Wednesday, February 20, 2019

My Texas Journal


My Texas Journal

18 Nov, 2017


Ahhhhhhhhhh, Texas

We absolutely fell in love with Texas and the people there. If we were ever to leave Florida, Texas would be where we went...

Our travels have brought us all around the "lower 48". We've tried to zip zag, circle through, and around every state we could. Florida was where this endeavor started.

Enjoy your journal.

Thank you for taking this wonderful journey with us. It has been absolutely incredible. 

Please keep in mind that some museums don’t allow photography.

Pambling Roads−My Texas Journal


Pambling Roads continues with Texas. Our adventures kept us looking forward to meeting new people, seeing new towns, and experiencing different foods from different parts of the country.

Well let me tell you, Texas is huge!

Texas is awesome and we took our time traveling through the state.

Galveston

We only stayed two nights north of Galveston in Baytown.

On our first night in Texas, after what felt like a long drive, we didn’t want to do anything. We dined at the Tuscany Italian restaurant in Baytown. It was a family owned restaurant.

First thing in the morning, we drove to Galveston. If you’re interested in learning about historical events in the area, it’s an awesome and fascinating place to visit.


Pleasure Pier 

We wouldn’t know what to tell you. It looked like an excellent interesting and fun outdoor entertainment facility for all ages. I probably would’ve loved writing about it. However, they wouldn’t let us enter because they don’t allow water bottles, drinks, or food. I understand the “drinks or food” completely.

A security guard was there to make sure no one went through with any food or drinks. But, there was no way I was giving up my water when it was steaming hot outside. The cloud coverage was doubling the humidity making it feel like we were walking around in a hot oven.  I didn’t want to walk around for hours without my precious water in 90+ degree weather so we didn’t go.

There was no way I was going to take a chance of getting overheated, or worse, heat prostration. I could see the headlines…Floridian passes out from Texas Heat.

Sorry, but I’m not dehydrating in that kind of weather and passing out for anybody. Unfortunately, they weren’t customer friendly.



We took the Pink Trolley tour, Treasure Isle tour train which was informative. The guide was polite and interesting with a great sense of humor. The tour was about an hour and a half and we learned about the infamous hurricane, the Seawall, why they built up/lifted all the houses and historic buildings, the Moody Mansion, Jean Lafitte’s home, and much more. 

There was no kiosk or anything to buy tickets. Take the tour train at the available hours of 9:30 am, noon, or 2:30 pm and if there was room, payment was given to the driver (cash only).










The Moody Mansion



We toured the Moody mansion, formerly owned by one of the prominent Texas financial tycoons. This home has been beautifully restored. The Moody’s were a prominent family in Galveston. No photographs are allowed.

The home was absolutely gorgeous, with great history behind it. It’s 28,000 square feet of breathtaking rooms that have been restored to its former glory. If we ever go back to Galveston, I’d definitely want to see this home again.


Some residents in the area have a sense of humor and have created sculptures with old stumps.









San Antonio

The Alamo in San Antonio



MisiĆ³n San Antonio de Valero, the Alamo. We’ve all heard of the Alamo for as long as we can remember. The words “Remember the Alamo” resonated in ours heads. When I was younger, I had no idea what it meant. Now, as an adult, I understand that it’s hallowed ground, a tribute to those who lost their lives, making the ultimate sacrifice for something they passionately believed in−freedom.




It was originally a mission. Depending on your history teacher, you learned it was a vicious battle over the control of San Antonio in the Texas Revolution with no survivors—at least that’s how I remember it. Sometimes, unless you personally dig deeper, you have to depend on that vague memory, whether it be correct or not. The Alamo was one of those places, where my husband and I remembered the history vaguely yet, not quite correctly.

The Alamo’s located in downtown San Antonio and not difficult to find. There were signs everywhere. Admission is free. Of course, they accept donations. I was even lucky enough to get a picture taken with a real Texas Ranger. (Sorry, didn’t get his permission to use it for the journal.)

As we toured the Alamo, we didn’t see any bullet holes or cannon holes in the remaining original structure. This doesn’t mean there weren’t any, we just didn’t see any. However, inside the original walls, we did see some marks from obvious bullet/ball holes.

There is a copy of the famous letter written by the Commander of the Texan rebels asking for help to defend the “People of Texas and All Americans” and signed “Victory or Death”.




Junction




The Kimble County Museum

The museum and was jam-packed with history. We spoke with the proprietor and one of the other volunteers for a little while. Just speaking with them about the area and Texas was wonderful. They were both filled with historical information.

