch and plan for it and try to keep your speed up – just watch for traffic.)
Another stop to consider: you will be driving by the Rice-Osborne Bird Sanctuary and Nature Trail (on the right).
Continue on 159 through Fayetteville and Bellville and on to Hempstead.
In Hempstead, take 290 back to Houston.
Distance traveled: approximately 250 miles from our home in the Montrose/River Oaks area
