2023-6-7 Anniversary Trip

I wanted to take a little trip for our anniversary and the trip together was more important to me than the location so I asked my husband Dave to choose. He chose Wichita Falls and San Angelo TX which really didn't surprise me. We lived in both those places before we moved to San Antonio. Getting his picture taken is not his strong suit.

I made reservations at the Baymont Inn in Wichita Falls. Harley was traveling with us and they are pet friendly.

Dave wasn't too thrilled about Harley traveling with us but Steve and Helen were out of town and Harley is an experienced traveler even tthugh most of his travel is in the RV. He sleeps most of the time while you drive. We arrived at the hotel, checked in and headed up to our room on the second floor. Harley handled the elevator like a pro.

He checked out the lobby from the hall balcony.

And then headed down the hall to our room I think he pictures himself as the next Crusoe if you are familiar with the famous dachsund traveler. He was always ready to greet anyone who wanted to give him a pet and believe me, he was very popular. He never barks or has an accident so he is a welcome visitor. We were disappointed that the hotel no longer has a hot tub but we enjoyed the pool and had it all to ourselves both nights we were there. Dave also used the small fitness room. Breakfasts put on by the hotel were pretty good with waffles, scrambled eggs, and bacon as well as cereal and pastries.

Of courses, Red River Harley Davidson was on Dave's must visit list. We spent some time with the owner Jimmy and Dave still saw knew some of the other long time employees. We used to ride our Harley on most of the weekend supper runs while we lived there.

The dealership used to be located in Iowa Park but is now closer to Wichita Falls. We drove around town and checked out all the old places and were surprised at the all the new places. We ended up at a chinese buffet for dinner and were very surprised when the waitress told us that the people in the booth next to us paid for our dinner when they left. 

The next day we drove out to Sheppard Air Force Base where we lived when we came to Wichita Falls the first time. Our house on base is long gone replaced by much newer housing. the golf course which was such a popular place for military coming to Sheppard is also gone. All the old buildings are gone replaced by newer brick ones.

Harley enjoyed a long nap while we were out. 

We also drove by our old house on Palmetto. The neighborhood isn't quite as nice. Then we drove out to Turkey Ranch Road where we lived before moving to San Antonio. The current occupants added a building for a business but the RV storage building and the cute little barn were still there. Dave put a silhouette of a horse looking out a paddock door on the front of the barn and it was still there freshly painted which was nice to see. We were surprised to see that the house was for sale. Dinner that night was at Hunan's.

Wednesday morning we headed south to San Angelo which is the first place we lived in Texas after returning from a tour in Japan.

We stayed at the Pearl on the Concho in San Angelo. I chose a room with an outside entrance here and was so glad that I did that. The room was nice but the hotel needs some updating. The rooms on the inside are all around an atrium where the pool was located. The smell of chlorine was overwhelming. We didn't use the pool there as it felt like you were on display and again, the chlorine was too strong. We picked up a couple of salads for lunch after driving around to see all the changes here. Our grandson Cameron goes to college in San Angelo but we didn't get to see him this trip as he was tied up with training for a new summer job and a trip back home to Brownwood.

 We drove past our old house here but the neighborhood has really gone downhill badly some 48 years later. We also drove out to Goodfellow AFB. It has changed a great deal too but much more to the positive. Many new dorms and other buildings. We had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse which was very good and got a god nights sleep before we headed home Thursday. 

It was a busy day after we got home as I picked up groceries and got the RV out of storage to head out for a rally Friday morning.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip together and I am already looking forward to the next one,

Hotter'N Hell Hundred

I couldn't leave Wichita Falls without mentioning the big race. The Hotter’N Hell Hundred is an annual bicycle ride in Wichita Falls, Texas. My husband and youngest son both participated in the amateur shorter route one year and my husband was a motorcycle escort for the professionals for several years. Plan ahead if you want to visit Wichita Falls the first week of August because hotel rooms are booked far, far in advance and I think the RV Parks would be as well. Local citizens open their homes to riders through the city. It is held each year on the 4th or 5th Saturday in August (always 9 days before Labor Day) and includes professional as well as amateur riders. The professional racers ride a 100-mile road race, as well as time trials and criterium. For the amateur riders, there are road routes of 100 miles, 100K, 50 miles, 25 miles, and 10K. The amateur routes are also open for inline skating.

The race was first held in 1982 as part of the Wichita Falls Centennial Celebration. The name is thus a rare example of a triple entendre: one hundred miles (i.e., century) in one hundred degree Fahrenheit weather (the race is held in August, usually the hottest month of the year in Wichita Falls), initially conducted to celebrate the city's 100th anniversary.

