Tuesday in Sonora, TX

Arriving late Monday in Sonora, we were soon faced with small town facts. Everything shuts down by 9:00pm. In other words, no supper. We checked in and fell asleep pretty quickly. The next morning we headed out to The Enchanted Rock. This is about 17 miles north of Fredricksburg, TX. I'd like to come back to spend a few days just visiting this quaint town and climbing the rock some more. Photos cannot do justice to the scope and magnitude of this mountain of stone. It was incredible. If you look closely to the picture up in the right corner, those little specks at the top are people. It is ginormous! It started to rain while we were up on top, so we climbed down very carefully. The flora growing on the rock was incredible. Well worth spending several days exploring. There is a campsite at the bottom of the mountain with plenty of sites and clean facilities. We drove back to Sonora and stopped by the Eaton Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. You can check it out at www.sonoratx-chamber.com
That evening we did catch supper at the local Pizza Hut and had ice-cream at Dairy Queen. Yum, yum!

Monday in Shawnee

After visiting the college, we drove down to the old Shawnee Depot. We took several pictures of the depot, the old train and an oil pump nearby. Next, we headed over to the original Van's BBQ. Delicious! Brought some sauce home with us. Their website is www.pigstands.com
We also stocked up on baking mixes from Shawnee Mills, they have great muffin mixes, corn bread and brownie mixes. With much reluctance, we said our good-byes and headed southwest to Sonora, TX.

Fun in Shawnee,OK

Sunday was such a lovely day. We spent time catching up on the news and playing with the girls. Late lunch was delicious, at a local Mexican Restaurant - huge portions! Perfect!
In the morning, we headed over to see Saint Gregory's College, where my oldest brother, Phil, works. As you can see, the campus is beautiful.
Here's another shot, Phil walking across campus after his morning class. We didn't get up early enough to sit in his class. That would've been so amazing. He has a great way of helping his students think through things that most of us take for granted.

Road Trip 2007

Wow! We are in Sonora!
We left home around 8 pm on Saturday, as soon as Michael. Loaded everybody up and headed west on I-70. it was after midnight when we drove through St Louis. The Arch was beautiful, lit up against the skyline of the city. No time to stop, so we headed southwest on I-44 to Springfield, and then onto Joplin, Mo.
I took a detour in Joplin, following the old Route 66. Parts of the road were so old, it felt like a gravel road. There were old abandoned buildings that hinted to a more prosperous time gone by, but no touristy spots along this stretch. We arrived in Miami, OK around 5:30 am. It was still pretty dark, so my photos are questionable. it appears that work is underway to spruce up the old downtown. There are several interesting buildings, but I didn't see the courthouse.
My parents were married in Miami, OK in 1962. How fun!
We jumped back on I-44 and headed towards Vinita. Stopping at the "Nation's Largest McDonald's" - a restaurant that straddles the Will Rogers Turnpike. It used to be the Glass House Restaurant. I was able to get a photo of the sun coming up(see photo above right), from the restaurant. Well, no one was quite ready for breakfast, so we headed down the road, through Tulsa and toward Chandler. There were signs of storms in the distance and Phil called to let us know we might run into rain. The rain was refreshing and lasted about the last hour of the drive. Arriving in Shawnee, we grabbed a bite to eat, then made our 1st stop - Phil and Kristen's home.
We were welcomed by happy girls, playing on the porch, watching the trees bloom and the rain fall. It was wonderful to breathe Spring fresh air and sit outside.