AUSTIN Continued
Our journey continued in Austin with a
Segway tour in the morning. Austin has a nice feel to it, lots of bars,
restaurants and music venues. We didn’t feel like Austin had any special sights
to see so the Segway was more like a burn through the streets down to the Lady
Bird lake and back. I didn't fall off the segway which is always a good thing. We saw the bridge where the bats live but no bats to see
that morning - something to do with the rain and weather? We saw the Austin State Capitol building which looks like most
other US Capitol buildings – they all have that dome shape on top like the one
in DC. We grabbed a coffee at a trendy café before heading off to Waco. Upon
reflection, the best thing about Austin was the donut shop we went to the night
before.
WACO
We decided to take the 'country' roads to
Waco in order to explore a little bit. It was a nice break from massive
highways but remember, everything is big in Texas so the country roads were like our freeways! The towns were nothing out of the ordinary but I'm glad we took that drive. There were so many
churches in each town despite being small towns of about 2000 people. We
stopped for lunch at the Sonic burger joint which is a drive-in. They bring
your order to the car, kinda reminded me of the Happy Days era. It was an impulse decision that seemed a fun thing to
do (when you're in your late 40's). I’m reaching my limit of junk food and will be glad to resume healthy
eating when we get home.
There really is not much in Waco – mainly the
famous Baylor university which is known for its football stars and scandals. The only
reason we stopped here was to visit the Magnolia Silo’s bakery and shops - more on that later. The only other thing we know Waco for is the Branch Davidians religious cult where back in 1993 the Federal and Texas state law agencies (and military) raided/sieged the compound. The group were suspected of weapons violations in addition to allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct. The siege standoff lasted 51 days with the FBI eventually launching an assault with tear gas in an attempt to force the Branch Davidians out of the ranch. Unfortunately, a fire broke out in the Mount Carmel Center and 76 people died. The guy who did the Oklahoma City bombing (killing 168 people) a year later cited Waco as his motivation as he was an anti-government sympathizer. It was interesting to read about these incidents now because I was much younger and ignorant back in that day. The compound is about 15 minute drive out of Waco, down some farm road. We stopped at the open gate but did not enter – you are allowed to enter and visit the church area but we chose to look from the distance. I was worried the gate would close behind us if we drove in or the car would stall or get a flat tyre. There is a memorial inside the gate for the people who died in the siege.
Now back to those Magnolia Silo's Markets. These are the shops owned by Chip and Joanna from the hit TV home renovations show
Fixer Upper. Deb is a huge fan and she was super excited to visit here. No, we did not see Chip and Joanna and if we did, I would have been coming home alone. Someone has a little crush on Joanna!! It gets
really really really busy here, elbow pushing busy – it’s a very clever and successful business venture
and everyone comes to Waco pretty much to see this place. It's closed on Sundays so we
arrived at opening time on Monday which was also Deb’s birthday. We enjoyed a
morning breakfast sugar rush of pastry and cupcakes and wandered the grounds
waiting for the shops to open. We gave the Visa card a good bash and Deb left happy with a few bags of goodies. I keep thinking of how well Chip and Joanna have
done and those Silo’s markets have really done a lot for the city. I also keep thinking of that chocolate cupcake - never too early for those.
DALLAS
After our Magnolia Silo’s visit we headed
to Dallas. Many of you are probably like me and think of the 80's TV show Dallas with the Ewing family, Southfork Ranch and the Who Shot JR? mystery. Wasn't it Sue-Ellen? I can still hear that theme music in my head now.
In Dallas we enjoyed a full afternoon of JFK history. This was definitely a
highlight of the trip as we are history nerds and JFK’s assassination is a
significant event in recent history albeit 54 years ago. We arrived early at
Dealey Plaza which is the general area surrounding the site. The route that JFK drove
is still open to traffic today but the grassed areas, sidewalks and the famous
grassy knoll are all there for you to walk around, look and reflect. The Texas
Book Depository is right behind and is now aptly named the Sixth Floor Museum –
more on this later. There were several conspiracy people setup on the sidewalks
with their stuff to buy and convince you of a conspiracy but we dodged them
safely. There were two X’s on the road to mark the spots where the car was when
the two shots hit JFK (the third shot missed). I have watched so many
videos and movies of JFK’s assassination and to actually be standing there on
that grassy knoll and surrounds was an absolute surreal sensation. It was just
like you see in the videos – and of course it would be, nothings changed.
