Tag: Texas

Quick Stops: fast, fascinating, fun, funky!

On By Mike and Kellye HefnerIn National Historic Districts, National Memorials, National Monuments, National Register of Historic Places, Picnicing on the Road, PlacesLeave a comment
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Blazing Winter Sunset

If you follow our posts, you’re already familiar with Quick Stops. Quick Stops are designed to give a nod to locations to which we can’t devote an entire post. The destinations are completely random and totally fun.

Just get in the car and we will be on our way!

First Stop: By Bridge

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Where in the world is it?

By Bridge is located in Moab, Utah. It is a pedestrian bridge that spans the Colorado River.

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Looking upstream at the Colorado River from By Bridge

Second stop: Gruene, Texas

Jordan's 2007 pix 231Gruene (pronunced green), is home to the famous Gruene Hall. Built in 1878, this 6,000 square foot dance hall and saloon has hosted and launched the careers of a multitude of musicians. It is the oldest dance hall in Texas.

Where in the world is it?

Gruene is about an hour southwest of Austin, off of I-35. The town of Gruene was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. In 1979, the city of New Braunfels annexed Gruene which has become a popular tourist destination.

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Once the home of the son of the founder of Gruene, this beautiful building is now the Gruene Mansion Inn
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The Guadalupe River at Gruene, Texas

It’s a fact, Jack!

More than 50 movies have been filmed in and around Moab, including City Slickers II, Con Air, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Thelma and Louise to name a few. One movie, Michael, starring John Travolta, was filmed in Gruene. In the movie, John Travolta’s character, Michael, danced at Gruene Hall. Additionally, both towns sit on the banks of rivers that empty into gulfs. The Colorado River runs for 1,450 miles to its mouth at the Gulf of California, and the Guadalupe River runs 230 miles to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico. And now you know…

That does it for this week. Thank you for joining us! Come back next week for another exciting post. You never know where we are going to take you! Until the next trip…

Travel safe, travel smart, and we will see you down the road!

Mike and Kellye

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As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) We aren’t paid for our recommendations, and we only recommend our own tried and true vendors and venues. Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick Stops: fast, fascinating, fun, funky!

On By Mike and Kellye HefnerIn National Memorials, National Monuments, Picnicing on the Road, Places, State ParksLeave a comment
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A yak eating yellow flowers!

If you follow our posts, you’re already familiar with Quick Stops. Quick Stops are designed to give a nod to locations to which we can’t devote an entire post. The destinations are completely random and totally fun.

Just get in the car and we will be on our way!

First Stop: Golden Spike Tower (Nebraska)

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Where in the world is it?

Golden Spike Tower is located in North Platte, Nebraska. The eight-story tower overlooks Union Pacific Railroad’s Bailey Yard, which is the largest train yard in the world. The Bailey Yard operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and is responsible for making sure that 10,000 rail cars per day get sent in the right direction.

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Watch the workings of the rail yard from the top of the Golden Spike Tower.
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Locomotives!

Second Stop: Lajitas, Texas

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Sundown at Lajitas

Where in the world is it?

It is located 12 miles southwest of Terlingua, Texas on Highway 170. Lajitas, once a thriving community turned ghost town, is now a resort.

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Awesome old building in Lajitas

It’s a fact, Jack!

In 1868, when the Union Pacific Railroad was extended west, the town of North Platte, Nebraska was born. The city sits at a point where the North and South Platte Rivers converge to create the Platte River. Lajitas sits at a point on the Rio Grande River, but the closest railroad is located in Alpine, Texas, almost 100 miles to the north. North Platte’s Canteen served refreshments to millions of servicemen as they passed through the depot there during World War II. By 1912, Lajitas had a saloon that served thirsty cowboys and miners who worked in the area, but the town didn’t have electricity until 1949 – four years after the end of World War II. And now you know…

That’s all for this trip. Thank you for joining us! Please come back to the site to see where our next road trip is going to take you.

Travel safe, travel smart, and we will see you down the road!

Mike and Kellye 

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As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) We aren’t paid for our recommendations, and we only recommend our own tried and true vendors and venues. Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2018

 

 

 

 

Quick Stops: fast, fascinating, fun, funky!

On By Mike and Kellye HefnerIn National Memorials, National Monuments, Picnicing on the Road, Places, State Parks, Tribal ParkLeave a comment
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Your guess is as good as ours!

If you follow our posts, you’re already familiar with Quick Stops. Quick Stops are designed to give a nod to locations to which we can’t devote an entire post. The destinations are completely random and totally fun.

Just get in the car and we will be on our way!

First Stop: Fort Davis National Historic Site

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Officers Row

Where in the world is it?

Fort Davis National Historic Site is located in Fort Davis, Texas, which is about 95 miles southwest of Pecos, Texas on Highway 17.

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Remains of the original fort and some remaining buildings.

Established in 1854 as a frontier military post, the soldiers stationed at Fort Davis  were tasked with patrolling the San Antonio-El Paso Road. The widely traveled road was used to transport goods, mail, and emigrants traveling to California hoping to strike it rich in the gold rush there. Over the years, several regiments called Fort Davis home, including a cavalry regiment of African Americans called Buffalo Soldiers. The fort was abandoned in 1891.

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The fort’s hospital has been restored and is now a museum.

Second stop: Pipe Spring National Monument

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Where in the world is it?

Pipe Spring National Monument is located in northern Arizona on Highway 389, between Fredonia and Colorado City on Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians tribal land near the Utah border.

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Living Quarters

Kaibab Paiute Indians have called this area home for hundreds of years, but when Mormon settlers arrived between 1860 and 1870, things changed for the Native Americans. Pipe Spring was an important water source in this arid strip of Arizona, and when the Mormon settlers decided to claim the land for themselves, conflict arose.

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Pond at Pipe Spring

Today, the site is dedicated to telling both sides of the story, and if you happen to be in the area, the park is definitely worth the stop. The park maintains farm animals, a vegetable garden, and an orchard at Pipe Spring.

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Farm animals at Pipe Spring

It’s a fact, Jack!

In 1918, German men were seen with Mexican troops at Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. Anticipating an attack on the US at the border town of Nogales, Arizona, American Buffalo Soldiers engaged in an gun battle with the Mexican troops across the border. It was the only World War I battle fought on American soil. And now you know…

That’s all for this post. Thank you for joining us! We invite you to return to our site every week for another great adventure on the road. Until the next trip…

Travel safe, travel smart, and we will see you down the road!

Mike and Kellye 

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As always, we strive to be as accurate with our information as possible. If we made a mistake, it was unintentional. (Hey, we’re only human!) We aren’t paid for our recommendations, and we only recommend our own tried and true vendors and venues. Our suggestions are for places that we’ve heard good things about but haven’t visited personally, and our opinions are our own.

©2018