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Thursday, October 30, 2008
Feature Accommodation: Linden B&B in Natchez
There are not many places where history can surround you such as here.
The beauty of Linden is evident all around and is given testimony by
it's front entrance being the model for the entrance to Tara in "Gone
With the Wind." For ourselves, Linden felt like home and we left
refreshed. Our only regret was that we couldn't stay longer in this
historic Natchez B&B which dates to 1800.
Read our new feature on
the Linden
B&B in Natchez.
Recommended
books on Natchez
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The wonders of Palo Duro Canyon up close
After a 10+ hour drive from Austin, we finally made it to the Canyon.
Before we got started good we had deer running along side our RV before
we ventured out onto the main road near our house. The drive took us
through many rustic towns, with views of lots of cattle, sheep, goats,
mesas, windmills (old and new) along the way. We were impressed with the
large number of windmills providing electricity here in North Texas
thanks to T. Boone Pickens who has led the way (see his website at www.pickensplan.com)
with energy solutions to reduce our dependance on foreign oil.
Palo
Duro Canyon is 2nd only to the Grand
Canyon in size and beauty. One of the early white settlers who owned
most of the area was Col. Charles Goodnight, famous for his ranching
empire among other pursuits. Just across the street from our RV park, West
Rim RV Park, is a ranch that still remains in the Goodnight family.
Upon our arrival, we saw 3 mule deer (one with horns in our RV park).
Our
RV site is just 500 yards from the edge of Palo Duro Canyon! I captured
a video late today viewable here that shows the canyon from our RV park
just after 7 p.m. --
We
will be exploring the great hikes in the canyon. The winds the second
day we were there caused the cancellation of the balloon liftoff this
year for the Pirates of the
Canyon Balloon Liftoff from the canyon floor. Look for details and
video from our trip coming soon.
Edited on: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 8:06 PM
Categories: Attractions, Destinations, RVing
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Feature RV Resort: Texan RV Ranch near Dallas/Ft. Worth
On our recent trip to the Dallas area, we stayed away from the hustle
and bustle at an RV park in the town of Mansfield, with a population of
50,000. We found the RV park to be quiet, with nice amenities, and
within 30 minutes of either Dallas or Fort Worth. Read about Texan
RV Ranch, our Feature RV Resort. During our stay we enjoyed the Texas
State Fair in Dallas.
Coming up soon: We head to Palo Duro
Canyon to experience the natural wonders and enjoy photographing the
many balloons over the Canyon during the Amarillo Invitational Balloon
Rally. I'm overdue for a balloon rally. I've always had a fascination
with balloons, and went up in one as part of a chase crew back in 1996
with the Mississippi Sky Parade.The last one I attended was back in 1999
at the Albuquerque
International Balloon Fiesta where we met the late James Brown
shopping for clothes while visiting the historic downtown area. We'll
have a chance to go on some great hikes with lots of photo opps.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Texas State Fair - A Mega Event
As this is our first time to the Texas State Fair, I didn't know just
what to expect. Held yearly in October near downtown Dallas, we soon
found our way among UT/OU fans who were also looking for parking places
or leaving as the football game was held earlier in the day at the
Cotton Bowl by the fair. After following the signs for many blocks, we
turned in and paid $10 to park. As we arrived after 6 p.m., I expected
the gate entry to be reduced but it was $14 a person (tip: bring a Dr.
Pepper can and get half off).
People
were everywhere, along with the new cars on display, hot tubs, amusement
rides, wine tastings, artwork, exhibits, livestock, and all types of
food you could imagine. If it could be fried it was sold. Fried s'mores,
fried banana split, fried grilled cheese sandwich, fried jelly belly
beans, and of course fried okra. What we missed seeing that are staples
with the Mississippi fair are free biscuits, catfish on a stick, kettle
corn, roasted corn, cinammon rolls, elephant ears, and huge hamburgers.
Also, the classic cars had already left for the day. With the
Mississippi fair, they are indoors and can be seen as long as the fair
is going.
We only got to see a quarter of the fair as we got
tuckered out after walking for several hours. Huge is an understatement.
Still, we enjoyed hearing Kevin Fowler once again, sampling the food,
and walking through the exhibits.
Edited on: Monday, October 13, 2008 5:17 PM
Categories: Attractions, Entertainment
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Upcoming Mississippi Features: Natchez, Long Beach
We return soon to the grand old city on the bluff, Natchez
to feature the b&b gem Linden.
Not many stately mansions in the area have such a rich history. The
doorway was the inspiration for Tara in the movie Gone with the Wind.
Our veteran writer Tommy Ford will cover the unique aspects of this
antebellum home that dates to 1800.
Along the Mississippi
coast in Long Beach, we will be featuring the first b&b along the
coast, the Red Creek Inn, a
quaint b&b housed in a three story cottage dating to 1899.
Upcoming Texas Features: Dallas, Palo Duro Canyon
We will be traveling soon to Dallas to cover the giant Texas State Fair
and featuring the Texas
RV Ranch, located in Mansfield near Dallas/Ft. Worth.
From
there, our RV travels will take us to the picturesque Palo Duro Canyon,
2nd only to the Grand
Canyon in size and beauty. One of the early white settlers who owned
most of the area was Col. Charles Goodnight, famous for his ranching
empire among other pursuits. We will a be featuring West
Rim RV Park, situated conveniently just outside of the State Park.
Apologies
for not updating the blog recently as the software used (Thingamablog)
has experienced numerous glitches. Due to it's limitations, we will be
updating to a more robust solution in the coming months.
Edited on: Thursday, October 09, 2008 6:56 PM
Categories: Accommodations, Destinations