South Llano River Park



It was beautiful. They allowed camping, swimming, and have tube rentals if anyone was interested. My husband put his feet in the river, and we drove around the area watching and spotting the different wildlife.

They have raw campsites for tents and have sites for motor homes, too. There were several hiking trails, and a small section where you can drive.

There were several turkey roosting areas. They request hikers to take care while hiking through the area. The park has limited hiking during certain times of the year to protect the birds and their nesting areas.

At the park, we met a gentleman and his little boy from the big bend area and chatted with them for a while. Speaking with him was enlightening. He spoke about Texas, and you could hear the love and pride he has for Texas country. He reminded me of all the books I’ve read about Texas heroes, their gentle, yet a strong spirit. It was right in front of me, exactly as it was written in all of those books about Texas men.


Fort McKavett



The Fort McKavett historical site in Texas Hill Country was next on our To-Do list. Located near the San Saba River, it was a military command post in the 1850’s to the 1880’s. It had almost twenty original buildings and ruins of the fort still standing. It was an old western fort that played a major role in the settlement of West Texas. 



It was noted that General Sherman considered it the prettiest post in Texas. It also housed four regiments of the Buffalo Soldiers. 

For a short time, it was closed with a command to withdraw from the area and later reopened and reconstructed by the army after the Civil War. There’s an abundance of history with this fort, and well worth the time to go off the beaten path for a great historical adventure.

Van Horn

It was 102 degrees the day we arrived and didn’t get much cooler while we were there.

The movies, Blue Sky, Dead Man’s Walk, and Lonesome Dove were filmed in Van Horn and in portions of west Texas.

Van Horn has a unique saying about its town. “The town is so healthy we had to shoot a man to start a cemetery.”



Driving around looking for adventure, we came across Lobo, Texas. A ghost town of sorts. It was obvious that this was a privately owned property. However, there were several older homes on the property leaving us with the impression that the town had been abandoned.



We decided to head to the Wylie Mountain area. We caught pictures of several dust devils. Some of them lasted for several minutes. On our way back from the mountains, my husband hit the brakes. A road runner had done exactly what everyone says they’ll do to you, ran straight across the road in front of us.

We pulled over as quickly as possible. I was able to grab some great pictures of the roadrunner…in the Wylie Mountain area. Alas, we didn’t see any coyotes until we were in New Mexico. (Or an Acme truck until we were near Dallas on the return trip home.)



Clark Hotel Historical Museum







This is probably one of the best local museum tours we’ve been through. It was in the process of being repaired—sort of, so what you see is what it’s become as it has aged in the last one hundred-plus years. It was a large building used in the downtown business district as a saloon, post office, and county courthouse, until it was purchased and made into a hotel by the Clark family.

The museum has no admission price. Donations are welcome. The elegant mahogany saloon bar in the main entrance was well preserved with a few markings/swells from the heat of a fire that had started in one of the rooms. There were several artifacts and displays from different industries: mining, ranching, railroad, and furnishings to name a few.

They were photos of petroglyphs and a section of Native American artifacts on display. They even have a huge dinosaur bone!

The tour of the second floor shows the different rooms used for the hotel guests and residents. In the rooms, they have displays of personal items from residents of Van Horn from days gone by.



Patricia was our guide and she was wonderful. Her patience with us was perfection, answering all our questions, filling us in on the history of Van Horn from past to present. The museum was a precious diamond. What an excellent opportunity it’d be to finish refurbishing the building, and be able to use it as a hotel as well as museum.

Chuy’s Restaurant

Known for their excellent food and the fact that John Madden bragged about them so much they ended up in the Haul of Fame. Honestly, I had to ask my husband who John Madden was but that’s me. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who recognize the name. It was extremely busy so we decided to order take-out. The food was absolutely delicious and now we know why Mr. Madden made such a big deal about the food. 

I hope you enjoyed this Pambling Roads My Texas Journal. You may purchase My Texas Journal from Amazon or your local book shop.




Nurture your creativity with My Texas Journal, an interactive journal designed to spark your imagination and self-motivation. The Pambling Roads series includes historical trivia and tidbits about Texas, a small section in the front of the book by the Pambling Roads author sharing her travels, and short quips about the places she's been.The second portion features one side for drawings, sketches, or pasting personal pictures, and the other side lined for notes or journal writing. Use this journal to cultivate exploration, focus on daily acknowledgment and the simple joys of life, the blessings given, or to write down inspirational quotes−whatever your heart desires, and stirs your interest.Perfect for all ages!


Got travel stories or tidbit and trivia about any of the Pambling Roads places? Go right ahead and put them in the comment section. We welcome your stories!

Have a good moments day,
Pam

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