 |
| 2nd Top Floor - far right window, Oswald's Window |
We then took a one hour JFK trolley tour
and Texan Mike the guide was pretty vocal, confessing that he used to be a conspiracy
theorist. But he has since asked questions, read a lot and realized, the
facts speak for themselves. Funny that – ignorance can be bliss I guess. I wonder if he believes the moon landing? Anyway….he was super knowledgeable and passionate to say the least. He
explained the lead up to JFK's Texas tour, the tense relationship with his
vice-Pres Lyndon Johnson and re-election focus for 1964. We drove JFK’s parade
route and then continued on the route that Oswald took (walking) after he fled the book
depository. I never fully understood those events but it was great to see and hear
it all. The cinema where he was captured hasn’t changed a bit since that day.
We drove past Oswald’s house and the location where he shot dead a policeman who
approached him as he was on the run. It was a very informative one hour and
totally well worth taking this tour. There was a thunderstorm and pouring rain
on the tour and it added to the eerie effect of this experience.
Our last visit for the day was through the
Sixth Floor Museum which is the former Texas Book Depository. No photos were
allowed in there except for the 7th floor where you can take a photo
just above where Oswald took the fatal shots. This museum is excellent. The
photos, information and layout were fabulous. They give you audio headsets to
further explain the exhibits. We thoroughly enjoyed the museum and managed to
read a fair bit despite rushing as it was approaching closing time. This is a
must-see in Dallas.
I’ve never been a conspiracy theorist and
believe the events are all explained including Jack Ruby shooting Oswald. JFK
was a remarkable man and his assassination was a tragedy for the world,
particularly at a time when positive change was needed. I’m not sure Dallas
would be as prominent if it were not for JFK’s assassination there because we also did a trolley tour of Dallas that afternoon and it was nothing to rave
about. We heard comments that Austin and Dallas were average and our thoughts
are the same.
FORT WORTH
Fort Worth, the gateway to the West. In the
late 19th century it became an important trading post for cowboys at
the end of the Chisholm trail. Texas ranchers using the Chisholm Trail started
on the route from either Rio Grande or San Antonio, joined the Chisholm Trail
at the border between Texas and Oaklahoma and continued to the railhead of the
Kansas railway in Abilene, Kansas, where cattle would be sold and shipped. Fort
Worth was originally established in 1849 as an Army outpost and named after
it’s General (Worth). The fort was abandoned in 1853.
Fort Worth was stimulated by the business
of the cattle drives on the Chisholm Trail and became a brawling, bustling town. Millions of head
of cattle were driven north to market along this trail and it became the centre
of the cattle drives and later the ranching industry. It was given the nickname
Cowtown – yee ha giddy up.
We had a private walking tour of Fort Worth
which was excellent. Our guide was very knowledgeable and also drove us around
town to see some interesting sights in museums, botanical gardens, buildings
and the city streets. We finished up at the Stockyards to see the daily cattle
drive (just for tourists) and those cattle were definitely big with horns to
match. They have a rodeo every Friday and Saturday night and I am keen to do
this later in the year when my sister visits. I didn’t get to buy my 10 gallon Stetson
hat but I will try again on my next visit – gotta get something to match my cowboy
boots from Nashville. We definitely enjoyed Fort Worth
and there is plenty to see there, more so than Dallas. The town has forever had
strong rivalry with Dallas and the guide gave us great stories about the oil
barrons who have built Fort Worth and made it the town it is today.
This wrapped up our Texas adventures and we
took the afternoon flight home back to DC. We were exhausted and I slept the 3
hour flight home. I certainly had expectations for Texas and while some of
these were probably unrealistic, I enjoyed the great state, found the people
super friendly, the food to be amazing and the history very interesting. As a
kid, I watched cowboys and indian movies but never realized that it was real
life for the people here. I now appreciate what those movies were all about.
So that now makes 16 states touched.
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