Mon - 13 Apr/15

Up and out on the road in the car heading for Waco, TX by 8:15.

Most of the travels will be on I-35.

First stop was the Waco Tourist Info Center. It is always good to check in at the local tourist bureau. Picked up a booklet w/discounts and some good info.

Next stop was just the other side of the parking lot: The Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum. 

Hundreds of vintage (and a few modern) guns on display. 

A neat display allowed assembly of a 5 (not 6) shooter. Unlike the later revolvers that flipped out for loading to load on this revolver the round part had to be removed and the shells inserted. The revolver was then slid back on the round barrel post and the long barrel was inserted over the barrel post. Lastly, a key that kept it all from falling apart was inserted through the wider barrel section (slot). Try doing that quickly in a gunfight!

Interesting fact: Many early Texas Rangers supplemented their income by surveying. As rangers, they were mostly paid by land grants. This gave them actual cash. 

Also, learnt the meanings of a few sayings. They marked a surveyed tree to make it easy to identify by using an axe to make an "X" and then removing the bark. Removing the bark was called "Blazing" so trail blazing was marking a path by removing bark from trees along the path.

Another meaning: Sharpshooter came from the soldiers during the civil war. The elite of the infantry used the "Sharps" rifles which were know for their long range accuracy. They became known as "Sharps Shooters" = Sharpshooters.

There were a number of interesting anecdotal histories of famous Texas Rangers. A painting depicted the demise of Bonnie and Clyde by officers led by a former Texas Ranger,  Frank Hamer, who was brought out of retirement to track down this deadly duo. 

In early 1934, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow stole a V8 Ford and drove it around the Midwest, robbing and killing people. That joyride ended when lawmen punctured the car (and Bonnie and Clyde) with over 100 armour-piercing bullets.

I remember when Charlotte and I saw the original bullet-ridden car on display in a Casino in Primm, NV.

There was an interesting 45 minute video on the history of the Texas Rangers that is show a few times a day on a screen on one wall of the round display area.

The rangers were founded in 1823 when Stephen F. Austin, known as the Father of Texas, employed ten men to act as rangers to protect 600 to 700 newly settled families who arrived in Texas following the Mexican War of Independence. 

Today the Texas Rangers task has changed. Today the Texas Ranger Division is a major division within the Texas Department of Public Safety with lead criminal investigative responsibility for the following: major incident crime investigations, unsolved crime/serial crime investigations, public corruption investigations, officer involved shooting investigations, and border security operations.

The Texas Ranger Division is akin to being the FBI of Texas. They are comprised of 208 full time employees of which 150 are commissioned Rangers and 58 are support personnel. Duties include being administrative staff as well as manning a Border Security Operations Center, Joint Operations and Intelligence Centers, and a Special Weapons and Tactics team.

On our way to the next venue on our agenda we passed by the bridge that was part of the Chisholm Trail which was used in the post-Civil War era to drive cattle overland, from ranches in the Rio Grande or San Antonio areas of Texas to the railheads in Kansas. 

Today you can walk across the bridge as well as view a herd of longhorns being "rounded up"

Next stop: The Dr. Pepper Museum. Dr. Pepper was a new kind of soda pop, made with 23 flavors. was introduced in 1885 and preceded the introduction of Coca-Cola by one year.

The drink was created in the 1880s by Charles Alderton in Waco, TX and was served at this soda fountain. It was first nationally marketed in the USA in 1904.

This is my version of a "Selfie" - taking a picture that has my reflection.

"Dr Pepper Time", according to one promotion, was at 10, 2 and 4 o'clock which was based on a study that determined the bodies lowest levels of sugar was at the above times (actually, it was on the half-hours of these times).

Neat videos of various historic bottling plants in operation where shown (by selecting a button for the era) in the preserved "old-time" bottling line.

Keep learning new facts today: The name new name for carbonated water originated in the early days of the soft (vs hard = liquor) drink industry. The carbon dioxide gas used for making the "Fizz" was produced by pouring water over marble dust (Soda). When a bottle was opened, the excess gas escaping made a "Pop" = "Soda Pop". 

Also, "Seltzer Water" (Soda or Carbonated Water) took it's name from Selters (Lahn), a village in Germany known for its natural mineral springs. Who knew?

I checked at the Gift Shop; but they didn't have a print of the above picture. It would have been a good addition to my Route 66 collection.

Bill's Rule #84: Save something interesting to visit when touring an area so you have a reason to return. We got forced into this in Waco. We planned on visiting the Waco Mammoth Site; however, it is closed on Sunday and Monday. To Bad - So Sad!

The Waco Mammoth Site is a paleontological site and museum where 24 Columbian Mammoth fossils were uncovered. The site is the largest known concentration of a single herd of mammoths dying from the same event, which is believed to have been a flash flood. Maybe next time!

A a substitute we chose to go to visit the "Homestead Traditional Crafts Village" at Brazos de Dios. I didn't get the chance to delve into the details; however, the folks here live a lifestyle similar to the Amish. Homestead Heritage Ministries, the umbrella organization of a Christian farming community is situated on 510 acres of prime farmland. Here 800 Anabaptist members nurture the land and are nurtured by it. They express their creativity through crafts and are learning the by−hand ways of Southerners long past. 

We had lunch in the Cafe. The "Monterrey Melt" (Salsalito Turkey, Pepper Jack Cheese, Lettuce, Ranch Dressing, Toasted Jalapeno Sourdough Bread and a cup of Poblano Bisque) was delicious. The Peach Iced Tea and Raspberry Lemonade were really tasty as well and the Tuxedo Cake for dessert was yummy. A great meal all made with organic ingredients , bread, etc. grown on site.

The Barn. originally built by Dutch settlers in northern New Jersey during the early 1800’s, our restored barn now showcases the work of our community craftsmen here at Brazos de Dios. This two-story Dutch-English structure stands as a unique testimony to barn architecture—its 200-year-old chestnut and oak frame still secured with the original hand-cut mortise and tenon joints, locked in place by oak pegs.

Inside you’ll find our handcrafted furniture and accessories plus hundreds of one-of-a-kind heirloom gift items—pottery, wrought iron, quilts, handmade brooms and baskets, mesquite shepherd’s lamps, wooden cutting boards and spoons, oil lamps, beeswax candles, natural soaps, needlework, original watercolors, cards, children’s storybooks and homesteading how-to’s as well as Homestead Farms specialty foods and Homestead Gristmill Baking Mixes.


A quick ride back I-35 to the RV. Then it was time to set up for the next leg of our trip.

As I was hooking up the Del Sol to the towbar folks noticed the Ontario plates and asked where we lived. Dave and Judy where from the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario (pretty country) and they knew where Cornwall (our area) was located.

We had a great conversation. Being motorcycle enthusiasts they had just attended the MotoGP motorcycle races at The Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. I didn't think to ask Dave (based on his accent) about the great British era of the Triumph, BSA and Norton motorcycles. We would probably be still talking.

That's it for tonight. We will be heading East to catch the Natchez Trace tomorrow morning.



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