Day 1: hello Wyoming

Yesterday we drove from Texas to Colorado; it was a loooong day, but I did sleep a solid 6 hours without waking up!  The kiddo dropped me off at the rental car place so I could go explore on my own and he could get ready for the start of grad school! He couldn’t wait for me to drive away!  It has been a challenging period for both of us!  Honestly, I was pretty excited too!  I made a quick lunch stop at Yampa Sandwich Co. before I left Fort Collins and the sandwich was so good! 

I was on the road headed north. I was in Wyoming in about half an hour!

First stop were the Oregon Trail Ruts . . . deep, physical grooves carved into solid sandstone by the iron-shod wheels of thousands of covered wagons during the mid-19th-century overland migrations.

 

Then on to Register Cliff . . . during the height of the westward migration in the 1840s and 1850s, it served as a popular first-night campsite and navigational checkpoint roughly a day's journey west of Fort Laramie along the Oregon, California, and Mormon Pioneer Trails.  Wyoming's most famous natural trail registers where trappers, traders, and emigrants chiseled their names, dates, and places of origin into the soft rock. The earliest recorded signature dates back to July 14, 1829.

Of course, with anything these days some people decide to carve their name as if they were important so it was hard to find the old original signatures.

 

Called it a night at an old-time roadside motel, Bunkhouse Motel.  It was as if I stepped back in time but super clean with the friendliest owners.

Huntsville, Texas

I have been to Huntsville several times but this weekend we are being tourist!  Huntsville is all about Sam Houston and the oldest state prison.  First stop was the Texas Prison Museum.  I wasn't sure what to expect but will say it was a good museum with good displays.  As morbid as it sounds the main attraction was seeing Old Sparky.  This was the electric chair used from 1924-1964 and where 361 condemned inmates died.

There was also a very detailed account of the July 1974 prison siege that lasted 11 days when inmates took 15 hostages.   

Next up was all about Sam Houston.  We walked around the Houston Farm complex that is actual land owned by the Houston Family from 1847-1858.  The grounds were very well kept and pretty.  The Houston's Family Woodland Home.  

Stopped by the Memorial Museum complex where there were exhibits about Houston and his life.  Did you know Francis Scott Key (yes, the one who wrote The Star Spangled Banner) was Sam Houston's attorney when Houston was accused of assaulting a member of Congress.  He was found guilty.  Then a short drive to the Sam Houston burial site

And a bit of useless information . . . when the monument arrived in 1911 the word governor was misspelled on the 3rd line . . . so they fixed it by sanding the misspelled word down and putting gov'nor.  

Our last stop was the BIG Sam Houston . . . if you are driving on I-45 you can't miss him!  

 

He stands 67 feet tall on a 10 foot base . . . his cane is 32 feet tall . . . his hand is 7.5 feet wide and he  weighs 30 tons!  Seriously if you don't see him you must have been asleep!

Best Food Spots:
Five Loaves Deli
Farmhouse Cafe

And if you like fabrics and quilting stopping by Little Splitpeas is a must!  

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One place I always recommend to visitors is the Waco Mammoth National Monument.  

It is a collaboration between the National Park Service, Baylor University, and the City of Waco.  

I  have been several times but today was the first time I attended one of the tours that actually gave the history of the site and explained exactly what I was looking at . . . otherwise you are looking down at a big hole with some bones.   

Quick summary:  In 1978, two local men discovered a large mammoth bone in a ravine near the Bosque River in Texas, leading to the unearthing of a rare nursery herd of Columbian mammoths. As of my visit, there have been at least 24 mammoths uncovered.  Following years of excavation and research by Baylor University, the site opened to the public inside a protective dig shelter in 2009. The site was officially designated as the Waco Mammoth National Monument in 2015.

I used a museum pass from the local library so it was free; otherwise it is $8 per person to visit (NPS Passes don't get you in for free).  Tours were on the top of the hour and worth the 45 minutes.  You don't have to go on a tour; you can get your ticket and just show up to the dig site.  

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I am going a bit crazy hanging out at home . . . it is already hitting triple digits so being outside is a bit unbearable.  I woke up early and told myself I was going to do something outdoors today.  So, I quickly got dressed and was on my way to Mother Neff State Park.  The weird thing is I grew up less than 20 miles from this state park and have never been here.  I arrived just minutes after they opened at 8am.  I grabbed a map and off I went.  I had already mapped out the trails I wanted to hike so that made it easy as I was trying to beat the Texas heat.  My car said it was 77, but I tell you it sure did not feel that cool.  The trails were well marked with a lot of shade!

I started at the Tower Trail and ended up on the Cave Trail.  I stopped at the CCC Rock Tower.  

You could climb to the top to see the views . . . which were mainly tree tops but nice.

. . . then on to the CCC Table.  

. . . and finally Tonkawa Cave.  The Tonkawa people lived in the rock shelter over 200 years ago.  

. . . with a final stop at the Historic Bell.  The CCC used this bell to call workers for dinner, meetings, and to warn them of storms.

The sun was starting to show its stuff so I jumped in the air conditioning and headed home.  And my car said it was 81 . . . not way because it already felt like 101!

Who was Mother Neff?

