We're Home!
That's a bit of a misnomer, since we live in the motorhome full-time, but we're parked at "home", and enjoying seeing friends and family. The last 156 miles was logged on Thursday last, as we wrapped up our 2015 travels. And what a year it has been!
We traveled 9,112 miles, used 1023 gallons of fuel (for an average mpg of 8.9), spent 198 hours driving at an average speed of 45 miles per hour. Whew! But what a trip! From the West Coast to the East Coast, and from northern Maine to El Paso, Texas, we have seen a whole bunch of this wonderful country. We're asked what we liked the best, but have found that the question is impossible to answer because each area has it's own unique beauty. The cornfields of Iowa and Illinois stretch for miles on an early June morning and you can almost hear the bright green stalks reaching for the sun. The hustle and bustle of our nation's Capitol is at first intimidating, and then oddly comforting when we realized that this beautiful site is a symbol to the entire world that America still stands strong. Philadelphia, New York, and Boston are the center of the East Coast, with 400 year old buildings right beside tall office complexes. We expected the people in New York City to be a little rude (that's the way it seems in the movies!), but for the most part we found a lot of people going in a lot of different directions in a hurry, but always willing to stop a moment to help a visitor. In Maine, the crashing Atlantic waves seem to throw Lobsters into the pot, until you see the scarred lobster boats and the lined faces of the crews that risk their lives to harvest the seas' bounty. Vermont, although one of the smallest states, is also one of the most beautiful. Great granite quarries carve slabs of stone from seemingly endless mountain ranges.
Who can imagine the roar and the grandeur of Niagara Falls? The sheer majesty of the two adjacent falls is impossible to comprehend. And in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona? The smell of sagebrush, oil, and Bar-B-Que is everywhere! Dusty? Yes. Windy? Yes. Flat? Yes. But there are very few places to go that you can see the curvature of the earth, and that makes you feel very insignificant.
We had a few mechanical hiccups with Nessie, but nothing that a bit of creative thinking couldn't remedy. Our health remains good, as evidenced by the weight gain from all the good food! Little Sasha, the Boston Terrier, has learned to adapt to the lifestyle very well. She spends her first few walks in a new area sniffing and "prospecting", then she's comfortable. On travel days, she gets into her bed on the floor between us and goes to sleep. Only when we stop does she roust herself up; most of the time she's quiet no matter the noise, rattles, or clanking going on around her. She's a great traveler!
What we found in five months of traveling was that we need another five lifetimes to see our country. We've seen some of the highlights, but need to return.
Maybe next year!
That's a wrap for 2015 traveling. Thanks for going along with us. We'll be back on the road in early 2016, if the Good Lord is willing and El Nino doesn't wash us away!
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Mom
One hundred eighty seven miles northwest of Indio, CA, we pulled into Mountain View RV Park. We will be spending a few days with my Mom and Sister, and help Sis celebrate her birthday. We rode I 10 west out of Indio, and then took US 210 west through San Bernardino and Redlands to merge with I 5 northbound. For the most part, the highways were very nice except for about 10 miles of I 5 south of Santa Clarita, where the vibration from the potholes and cracks managed to sent one of D's prized plants over the edge of the counter, breaking the pot. This particular plant has been with us all summer, enduring thousands of miles of well used roads, but it only took a half hour on California's I 5 to destroy it!
My sister Becky got a kick out of some of the little gifts that were collected for her!
After two evenings at Mom's house, she and Becky came to the motorhome to have dinner with us. Donna prepared a fantastic feast! You get a sense of how close the sites are in Mountain View Park by looking out the window. In fact, a motorhome newly arriving had difficulty getting into the assigned site and ran into another guests' pickup, breaking a tail-light and denting the pickup bed as well as damaging several baggage doors on the motorhome!
