Yes indeed, Halifax was named in honor of George Dunk (1716–1777), Second Earl of Halifax and Chief Lord of Trade and Plantations. We will include more history later in this post to keep our readers on the edge of their seats! We think the photo below provides a good indication of the dramatic nature of this post and will allow you to stop watching The Crown on Netflix once and for all.
We arrived in Halifax in the afternoon fresh from our stop in the photogenic, post card perfection of Peggy’s Cove (no—we don’t know who Peggy was and no one else does either). Halifax is the largest city in the Canadian Maritime Provinces (population apx. 440,000). It’s modern, bustling and growing by leaps and bounds. Construction cranes are visible everywhere you look—there have been between 25 and 35 cranes across the area for the last several years! More on the growth topic later.
Halifax, from the Citadel
Halifax harbor is the second largest natural harbor in the world. Additionally, it is deep and ice free which has helped the port become the fourth largest by volume in Canada. Because one of us is like a child when it comes to big ships, trains, machinery and planes, we ventured to the south end of the compact waterfront to see the intermodal container operation.
Okay lets get to the truely important stuff….street art, fine art, coffee and food…..
Halifax has been home to an annual week-long street mural since June of 2022. We were able to check out some of the murals from the 2022 and 2023 festivals. The 2024 festival will not take place until mid July.
Artist—@BLAZENTATTOO
The festival brings together a mix of local and international artists. Many of the murals are on Quinpool Road, a diverse and lively area of shops and ethnic restaurants.Some of the murals we photographed on our walkabout are pictured below. Some of the murals were difficult or impossible to photograph as they were painted in very narrow alleyways. Still great to see all the work!
In addition to street art, Halifax is home to the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia which is a provincial fine art museum. On our second day in Halifax the rains came so we donned our waterproofs and walked down the hill to the museum.
When we visited there were two major exhibitions taking place. We both were enamored of the exhibit of the Trinidadian-Canadian artist Denyse Thomasos (1964-2012). Thomasos began her career as a figurative painter and evolved over time to produce inceasingly abstract work. Thomasos was born in Trinidad and grew up in Canada and studied in Toronto before earning a MFA in Painting and Sculpture at Yale University. Sadly, Thomasos died unexpectedly during a routine medical procedure at the age of 47, ending her brilliant career prematurely.
Self Portrait—Denyse Thomasos
Haligonians are blessed with a plethora of excellent specialty coffee shops spread across the town. We visited five different shops during our four-day stay. We can report that each shop was quite good but each also demonstrated a unique personality.
We had been dining extensively on seafood during our trip—why not when you are touring the Maritime provinces of Eastern Canada where the seafood is ridiculously fresh and delicious? We tend to avoid Italian cuisine (including pizza) when we travel outside the northeastern U.S. However, after several weeks without pasta, a fix was definitely in order. Fortunately, a solution was within our reach at The Bicycle Thief on the waterfront in Halifax.
The Bicycle Thief describes their offerings as North American food with an Italian Soul. Assolutamente! We were able to acquire a late afternoon reservation on a rainy Saturday (after our visit to the art museum). The restaurant was absolutely packed but the service was impeccable and our cocktails, appetizers and entrees were delizioso! Please dine there if you go to Halifax.
There are of course many other things to do in Halifax beside art, coffee and food. The harbor is spectacular and a walk along the boardwalk will provide you with views of several of the small islands situated in the harbor as well as cargo ships, navy vessels and cruiseliners entering and departing Halifax.
The Citadel, which overlooks the city, is a good attraction for history buffs. This fortress is the fourth version to be built on the hill overlooking the harbor. The last and current fortress was constructed by the British in anticipation of a possible attack (1820s) at Halifax by the United States. That of course never happened and none of the four fortresses was ever part of a military conflict. Today the fort is a national historic monument operated by Parks Canada. For more information: https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/ns/halifax/culture/histoire-history/citadelles-4-citadels
Another worthwhile stop on a sunny day is the Halifax Public Gardens. The timing of our visit was a tad early for everything to be in full bloom. Regardless, the garden is an oasis of quiet and serenity in the middle of a bustling city. P.S. added bonus—Apartment3 Espresso Bar is directly across the street from the gardens on the Park Street side.
We mentioned the growth ocurring in the city earlier in the post. The economy in Halifax continues to be robust with significant population growth fueled by emigration to the province. This growth has fueled the need for housing which is clearly under construction. How much of the housing is affordable we cannot say. The one facet of all the growth we did observe is that the city has been increasingly building skyward. Previous height restrictions have been relaxed and zoning seems to be relaxed as well with high rises going up in the midst of blocks once dominated by two story “jelly bean” houses (brightly painted wood frame residences). The view of the harbor from above is now largely obstructed (unless you live in a highrise). Oh well, just an observation by visitors—perhaps without the necessary context. Regardless, an interesting, lively and fun city to visit.
We are off to Cape Breton to explore the beauty and rich culture of the highlands where the “mountains meet the sea”.