Isabella Eleanor Neff was born in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1830; the youngest of 12 children. She married Noah Neff in 1854, and after a few days of marriage, they decided to move to Texas.  It took them 52 days by carriage to drive from Roanoke to Belton, Texas.  They settled along the Leon River in Coryell County.  She earned the nickname Mother Neff from Chisholm Trail cowboys and local travelers because of her legendary hospitality, often offering them pie, coffee, and a place to rest.  Upon her death in 1921, she gifted 6 acres of her property to the citizens of Texas.  In other Neff family news, her youngest son, Pat Morris Neff, was elected Governor of Texas in 1921 and was president of Baylor University.  He would also donate more land to make Mother Neff State Park what it is today.

Lost Pines Resort, Texas

It is time for my yearly trek to hang out at my favorite Texas resort that is "near" my house, Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort.  Lost Pines is not really the town it is located .. . apparently it is Cedar Creek which is close to Bastrop, Texas.  But that doesn't really matter!

It is not really in my budget but thanks to points it is a "free" splurge!  I love walking up to the entrance knowing I am about to do absolutely nothing but relax . . . and eat.  The front is just as pretty as the back!

 

I love to go here before school ends and mid week  . . . the resort is empty except for an occasional conference of adults that attend meetings by day and fancy lawn parties by night.  I swear there were less than 20 people at the pool/lazy river area each day, and I was loving it!  My agenda was float the lazy river . . . round and round and round for hours!

 

. . . staring at blue skies!  

. . . with an occasional snack; that mango refresher drink was amazing!

Oh and who doesn't love a spin down the water slide?

I took breaks to nap in the room and check on the local friends . . . Johnny did not seem interested in visitors today.  I understand because for late May it is already HOT here in Texas.  At least he was smart enough to lay in the shade unlike the other crazy goats!

As night approached, I was in line to grab my free s'mores kit and off to the firepits.

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It is an easy day today.  I'm out early to beat the Texas heat . . . it is already hot so going to be a very long summer!  No museum pass needed as I am headed to the Carleen Bright Arboretum in Woodway.  I haven't been here in years and they have done some major renovations!  I wandered around the main garden area with fun sculptures, beautiful artwork, and planters.

Then found the nature trails and headed out.  The trails are very short  . . . I mean short short.  I brought a book and found many park benches under the large trees to relax and read.

 

It was time for a sweet treat.  Just down the road is my new favorite ice cream place, Splendid Oaks Chocolates and Ice Cream.

The sampler with 8 flavors ($14) . . . don't judge!  All the flavors were so good but the raspberry and mango sorbet tasted like fresh fruit.  The Wookie Monster, cinnamon ice cream with oatmeal cookie pieces, was over the top yummy!  And if you like homemade chocolates they have an amazing selection too!

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The last of the Waco historic homes open for tours is the Earle-Napier-Kinnard House.  

From Historic Waco:  In 1855, John Baylis Earle moved to Waco from Alabama and began construction on a one story house containing two rooms in 1858. At the time, it was one of the earliest brick homes of Waco. Mr. Earle briefly served in the Confederate Army, but left due to his poor eyesight.  In 1866, Earle moved his family to East Waco. In 1868, after the Civil War,  Dr. John Smith Napier, Sr. sold his plantation in Alabama and moved to Waco. The Napier Family completed the two story Greek-Revival style structure that exists today. Dr. Napier's daughter, Sarah, married Reverend David C. Kinnard, Jr. and the two moved into the home subsequently inheriting it. The Reverend and Mrs. Kinnard continued to reside in the house with their three children. The last two residents in the house were Miss Mary Kinnard and Miss Kate Kinnard.  To support themselves, they moved in solely in the downstairs part of the home while renting upstairs to Baylor University students. Although the house changed hands multiple times throughout the course of history, many elements of the home are original including the ceiling lamp in the entrance hall and the Lincoln rocking chair located in the South Parlor.

I enjoyed all three house tours but the Earle-Napier-Kinnard house was my favorite and the best tour!

And across the street is a place I really like but don't get down here often . . . nothing new or exciting but brings back memories of travel to when there were not in my part of Texas . . . In-N-Out Double-Double for the win!

Museum Pass saved: $10

Lunch: $10.50

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I am continuing to visit another of the historic homes in Waco.  Today, I am at the McCulloch House.

From Historic Waco:  The original two room cabin was built by Dr. Josiah H. Caldwell in 1866, as a home for his wife and five children.  In 1870, the house was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Champe Carter McCulloch who expanded the structure to its present size and Greek-Revival style and appearance that we see today. Champ Carter McCulloch was a prominent merchant in town along with serving as the Mayor of Waco for eleven years.  The house remained occupied by McCulloch family members until 1971. Along with many family heirlooms on display that tell the story of the Caldwell and McCulloch Family, the house showcases watercolor paintings painted by English artist Charles H. Cox, a cotton merchant who painted watercolors in Waco between 1890 and 1901.

And we all know I have to go have lunch so today I am driving across town to a place called Dos Mundos Spud Shack. They are knows for the Big Papi Spud and it was a massive loaded baked potato topped with chopped brisket, smoked rib, sausage link, barbecue sauce, butter, cheese, and chives.

Museum Pass save: $10

Lunch: $18