Road Trip - Day 6

Another beautiful morning!  We were packing up and moving on down the road.  Before leaving Marble Falls, we stopped at one of our favorite restaurant, Blue Bonnet Cafe.  It is definitely an icon of Marble Falls.

People have been coming to this restaurant since 1929.  It has been updated, but the great food and friendly staff has not changed.  Kenny started going to the Blue Bonnet in 1983.  His job took him there every week.  He always looked forward to going in and having Rose wait on him.  It seemed like she always knew when he would walk in, as she would have the paper and a cold glass of milk waiting for him.  Rose wasn't just any waitress.  She was the one with the beehive hairdo, long fingernails, dark lipstick and a smile.   After Kenny and I got married in 1986, we would travel from Austin about once a month to go see Rose.  Rose became like family to us.  In 1989, we moved to Bismarck, North Dakota and we continued our relationship by mail.  During our time in North Dakota, Rose was diagnosed with lung cancer and died within the year.  Our heart was sadden to hear about this.  We did find out that the owner of Blue Bonnet Cafe, John, took care of her medical bills.

Walking into the cafe, the first thing that I saw was all the different pies.  They make their pies fresh each day.  The bakers have perfected the mile-high meringue and creamy custard fillings.  They have a variety of pies to select from.  The pie that I purchased was the coconut cream pie.  We were driving to my parents and my mom loves coconut.  Also, my mom's older sister loved to bake coconut pies all the time.  It was her specialty.  Some choices of pies are the various fruits(apple, cherry, peach), pecan, fudge, peanut butter, chocolate and about seven others to choose from.

The sweet waitress came to our table and brought out her pencil and pad to take our order.  I had to have the Texas toast, eggs and grits.  Good 'ole southern breakfast.  It was nice to be there, but we missed having Rose take our order.

As we paid our bill, Kenny asked about John, the owner.  We were sad to find out that John had died in May at the age of 67.  He had suffered from complications associated with Parkinson's disease.   The obituary stated "he had purchased the Blue Bonnet Cafe in 1981 and had turned it into the world-famous  restaurant known for its southern comfort food and a myriad selection of pies".

Getting into the truck, we talked about the impact that the cafe and the people that had worked there had made on our own lives, as well as others.  Praying that the "Blue Bonnet Cafe" can survive this pandemic so that other's can be touched by the people who work there.

The truck seemed to know where it was going.   We headed north on 281 to Waco.  We were going to celebrate my dad's 90th birthday with family.  As we drove northeast on the farm-to-market roads, we enjoyed seeing the cattle grazing, windmills turning and the wide open range.  For September, the weather was nice with blue sky and puffy white clouds.  

On our way to Waco, we traveled through Gatesville.  This town has a population of about 16,000.  Some facts.  The city has five of the eight prisons and state jails for women.  The county museum has a collection of about 10,000 pairs of spurs.  Wish we would have time to stop to see all those spurs.  There is also a drive-in picture show.  It is one of the seventeen remaining.  With the pandemic, people have enjoyed going to the drive-in this summer.  The Coryell County Courthouse sits in the heart of downtown Gatesville.  This historic courthouse was built in 1897 and finished in 1898.  Stones were cut and hauled in wagons to build it.  Four statues(two of Liberty and two of Justice) adorn the top of the building and an eagle in flight tops the clock tower.  

As we left Gatesville, we drove east on US 84.  In forty-five minutes, we would be at my parent's home.  There wasn't much traffic as it was Labor Day.  We drove through several more small towns and we followed the Blue-Bell truck into McGregor.  If you have never have had Blue Bell Ice Cream, you need to try it.  In the early 1900's, a creamery in Brenham, Texas began making ice cream and delivering it to neighbors by horse and wagon.  They produce over 66 different flavors.  Enough about Blue Bell, let me tell you some facts about McGregor.  

