More of the Bluebonnet wildflowers in Ennis, Texas

The only frustrating part of the trip to Ennis, was how many tourists there were with the same intention that I had - to take photos.  The most beautiful fields were found along winding, narrow country roads, and it was difficult to park along the sides of these roads.  It was almost impossible to even stop briefly to quickly take a photo because there'd sometimes be ten cars behind me.  I usually come back from a day trip with over 100 photos.  I only managed about 30 photos of the flowers and I was away for four days.  So all in all, I wish I could have taken more photos, with more original props in the background, than just field upon field of blue.

It poured with rain on the Sunday, but we managed to get to Southfork Ranch before the heavens opened up.  The ranch is not in Dallas, but on the outskirts of a town called Parker.   The actually site was quite disappointing, with patches of weeds on the lawn in front of the ranch.  No easy access to the front, as the gate was locked and the tour tickets were over $10.  All I wanted was a photo of the front of the house and the famous wrought iron name, hanging over the gate. 

                                                The grounds looked pretty run down.

There are three entrances to the ranch.  The main entrance was locked.

                The entrance to the gift shop.  It sold a variety of items, with the Southfork logo on them, but    most of the souvenirs are ones that one could purchase anywhere in Texas.

                This plaque cost about $15.00.  Their postcards were also very old and outdated.

I thought that placing a water fountain on this wall, distracted one from the large portraits of the main male leads in the series.  It looked out of place.  I had to stand at an angle to try to cut out the obstacle which is actually an eye sore.

Same with this one.  An ATM machine on this display wall? 

  I'm glad that I went to see the world famous ranch, but I left feeling a little disillusioned.  Been there, done that.  :)  The German tourists were flocking the place, but then again, they also adore David Hassellhof !

Bluebonnets in the Lone Star State.

We left for Texas bright and early on Saturday morning and arrived at our destination in the mid morning.  The wildflowers in Ennis, the bluebonnet capital of the world, were as breathtaking as I imagined they would be.  Pastures and fields full of the bright blue flowers, the azure splatterings of flowers increased the further south we travelled.  Am posting a couple of photos now, but much more to follow with more information about our Texan adventure.

A tribute to Ike - found along the highway.

And here was Ennis's Field of Dreams - their largest pastures of bluebonnets that attract visitors from all over.  The scene was breathtaking!

Cruising along Route 66 in Oklahoma

Cruising the Mother Road across Oklahoma

There are many things to see and do along Route 66 and it would take a few weeks to see them all.  The Mother Road extends from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California and was officially opened on November 11, 1926.  The 2,400 mile road extends through eight states, and influenced lifestyles and brought along a new culture of enjoying the freedom of the road.  The road meant the opportunity for new beginnings during the Great Depression and the Okies' migration to California was highlighted in the famous novel, "Grapes of Wrath", by John Steinbeck.

So making our way from POPS Soda Store near Arcadia and Oklahoma City, back to Tulsa, I'll be sharing some of the very interesting things I found along the route.  POPS an ultra modern gas station and store, which sells Route 66 souvenirs and over 400 different flavours of sodas, as well as housing a restaurant that serves up great American hamburgers and sandwiches.  The impressive 66 foot tall soda bottle changes colours at night and is an impressive beacon for anyone travelling along this stretch of the road.

The next attraction is the Red Barn, the only wooden round barn along the road, which was restored in 1898.

Across the road one can find this stone plaque, with some information about the area.

The inside of the barn has a lot of old memorabilia for sale, which includes books, postcards, souvenir spoons and some of these humorous posters, compiled by some of the locals.

Leaving Arcadia, about five miles along the road, there's an open air museum, filled with an interesting selection of items, ranging from an old gas station, to a groovy painted VW hippy camper.

A visitor to this unusual museum could spend about an hour walking around, looking at the various collectors items, which have been displayed in some most unusual ways.

The museum is lovingly taken care of by this friendly guy, whose name evades me now, with his friendly Rottie, who brought over her big chewed up teddy when she welcomed me at my car.

There are over 400 miles of Route 66 in Oklahoma and this is just a very small portion of what one can see along the rolling hills, in and out of the various towns and cities.

Stay tuned for the next portion of our travels along Route 66, as we drive closer to Tulsa.

