Caddo lake

This is not my first trip to Caddo Lake, but every time I go I am amazed by how much there is to explore and how much I fall in love with it all over again.

The giant salvinia that have infested the lake remain creating a sharp color contrast withing the lake while adding a strange element of feeling that your on land while in your canoe,

 

Did I mention that there is no better way to explore this lake than with a friend in a canoe (can be rented from Johnsons Boat Rentals)

A map is a must is you plan to go very far, there are trails and islands and turns all over the lake, that even with a map can be a bit complex to navigate.

Spanish Moss and Cypres trees are a stunning experience and a must do it you can get here.

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.

Longview Hot Air Balloon Festival

East Texas is host to the National Hot Air Balloon Finals. This makes for a great week to be moving about the Longview area as for the whole week the sky is dotted with balloons.

At the end of the week a balloon festival takes place. 

It is more amazing than you think.

Arrive early to see the grounds and to check out the shops.

As the sun starts to set the balloons start to go up and your whole world becomes magical

Sulphur Springs

Camp Tonkewa Springs

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

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 

Ethiopian dallas

Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant

http://lalibeladallas.net/ 

9191 Forest Ln

Ste 2

Dallas, TX 75243

This place is amazing! The vegetarian variety dish is pronominal. Located in a somewhat sketchy strip mall next door to a strip club they are open late, encourage eating with  your hands and have an atmosphere that is reminiscent of  those wonderful moment of reprieve when backpacking the southern hemisphere. A great choice if you are spending a day in Dallas.

Walter Jacobs Park Mooringsport, LA 71060

A gem of a discovery. The Walter Jacobs Park in Morrningsport Louisiana is a short 1 hour drive from Longview Tx. It has about 5 miles of true nature trails that loop and wind to allow for all levels of dedication. Its free to visit but has limited hours so check before you go. At the parking area you find a nature center with all sorts of interesting local things to see, touch and learn about. The lady working the Sunday we visited was very friendly and had lots of interesting information on the local environment, including the existence of a Bear population that moves between the south eastern Louisianan area and the east Texas area around Pittsburgh and Jefferson.

The trails are varied with handicap accessible paved trails, sandy paths, bridges over slow low creeks and trails through the fields under the power cuts. Due the the looping system the park has LOTS of trail signs and great maps but you will most likely question if you are really where you think you are, luckily they all loop back to the nature center.

Surrounding the nature center visitors have the opportunity to see rescued birds and a rescued deer. Out of sight are kept the birds that are being rehabilitated to release to the wild.

We easily spent 2 hours walking the trails and exploring the park. After it was a quick drive into Shreveport for dinner and ices. This is on my must visit list for those who are spending some time in this part of the county. 

Kilgore Film Festival

During the spring of each year the 4 star cinema in Kilgore brings non block busters to an East Texas screen each day for the duration of the festival. The Kilgore Film Festival of Kilgore, Texas began in 1998 under the sponsorship of KTPB, the former public radio station of Kilgore College.[1] Each year a festival is held in the Spring and Fall offering moviegoers a chance to see unique and award-winning selections. The festival is held at Kilgore's 4 Star Cinema. - Wikipedia The prices are VERY reasonable for tickets and snacks. The screen, seats and sound is of a higer quality than you might expect based on the vintage facade. Ian and I went to The Great Beauty on Saturday night 7:15 showing and had 6 other people in the theater with us, we loved it! We plan to go back on Wensday night for The Wind Rises. Check out the theaters web site, FB page or keep an eye on the Longview News Journal to see if you can take advantage of this opportunity in East Texas. http://www.foothillsentertainment.com/theaters.aspx?ID=1

Glimer Lake

Lake Gilmer

Lake Gilmer first opened to the public on September 29th 2001 and is located at FM 852, 4 miles west of downtown Gilmer.

Lake size is 1,010 surface acres. There is an additional 1,557 acres of mitigation property that will be developed into combination hiking and nature trails and bird watching stations. A swimming and picnic area will be developed on the north end of the lake near the dam area.

If you are interested in Lake Gilmer, please contact Lake Ranger Danny Lancaster at 903.843.8209

Lake Gilmer Park and Kelsey Creek Sanctuary Nature Trails Are Now Open at Lake Gilmer located on Armadillo Road, just off Cherokee Trace.

http://gilmer-tx.com/?page_id=326

I visited today and did both the smaller loops and about 2 miles of the 4 mile trail before it started to rain. the park is awesome, finding it was a bit of an ordeal, i have no advice for you but stay on paved roads and keep a good sense of direction to you.

I am confidant that this is a place I will visit again, only 20 min from Longview its a great get away and today I was the only one there! WIN WIN.

The smaller loop at the park itself is paved and the trees and plant are labled making it a great spot to learn more about the areas plants.

The longer straight trail was very well marked and also had a sprinkling of plant labels as you venture along