Road trip, day 10: Dallas, Texas

The city of Dallas is smaller than I expected it would be.  Especially seeing as it's sort of the shopping/ culture capital of North Western Texas and the place that folks from surrounding localities drive to for their major shopping needs. 

On this trip I am staying in and just relaxing; spending some much needed time with Baxter while he gets some exercise, plus recharging my batteries for this upcoming weekend of fun (in Arkansas).  I'm OK with missing out on a few days of tourism since last time I visited Dallas, I explored the city and visited one of its most famous landmarks: the 6th Floor Museum - which is the actual preserved building and room from whence President JFK was infamously assassinated in the street inside of his escort vehicle.  It's eerie to look out of that window on the 6th floor, down to the street where a white X still marks the exact spot that the President happened to be, when he met his fate.  Today, there is a monument to him down on that street, as well as a cafe/ gift shop that sells all sorts of memorabilia in his honor.

Another destination from my last trip was the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science; which is aimed toward children; but I did enjoy its IMAX theatre, where I watched a documentary on ancient Egypt, and its "Hall of Texas Mammals" - which perplexingly contained birds and reptiles as well?!  (Just a suggestion, but maybe they should rename it: Hall of Texas' Native Animals.)  Photos coming soon!

Although it was incredible to be up-close and personal with real animals, to see just how HUGE some of them really are and to be able to touch some of their fur - it did make me a little sad that they were all killed and stuffed just for this reason.

Road trip, day 9: Abilene Texas

Will and I left Synder on Monday, almost as soon as I'd finished my blog entry about it, and drove to Abilene where we spent the night.  We set off again (for Dallas) shortly after breakfast on Tuesday morning; but not before I'd convinced Will to stop at Frontier Texas: an incredibly high-tech exhibit depicting the early history of Texas.

I learnt a lot of valuable information, but more importantly I left truly wowed by this one-of-a-kind virtual tour; where surround-sound and motion-activated plasma screen tour guides followed me from room to room and told me "their stories" from the past.  It was neat to be able to touch genuine Indian artifacts, buffalo furs and skins, ancient leather and other relics; and so easy to retain information through this new form of exhibition.     

Every side is represented; from Texas's native Indian colonies and early European settlement to the devastating conflicts and consequences this merged lifestyle caused both sides to incur.  Another group to suffer almost to the brink of extinction was the buffalo; upon whom the Indians almost solely relied upon for their longevity.  Once the buffalo were eradicated - it wasn't long before the Indian way of life tragically followed suit.

I recommend this Frontier experience in Abilene to anyone wishing to visit Texas.  It's a key step in understanding the state's pride and culture - which is often perceived as boastful by the other states.



The "tour guide" (projection) beckons
to be followed upon arrival



An Indian chief tells of his
people and customs



Road trip, day 7: Snyder, Texas

After we left Fort Worth yesterday we drove to Snyder which is not much more than a mining town – without the mine! On our way here we were surrounded by thousands upon thousands of wind turbines – the government’s answer to environmentally friendly power generation. 


Photo credit: wind-power-turbines.info



Although quite a sight to behold, these turbines seem to do little for the economy of the towns they surround.  Being self sufficient, they don’t generate any new employment and being so large, they take up A LOT of space; meaning the opportunity of utilizing the land in other ways (such as farming or town development) vanishes. They also affect wildlife since so much space is cleared away to make room for them and all of this in turn impacts tourism.  I guess they are a cleaner option, but I wonder if the steel turbines really are a greener option - when so many thousands are needed to produce the same energy as one power plant?... Moving on!  



I'm having a quiet day today, just working and catching up on some much needed laundry and rest at the hotel.  It's nice to have a down day and unscramble myself and my to-do list! 

Weekend highlights in Fort Worth, Texas



(cranky look due to being bitten by a fire ant!
Now I know why they are called that: IT BURNS!
ouch!!)



The only way our weekend in Fort Worth could have been any better is if time had stopped for us and enabled a longer stay! We spent the greatest portion of Saturday in Downtown, were I got completely caught up in the beauty of the autumn decorations all around the city and jumped on the band wagon to find myself the perfect harvest decoration: a pumpkin!

After a short drive to the city of Arlington, Will and I found a pumpkin patch to select our perfect pumpkin from, and once our mission was complete, we came across an Eastern European restaurant/ gift shop, where we had a very surprising, very pleasant Russian lunch and perused souvenirs and icons.

Back in Fort Worth, the evening went by in a daze as we once again headed Downtown to enjoy the music, atmosphere and fine dining. Sunday was greeted bright and early by another visit to the Stockyards District where we witnessed a cattle drive (these days more a tourist attraction than a real cattle sale) and wandered around Stockyards Station until lunch time. This concluded our wonderful and jam-packed stay in Fort Worth.

Our perfect pumpkin was left sitting in our hotel room adorning a written message to the staff thanking them for our lovely stay and Fort Worth left a resounding message within Will and I to come back again soon!