McGregor is another small town with a population of 5,000.  It is only about twenty minutes from Waco.  It is the site of the former Bluebonnet Ordnance Plant to make munitions during WWII.  After the war, the site has been used by a number of companies to make rockets.  In high school, several of my friend's fathers worked for Rocketdyne in designing rocket engines.  But now days, McGregor is known for the Magnolia House.  It was renovated by Chip and Joanna  Gaines in Season 3 of Fixer Upper as a bed and breakfast.

At 11 am sharp, Kenny and I pulled into my parent's driveway.  My sister, brother-in-law and nephew got there the day before.  My niece and her family, who live in Waco, were there to greet us.  There is something about being with family.  It had been a while since we had all been together in one location.  My dad and mom were all smiles as they had the family there.  We enjoyed some delicious barbeque beef, as well as beans and potato salad.  Of course, there was that delicious coconut pie that we had brought from the Blue Bonnet Cafe.

Celebrating dad's 90th birthday, made this Road Trip!  Like I have said road trips are all about seeing the country and stopping and visiting with family and friends.

Blue Bell Ice Cream; Blue Bonnet Cafe; pies and Coryell County Courthouse

Celebrating dad's 90th!

Road Trip - seeing Texas

Road trips are all about seeing the country as well as visiting with family and friends.  Friday night, we spent the night in Boerne, Texas.  That evening we visited with Kenny's aunt and uncles and cousins.  We hadn't seen everyone in about 4 years.  The next day would be the wedding of one of the cousin's sons.

Saturday morning, it was overcast and humid.  I don't miss the humidity even though it does keep your skin looking younger.  This morning, we were meeting a friend at a cute restaurant called The Dienger Trading Co. It was established in 1884.  A hard-working German pioneer, Joseph Dienger, settled into the Texas hill country constructed the grocery store on the street level and the family living on top.  And now it is a bakery, espresso bar and bistro where breakfast and lunch is served.

Sunday morning after meeting family for breakfast at a deli, Max & Louie's, in San Antonio, Kenny and I headed to Marble Falls.  Marble Falls is about 80 mile north of San Antonio and 35 miles northwest of Austin.  When I lived in Austin, it was always fun to take a Sunday drive to Marble Falls.  Back in the 80s, it definitely was a small town.  Now, it has a population of about 6,000.  More and more people are moving here to get away from the big cities.  It is a great place for retirement.  

Some history is that it is named after waterfalls which are now located at the bottom of Lake Marble Falls.  In 1917, the city elected the 1st female mayor, Ophelia Crosby "Birdie" Harwood, in the nation.  Even though women had yet to gain the right to vote when she took over leadership of Marble Falls.

Another fun place to see is Granite Mountain, which is a solid dome of pink granite rising over 860 feet one mile west of Marble Falls.  The pink-red colored rock has been used in the construction of the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas and also for the construction o f the Galveston Seawall.  

With the COVID situation, there are many restaurants and shops that have closed.  Praying that this small town will be able to make it.  Tourism is so important to this town.

Kenny and I got checked into our hotel.  Because it was Labor Day weekend, the hotel was busy.  The employees said that most of the summer it had been pretty slow.

A good friend, Julia had moved to Marble Falls about 10 years ago.  We knew her well from the church that we attended in Houston.  Julia had been a good friend of Kenny's mom.  She was turning "90" within the next week, so we wanted to visit and wish her a happy birthday.  It was so good to see her.  She was moving slower, but she still had that beautiful smile.  It is amazing what you learn about a person when you stop and listen.  In her earlier years, she had taught music in middle school for almost 20 years and then in the 70's she taught computers.  After retiring from teaching, she then did several other jobs and up until about three years ago, she was working for the newspaper office in Marble Falls.  She was rolling those newspapers and stuffing them into plastic covers.  I always wonder, who did that job.  Wow!  It just goes to show you that being physically active is very important to your life.

After visiting with Julia, we enjoyed a walk around the park watching the families fishing and playing in the lake.  Then to the top evening off was the beautiful sunset.  Another fun day on the road.

