Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma

 

While the name is deceiving the Wichita Mountains are filled with wonder and life. What is lacking in height is made up in surprise. After over a year in Lubbock we found ourselves traveling back to St. Louis for a funeral, with no time to prepare flights were unreasonable so we made the drive. On our return trip we stopped for the night in the Lawton OK are, about 30min from the Wichita Mountains. Needing a chance of pace and bit of exercise after several days of driving and eating we were happy to discover this area has great trails that are easy to navigate and designed for short 2 hour hikes.

As this is almost the same distance as Carlsbad NM I would not recommend this as a weekend trip from the Lubbock area unless you are really burnt out on the trails to the west. But I would highly recommend this if you are going on a road trip, I think I could have easily camped and spend several days in this area enjoying the unexpected beauty that makes up the Wichita Mountains.

 

 

As an aside, I have recently been reading quite a bit on Quanah Parker and had hoped while we were so close to get a chance to visit the star house. The man who owns the home is willing to let you see it however you need to time your visit with when he is closing up the restaurant (and that time depends on how many customers) We did not have ½ a day to wait for the restaurant to close so had to pass on this opportunity, if we are ever back I would like to see in person this incredible part of west Texas history.

Port Aransas - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is not close to Longview/ Kilgore. In fact you would have approximately a 6 hour drive. But as a Minnesotan its much closer than I was as a child. This past Easter I went down and spent a long weekend exploring Mustang Island State Park at Port Aransas.

White sand and blue water made the gray skies fade from observation.  The city has things to offer but I would suggest that you plan to spend the vast majority of your time on the beach. A state park, national seashore and local parks give you lots of choice of where you can spend your days.

From Longview you can drive down on a Friday and get there with time to see the gulf before finding dinner. Saturday and Sunday can be spent enjoying the sand, dips in the gulf and adventures in the dunes. Monday you drive back and have time to unpack and do laundry before bed. Back to work by Tuesday with a lightness that only comes from the ocean.

Hugo Lake State Park, Oklahoma

Water marks across the whole park

Late December I made the journey to Oklahoma for a day of exploring Hugo Lake State Park.

Oklahoma has experienced historic flooding over the past 12 months and the signs of this could not be overlooked

Sand on the sidewalk

Somehow this made the park more still than normal, silence broken only by the occasional rifle shot from deer control hunt going on in the land adjacent.

Water in a low area by a picnic pavilion 

The park itself has some fabulous infrastructure with pavilions, swim areas, cabins, tent sites, RV pads, boat docks, nature trails and play areas.

Debris in the parking lot

I spent about 4 hours exploring the different sections of the park mesmerized by the bleak experience of it all.

Well worth a visit, not worth the drive.

Sulphur Springs

Camp Tonkewa Springs

Waterford ME

Ian and I just returned from our annual anniversary vacation, this year like the 2 years previous we headed north to escape the Texas heat and went on a mini road trip.

This year we did Boston up to Maine. Much of our trip was like many others but we made a side visit to Waterford ME. A lovely quaint town surrounded by more lovely quaint towns.

We spent about 1/2 of our time at Deerwood Farm Garden, owned by the parents of a dear friend of ours. There is something so relaxing about chilling out on a small family farm in central Maine, if you have an chance to do so someday I highly recommend it.

I am not an amazing photographer but here are the pictures from our time in Waterford.

Chiangmai Thai

One of the great things about living in longview is the every changing array of restaurants. New ones open every month and others close about as often. Not all are fantastic but many are worth a try... I mean hey what else are you going to do tonight?

About 6 months ago with no fan fair Chiangmai Thai opened in a strip mall behind the AT&T store. I was luck to spot is and have visited several occasions.

The food is variable based on how busy, the day or the week and who is cooking. The prices are reasonable and the food is fairly fast.

Their wait staff is unique, all brand new servers who have no experience in food service and who know nothing about Thai food. A true experience every time, but one that I honestly enjoy.

Two negatives that I would feel remiss not mentioning: If its a dish that comes with rice you will need an additional side as the rice potion is too small. Secondly last week when we went in a cockroach was spotted scurrying across the wall in the dining area.

http://www.longviewthaifood.com

Pairs Texas - Pairs Bakery

A bit of a drive from Longview.

En route to an Oklahoma Casino.

A ghetto Eiffel tower. 

A Bakery

A Bakery that deserves to be called a Bakery

Devine cookies

True coffee

Homemade breads

Real ingredients

Modern industrial vibe

and a bit of the stereotypical french attitude

Perfection.

A weekend in Hot Springs AR

I was pleasantly surprised to find that Longview Tx is less than 5 hours from Hot Springs AR. Full disclosure I love Hot Springs AR.