After four wonderful days visiting family, we hit the road towards home in Northern California. We have been following the effects of the current drought on the state, but we were not prepared for what we found in Californias Central Valley. This area is aptly known at the nation's breadbasket, with crops of all description normally grown here. This afternoon we saw tens of thousands of acres of once productive farmland lying fallow. As we passed signs saying "Dams, not Trains", we shook our heads at the folly of the state government that has, and will continue to invest billions of dollars into a high speed rail system that is supposed to connect Sacramento and the Bay Area with Southern California. With a projected final cost (in current dollars) of $68 Billion, and a completion date for Phase I of 2029, the final dream will not be realized for many, many years. Curiously, the project was sold to the public as needing no subsidy, but it receives hundreds of millions of dollars annually in "cap and trade" monies.
Meanwhile, the state is unable to manage it's water resources, cutting hundred year old guaranteed water allotments to farmers willy-nilly, while mandating policies that raise the water prices for many folks ill able to afford the increases. Incomprehensible! Mind the house you live in, Sacramento.
Santa Nella, in the Great Central Valley, is known for three things: Andersen's Pea Soup Restaurant, In-n-Out hamburgers, and Starbucks. That's about it, but since it's a long way to the next stop, Santa Nella has become a thriving stop for travelers going north and south on I 5. It's two hundred and sixty nine miles from our place of the last four nights, and we're tucked into the Santa Nella RV Park. This is a small park designed for overnighters, but is reasonably priced and so-so quiet. It's located two hundred yards from In-n-Out, and a hundred yards from Starbucks. We're happy!
My sister Becky got a kick out of some of the little gifts that were collected for her!
After two evenings at Mom's house, she and Becky came to the motorhome to have dinner with us. Donna prepared a fantastic feast! You get a sense of how close the sites are in Mountain View Park by looking out the window. In fact, a motorhome newly arriving had difficulty getting into the assigned site and ran into another guests' pickup, breaking a tail-light and denting the pickup bed as well as damaging several baggage doors on the motorhome!
After four wonderful days visiting family, we hit the road towards home in Northern California. We have been following the effects of the current drought on the state, but we were not prepared for what we found in Californias Central Valley. This area is aptly known at the nation's breadbasket, with crops of all description normally grown here. This afternoon we saw tens of thousands of acres of once productive farmland lying fallow. As we passed signs saying "Dams, not Trains", we shook our heads at the folly of the state government that has, and will continue to invest billions of dollars into a high speed rail system that is supposed to connect Sacramento and the Bay Area with Southern California. With a projected final cost (in current dollars) of $68 Billion, and a completion date for Phase I of 2029, the final dream will not be realized for many, many years. Curiously, the project was sold to the public as needing no subsidy, but it receives hundreds of millions of dollars annually in "cap and trade" monies.
Meanwhile, the state is unable to manage it's water resources, cutting hundred year old guaranteed water allotments to farmers willy-nilly, while mandating policies that raise the water prices for many folks ill able to afford the increases. Incomprehensible! Mind the house you live in, Sacramento.
Santa Nella, in the Great Central Valley, is known for three things: Andersen's Pea Soup Restaurant, In-n-Out hamburgers, and Starbucks. That's about it, but since it's a long way to the next stop, Santa Nella has become a thriving stop for travelers going north and south on I 5. It's two hundred and sixty nine miles from our place of the last four nights, and we're tucked into the Santa Nella RV Park. This is a small park designed for overnighters, but is reasonably priced and so-so quiet. It's located two hundred yards from In-n-Out, and a hundred yards from Starbucks. We're happy!
Friday, October 23, 2015
Back in Cali!
We stayed two nights in the Casino Del Sol parking lot on Valencia Blvd in Tucson because we wanted to visit with some Newmar owners who winter in Tucson and have become good friends. The parking lot has been very quiet, with no traffic noise and very little in the way of RV visitors, so we almost hated to leave!
Ted and Phyllis came to our motorhome about 2:30 pm and we chatted for awhile before going to the Silver Saddle for some Prime Rib and Sirloin steaks. This is a great restaurant with good food and super friendly servers. Very nice! The grill is wood fired (Mesquite), and is located in the center of the dining room so you can enjoy the flames, smoke, and smell of genuine flame cooked beef!!