Why I Pray!

 The early mornings are the best.  As I opened up my eyes, I looked at the clock and it read 5:45 am.  It was still dark and I could feel the cool breeze as it came through the window.   I pulled the blanket up to my throat and laid there praying for family and friends. 

I stumbled into the kitchen to turn on the coffee.  As I looked through our huge picture window, I could see lights coming on across the wetlands.  Others were gradually beginning their day.  The aroma of the coffee began to wake me.  I poured some coffee into my mug and added a bit of half n'half and sipped on it very slowly as my brain began to wake up.

I wanted to begin the day sitting in my rocker and looking out into the new day.  The window faces west, so I could see the reflection of the sun rising.  The salmon, orange colors glowed in my neighbor's windows.

I gathered my various devotional books and my bible and I began to read.  The last few days I have been thinking about what someone had said about "why do people pray, if God already knows?"  That is such a great question.

I believe that God knows all things, but I don't know all things.  When I take time "to be still and to listen to Him", I begin to feel the Spirit that is within me.  By taking time to pray and to talk with God, a peace comes over me to let me know that everything will work out the way it is suppose to. 

Praying is as if you are getting a glimpse into who God is.  Such as when I watch a sunrise or sunset, I feel that I am seeing God and He is with me.

Praying gives me a calmness to understand what He is doing.  My eyes are opened and hopefully the eyes of whoever I am praying for will be opened as well.  To understand that the Lord will guide and direct each person through their situation(s) or give them the wisdom for decisions that need to be made.

God's glory will be seen as it is seen in His creation.  

Psalms 19:2-4 says, "Each day announces it to the following day; each night repeats it to the next.  No speech or words are used , no sound is heard; yet their voice goes out to all the world and is heard to the ends of the earth."

Just as each day there will be a sunrise and a sunset, there will always be His Spirit.  My prayers will help me to grow closer to Him and to know that whatever or whoever I am praying for is actually being used so that I can grow closer to Him.  

Praying is as if you are looking at God's creation.  He created all things and He knows all things.  The beauty around me is not an accident.  His prayers are not by accident.  

By praying or talking to God, I begin to reflect on what needs to change within myself.  Through prayer, He refreshes my soul, He gives me wisdom and He opens my eyes to see.

If you have never prayed, then stop and be still and talk to God as if He is standing right there in front of you.  I know you can't see Him, but you can feel His spirit.  Praying will change your heart and your outlook on life.

"I pray for you constantly, asking God...to give you spiritual wisdom...I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power."  Ephesians 1:16-17, 19

Road Trip - Day 3

It was a bright, sunny and hot morning as we set out for our 500 mile trip from Amarillo to San Antonio.  It was going to be a long day of traveling.  Amarillo is in the panhandle of Texas where the wind blows and you can discover sand in places that you never knew existed.  Whenever I think of Amarillo, I always think of the song "Amarillo by Morning" sung by George Strait.  Terry Stafford wrote the song after playing with his band at a rodeo in San Antonio, Texas and then drove back to his home in Amarillo.  Here I was doing the reverse, traveling to San Antonio.

Kenny and I said "good-bye" to our friends and got on Interstate 27, heading south to Lubbock.  Lubbock is known as the birthplace of rock n'roll legend Buddy Holly.  It is also home for Texas Tech University.

After we left Lubbock, we traveled the back roads instead of the interstate.

Driving through the plains, one can see the high flat plateaus with no trees.  Due to the flat area and strong, steady winds, there are numerous wind turbines throughout the area.  There are about 650 wind turbine in the panhandle.  You also notice all the oil rigs pumping.  The oil and gas industry makes up about 20% of the Texas Panhandle's economy.

After several hour of traveling southeast on the back roads, we began to see the terrain change from flat and sandy to rollings hills and rocky.  There are many geographic regions in Texas.  The regions are panhandle plains, prairies and lakes, piney woods, gulf coast, south texas plains, big bend country and the Texas Hill Country.  