Natural Falls (Dripping Springs), Oklahoma

 NaturalFalls, Oklahoma

An hour and a half's drive from Broken Arrow along the 412 E. enroute to Siloam Springs, Oklahoma. The site was easy to find and the staff at the Visitor's Centre were friendly and helpful.  There's a $4 entrance fee, and dogs are allowed, which is great, as I do intend to go back there for a picnic.

When we arrived at the site, there were only about six cars parked in the main parking area, where hikers and visitors to the falls, depart from.  The camping site was quite full, with lots of RV's and caravans.  I saw a couple of tents pitched and lots of kids riding around on their bikes.  I'm guessing that a lot of the people were there for their Spring break as some of the campsites looked pretty established, with many comforts from home.

Natural Falls is also known as Dripping Springs. This was at the entrance to the hiking path to the falls.

This was the view from the top viewing point.  Best time to visit the falls would be early in the morning before the sun shines over this part, so that colour of the water is blue.  Later on in the day, the sunshine made the water look brown and dull.

Taken from the viewing deck at the bottom.

There's a steep walkway down to the falls, and this is the view looking up at a bridge, that joins the gorge to the other walking trails on the site.

After leaving the falls, we walked along the narrow trail to the 'lake'.

Another watershed  - lovely, gushing falls, running off from the 'lake' above.

The view from the bottom to the ridge where there are more hiking trails. The campsite must be close by, because the comforting aroma of campfires, was evident in the cool Spring morning.  There were a number of hikers around the lake area and more visitors had arrived during the time that we were at the falls.

                                             Serious biking starts early in this part of the world.

Spring time and the fall are definitely the best times to head to this park if you are a photographer. The lighting and variety of colours to capture, was perfect for taking pictures.  The roadtrip was definitely worth it and I would definitely recommend a visit.

Route 66 Oklahoma - The Mother Road and POPS.

ROUTE 66 - The Mother Road

This road extends all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles, and the historic buildings and interesting spots to stop over at, are incredible.  Fortunately for me, Route 66 goes through parts of Tulsa and south through Oklahoma City, on it's way west, so I have been fortunate in finding some quaint places along the way, to take photos of.

I found myself taking one of the exits off the I-40S, and was soon bouncing along the winding road, which ran parallel to the main highway.  I had interesting things to take photos of on both sides of Route 66 - I was in Photographer's Heaven.

I couldn't wait to see what I would find over the next hill or around the corner.  It was a trip taken during the week, so the roads were quiet, and the weather was picture perfect.

These little houses - straight out of a history book.  It is as if time had stopped for a moment.  I couldn't help but wonder if these are still working farms.   Moving further south, I finally came across this place that I have been wanting to take photos of for over six years and the main reason for undertaking this day trip.   POPS, a gas station/soda shop unlike any other.

This ultra modern gas station, with gas pumps that look like something that was off loaded from a spaceship, a very colourful, gift shop with a small restaurant, that served up delicious hamburgers and sandwiches.   And of course, the 66 ft soda bottle, which changes colours at night.  A bright beacon of uniqueness on this historic road. 

 When we arrived there, it was busy and packed with tourists buying sodas, souvenirs and food.  There are over  400 different flavours to choose from, some of them are pretty weird, and I am not sure if I'd want to taste any of those.  But the people were packing in the bottles into six pack carriers and spending money on bright coloured caps, t-shirts and souvenirs, displaying the Pops logo on them.

After walking around the store for about 45 minutes, we bought a few souvenirs and then decided to find a table and order something off the menu.   We ordered the Friday special - the Buffalo Burger with fries

and the BLT sandwich

Both were large portions, inexpensive, and d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!!!!

We were very pleasantly surprised at everything that we saw at Pops.  The clothing was reasonably priced, but the sodas were over $2 a piece, which I thought was a little high.  Maybe that's because a lot of them are unusual soda flavours such as Buffalo Wing and some sodas with some rather unusual names.

Pops provided many opportunities for photos, which made me very happy that the trip along Route 66 had turned out to be worth it.  So often, I've been disappointed in so called places of interest in Oklahoma, but this trip is something that I would recommend and undertake again.  I'd like to go back there at night to take photos of the soda bottle when it changes to a variety of colours.

In the next segment about Route 66, I'll add photos of the drive back home and what I found at an outdoor museum along the way.