Lake Benbrook

Yesterday (Monday) we arrived at Lake Benbrook which is southwest of Fort Worth. This is an Army Corps of Engineers project and they run four campgrounds on the lake. We picked the most primitive one - no hook-ups and although they have some actual sites, you can also pick your own spot right along the lake. I can't believe that in the eight years I've been on the road, I have never stayed in a Corps of Engineers park. They are just lovely. However the weather is not as nice with high winds and threatened thunder storms, so we picked a spot away from the edge of the lake.


As you can see, we can still see the water (and check out those clouds!)



You can even pick a spot out on this spit extending into the lake, however, once again, we thought that wasn't the best spot with high winds.



So what do you think, is this a road or a really long pull-thru?

We took them at their word as far as parking anywhere and parked on what we thought was a pull-thru site next to a picnic table. However after getting all set up, we looked at the map and decided this is actually a road! People can drive around the loop, but this is a shortcut. I can just see the ranger saying, "I didn't think I had to tell them not to park on a road!"

Fortunately, we're the only ones here, so they haven't said anything. We'll move if we have to.

Old RIP

On our way out of Cisco, we passed Eastland. As I take my job of co-pilot, navigator, travel guide, and researcher very seriously, I was reading the Texas travel guide and found the most amazing fact about Eastland. I'll just copy what was in the guide since I couldn't paraphrase any better. . . .

"According to apparently authentic records and witnesses, a Texas horned toad (a type of lizard) was sealed in the cornerstone of the Eastland courthouse built in 1897. In 1928 a new courthouse was erected, the prior cornerstone was opened, and the horned toad was found alive! The small animal received great publicity and was displayed nationally. When it died the following year of pneumonia, it was placed in a glass-front casket, on view in the present county courthouse."

Well, this was worth a side trip into town! We found out his name was Old RIP (perhaps bestowed posthumously) and here he is in his velvet lined casket.

The picture was difficult to take since he is well protected behind glass. Well, he is a hero!

Breckenridge, TX

I know, first Colorado City, then Breckenridge, are we sure we're in Texas?

In 2001 the Texas legislature proclaimed Breckenridge as the 'mural capital of Texas.' The murals were inspired by vintage photographs by Basil Clemons of the town in its heyday. They were wonderfully airbrushed by Billy Ines as a town beautification project in 1999.


This is how the main street looked in the 1920s when the oil boom changed Breckenridge's population from 1500 to 30,000 in 12 months.



Here is a whimsical one - the caption at the bottom says, "Down in Breckenridge, Texas, where horses ride Model 'T's.



Unfortunately this one is not fairing well on a west-facing wall. You can just make out the oil well and car theme. The previous one is completely under an awning and was in the best condition of them all.



You know I'm just making up these descriptions as I go, but I guess this one says that even with the oil boom, ranching was very important.



This was called 'Spirit of the Buckaroos', which we assume is the local football team. It had much more impact in person - you can just see the ghost football players in the picture.



Another one of the bustling town in 1923.



We found this pretty colored one in the city park. Seems to be a departure from the others, but was painted by the same man. Since the visitors center and museum were both closed, we really couldn't get all the details. We wouldn't have found as many as we did without the help of a nice lady in an antique store - one of the few that was open.

If you like murals (and who doesn't), our friends Donna and Bob found some fantastic ones in Lake Placid, Florida. To see them, click here

Cisco, TX

Continuing our journey across the miles and miles of Texas, we rolled into Cisco today. Attempting to follow the directions in the Texas Travel Guide to the free camping area at the lake, we ended up at the city boat ramp. We talked to the locals who make good use of it and they said people do stay here, so here we are. We parked way over to the side and out of the way, got Ron a Texas fishing license and plan to stay a couple of days. We still don't know if we're really in the place described in the travel guide and the chamber of commerce is closed until Monday. Meanwhile it's a nice spot with a beautiful lake at our doorstep. What more could we want?


Here's Ron getting a line wet before the sun set on him.



