Palm Springs, Paris & Brownsville (almost)

Okay it was Palm Springs Kentucky, Paris Tennessee, and almost to Brownsville Tennessee. When you travel you find towns with names that aren’t in the place you expect to see them. Still don’t know how Palm Springs KY got its name. Sure didn’t see any palm trees. We also went through Tiny Town KY with is on the border between Kentucky and Tennessee. Yep, they got that name right, it was a tiny town.

My client attended a conference which was held at Lake Barkley State Resort just west of Cadiz KY. Beautiful place and a beautiful lake. I would really like to see it in the summer. I think I will need a vacation then! Here is a link to read more about Lake Barkley.















Also my client made several stops to visit with veterinarians. Seems like every vet clinic has a big’ol cat sleeping in a basket in the waiting room. Here is a picture of one where the cat was sleeping in a flower pot on the front porch. Looks like he has it made.















This week the dining places were mostly regional chain type but really good. The two that stood out were Cracker Barrel and O’Charlie’s. The original Cracker Barrel is in Lebanon TN. We were there but it was not meal time so I will have to take my client back there sometime. Cracker Barrel is simple home cooking, just like mom use to make. I really like breakfast there. The fire place sure felt good with the morning chill in the air. O’Charlie’s is similar to Chili’s but a little more extensive menu and more of a southern influence. Also, if you leave your credit card there you get to go back for lunch the next day! Here are links to read more about both of these restaurants.
Click: Cracker Barrel Restaurant
Click: O'Charlie's Restaurant


More pictures>>>>

Kentucky















Tennessee















Tennessee horse & cattle farm

To Venus And Beyond

After a couple of weeks of office time my client is back on the road again.

After a hurried morning in the office we blasted off just before noon. With the rocket engines roaring we pegged the mock meter at a high velocity. However when we punched through the Dallas – Fort Worth constellation we lost a lot of our forward momentum. Fortunately we were able to do the “gravity slingshot thing” when we went around Venus (Texas) and regained a couple of extra mock numbers. We made our landing destination and found our docking station in Corsicana.

Sorry, but after passing by Venus Texas I couldn’t help but do the space rocket thing with this posting. To read about Venus Texas click http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/VV/hlv8.html

Corsicana Texas, though just south of the Dallas – Fort Worth metroplex, still maintains its smaller Texas town feel and look. Probably one of the main claims to fame for Corsicana is Collin Street Bakery which is known for their fruit cakes. I know that everyone likes to make fun of getting fruit cakes for Christmas but the ones Collin Street Bakery makes are really good. I’ll eat one of theirs any day. They also make a lot of other really good baked items. Check out Collin Street Bakery click http://www.collinstreet.com/

After finishing up some business in Mabank my client drifted 5 miles east to Odom Texas. Yes, there really is an Odom Texas. Well at least on the map there is. Today Odom Texas is not much more than a curve in the road. But at one time it even had a school. Below are a few pictures and here is a link to read more about it http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/OO/hro36.html




















Lunch on Wednesday found us in Lockhart Texas. Okay it was 11:15 but the drive from San Saba was exhausting and we were famished. Besides, three of the best barbeque places in the universe are in Lockhart Texas. My client decided to eat at Kreuz Market (pronounced “Krites”). Wow – it was really really really good. When you go in you walk up to the counter by the cooker pits and order the meat you want. They slice it fresh, put it on butcher paper, then weigh it. Then you go into the dining hall and order anything else you want to eat with it. We kept it simple. Just order 3 slices of brisket and a sausage link. They serve it with saltine crackers and white bread. Don’t even think about asking for sauce. One, they don’t serve sauce and two, it doesn’t need it. Read more about Kreuz Market click http://www.kreuzmarket.com/about.shtml

Our trajectory took us through Gonzales Texas, the sight of the first skirmish of the Texas Revolution. On October 2, 1835, Texans led by John H. Moore resisted Mexican dragoons sent to retrieve the town cannon. Challenging the Mexicans to "COME AND TAKE IT," the Texans rallied around the gun and fought the battle of Gonzales. Click here to read more http://www.fauthcottage.com/History%20of%20Gonzales%20for%20web.htm

On the way back home we passed through Luling Texas, on the San Marcos river, and found an old mill. Zedler Mill was founded in 1874 by three men from Tennessee. Enjoy the pictures below and click here to read more http://www.zedlermill.com/History.htm


























After a meeting in Elgin Texas it dawned on me that we were only 25 miles from Taylor Texas and it was getting close to noon and that means time for another barbeque fix. Louie Mueller Barbeque is also one of the highest rated barbeque restaurants in the US. Like Kreuz Market it has been featured on many TV shows including The Food Network. It was out of this world good. Click here to read more http://www.louiemuellerbarbecue.com/

With our tanks full we were in great shape for a low level flight back home.

Two interesting observations on this tip. First, it must be skunk suicide month. It seamed like every 2 miles we saw one on the road. What’s up with that? Second, a junior high school in Wichita Falls is named Barwise Jr High. Makes you want to check out their curriculum.

Check back next week for more Alice On The Road!

Phoenix

4th week of January

Short weekend. My client caught an early Sunday fight out to Phoenix. We took the company plane again (Southwest Airlines). My client had one of his associates traveling with him this week. We had a layover in Las Vegas. Its very interesting to watch the people in the airport in Las Vegas. You see a little bit of everything there. Sometimes you even see a lot of someone (some are more prone to be less modest in their appearance). My clients associate mentioned a couple of times that it would be too bad if our flight got canceled and we had to spend the week in Las Vegas. Oh well, our departure flight was on time. Better luck next time.

Even though I had to go to Phoenix I didn’t have to work very hard. Just simply recommended a few places to eat. I ended up spending most of my time enjoying the hotel room. It was nice to get rested up after several weeks of hard travel. Don’t think my client was so lucky. He spent most of the week in meetings. Hope he gets a chance to rest up sometime soon. He is starting to look a little tired.

Anyway here are some of the place I recommended to them:

El Torito Grill – great Sonora influence in their Mexican Food. http://www.eltorito.com/about.asp

Stuart Anderson's Black Angus – what can I say, steak is great anytime. This one is well above average. http://www.blackangus.com/company/co_history.php

Donovan’s Steak and Chop House – This one was top-shelf. Great steaks without being overwhelmed by serving size. http://www.donovanssteakhouse.com/company-media.html

Matador Mexican Food Restaurant – Oh, this was so good we ate here twice. They even do breakfast. I’ll have to try that next time. http://matador2go.com/

Saturday found us back on the company plane headed home. Back through Las Vegas and we missed getting stranded there too. My clients associate thought it would be okay if we got stranded there for the rest of the weekend. We may just have to plan better to get stranded there next time.

My client and I had a great window seat back to Amarillo. With no clouds at all, we had a great view of the Grand Canyon. Maybe someday I can take my client and his family there.