Approximately 10,000 to 14,000 riders participate each year, making the Hotter'N Hell Hundred the largest sanctioned century bicycle ride in the US. 2009's Hotter N Hell had over 14,000 riders.

The 30th Annual Hotter'N Hell Hundred was held this year with temperatures reaching 108 degrees.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmB5yFUk-bk&noredirect=1

The World's Littlest Skyscraper, Wichita Falls, TX

Wichita Falls is home to the world's littlest skyscraper.  It is located on the corner of Seventh Street and LaSalle.  Built in 1919, the four-story red brick structure is just 40 feet tall with 118 square feet per floor.  The stairs leading up to the next floor take up about 1/4 of the footage on each floor.


This is the legendary story:  When the discovery of black gold in nearby Burkburnett turned thousands of Wichita County residents into instant millionaires, mineral rights deals were being made on street corners and in the shade of quickly erected tents that served as oil company headquarters.  There was a desperate need for office space in the city.  A Philadelphia oil man/promoter named J.D. McMahon came to the rescue.  With blueprints in hand, he quickly sold $200,000 in stock to investors in the frenzy of the day.  What he failed to mention and nobody noticed was that the scale of his blueprints was in inches rather than feet.  Investors too busy to keep an eye on construction ultimately found themselves owners of a building that looked more like an elevator shaft than a high-rise office space.  The finished building's outside dimensions were a closet-sized 11 feet by 19 feet.  Of course, McMahon was long gone by the time construction was complete.  Investors chased after him and sought legal counsel only to find that they had no case as McMahon built the building exactly to the blueprints the investors had signed off on.

Oil companies squeezed desks into the building and used it until the boom ended.  The building was boarded up and forgotten during the Depression.  In 1986, it was deeded to the Wichita County Heritage Society who tried to preserve it but it was again orphaned and there was talk of tearing it down.  Bundy, Young, Sims & Potter, an architectural firm went into partnership with Martin Groves Electric and purchased the building and spent $180,000 remodeling it.  Dick Bundy mentioned the building at a Harvard University conference on construction of high-rise buildings and was asked to tell the story of the building.

Check it out.  This isn't a site you will see anywhere else but Wichita Falls, TX.

Lucy Park, Wichita Falls, TX

In an earlier post on the Wichita Bend RV Park, I mentioned Lucy Park.  As you enter the park, you first pass River Bend Nature Center which includes 15 acres.  Here you can see a group of school kids on tour.

Lucy Park itself has 178 acres located in a bend of the Big Wichita River which gives it a natural setting with pecan and cottonwood trees among others.  There is a scenic walk leading to the Falls as well as a wide concrete 1.7 mile hiking and biking trail circling the park.  There is a log cabin which the city rents out for events.

The municipal pool is also located within the park.  Of course, it is closed for the season already.

There is a large pond area dedicated to waterfowl, and ducks and geese can be found year-round.

Lots of people come by to feed the ducks and geese.

The park has several large covered picnic shelters for big groups as well lots of tables scattered around for family picnics.  There are three playgrounds, 2 sand volleyball courts and a concrete volleyball court.  There are also basketball goals and an 18 hole disc golf course.  This park holds lots of memories.

Dinner with Friends

Today was a busy day.  I did some site seeing including driving by my former home on Turkey Ranch Rd, stopped by to visit several neighbors who, unfortunately, were not home.  One of them called me later and we had a nice chat.  I was also invited out to a friend's house for coffee.  Doris Lackey built a unique new house and, although I had seen photos, this was my first visit.  The house is square and the outside is covered in rock.  It is a unique look but one that works well.

There is covered parking for about 5 vehicles and a covered patio with a smaller house behind where Doris lived while her new house was being built and her son now lives.  The inside of the house is beautiful with a sunny, wide open look to the space.  The house is open from the front to the back.  On each side of the front living room are two nice large bedrooms with huge bathrooms.  The living room flows into the dining room and that flows into a large kitchen on one side and office with wood bookcases on the other across the back of the house.

The kitchen has beautiful dark wood cabinets and granite counter tops but doesn't seem dark at all because of the open concept, and many windows.
  

The whole house has beautiful stone floors with a border dividing the spaces from each other.  Doris uses an electric wheelchair so this whole concept works extremely well for her but really, it would work equally well for anyone else.  We had a great visit over coffee and cookies.  Doris, we were having such a nice visit that I forgot to take any pictures so I hope you won't mind that I borrowed a couple that you took earlier.

After a quick trip back to the park to walk the dogs and give them dinner, I was off to another get-together with friends.  Three of my former co-workers belong to a Red Hat group and the group graciously invited me to have dinner with them at El Chico's Cafe on Southwestern Parkway.

Front (l to r) Vickie Sullivan, Rosemarie Fidelie, Back (l to r) me, Kay Clayton

Dinner was great and so was the company.  Cute hats, huh?  We did a lot of catching up before we all headed home.