Returning to the motorhome, Ted kept us entertained with stories of his exploits in the military and as an electrical engineer. Phyllis is a retired teacher and could only shake her head at the current state of our educational system. We had such a good time talking that before we knew it, the clock had passed the pumpkin hour. Steak, coffee and cake, and wonderful conversation: what more could you want?
Back on I 10 West, we made it to the Colorado River, the border between Arizona and California. The agricultural inspection station near Blythe brought back memories.
And just beyond, the rather small and underwhelming welcome to California sign.
After having seen a multitude of state welcome signs over this past summer, I can only say that this is the smallest and most embarrassing of the lot. Come on, Cali!
Three Hundred Seventy Seven miles west of Tucson we pulled into the parking lot of yet another casino. This one, the Spotlight 29 in Indio, CA, is within spittin' distance of the interstate, and so is noisy. The temp this afternoon hit 97 as we pulled in, but has cooled off to 70 at about bedtime. Oh, Boy. This area has some downsides, but again, the security patrols are onsite and we are parked near a streetlight with security cameras. It'll be just fine…..
On into SoCal tomorrow to visit family for the next few days, so the posts will be hit and miss. After that, we're heading home….can't wait to see friends and family!
Ted and Phyllis came to our motorhome about 2:30 pm and we chatted for awhile before going to the Silver Saddle for some Prime Rib and Sirloin steaks. This is a great restaurant with good food and super friendly servers. Very nice! The grill is wood fired (Mesquite), and is located in the center of the dining room so you can enjoy the flames, smoke, and smell of genuine flame cooked beef!!
Returning to the motorhome, Ted kept us entertained with stories of his exploits in the military and as an electrical engineer. Phyllis is a retired teacher and could only shake her head at the current state of our educational system. We had such a good time talking that before we knew it, the clock had passed the pumpkin hour. Steak, coffee and cake, and wonderful conversation: what more could you want?
Back on I 10 West, we made it to the Colorado River, the border between Arizona and California. The agricultural inspection station near Blythe brought back memories.
And just beyond, the rather small and underwhelming welcome to California sign.
After having seen a multitude of state welcome signs over this past summer, I can only say that this is the smallest and most embarrassing of the lot. Come on, Cali!
Three Hundred Seventy Seven miles west of Tucson we pulled into the parking lot of yet another casino. This one, the Spotlight 29 in Indio, CA, is within spittin' distance of the interstate, and so is noisy. The temp this afternoon hit 97 as we pulled in, but has cooled off to 70 at about bedtime. Oh, Boy. This area has some downsides, but again, the security patrols are onsite and we are parked near a streetlight with security cameras. It'll be just fine…..
On into SoCal tomorrow to visit family for the next few days, so the posts will be hit and miss. After that, we're heading home….can't wait to see friends and family!
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Las Cruces to Tucson
The news out of El Paso last night (the network stations seem to be headquartered there), was very concerned about thunderstorms and flooding in the "Border Lands" along the Rio Grande from south of El Paso to west of Las Cruces, so we got up early this morning and prepped to leave. The time change from Central to Mountain helped immensely! It was dark when we got up, but the sun soon began to rise, giving us a great view of a desert sunrise after a storm!
We judged that once again, the weather predictors were a little off, and hit I 10 west hoping to keep ahead of the rain. That plan worked well for awhile.
And continued to gather as we chased I 10 west.
The clouds over the nearby mountains were awesome.
I 10 is a great road for getting from A to B, but not much for scenery. The 11 miles or so between Gary, AZ, and Road Forks, New Mexico is as straight as a string. The road deviates not an iota right or left, and, in fact, I seriously considered getting up and getting something to eat whilst Nessie drove herself down the road!
So, two hundred and eighty one miles and about five hours later, 1:30 pm local, we pulled into the parking lot of the Casino Del Sol on Valencia Rd, just south and west of downtown Tucson. We've overnighted here in the past, and found that the casino welcomes travelers with special meal options and roving security patrols in a well-lit parking lot. We're good to go!