Road trip, day 5: Fort Worth, Texas

Fort Worth is definitely the highlight of our trip so far and a breath of fresh air after the three days we’ve just had! The locals here are some of the nicest and most hospitable you'll meet anywhere; very proud of their city and eager to share it with visitors. In fact, the term "Southern hospitality" probably originated right here in this beautiful city!

We arrived just after lunch yesterday and have had a blast ever since. After getting checked into our (very nice) hotel, we walked around downtown into the night, exploring Fort Worth’s cultural district: which was every bit as multicultural and charming as it promised to be. The streets are decorated in neat garden patches – with flowers and trees trimmed into the shapes of various animals – cleaner and brighter than anywhere I’ve been before. Live music is heard all around; the intertwined sounds of jazz and country can be enjoyed from several outside dining spots, while horse drawn carriages wait to take lovers or tourists on a ride nearby.



Fort Worth like Brisbane
Photo credit: selfstoragefinders.com

Fort Worth was guaranteed from the start to become one of my favorite American places! It seems the city planners took my two Australian homes (Brisbane and Rockhampton QLD) and placed them side by side, separated by a river in the middle! I didn’t realize until we had crossed the river – which alone is rare to encounter in an American city – and looked back at Fort Worth from a distance; that its skyline, the river and the bridge all combined; pulled my heart strings and made me feel like I was in Brisbane for a minute! Then when we crossed the bridge and entered the gateway to America’s West (known as The Stockyards District), it made me laugh how much it reminded me of Rocky!



Photo credit: foreclosurelistings.com



The brick roads, buildings of tin and wood with fire escapes down their sides, horses in the street and the distinct smell of cow dung; all reminiscent of a time and place long ago that you’d expect only to see in an old country & Western movie. The prices are outdated too! With decent beer like Bud Light starting at $1.50 per bottle and a full plate of BBQ meat and salad at $8. We spent the rest of the evening in the Stockyards District last night, visiting bars like Billy Bob’s (which is the home of the world’s largest “honky-tonk”), listening to live country music and watching a live bull ride.



Bull rider @ Billy Bobs
Photo credit: billybobstexas.com


The only other place I have encountered real cowboys and cowgirls is in Central Queensland.  There is a distinct difference in culture and fashion, and a must-experience for anyone who's never been somewhere like that! 


Fort Worth is called the Country & Culture city and I whole-heartily agree!  I love its diversity and look forward to the rest of my weekend here!

The worst place I've ever been! Palestine, TX

Due to great weather today, Baxter and I finally left our hotel room and explored Downtown Palestine.  I was quite excited about this since I'm a real history geek and the city centre here contains some of the oldest buildings in Texas.  However, I was quite disappointed!

It seems that while Palestine's city council is trying hard to attract tourism to the area and improve the small town's economy through the restoration of the city into its original charm... the locals do not welcome tourists or visitors of any kind with a friendly eye! I would never have expected people in a town like this to be unfriendly, yet they really are!  At times I felt unsafe walking from my hotel as cars actually slowed down to stare at Baxter and I or to yell mean things out of their windows! 

It's such a shame that I can't recommend this place as somewhere to visit.  The old-world charm of the entire town, the local wineries and the ancient steam train (registered with American Heritage Railways) that is still in working condition providing rides and tours: made me think that it would be a shoe-in on my "awesome American places" list.  But aside from the unwelcoming, unsmiling faces of the locals, the tourism industry here is poorly organized and not at all as inviting as portrayed! 

Sorry Palestine!  Instead of spending millions in renovating, maybe the town should invest in some people skills!

PS: Loved all the staff at the Holiday Inn :-) theirs were the only smiling faces I saw the entire time!

I'm looking forward to leaving in the morning - Forth Worth Texas here we come!

Road trip, day 2: Palestine, Texas

How my perfect morning turned into me almost burning down our hotel...! 
 So, let me set the mood... This morning we had a slow and lazy start due to the cold grey sky which meant only one thing: rain.  As we got up, ate breakfast and began our day - Will and I were hopeful that the clouds would clear and allow us to fulfill our plans: his were to conduct product training at the Big Brown coal mine and Baxter and I's were to explore the historic downtown of Palestine.

But, as the rain started to pour and my plans for the day well and truly had to be cancelled, Baxter and I improvised a new and exciting plan involving snuggling under the bed sheets, a movie on cable and popcorn!  It was a great plan and we were warm and comfortable under the covers... until the microwave burnt my popcorn and filled the room with smoke, causing the smoke alarm to go off, the hotel manager to come running and the phone to ring non-stop!

Poor Bax got the fright of his life and hid under covers and behind pillows through all of this commotion and even throughout the entire hour that an industrial fan had to be left turned on to blow all the smoke and smell out of the window!

So far not what I had planned; but there is never a dull moment!  Now that our nerves are calm, we are trying again with the movie - we decided we don't need the popcorn!