Coming Home Day 1

March 11th, 2014. I finally started the trip home. Armed with a U-haul trailer (which I got over billed for), a bright red rubber chicken, a .45 Springfield, and a lot of hope for the future, I climbed into Dad's truck and waved goodbye to Louisiana. My heart was heavy about leaving good friends but Heather had a fix for that...

With Red stashed firmly in the center console with my flowers we were off.

Riding shotgun out of Louisiana on I-49

Any day you can go to Texas is bound to be interesting.

 

Red insisted on getting the window seat through Dallas. Too bad too because Dallas has one of the best skylines ever!

Somewhere just south of Wichita Falls we found a little curio shop where they sold the type of pecans Mom likes. It was a great place for us to mellow out and look at something other than a road. Plus the chairs were stout enough not to scream with all three of us sitting on them.

On the road again we crossed into the epic flat grasslands that occupy so much of middle America. Not to worry though, development spares no landscape.

Red wanted to make an offer

Eventually we had to saddle up again and leave that quiet little burg on the edge of the great plains. Little did we know that we would fall into the grip of one of the most subtle yet destructive forces of nature. The Texan dust storm.

The sun was literally blotted out by dust mid-day

Tumbleweeds blowing across the highway

We despaired of the paint job on the truck as endless tons of alkali dust were driven into the clear coat until, as hope failed us, we saw in the fading light the sign wich promised salvation and a good meal...

That's right. So many times Heather and I have seen this place on Food Network and Travel Chanel.  We must stop! And no matter how you feel about tourist traps. This is a place anyone can love.

Bear? What Bear?

Character in cowboy hats

Yeah, they earned the spot on Steak Paradise.

So with our bellies full we ended day one on the darkened shores of Lake Meredith. Sadly, Red pointed out, it was too dark for my rubber pal to get a shameless selfie. So off to bed dreaming about our triumphant return to Colorful Colorado.