Dallas Arboretum, Oct 21

Friday, Oct 21

After a light breakfast, we said goodbye to the Roadtrek crowd and headed for the Dallas Arboretum, about an 80 mile drive.  We have collected a few cards from others who have invited us to stop by their homes as we travel, and have given out our own cards as well.

This beautiful day began with sunshine in the high 40's.  Our GPS takes us for a little detour to avoid construction in Dallas and we arrive at the arboretum about 9:45.  It is very busy but we find a parking spot easily. When we leave about 1:00 the huge lot is filled.

The arboretum is beautifully laid out on 66 acres which include gardens, water features, a picnic area, a series of life-size bronzes of famous people, a kids' area and more. First to greet us was George Washington.

 Then Claude Monet, hard at work.

 Many Fall flowers like these Canas (not really Fall flowers, as they bloom from Spring through frost - but pretty nonetheless).

 Thousands of marigolds, mums, ornamental peppers and more.

Then we reach the pumpkin area, which we can hear well before it is in sight. Dozens of strollers are parked and dozens of kids and parents clamber every which way! This is obviously the major attraction, showcasing nearly a thousand pumpkins.

There are several building made with pumpkins, gourds and indian corn, and many bales of hay - photo ops everywhere!  We take family pictures for a few groups as we wonder through.

 We enjoy watching the kids......Greg comments "next year", as we anticipate doing something like this with Bryan and Julie and Ruby (our precious granddaughter).

We walk through the Lay Family Garden, Women's Garden and other areas. Very lovely and very well kept.

 These folks are  taking quincenera photos.

What a beautiful day!!  We finally head back to the Trek and grab a sandwich and drink before heading south on I-45.  Arrive home about 4:30 and spend a few hours emptying the Trek, doing laundry, etc.  We will be heading out again in about a week, so don't have to unpack everything.  The front yard is covered with pine needles - a sure sign of Fall here!

Oct 20, Glen Rose, TX

Thursday, Oct 20

We had a good rain last night and temps dropped nicely....even needed a sweater this morning!

Usual continental breakfast, followed by a "Living Better in your RT" seminar.  People shared tricks for optimizing space, cooking, controlling insects, etc.  I liked a Micro Hearth cooker which cooks and bakes in the microwave...put it on my Christmas list!

We took a look at a few rigs and then joined the crowd for a box lunch from Subway before heading off on our own to Dinosaur Valley State Park.  Some folks did a walking tour of Granbury, but we plan on going there later in the afternoon.

Beautiful sunny-but-not-too-hot day.  The Park was just a 10 minute drive.  Both sauropod and theropod tracks are found in the limestone bed and ledges along the Paluxy river.  Many were removed to various museums before the state stepped in and preserved the area.

We had to wade across the river to find the Overlook Trail.  Many of the stepping stones that once existed were washed away in recent flooding.

This is the best example we could find, about 113 million years old!  All are under water and most require some imagination :)

Lots of live oak and juniper trees as we hiked up a ridge overlooking the valley and river.

We went back to camp to shower and change, then opted to drive to Granbury (15 minutes) rather than take the 4:00 bus, since we weren't too gung-ho on shopping.  One place, called The Wagon Yard, was interesting though.  It had a large collection of antiques and new furniture, decorating pieces, lighting, stained glass and such.  Good thing we didn't have a lot of time, 'cause I'm pretty sure I could have found some things I couldn't live without!

Most all of the buildings on the square are from the 1800's and are on National Historic Register.  This is the old jail. All are built from local stone or brick.

We were going to have dinner at a German restaurant, but many of our group were already there and the waitress said they couldn't handle more folks and still get us served before the show we are going to at 7:15.  So we ended up at Farino's - an nice Italian spot instead.

 It was in an old building and had a lovely bar (Al Capone supposedly drank at it in Chicago).  European castle doors and other nice touches.  We had great salads, as we were still digesting lunch.

Next stop was the old Granbury Opera House, where we saw the musical "Oliver".  Mostly local cast was very good, especially the actors who played Oliver, Artful Dodger and Nancy. They usually don't have Thursday performances, but did it just for our group!  The theatre was elegant, with a cool balcony. Pretty nice for small town Texas!  Probably would have held about twice our 100 folks. We took a few photos afterwards and headed back to camp.  Nice day!

Granbury Courthouse

Phyllis and John Slaughter, the VPs for our region, did a wonderful job in planning the weekend!