Unfortunately, after driving through several nice showers and then thinking that we were done with the rain, it found us again. Just as we set up at the casino, the rain started! Oh, well, we don't have much to do this afternoon! A trip to the Tucson Tamale Factory is on the agenda, and then some dinner….who knows what will happen?
We judged that once again, the weather predictors were a little off, and hit I 10 west hoping to keep ahead of the rain. That plan worked well for awhile.
But the clouds began to thicken as we crossed into Arizona (and picked up another hour, since AZ doesn't observe Daylight Time, and is now on the same schedule as the Pacific Time Zone).
And continued to gather as we chased I 10 west.
The clouds over the nearby mountains were awesome.
I 10 is a great road for getting from A to B, but not much for scenery. The 11 miles or so between Gary, AZ, and Road Forks, New Mexico is as straight as a string. The road deviates not an iota right or left, and, in fact, I seriously considered getting up and getting something to eat whilst Nessie drove herself down the road!
So, two hundred and eighty one miles and about five hours later, 1:30 pm local, we pulled into the parking lot of the Casino Del Sol on Valencia Rd, just south and west of downtown Tucson. We've overnighted here in the past, and found that the casino welcomes travelers with special meal options and roving security patrols in a well-lit parking lot. We're good to go!
Unfortunately, after driving through several nice showers and then thinking that we were done with the rain, it found us again. Just as we set up at the casino, the rain started! Oh, well, we don't have much to do this afternoon! A trip to the Tucson Tamale Factory is on the agenda, and then some dinner….who knows what will happen?
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Wow! In Las Cruces!
We started our day in Las Cruces by having a late cup of coffee and discussing the chores that we needed to do today. Those plans lasted about 3 minutes and we took off for breakfast at Chalas Woodfire Grill on Avenida de Mesilla near the old square. As you know this area is one of the oldest in the state, having been established in 1848 by a group of citizens that were unhappy being in the United States and moved just south of the US/Mexican border. Attacks by Apache Indians caused the United States to establish Fort Fillmore in the Mesilla Valley in 1851, effectively making the area part of the US. Both Mexico and the US claimed the fertile valley until the Gadsden Purchase in 1853 resolved the dispute.
During the Civil War, Mesilla served as the capitol of the Confederate State of Arizona until it was recaptured by the California Column and returned to the Union for the remainder of the war.
We ordered Huevos Rancheros with "Christmas sauce", which is a combination of mild green and spicy red sauces. Donna pronounced it delicious. I decided to try the Chorizo and eggs since the Chorizo is made in house and is virtually fat-free. It was very good, but almost too much to eat! The biscuit in the upper left is a Galleta, or mexican biscuit. A bit flatter than what we're accustomed to, but served toasted in butter!
The Galleta was served with a selection of home-made preserves. We particularly liked the Green Chili!
Clouds moved in this afternoon, and thunderstorms began to build over the San Francisco mountains.
At one point, after we went to the grocery store, got some coffee, and came home, the clouds began to resemble the Mammatus clouds that presage a tornado, or at least high winds. At this point the temp was comfortable and the wind was light, so we pulled up some chairs, sat down, and enjoyed our coffee while watching the lightning and listening to the thunder.
After five minutes of this wonderful little pageant, the wind came up and within two minutes was blowing 45 mph (according to the local news), and the rain began to fall. We ran inside and turned on the TV and watched the local weather reports. Hail, high winds, and heavy rain was the norm for the Mesilla Valley from El Paso to Las Cruces. As I write this, about 6:30 pm MDT, the news is reporting more cells approaching from the southwest, and are making predictions of more and heavier storms tomorrow. The phrase "very, very, nervous" keeps being tossed around. And we're supposed to go to Tucson tomorrow…..We'll see how that works.
During the Civil War, Mesilla served as the capitol of the Confederate State of Arizona until it was recaptured by the California Column and returned to the Union for the remainder of the war.