Wichita Fall RV Park, TX

This morning I moved over to the Wichita Falls RV Park on Seymour Rd.  It is also centrally located for getting around town but it is quiet and well maintained.  When I used to live in Wichita Falls, this was a mobile home park and not a great one at that but that has completely changed.  Now it is Woodall's rated 9 and 9.5 and it is a Good Sam Park or you can also use the TACO discount--$22.50 back in or $27 pull through (discount included).  Cable TV and great Wireless Internet are included.  Sites are a decent size with grass lawns and concrete patio with picnic table.  Roads are paved and sites are graveled and level.  As you can see there are trees but a few sites are open if you prefer.

The office is located in the center of the park so they know what is going on.  The park manager is a former full-time RVer so she is friendly and knows what she is doing.  The pool is right in front of the office.  There is a nice clean laundromat on site and two very nice clean family style restrooms.

On one side of the park, they are working on a large pond with a dock and bridge out to a small island.

There is a dog park at the front of the park.  While not fenced in, there are lots of hydrants for the dogs to explore.

The Wichita River flows across the back of the park.  Just in case you are wondering, the water in the rivers around here is chocolate brown.

I saw this grass-like plant on my walk around the park.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this park as reasonably priced, well-maintained, friendly, and quiet with quick access to the rest of the city.

Wichita Bend RV Park - Day 2

A little more about the Wichita Bend RV Park.  There are always pros and cons for the places we stay.  It is very conveniently located right off one of the main highways through town so you can quickly get anywhere.  Water and 30A electric are provided and there is a dump station.   No restrooms so you must be self-contained.

 Right across the swinging bridge in the photo below is the Lucy Park so you have easy access to walking and jogging paths.  The Texas Visitor Center is about a block away and it has Internet access so you could walk up there and get connected.

This is "The Falls" in Wichita Falls.  Now these are not the original falls.  Those were pretty small and lost to  river overflow many years ago. These falls are located at the side of the Wichita River and flow into the river.  What???  Yes, they are not part of the river.   The city built these falls.  There is a cemetery at the top of the falls, the head waters so to speak.  Sorry, couldn't help myself.  The falls are actually quite nice and can be seen from the road.  You can walk up to the top on paths paved with brick.  The bricks were donated and have the donors names engraved on them.  When the river rises significantly after a storm, the falls have chocolate colored water flowing down them.  You can also follow a path all along the river.  The city has actually done a nice job with the assets they have.

Back to the RV park, at $17 per night, it isn't too bad for a quick stop but the traffic noise was just too much for me.  It roared all night long.  I think there would be more RVs stopping for a quick overnight if it was still $10 a night.

Remembering Old Times

Last night I went over to visit a friend I used to work with here at the 82d Contracting Squadron at Sheppard AFB.  Vickie Sullivan and I got caught up on the years since we last saw each other.  We do keep in touch by email occasionally so just had to fill in a few spots.  One of the reasons I came to Wichita Falls was to attend the dedication of the Weaver Training Room at the 82d Contracting Squadron. Tandy Weaver and I worked together for about 20 years before I moved on to another job in San Antonio. A couple of years later, Tandy passed away very suddenly. The squadron decided to name their new training room in her honor.  Another former co-worker, Cheryl Brown, also drove up from San Antonio so we all met at Vickie's house to go to lunch and then went on to the ceremony. Sometimes it is a small world.  A former commander of the squadron, John McLaurin, also showed up from San Antonio.  I worked for John here at the 82d when he was the commander and when I retired last year, he took my job at Randolph at HQ AETC Contracting.

It was nice seeing people we used to know at the squadron but there aren't many left.  Mark Snyder is the Director of Business Operations and was a fellow flight chief when I left.  Renee Gifford worked for me and is now a flight chief.  Two others, Jimmy Beeson and Laura McRee were in a trainee program then and are now  flight chiefs as well. Kevin West and Pearlene Carr were the only two others at the ceremony that were there when I worked there.  I also got a tour of the new building.  It sure is nice.  Mark said the A/C actually worked all summer and they don't have to put out buckets for the leaks when it rains.  Ah, progress.  It is a beautiful facility.

I hope to catch up with several other people I used to work with while I am here in Wichita Falls that were unable to attend the ceremony.  But I know that a couple of them are out of town.

Oops, had my camera in hand and didn't get any pictures.

