Days 16 and 17-ish
In the morning after the eclipse, we woke pretty early and debated our travel timing, given an approaching storm. We decided to go get some breakfast up the road at The Log Cabin and wait out the storm.
Charming place! The waitress opened the door and greeted us when we got there.
Looks like they were giving away firearms - see the flag on the back wall.
As we were readying to leave, a man with a "Vietnam Veteran" hat walked by and asked if we were visiting and if that was our van. He grabbed our ticket and said he was paying for our meal “because you are visiting and because of the van.” So sweet! We had already paid, but it was so nice. That has never happened to me before.
After the storm passed, we followed the clouds out of town and made our way to Waco. One fun thing: we stopped at a nearby Planet Fitness for a shower, and who did we meet but Marilyn, the organizer of the meetup, and her husband in their nifty red Travato.
It was a slow-going trip; one of the country roads had some flooding and we had to backtrack. But we saw the sights that Trish wanted to catch in Waco, albeit we were a little rushed.
We got a pic of a big honkin' toy soldier.
We stopped at the Cottonland Castle. Trish had watched its transformation on a home restoration show. No time for a tour today.
In downtown Waco, we enjoyed a visit to Hotel 1928, a beautiful old hotel. We enjoyed a blue bonnet latte, made from butterfly pea flower tea. Yum!
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| Even the ladies' room was pretty! |
A short walk took us to Magnolia Market, another home-improvement show tie-in. It's a great concept: room for picnics and games, shopping, and restaurants.
Unfortunately we had to rush it a bit, because I did NOT want to try to find the next place in the dark. Previous reviews had warned us specifically not to arrive after dark to this next Harvest Host. Plus, driving Poppy in the dark is not much fun.
Woooo! It was out in the boonies! We finally found “Painted Landscape Ranch” in Ben Wheeler, Texas, but had difficulty finding the actual driveway. The host was kind enough to jump in her truck and come find us when we got turned around!
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| Soggy ground meant parking on the pavement |
It was a comfortable night, despite another overnight rainstorm with big sky booms. And some insomnia due to anxiety about the next day’s wet and windy weather, heading down to bayou country.
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| Henny Penny and her friends provided us with some fresh eggs |
We were lucky again the next morning. We followed the storm that had pounded us overnight, and it was dry all the way to south Louisiana, and sunny for much of the drive. This, despite flood warnings and tornado warnings the night before.
A day's road travel would not be the same without a giant something! Trish found this giant book shelf in Wascom, Texas at the public library.
Once in Baton Rouge, we had a yummy cajun meal at Cecilia. Trish always had the magic touch finding the best spots. Shrimp n grits for Trish, and crawfish étouffée for me. Double yum!
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| Skillet cornbread with maple bourbon glaze and cinnamon butter. OH MY! |
It's a little worn down, and some reviewers on Harvest Host called it "creepy," but it was gated, safe, and quiet. And it was interesting to walk around and see all the stuff, even if in a state of slight disrepair.
Schnieder's wife died last year, which may have something to do with the state of the property. But I didn't feel unsafe at any time.
Anyway, come and take a tour with us.
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| Motel movie set |
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| Apparently they had movie night activities in the past |
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| John's chair on the expansive pool's deck |
Poppy had a place, too.
Next up: More Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida!