Chalas is rather nondescript on the outside, but the interior decor is pleasant and tasteful.
We ordered Huevos Rancheros with "Christmas sauce", which is a combination of mild green and spicy red sauces. Donna pronounced it delicious. I decided to try the Chorizo and eggs since the Chorizo is made in house and is virtually fat-free. It was very good, but almost too much to eat! The biscuit in the upper left is a Galleta, or mexican biscuit. A bit flatter than what we're accustomed to, but served toasted in butter!
The Galleta was served with a selection of home-made preserves. We particularly liked the Green Chili!
I'm including a pic of the dinner menu to illustrate that Chalas doesn't have a huge selection, but they do a great job on their specialties.
Clouds moved in this afternoon, and thunderstorms began to build over the San Francisco mountains.
At one point, after we went to the grocery store, got some coffee, and came home, the clouds began to resemble the Mammatus clouds that presage a tornado, or at least high winds. At this point the temp was comfortable and the wind was light, so we pulled up some chairs, sat down, and enjoyed our coffee while watching the lightning and listening to the thunder.
After five minutes of this wonderful little pageant, the wind came up and within two minutes was blowing 45 mph (according to the local news), and the rain began to fall. We ran inside and turned on the TV and watched the local weather reports. Hail, high winds, and heavy rain was the norm for the Mesilla Valley from El Paso to Las Cruces. As I write this, about 6:30 pm MDT, the news is reporting more cells approaching from the southwest, and are making predictions of more and heavier storms tomorrow. The phrase "very, very, nervous" keeps being tossed around. And we're supposed to go to Tucson tomorrow…..We'll see how that works.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Midland, Texas to Las Cruces, New Mexico
349 miles today via I 20 and I 10 to the Coachlight Hotel and RV Park just south of I 10 in Las Cruces. We left Midland without getting the low priced fuel that we had found, but figured we had enough fuel to make it to New Mexico. Ha! We bucked a stout headwind yesterday driving from Frisco, TX to Midland, and again today. The news indicated a breeze of about 20-25 mph directly out of the southwest, right at our nose! The fuel gauge dropped like a rock as we crossed the flatlands of West Texas. Just south of El Paso we saw a station advertising Diesel fuel at $2.09! Turns out that was the cash price, but even at $2.14 credit price it was a great price! Needless to say, we filled 'er up.
The great, grey clouds were rolling in as we left the Oil Patch, more formally know as the Permian Basin. The bad weather held off, and the traffic thinned out.
And the speed limits went up….
As I 20 and I 10 merge, the landscape changes into some beautiful and craggy mountains.
And the highway cuts through some interesting rock formations.
El Paso surprised us with it's size. The city seemed to go on forever, but I suppose it's because the city is stretched along the border between Mexico and the United States. This interchange is but one of many, with the top span curving to the left and into Mexico across the Zaragosa Bridge.
Thirty some miles north on I 10 led us across the Texas/New Mexico border. We had already left Central Daylight Time, and picked up an hour in the process. Cool!
We are in site 5 of a fairly rustic but nice and quiet park. Just as we finished setting up, a large thundershower came through, but only lasted a few minutes.
Gotta go now. It's time to go to dinner at our favorite Las Cruces restaurant, the Double Eagle! Located in downtown old town Mesilla, near the temporary holding cell of Billy the Kid, it's a great place for a relaxing meal.
TTYL
The great, grey clouds were rolling in as we left the Oil Patch, more formally know as the Permian Basin. The bad weather held off, and the traffic thinned out.
And the speed limits went up….
As I 20 and I 10 merge, the landscape changes into some beautiful and craggy mountains.
And the highway cuts through some interesting rock formations.
El Paso surprised us with it's size. The city seemed to go on forever, but I suppose it's because the city is stretched along the border between Mexico and the United States. This interchange is but one of many, with the top span curving to the left and into Mexico across the Zaragosa Bridge.