Just like people, each little town has something unique and unusual. Cisco has the Mobley Hotel. Now a museum and visitors center, the Mobley was the first hotel owned by tycoon Conrad Hilton. Built in 1916 by H. L. Mobley, Hilton bought it in 1919. Then a 32 year old ex-legislator and banker from New Mexico, Hilton dreamed of owning hotels across Texas. In this case, reality certainly surpassed his dream.

Colorado City, TX

Yesterday we drove into 'Smalltown,' Texas - Colorado City, population 4281. Since I've always lived in the 'burbs', I've wondered if I would like living in a small town. How would it feel to have everybody know you and everything about you? I guess it's just something you have to experience first hand. As we went around town today, it crossed my mind that the townspeople were thinking, "Who are they and why are they here?" However everyone we talked to just couldn't have been nicer.

We're parked along Lone Wolf Creek in a very nice city park for free!!! A gentleman stopped by and suggested we hook up to the electric nearby, but we said we were happy to just have a place to park. Besides if we hooked up, I would feel like a moocher.

This morning about 10:00, we went to check out the town. We saw the sites and stopped at the dollar store, grocery store, gas station, and Alco (which is like Big Lots) and were home by noon. I must confess that we skipped their major attraction - the Heart of West Texas Museum which looked pretty nice from the outside.

In the Kiwanis Park, is the Branding Wall with more than 230 current or former cattle brands from around the county. I thought that was pretty cool.



In the same park was this quaint cupola on the pavilion.



And I did see my first bluebonnets. You might think they look just like lupine, and you'd be right.


Since this is Friday which is Ron's fish fry day, we went out for dinner. There are several fast food places near the interstate, but not a lot in the way of restaurants. We finally found family-owned Dandy's Diner in the heart of old downtown. It was very good, but no fish. To compensate, Ron went fishing this evening, but said he just caught 'weed bass.'

Odessa, TX

From professional rodeo to community theater and museums, Odessa has a lot to offer the visitor. For the politically minded, it is the childhood home of George W. Bush and has the only museum in the U.S. dedicated solely to the office of the President. Today we decided to see a few of the other attractions.

Odessa is the site of the second largest meteor crater in the United States. The Odessa Crater is 550 feet across and was originally 100 feet deep. Wind (and we've certainly experienced that!) has filled it up over the centuries until it is now almost level with the surrounding area. It was still interesting, but impossible for pictures. However what really impressed us was the museum. They had an amazing collection of meteorites from all over the world and lots of interesting information. We recommend it highly and it was free! (donations accepted)

Then we went on a hunt to find the World's Largest Jackrabbit! After all, who could resist that?

It seems Odessa has had a long association with jackrabbits. Most notably, it was the site of the first jackrabbit rodeo. I'll let you read the sign yourself - it is just too funny!

Just like the Chicago cows and Albuquerque horses, in 2004, Odessa conducted a 'hare-raising event' to raise money for public art projects and college scholarships. I loved running all over town looking for these, but I'm not too sure about Ron. The first two are Uncle Sam Rabbit and Li'l Lionesses & Friends, then Hop to the Beat of the Basin - both sides, Gentle Jack (all dressed up for Spring) and Patchwork Rabbit.

And to complete our day, we went to see the Stonehenge replica on the campus of the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

When I first saw it, I thought it had been a victim of vandalism, but it is a replica of how Stonehenge appears now, not originally.


In size, it is identical to the original horizontally, but vertically it is 70 percent of the height.

Texas Oil

Today we arrived in Odessa, Texas. Ron decided to drive over to Midland to the Petroleum Museum. Hard as it might be to understand, I passed on going with him. When he returned, he turned over his pictures to be used in a blog posting. I explained that he would have to write the commentary and he handed me the brochure. So that means anything goes.


According to said brochure, the Petroleum Museum has the world's largest collection of antique drilling equipment and modern machinery. Pretty impressive. Here is the modern shiny steel drilling derrick.



But look at the charm of this wooden rig from 1923.



Luckily he took a picture of the sign here (he's learning) so I know this is a wellhead assembly called the 'Christmas tree.' Seems to be the wrong color for that, but it is very pretty.



Various oil pumpers that were actually working. (I liked the flags in the back.)



And my favorite, the tiny little baby pumper. So cute. I asked why they use different sizes and Ron said it depends on how deep the oil is. So I did learn something.