Wichita Bend RV Park, Wichita Falls TX

The cold front managed to hit just after I got the RV set up at the Wichita Bend RV park last night.  This park is part of the city park system and it is located right off US 287 near Lucy Park and the Texas Visitors Center.  It was really windy so the 5^th wheel was rocking a bit but not too bad for this area.  It’s always windy here.  The bad weather hit further south around Jacksboro so I guess I got through there just in time.  Lubbock, much further west, had a haboob which is a terrible dust storm that pretty much blocks out the sky and makes it look like nighttime.  I could smell the dirt in the air but it didn’t come through here.  This morning I needed my little electric heater.  Now why didn’t I think I would need warmer clothes here??

I think I will tough it out here one more night and then move to another park.  The traffic noise from the highway here is quite loud and goes all night long.  Thank goodness I have some ear plugs.

On the Road Again--almost

The RV has been in the driveway since yesterday and excitement is building.  I'm going to be on the road again, at least for 2 weeks.  DH is working this weekend so the plan was to leave Monday if he wanted to travel along.  He really wasn't enthused about it so I'm heading out today.  Rather travel solo with the longdogs than haul along a wet blanket who would rather be sitting at home.  The dogs ran out and tried to get in the truck the minute I opened the door yesterday, Harley made it into the 5th wheel and was disappointed to get hauled back in the house.  They have had baths this morning.  The laundry will be done in an hour.  Let the packing commence!  Initial stopping point was going to be lake Nocona to visit some old friends who retired there.  Called them last night and they were up in Arkansas so that won't be a stop this time.  Oh, well, plans made in jello.  I am heading to Wichita Falls to visit friends and former co-workers as well as to attend the dedication of a conference room at the 82 CONS where I used to work.  The room is being dedicated to a former co-worker who passed away suddenly and never got the chance to retire.  Stay tuned.

9 Aug 2010 - Heading home to Texas

My brother was back at work on Monday so I visited with my sister-in-law for a while and then headed down the driveway.  My brother overrode "Hillary's" navigational directions and routed me away from The Hill and down through Little Rock.  My nephew is going to college there but he was away on a training trip for his new job so I didn't get a chance to see him.  It was another beautiful drive down through very manageable hills and forested areas and again the roads are great.

My plan was to cross north Texas to Wichita Falls where we used to live to visit friends and co-workers in the area.  As I crossed into Texas, I knew I should look for a place to stop for the night.  When I talked to my husband on the cellphone and told him my plans, he convinced me to just push through to Wichita Falls. I knew it would be too long of a day on the road for no real reason but I let myself be overridden even though I was the one with the real travel experience.  Always follow your own instincts!

Wichita Falls has a city park with RV hookups right off the highway in town.  Many of the spots are pull-through but you must be self contained because there are no restrooms in the RV area.  The $10 fantastic deal is now a $17 good deal -- just don't expect to find an RV spot or a hotel room later in August when the "Hotter N Hell Hundred" bicycle race is in progress.  Attendance is huge and people book rooms months in advance and arrive days early to use the RV park.  The RV area is connected to the main park by a swinging bridge and you will find lots of walking paths.  You'll also want to see the "falls" which are man-made since the original falls disappeared a really long time ago.  The current falls are quite nice and, unless you take the path to the top, you wouldn't know that there is no river behind them--just a cemetery!  If you happen to come through after a storm, you may find a "chocolate" falls flowing down into the river.

Exhausted and more than ready for bed, I hit the button to raise the front of the RV to unhook it.  Nothing!  Replaced the fuse.  Nothing!  I hooked up the electric and water and headed inside.  More good news--apparently I clipped the vent cover over the bed on the way out of my brother's driveway and it was gone.  Too tired to care, I stuffed a pillow in the hole.  It NEVER rains in Wichita Falls in August but I wanted the A/C cool to stay in the RV.  A quick doggy walk and we were all ready for bed.  Willy, Gretchen, and Harley have no trouble sleeping at night even if they napped the day away.  Ah, the life of a pampered and well-loved dog or two or three.

The missing vent and the useless front legs on the RV were still waiting for me in the morning.  Since I was no longer exhausted, I found I was mostly annoyed to have this happen at the end of a really good first trip.  I started calling around and found that most of my friends were not around so I finally decided to pack it in and head on back to San Antonio.  Better luck (and calling ahead) next time.

That evening I was back in the driveway in Schertz.  The next morning the fridge, perishables, medicine, and clothes were unloaded early and we headed back up I-35 to Crestview RV in Buda for some warranty work.  A rather macho mechanic hinted that I just didn't know how to work the electric legs.  He popped a fuse in (been there, done that) and hit the switch resulting in ripping the motor right off the wall.  His tune changed quickly and a whole new motor set-up was ordered.  There was a reason that the fuses had popped a number of times and it wasn't operator error.  A couple other warranty items were also listed.  I only had to pay for the vent cover.  We left the RV in Buda and headed home until the next trip.

The Traveling Longdogs and I hope to meet you on the road soon!