Thirty some miles north on I 10 led us across the Texas/New Mexico border. We had already left Central Daylight Time, and picked up an hour in the process. Cool!
We are in site 5 of a fairly rustic but nice and quiet park. Just as we finished setting up, a large thundershower came through, but only lasted a few minutes.
Gotta go now. It's time to go to dinner at our favorite Las Cruces restaurant, the Double Eagle! Located in downtown old town Mesilla, near the temporary holding cell of Billy the Kid, it's a great place for a relaxing meal.
TTYL
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Ever Westward
We left the RV park at Hidden Cove in Frisco, Texas, this morning about 9:30. That was about an hour later than we had hoped, but we stayed up a bit late last night prepping for todays journey.
After some discussion with our friends, Roger and Mary, we decided to avoid the craziness of the Dallas/Ft Worth freeway/tollway system, and drive north until we encountered US 380, which we took westbound. This road is in fine shape and appears to be ready to be called an Interstate Highway. West through Little Elm, Denton, and Decatur we drove. After a few miles of road construction necessary because of flooding damage a few months ago, we found ourselves at the southern edge of Lake Bridgeport, driving through the town of Runaway Bay.
South of Jacksboro we turned south on TX 199 to US 281. This took us into some pretty country near Mineral Wells. The town of Mineral Wells lies just east of the Brazos River and is most notable for hosting the 1952 State Republican Convention which eventually supported Dwight Eisenhower for President. It's a quirky little town, very quiet on a Sunday, but with a bit of an attitude.
Not too far south of Mineral Wells, we skirted the town of Brazos and merged onto I 20 westbound. The roads to this point were wide and in great shape near Denton and then slowly reduced to two lanes, and then one lane in each direction. The speed limit on the divided highway sections was 70 mph for the most part, but became 75 when the highway was only one lane in each direction. Go figure!
Hour after hour, the road headed west.
We knew we were getting to the West Texas Oil Patch when we passed the Sweetwater refinery.
Through Colorado City and Big Spring got us to Midland, Texas, and the Walmart Supercenter just off the interstate. We stayed overnight here last year and found it to be hustle and bustle all night with oil industry related trucks and equipment. Tonight there are only two trucks in the parking lot, and they are just passing through and have nothing to do with the oil business. My, how times have changed! Speaking of that, Sasha and I walked over to the local Murphy's gas station this evening to check prices and found diesel fuel for $2.10 a gallon. I was so shocked that I didn't even look at the gas pumps! I'll have to try to get Nessie in for a drink in the morning!
So, there you have Sunday, October 18, 2015. Three hundred eighty seven miles and seven and one half hours further west…..
After some discussion with our friends, Roger and Mary, we decided to avoid the craziness of the Dallas/Ft Worth freeway/tollway system, and drive north until we encountered US 380, which we took westbound. This road is in fine shape and appears to be ready to be called an Interstate Highway. West through Little Elm, Denton, and Decatur we drove. After a few miles of road construction necessary because of flooding damage a few months ago, we found ourselves at the southern edge of Lake Bridgeport, driving through the town of Runaway Bay.
South of Jacksboro we turned south on TX 199 to US 281. This took us into some pretty country near Mineral Wells. The town of Mineral Wells lies just east of the Brazos River and is most notable for hosting the 1952 State Republican Convention which eventually supported Dwight Eisenhower for President. It's a quirky little town, very quiet on a Sunday, but with a bit of an attitude.
Not too far south of Mineral Wells, we skirted the town of Brazos and merged onto I 20 westbound. The roads to this point were wide and in great shape near Denton and then slowly reduced to two lanes, and then one lane in each direction. The speed limit on the divided highway sections was 70 mph for the most part, but became 75 when the highway was only one lane in each direction. Go figure!
Interstate 20 began to give us a taste of West Texas as we approached Abilene.
We knew we were getting to the West Texas Oil Patch when we passed the Sweetwater refinery.
