Safe to drive this route from Brownsville to this general area in Tamaulipas?

I am looking into driving from Brownsville to this beach area in Tamaulipas with my girlfriend. I do not have a specific location chosen. I would hope to be able to explore the beautiful, scenic areas that seem to be all around. We are both from the United States, and only I have spent a little time in toursity areas of Mexico. I would be interested in staying for a night, but I am not sure there is lodging. I've read a lot about the dangers of Tamaulipas, but this looks pretty rural and there isn't as much info on here about this specific place or the specific drive. Also, a lot of what I've read is from 2 years ago, so I am hoping for a current-state update.

Let's say we started early in the morning and left before dark, would this be a relatively safe trip to make?

If we did find a place to stay, would it be safe to spend the night?

If anyone knows about lodging in this general area as well, please feel free to share!