I love the food in Hot Springs, and on this weekend trip during the late fall my husband and I discovered Cafe 1217, a fantastic healthy deli, its off the walking section of the historic district but is on a main road in town. As this was our second trip to Hot Springs since moving to East Texas we felt comfortable with the off the main street journey and it was completely worth it, this is a top choice for anyone having a meal in Hot Springs.

http://www.cafe1217.net/menu.html 

 I love the historic baths in Hot Springs National Park. I don't have any photos, but plenty are online so look it up and give yourselves at least 2 hours to soak while your in Hot Springs. On both visits now we have spent closer to 5 hours at the baths, just thinking about it makes me want to drive up there this weekend....





And of course the hiking. The national park has an abundance of easy access hikes, from 1/4 miles that are paved to long day trips and even a few multi day options. Being weekend visitors we have stuck to the shorter side of thing.








During this trip we took the journey up the observation tower. Being late fall the colors were mostly gone but it was an interesting experience and the observation deck had an abundance of local history. Opting to take the elevator up is a great idea and the stairs down are a bit crazy if you not very comfortable with heights. I enjoyed the tower but would not list it as a must do if you only have one weekend in Hot Springs.









Following the tower we drove the mountain top road to the side away from town and did a 2 mile there and back journey on a well maintained sloping path. Any time hiking in a lovely landscape is a great use of time.

Java Primo

Up early on Sunday Morning to make it back to Longview with time to get ready for the next week we have now twice stopped in Arkladelphia for coffee/ Chai. A small chain Java Primo make a blended Chai that is divine. Nestled in the historic down town of this struggling college town there is always parking and you will walk away with some caffeine and a smile.

Down Town

Santa Land

(this post was drafted in Dec 2014 and is just now being published)

As a child on several occasions my parents would put us in the car and drive us through a christmas light display. Now reaching my second year in East Texas and having seen the miles of cars lined up for Santa Land I knew it was time. My husband and I got in the line of cars and slowly crept our way to Santa Land. 

The first bit of advice I have is go pee before you get in line. The second bit is have some sort of book on CD or pod case, I promise you that local radio will get old after the first 30 min that you are in a dead stop on a county road just waiting to have the cars start to move forward.

As we approached the park it was instantly apparent that this was the best idea ever. They have a low frequency raid station that the trees at the entry way are set to and once in the park music is pumped in. This being Texas so many kids were in the beds of pickup trucks lounging on beanbag chairs and eating popcorn, it made me want a pick up all the more.

The park loop will take you a solid 45min and the quality and aww is continual. If you are visiting or living in East Texas a christmas season to Santa Land is well worth your time.

http://santalandtexas.com 

A Minneapolis area 4th of July Trip

If you happen upon this blog because your trying to plan a fantastic Minneapolis area 4th of July trip, I have a fantastic one for you. If you are reading this because your a friend/ family member here was my 2014 trip.

Stop #1. The twin cities Jazz fest. Held primary in St.Paul, we made it a cousin gathering and started at the outdoor stages, rain brought us indoors and the music continued!

http://www.hotsummerjazz.com/ 

Stop #2 was dinner at Buca. While its a chain the decor is always a good time, the food fabulous and if you have a group or family who you go with the mix is perfect.  http://www.bucadibeppo.com/ 

 Stop #3. Coffee, Minneapolis has some great coffee house sections. NE Minneapolis has the Spyhouse that makes a good latte and has the perfect coffee shop atmosphere to relax, visit or get some work done.

 http://spyhousecoffee.com/

Stop #4. No summer in Minnesota should pass without some time on water in a boat. My trip we drove about 75 minuets  over to Taylor's Falls and spent a very enjoyable two days traveling down to Stillwater. This takes two vehicles or hitchhiking to accomplish. Free campsites are on the river but due to flooding we stayed at William O Brian State Park.
http://www.nps.gov/sacn/planyourvisit/maps.htm

Stop #5 Bike paths in Minneapolis. Minneapolis is one of the best bike cities in America. The midtown greenway is very enjoyable with safe, well used and maintained paths sprinkled with murals and sculptures.                     http://midtowngreenway.org/                            You can stop at the global market for lunch or coffee if you so desire as its right off the trail and has bike parking. http://www.midtownglobalmarket.org/ 

Stop #6. Continuing with the time along the Croix went about 90 minutes down to Frontenac State Park and hiked along the river banks. A 4 mile hike that takes some time and effort because as our park ranger told us what you go down you must come back up. The "lake" where the Croix and the Mississippi merge had sailboats sprinkling it, if I had more time I would love to see if you can do a day rental in that area.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/frontenac/index.html

And end it with some fireworks by Lake Minnetonka 

http://www.excelsior-lakeminnetonkachamber.com/lake-minnetonka-4th-of-july.html