Always Want To Go

After a really shaky start to our trip last week (What could possibly go wrong?), we continued on our planned journey, this time we were going all the way to Oklahoma. No more problems.

It was late afternoon before we were roadworthy again, so we knew we would not be driving very far that day. I found a nearby Harvest Host property that had space available that night, on short notice, so off we went.

Fortress Beerworks

Once again, we magically happened on another excellent Harvest Host property in north Houston just over 66 miles from our home.

Fortress Beerworks is a brewery hidden away in a secluded part of Spring with an extensive grass field, perfect for RVs, as well as a vast vehicle parking lot. The brewery itself has multiple tables outside and inside with big open glass garage doors that create one large space. This place is very dog and kid-friendly, casual, and had great beer. Live music can be found here on weekends, and the website promises a food truck! We arrived just before the place was closing for the evening but had time to enjoy a few really great beers and visit with our host, John O’Hara. We will have to visit again to try more of their offerings. If this brewery was closer to our home we would have already made at least one return visit.

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Smokin Joe’s RV Park

Our plan was to drive up to Oklahoma and surprise my sister, who lives in Lone Grove, near Ardmore. Since we’d had the big mechanical issue our first day out, we did not end up overnight where we planned to be. Still, we were fortunate to find Smokin Joe’s RV Park in Davis, Oklahoma, right at Turner Falls Recreation Area in the Arbuckle Mountains. Bonus: Smokin Joe’s Barbeque restaurant is right on the property. It was a pretty RV park with shade trees, great amenities, and economical. The park manager, Glenda, was very friendly and met us when we arrived. We got settled into our space in the shade trees reasonably quickly, and my sister, her husband, their daughters and their families made the drive north from their homes to visit us briefly.

Our very helpful park manager, Glenda!

We were COVID careful and had a great dinner at Smokin Joe’s, all together at picnic tables in the outside seating area. Since it was midweek, they had to get back home early, but it had been a very long time since we’d visited, and it was good to see them. We got to visit with all of my sister’s family — including two young great-nephews we’d never seen before!

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Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies

https://www.arbucklemountainfriedpies.com/

Visitors enjoying the Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies

Often, when we drove through the Arbuckle Mountains from Texas to Oklahoma City, we stopped at the Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies store. Who doesn’t like fried pies? The store is very near the RV park, and we stopped to make a purchase on our way back south. They have more flavors than I could possibly remember, all the usual ones, and this trip, we got apple, cherry, and chocolate, of course. They are huge pies. I eat half of one and save the rest for later.

WinStar Casino

No, we did not stop to gamble at the casino, but we did stop to give Tank and Lilly, our dogs, a little break. I have spent a short time here in past years, playing slot machines, though, and I have to tell you if you’ve never been to WinStar; this is a HUGE casino with close to 400,000 square feet of gaming floor. It is billed as the largest casino in the World, and I think that is an accurate statement.  I do remember getting lost there once. This casino is owned and operated by the Chickasaw Nation and has become quite a tourist destination. Here you will find shops restaurants, hotels, a golf course, pool, big-name entertainment, gas stations, and an RV park even!

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WWII monument

Our next stop was at the really big Texas Travel Information Center on Interstate 35 South near the Texas and Oklahoma border.  This is one of the excellent super tourist attraction, full-service rest stops. While there, we discovered a World War II memorial. A sculpture of a larger than a life-sized soldier in action is mounted on a monument inscribed with the names of soldiers of the 103^rd Infantry Division that died in battles during World War II. The 103rd Infantry Division trained and lived at Camp Howze that had been located just across the fence from the Travel Information Center. This sculpture was created by Texas State Sculptor Edd Hayes. It was an interesting piece of history to see and learn about.

Naca Valley Vineyard

Nacogdoches, TX

We left the Tourist Information Center and drove on as far south as Nacogdoches, where we stopped to spend the night at another Harvest Host property, Naca Valley Vineyard. What a beautiful setting for a winery, down a small country road and back in the piney woods, trees everywhere! Chelsea, our host, met us as we arrived, gave us parking directions, and invited us in for a wine tasting if we were interested. Yes, we were interested. This is a small winery, family-owned where we were made to feel very welcome. We enjoyed tasting the wines and purchased a few bottles of the wines we liked best. Before we returned to our RV for the evening, Chelsea told us about a local farmer’s market in old downtown Nacogdoches that would take place the following morning. We made it a point to stop by when we left the next morning. It was a family-friendly local event, and we even made a few purchases while there.

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Bernhardt Winery

Plantersville, TX

Bernhardt Winery was our next and final overnight stop on our way back home. Bernhardt Winery, hidden down a country road, was a much larger winery business than we had visited before. The winery was holding a live music show for the public that afternoon, but, because of the weather, we arrived just as the band finished playing. As we arrived, we could see the many guests sitting at tables that are set up in the trees enjoying their wine and listening to music. It was a pretty picture! We rushed to get set up in a lovely grass field near a pond and make a wine purchase before the winery closed. We walked over to the winery, made our purchase, and were able to relax and enjoy the area all to ourselves as we watched the place being closed up around us. It was a great ending to our long day.

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We woke up to an incredible sunrise and slowly got ourselves together as old retired people do, and began to make our way home. We completed another excellent RV trip, even if it did have a very rocky start!