A Saturday Journey

The best part of traveling is that each journey is new and exciting. While there may be mishaps, inclement weather and other variables that can affect a road trip, the unknown and unique experience it brings with it makes taking a chance worth it. This past Saturday I caressed the Red River portion of North Texas and ended the journey with a pleasant steak, mashed potato and corn dinner with a dose of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. It began with a trip back to a familiar area in search of the unknown. A week earlier I visited historic Illinois Bend, which was originally Wardville in 1862 before changing in 1877 when settlers from Illinois ventured just across the Red River and found that the land looked like a bend. This week I wanted to see Spanish Fort, which lies 20 minutes northeast of Nocona. After traversing along I 35 to Gainesville and taking US 82 to Saint Jo, I took a right along Farm Road 677. The trees began to give way to open prairie land for a few minutes before the pavement began tuning into the "Long and Winding Road." For the next several miles the terrain began to alter by the minute. Hills and prairie began alternating. After 20 minutes it was time to stay straight ahead onto Farm Road 2953 for a few miles before reaching Farm Road and Spur 103 when I made a right. The truck began to slow down and to the left were two abandoned businesses. The eyes glance to the opposite direction and finds a statue along with a wooden tabernacle and a Chisholm Trail sign.

(Hutson Hunters Supplies- Featured items like Zebro Rods and Koehler Wheat Lights)

(not sure what that was, but perhaps a diner of some sort or café)

Across the street were a few interesting pieces of history.

(Tabernacle which had a sign that read "Spanish Fort Tabernacle Dedicated to the Lord August 1954")

Spanish Fort was also a watering hole for cattleman along the Chisholm Trail heading north in Indian Territory and eventually Abilene, Kansas.

A sign erected in 1936 by the State of Texas. It reads, "The town of Spanish Fort occupies the site of an Ancient Taovayas Indian Village. Scene of the first severe defeat in Texas of Spanish troops by Indians in 1759. Named Fort Teodoro in 1778 by De Mezieres in honor of Teodoro de Croix Commander of the Interior Provinces of Mexico. Permanent white settlements began in this vicinity after 1850. 'Let the grandeur of the pioneer be discerned in the safety he has secured, in the good he has accomplished, in the civilization he has established.' A rare victory for the American Indians in what the area that became Texas. The wind began to blow with gusto and it led me to the historic Spanish Fort cemetery. There is something unique about older tombstones.

(For those with morbid curiosity here is a list of graveyard symbols http://www.graveaddiction.com/symbol.html)

As I began to head back I found an interesting character along the way.

After hitting the pedal to the metal, I decide it was time to fill my horsepower and grab a bite at Times Forgotten. The sign read open from 11 to 2 then closed until 5, so I thought o gosh. Yet, I dared do the unexpected by opening the door where a middle aged couple walk out and with a ambivalent expression told me, "They're open." A reaffirming "come on in and grab a seat" was the straw that brought this camel in. "What do you want to drink?" asks the young waitress with blonde shoulder length hair with streaks of black and eyes as blue as the Pacific Ocean in July. "A Diet Coke with no ice, please." Moments later, the straw and I reach an accord. "Where are you from?" "I live in Denton and go to school at the University of North Texas." "Oh, I lived in Denton all my life," the waitress says with a glow in her eyes. "I moved out to Nocona to get away from it all. Just me and my daughter." "What do you do," she adds. After explaining my desire to become a highway/travel writer and describing my experience at the cemetery in Spanish Fork, "Very interesting I love old cemeteries," she states in a lively tone. "They have one in Corinth you should go see sometime." After talking about life and the slow Saturday afternoon, I order a steak well done with mashed potatoes and corn. 15 minutes later, the food and I made our peace. However, there is something about those blue eyes that convinced me to ask her, "Can I have ice cream?" "What kind?" "Do you have chocolate and vanilla? I am feeling up to anything." "Sure we do." After enjoying the mixed ice cream in a cup it was time to head back. "It was nice talking to you." "Good luck." Walking by the door, I take one more glance, but the blue eyes had disappeared. Source: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hns64