The Texas Hill Country is going to be our final destination.  This region has tall rugged hills of limestone or granite.  The vegetation includes yucca and prickly pear cactus.  The predominant trees in the region are ashe juniper and Texas live oak.  In the springtime, this area is beautiful with all the red, blue and yellow wildflowers.

Cruising down the county roads, one notices the small towns, the large courthouses, cemeteries and the horses, cattle and sheep grazing on the open ranges.  In most towns, there are the town squares with the courthouses and the small stores.  In your mind, you can picture what it looked like in the late 1800s.  Families coming to town in their wagons to do their monthly shopping.  Cowboys on horseback going to the saloons.  Stagecoaches bringing people from other towns.

Road trips help you to discover how other people live.  You don't have to travel far.  Pick a day to travel to a town that could be 100 miles from you.  Don't take the interstate.  Travel the back roads and put together your own book of the area around you and discover the history.

Oil Rig

Court House in Brady

Wind Turbines

Texas Panhandle

 

Road Trip - Palo Duro Canyon

 The fun part of going on a road trip is stopping to visit friends a long the way.  We were excited about spending a few days with our friends, Paul & Marilee, who live in Canyon, Texas.  Paul is the Director of Research at West Texas University and his lovely wife, Marilee, is a teacher.  They moved here almost two years ago from Ft Collin, Colorado.  We have missed visiting with them.

Our route on Highway 287 was going to take us right by their home.  We wanted to see where they lived.  There is something about seeing your friend's homes.  When you think about them, you know exactly the environment that they live in.

After a good nights sleep, we woke up to a beautiful West Texas morning.  The sky was a beautiful baby blue color with white puffy clouds and the wind was blowing at least 7 mph.  After having our morning coffee, we packed up a breakfast picnic basket and headed to Palo Duro Canyon.  They live about twelve miles from the entrance to the Canyon.  Palo Duro has been on my bucket list for at least twenty years.  

As we approached the park, I was like a kid in a "candy store".  I was finally going to experience this beautiful park.  As we got to the park entrance, the ranger was very friendly.  She had a bright smile on her face and she was eager to hand us our information.  

From the moment that we entered, you could see the beautiful terra-cotta terrain.  You immediately knew that you were at the Grand Canyon of Texas.  The name Palo Duro is a Spanish word meaning "hard stick". This is the 2nd largest canyon in the United States.  The people in Texas say that Palo Duro Canyon is one of the best kept secrets.

We visited the museum and art gallery that is on the property.  We found a lovely spot in the shade that we could enjoy our breakfast burritos.  The shade and the breeze felt so delightful that we did not want to leave.

We drove around the canyon, which is 120 miles long and at least 6 miles wide. The colors and formations were spectacular.  One of the formations, Lighthouse is very unique.  It is the most famous rock formation in the park.  As you drive through the park, the size and the geological features and the spectacular colors reminded us of the Grand Canyon.  About thirty years ago, we did visit the Grand Canyon in Arizona.  

There is so much history with the Apaches Indians roaming through the canyon.  They were eventually replaced by the Comanche Indians and Kiowa Tribes.  In 1541, the first European explorers to discover the canyon were members of the Coronado expedition.

Captain Randolph B Marcy mapped the canyon in 1852.  In 1905, Charles N. Gould made a geological map of the canyon and named the formations.  

Besides the beauty of the park, the Canyon is also the site of an outdoor historical and musical drama, titled "Texas".  It is presented each summer by actors, singers, dancers and artists of the Texas Panhandle region.  It is one of the best-attended outdoor history drama in the nation.  But due to COVID-19, there was not a production this year.  I was sad that I wasn't able to see it.  I will just have to come back and visit my friends next year.  Hopefully, we can see it then.  

As we drove through the park, we could feel the temperature rising outside.  We weren't really prepared to go hiking, so after a couple of hours of enjoying the beauty of Palo Duro, we headed back to Canyon.