Fossil Rim, Glen Rose Oct 19

Wednesday, October 19

Continental Breakfast again.  Though this park is older, it is well maintained by the city and the showers and bathrooms are spotless!

Today's main adventure is a trip to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.  This is a drive-through animal park dedicated to wildlife conservation.  They have about 50 species of animals, many of which are endangered.  They are part of breeding programs for many of the animals which roam a wide area divided into four pastures.

 We are on the first of 2 buses, which departs at 8:45 for a 15 minute drive.  At the Wildlife Center we transfer to smaller open-air buses for a 2-hour narrated tour.

First up are giraffes and Asian red deer (which are in rut).

  We are given food pellets to feed most of the animals, which include assorted deer, antelope, wildebeests, zebras and other hoofed animals.

 There are also quite a few white and black rhinos, ostriches and emus, some of which approach our bus for an expected handout.

 and a large, fenced complex with cheetahs.  It is one of the most successful cheetah programs in the world and we see a few sets of cubs. Cheetahs are actually rather weak when it comes to being predators, fantastic speed but weak jaws and easily run off their kill by other animals.  Their claws are not retractable which gives them good traction (like cleats) when running, but their claws become worn and they are not able to climb trees.

Back at Oakdale, we make some sandwiches for lunch and then do another drive through the countryside.  Too hot for hiking today - near 90 again!

 Tonight we sit with John and Sally from North Carolina, who we first met in Alaska.  John had a major heart attack at age 40, several surgeries, and is going strong at 74.  We check out a modification to the ac in their rig and discover that they travel with a gorgeous 15-year old parrot!  Many of the folks here  travel with dogs, particularly the singles - of which there are 23 here, mostly women!

Dinner is from Hammond's BBQ and is quite tasty!  Apple cobbler with ice cream for dessert!
Tonight's speaker is Melinda Ray, owner and historian from The Historic Nutt House Hotel in nearby Granbury.  An ex-teacher who inherited the Nutt House a few years ago, she makes an interesting presentation.  We will be going to Granbury tomorrow.

There is a pumpkin carving contest later, but we didn't participate especially when we saw some of the entries.

 I'm more of a triangle-eyes and toothy smile person :)

There is wifi, intermittently strong, so we spend some time catching up with emails and working with photos.

There has been a bit of a breeze today, bringing a welcome cold front - hurray!  It has cooled enough that we don't need the air conditioner tonight, just the overhead fan.

Glen Rose, Oct 18

Tuesday, October 18

Greg gets up early and goes to help set up breakfast for the group.  Continental breakfast includes bagels, pastries, muffins, fruit, oatmeal and yoghurt, coffee and juices.

We skip a board meeting and instead take a ride into the countryside.  There are many fossils in the area, which was once under water, so we decide to stop by the river and look at rocks.  This little side road has two places where water covers the road, but it is very passable.  We find a few interesting rocks but no fossils.

Then we head back into town to visit Barnard's Mill & Art Museum.  Housed in an 1860 mill which later was a hospital, it features some local artists and many bronze sculptures, including one (by Robert Summers) of Tom Landry which is the model for the one at the Cowboys' stadium.

 Most of the works feature western, cowboy and Indian themes.

  Many photos outside too.

Many of the older buildings in town are made of stone and include petrified wood, which used to plentiful here, as part of their construction.

We join several Roadtrekers at a local spot called The Green Pickle for a lunch of green chili burgers, then head back to Oakdale park for a first-timer orientation, followed by an ice cream social sponsored by National Indoor RV.  There are several models of new Roadtreks outside and we check them out.  Road trek has about 6 or 7 different models, ranging from $70,000 to $140,000.  Those attending this rally range from 1990's models to a 2015 Mercedes model.  Ours is a 2006.

At 1:30 there is a short business meeting.  As in many organizations, most of the positions are uncontested in the election.  Roadtrek has 9 regions, each of which has multiple vice presidents and the Roadtrek organization has a president, historian, secretary and treasurer. Funding is from minimal dues and support from the Roadtrek manufacturer.  We are a chapter of FMCA - Family Motor Coach Association.

Next is a seminar on Technical RV Info, with Q&A and information on common issues.

Social hour is followed by a Tex-Mex dinner of Fajitas, beans and rice...

...which is followed by musical entertainment by a lively Blue Grass Band called "Cedar Junction".

Tonight we sit with Woody and Beth from North Carolina and Larry & Teri from Ohio.  Woody and Beth have been doing this for many years and had many entertaining stories.  Larry & Teri have exactly the same model as ours but he is an engineer and has made some interesting modifications.