Through Colorado City and Big Spring got us to Midland, Texas, and the Walmart Supercenter just off the interstate. We stayed overnight here last year and found it to be hustle and bustle all night with oil industry related trucks and equipment. Tonight there are only two trucks in the parking lot, and they are just passing through and have nothing to do with the oil business. My, how times have changed! Speaking of that, Sasha and I walked over to the local Murphy's gas station this evening to check prices and found diesel fuel for $2.10 a gallon. I was so shocked that I didn't even look at the gas pumps! I'll have to try to get Nessie in for a drink in the morning!
So, there you have Sunday, October 18, 2015. Three hundred eighty seven miles and seven and one half hours further west…..
Saturday, October 17, 2015
A Last Look at Frisco
Thursday evening, after recovering from all the physical exercise, we sampled genuine Texas Barbecue at Hutchins BBQ. Let me tell you….the Brisket is delicious!
Friday morning, the 17th of October, we met Roger and Mary for breakfast at Jimmy's Egg. This is a local chain that just opened a store near our home base. The menu is quite extensive and the service was fine. They have only been open a few weeks and are still working out the kinks. Great food!
After breakfast we decided to cruise around Frisco to see the changes that have occurred since our last visit in 2007. Oh, Boy! The Dallas Cowboys football team is building (with local help, read $$$) a practice facility in Frisco, so we were able to get a glance at it as we drove by. The site is huge and will eventually house shopping and hotels as well as the stadium.
One of the must-see things on our list this morning was a visit to Central Park, where the great cattle drives of the late 19th century are memorialized. Most of the cattle drives went through the Dallas area on the way to Missouri and beyond. Most went through the North Dallas/Frisco area and this park commemorates, on this very spot, one of the most famous, The Shawnee Trail.
The park is dotted with quotes from the cowboys that worked the trail…
Large bronze pieces are cast into the walls in the park depicting views of the cattle drives.
Bronze Longhorns burst from the walls on a dead run, so lifelike that you would think they've just been spooked by lightning.
Running and jumping, pursued by cowboys, they appear to be heading right for the apartments across the street!
The lifelike figures are unbelievable!
From "The Bridge" at the end of Central Park, we can just make out the new Cowboys stadium.
Just up the street, around the corner, and through the woods, another series of sculptures honor the cattle drives. These "Longhorns" look to be moving along a grassy area between a street and some businesses.
One Doggie had to stop for a bite of grass!
But Mr. Cowboy is coming up fast!
The detail on the sculptures is amazing!
A short trip to Plano, Texas, brought us to the former EDS building, now part of Hewlett Packard. The large structure in the center was once known as "The God Pod" due to it being the home of the Big Wigs.
Just past "Four Corners", where Frisco, Mckinney, Allen, and Plano, Texas meet, and south a little is the home of Allen High School. The city of Allen has chosen to have one High School with upwards of 10,000 students, instead of dividing the student population into smaller segments. One advantage of this strategy is that one capital investment serves a lot of people. The school is famous for having an $80 million football stadium. This is still Texas!
Eagle Stadium is indeed impressive!
This part of Texas has been enjoying a huge building boom. Most likely due to the favorable business (read tax) climate, more and more companies are moving their headquarters/facilities to Texas. Toyota is moving its operation from California to Frisco, as an example, and the entire state benefits. Local contractors are crazy busy, Frisco is building its ninth high school, and most roads are at least four lanes being enlarged to six, or six being modified to handle all the traffic. As far as the eye can see, the flat landscape is covered with big Texas-sized homes, or the dirt work in preparation for homes, or road work to get ready for next years' projects!
Prices seem to be……reasonable….
A dinner at Aw Shucks Oyster Bar completed our day.
Of course, we had to have Oysters, along with Shrimp, Onion Rings, and bowls of Gumbo. Delicious!
We're leaving Frisco tomorrow, heading West toward California. It's always a sad day to leave good friends after spending some quality time with them, but we must move on.
We've thoroughly enjoyed our time with Roger and Mary. Their hospitality is much appreciated.
Thank you.
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