This is definitely a site that everyone needs to see.  Take time and go visit this spectacular park.

Road Trip

This morning I was up before sunrise.  Sitting in my rocker, looking out into the wetland, drinking my coffee, I was in awe of the full moon.  It was as if the moon was smiling back at me.

Today was the first day of our "Road Trip" to Texas.  I haven't traveled long distance by car in several years.  Due to the COVID situation, my husband and I felt "why not travel by car and see the USA".

If you have never taken a road trip, you need to.  It is a great way to enjoy the terrain, talk about the history of that area and just time to be with each other.

Before I talk about our 1st day of traveling, I want to share some trivia about the world's first recorded long-distance road trip by automobile.  It took place in Germany in August 1888.  The wife of the inventor of the first patented motor car traveled 66 miles, a speed of 10 miles per hour.  She traveled with her two teenage sons.  Her husband had no knowledge of this trip.

Her official reason of why she took this trip was to go visit her mother.  Unofficially, she intended to generate publicity for her husband's invention.  Her name was Bertha Benz.  The Benz's family eventually evolved into the present day Mercedes-Benz Company.  As Paul Harvey would say "now you know the rest of the story".

Kenny and I wanted to take the time to visit family in Texas.  Kenny's mother has three siblings that are living.  Uncle Frank and Aunt Loie live in San Antonio and Aunt Pat lives in Mars Hills, North Carolina.  Uncle Frank will be 92 in December and is still bowling and meeting friends for breakfast.  Aunt Loie will be 87 in October and keeps busy with her husband and children and grandchildren.  San Antonio would be our final destination in Texas before we drive back to Loveland.

The morning was busy packing the truck.  Knowing we had lots of room and we didn't need to worry about the weight of our luggage, we packed everything.  Kenny wanted to take boxes of books and turkey decoys for his brother, who would meet us in San Antonio from Houston.  We were definitely loaded when we pulled out of the driveway.

We would take I-25 South and then 70-east and then Highway 287 south to Texas.  Along the way, we would travel through areas that went through a lot of hardship during the 1920's and 1930's.  

As we traveled down the highway, the terrain continued to change.  We went from the mountains to the great plains.  Here we were traveling in our air condition truck with all the comforts.  I thought about the people that had traveled westward to discover new territories and new opportunities.  These people from the east set out on foot, wagon, horseback or train.  Their road trip was different than mine.

Driving along Highway 287, we saw an 18 wheeler that had been turned over.  Also, there was a guy on a Harley that was packed.  Lots of traffic on the road.  Everybody was going somewhere.

As we drove through the Comanche National Grasslands, southeast area of Colorado, I thought of the dinosaurs roaming the grasslands to the Mexican and American traders traveling through to the Santa Fe trail.  

Crossing the border from Colorado to Oklahoma, Kenny talked about the area and that the plains were the worst hit during the dust bowl.  The high plains experienced drought conditions for as many as eight years.  Passing through Boise City, Oklahoma, we discussed "Black Sunday".  Black Sunday refers to the dust storm that occurred on April 14, 1935.  It was one of the worst storms in American history and it caused immense economic and agricultural damage.  The combination of drought, erosion, bare soil  and winds caused the dust to fly freely and at high speed.  One begins to realize that every generation goes through something.  Every one stresses about the COVID pandemic, but what about the people who lived during the dust bowl.  Around 7,000 people died during the Dust Bowl.

Driving through the Oklahoma panhandle, which is a 38 mile stretch, we reached the Texas border.  It felt good to be back in "Texas".  We had another 140 mile before we got to Canyon, Texas to spend the night with friends.

After 500 miles and eight hours of driving, stopping twice, we finally reached our friends.  We were looking forward to visiting, as well as a great meal and a good nights sleep.

Tomorrow, we will see Palo Duro Canyon.  This has been on my bucket list for a long time.

As we passed this guy, I captured the moment.

Crossing into Oklahoma

Home Sweet Home

Comanche National Grassland - Colorado