Driving north to our next brief volunteer position we had the opportunity to discover a few new roads and stops along the route as we made our way through tornado alley in the spring time. Our first stop was in the area of the King Ranch and Kingsville, Texas (real innovative and similar names around there! – I wonder if this is where Burger King got its start?) It was just a short drive to get our feet and rig back under us and visit an area that we had not taken the time to visit during prior trips.
We stayed outside of Kingsville just overnight, close to the Naval Air Station which we checked out. After our stint at Laguna Atascosa NWR we were ready for a break.
If you ever want to consider 5th wheeling in style you need to take a look at this rig. A rather healthy Peterbilt truck with a 42 foot Mobile Suites Deluxe 5th wheel (loaded by the way!) and a brand new Tahoe as a towed. Estimated cost $350,000. That, my friends, is comfort camping! Isn’t it great to be in America!
Going through Texas in the springtime is always interesting with all the flowers along the roads. The center pic is the state flower of Texas and you are not considered a “real” Texan unless you have a picture of you in a field of Blue Bonnets framed in your home. Also if you happen to mention these flowers to a self proclaimed Texan you will get a rather long (and boring) history of the wild flowers along the roads in Texas as well as the involvement of Lady Bird Johnson. The flowers are pretty though and they do hide the trash along the roads.
As we made our way north through Texas we stopped at a little town called Mineral Wells, just west of Fort Worth. There we ran into just how innovative the early Texans were – they even put to use the natural tendencies of the local women to provide power for the community. Recycling at its best! And the rest of the world just thought the Texas women were full of hot air.
Just south of Mineral Wells there is this roadside barbecue and smokehouse called Natty Flat. It’s an interesting little place with really good barbecue and a fun little gift shop and stores. As most of you know we like our odd stuff as we wander the country and when we heard that this place had the worlds largest cedar rocking chair we just had to go. If I were to stand in front of it the top of my head would only reach the sign between the two lower rungs. A fun stop and the BBQ sandwiches were outstanding!
The RV park we stopped at in the Houston area near Giddings was a “working ranch” with live animals running around. Here is a pic of a couple Longhorns contemplating the BBQ signs along the road – don’t think they cared for it. Nor the smell of some of their cooked brethren that wafted through the area each evening. Being one of the symbols of Texas does have a double meaning sometimes – especially if your a walking brisket or prime rib.
One of the fun things we do as we work our way around the country through the small towns is take a look at their courthouses and historic downtowns. They all seem to have them and some are very ornate while others are just ordinary or run down.
This one is in the town of Giddings, Texas.
This town square and courthouse is in Mineral Wells, Texas and is definitely well maintained and picturesque.
This is not a courthouse but a historic hotel in Ponca City, Oklahoma. It was restored by the Ponca Indian Nation with a side benefit of a casino on the back side. Which I’m sure was the plan all along.
It’s always interesting to find all the different “old modes” of transportation around the country. This is an early version of the SUV with minimal oxen power, four wheel drive, 48 inch spoke wheels, no suspension, locking hubs, rein and harness steering with room for four. At least with these they didn’t hang fake balls off the back hitch like they do around here – they didn’t need to – they had the real things in front of them.
As we travel through the small towns of the country we can’t help but notice the art (sometimes rather unique) on the buildings of the old main streets and downtowns. They go from beautiful murals to rather weird advertisements, statues, silhouettes and pieces of old cars sticking out of buildings. Sometimes when you look down a side street you just don’t know what your going to see.
Turner Falls State Park just outside of Sulphur, Oklahoma is a cute little park with what is locally considered the states largest waterfall – a whole 77 feet of splashing splendor.
This is what is left of an old summer home constructed by Dr. Ellsworth Collins who was a professor at Oklahoma University. It was built in the 1930s out of native stone from the Arbuckle Mountains (yes, Oklahoma does have mountains – some of them up to 1400 feet….woo-hoo! ). It was pretty interesting wandering around this old structure trying to imagine what it looked like when it was being used.
Oklahoma has the distinction of having the most (Federally recognized) tribal nations in the country – 38 of them – all different! I always wondered why there were so many casinos there! Most are built along the borders of the state, especially Texas – they do love that Texas money! It just comes across the border by the carload. To get off the snarky side, the statue to the right is of a Ponca tribe warrior at the entrance to their cultural center. We visited it one day and were fascinated by the center and the displays they have put together. Very informative and in quite a beautiful setting.
In Ponca City, Oklahoma there is a small museum dedicated to the Pioneer Woman. Outside is this statue and tribute to the early women of the west.
“Well-behaved women seldom make history” was one of the adages in the museum. How true!
Gotta love those “bad” girls.
Working our way north through Texas and Oklahoma you can’t avoid the refineries. It seems like there is always one just around the next bend. It doesn’t seem that they smell as bad as they used to back 20 years ago or so. Either that or my smelling abilities have gone downhill over the years.
So as we are traveling north to our destination of Spearfish, South Dakota for a couple of months, I have to reflect a bit on some words of wisdom that an older Asian gentleman gave us. We met him one day on one of our bike rides / geocaching adventures in north Texas. He told us to “choose to be happy – no one else can do that for you”, and when you think of it, it may be difficult at times but it is so very true.
As is my custom we leave you with one of our sunsets – this one from Mineral Wells, Texas (even though we are in Beatrice, Nebraska right now).
Home is where we park it!
Lee & Linda