When we arrived at our campsite near Sterling, Colorado in the northeast corner of the state, we discovered that our AGM batteries were not fully charged. A quick check of the various fuses led us to the 300 amp fuse that sits between the second alternator and our four AGM batteries. The fuse and the fuse block were fried! Without the second alternator to charge the batteries our off grid capacity is limited. Therefore, our first order of business as we began our trek across Nebraska was to find a shop to replace the block and fuse.
The closest RV shop to our east was located in North Platte. We were planning on stopping in North Platte to visit a couple of attractions, so we set sail for North Platte on Route 30, also known as the Lincoln Highway. Route 30 is a coast to coast two lane U.S. highway. It is the third longest U.S. highway and was the first coast to coast highway.
The 30 through Nebraska is also quite notable in that it roughly follows the Oregon Trail along the north side of the Platte River. This section of the Oregon Trail along the river made for relatively easy travel and navigation for the emigrant pioneers due to the flat terrain and east-west course of the river. In the early years of the westward migration, the Nebraska plains provided plenty of food with literally thousands of bison roaming the western grasslands. The history of the Oregon Trail and the people who made or attempted to make the journey is quite fascinating and provides great insight into the culture in the U.S. in the years before and directly after the Civil War. Much of the western movement of people was driven by the desire to escape poverty and religious persecution in the East. Some things never change apparently.
We highly recommend two books about the Oregon Trail. The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey by Rinker Buck chronicles his journey across the Oregon trail by covered wagon in 2011. The second book is The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman Jr. Parkman made the journey in 1846 and this book provides great insight into the dangers of the journey and is also reflective of the prevailing attitudes of the time (particularly racism).
We pulled into Larry’s RV hoping that Larry would be willing to take a look at the Beast. Larry waved us right into one the garage bays and directed a mechanic to take a gander under the hood. Larry is very committed to assisting travelers far from home that drop into the shop in need of help, sometimes to the chagrin of his mechanics. Larry and his wife Joyce have been fixing mobile homes and RVs since 1956!
The problem was indeed the 300 amp fuse, and, unfortunately there were no 300 amp fuses to be had in town. Larry promised to have a fuse for us the next morning. Our mechanic, John, made the vehicle safe and we set off to explore the town, find some grub and ultimately a place to park the Beast and bed down for the night.
In the morning we went downtown in hope of finding good coffee and tea. We have to admit that we were not expecting a legitimate specialty coffee establishment in the Central Nebraska plains. Good news — we were wrong! The Espresso Shop in downtown North Platte was a delight and put us in good stead for the remainder of the day. http://www.theespressoshopbycaravan.com
We were fortunate enough to meet the owner of the shop – Brandon Raby (in photo above with dog). Brandon moved the shop to its current location several years ago and has created a community around “coffee culture, music and food”. We knew were onto something special when we entered the cafe to the jazz of Jean “Django” Reinhardt playing on the sound system. In addition to his culinary talents, Brandon is an accomplished jazz guitarist. The shop hosts musicians several nights each month. The link below will take you to an excellent article about Reinhardt. https://www.npr.org/2010/01/22/122865782/django-reinhardt-100-years-of-hot-jazz
Bailey Yard, Union Pacific Railroad, North Platte, Nebraska
The Union Pacific Railroad operates the world’s largest rail yard in North Platte. This rail yard stretches for eight miles and handles 14,000 freight cars every day while sorting approximately 3,000 of those in the eastbound and westbound hump yards. The locomotive repair shop (photo below, bottom left) repairs 750 locomotives per month. One-Spot tracks are where rail cars are repaired at the yard. The facility repairs about 20 cars per day and replaces 10,000 pairs of rail wheels annually. This yard never closes!
The hump yards are raised earth humps (34ft) utilizing gravity to sort cars to the correct outbound train. The hump yards can sort four cars per minute. We watched freight cars rolling down the humps from our vantage point in the Golden Spike Tower 100 feet above the yard. It is actually a lot cooler than it sounds – you will need to trust us on this one!
The tower is owned and operated by a private nonprofit organization based in North Platte. The Union Pacific viewing platform was falling into disrepair and community leaders wanted to make sure that the many train enthusiasts who come to North Platte to see the Bailey Yard would keep on coming.
As the thrill of watching thousands of freight cars and locomotives being shuttled back and forth eventually began to diminish, we moved on to visit the Scout’s Rest Ranch. The ranch and the “Second Empire” style home were once the property of William “Buffalo Bill” Cody. The local folks nicknamed the house “The Mansion on the Prairie” as it was by far the largest house in the area when constructed in 1886.
Second Empire Home, William F. Cody, Scouts Rest Ranch, North Platte, Nebraska
Cody was born in Iowa in 1846 and moved to Kansas with his family in 1853. At that time Kansas was at the heart of deadly violence between pro and antislavery settlers. This period of violence is referred to as Bleeding Kansas, and is considered to be a precursor to the Civil War. Cody’s father, Isaac was stabbed while making an antislavery speech and died three years later from his injuries.
As a result, Cody began working at the age of nine to help support his family. His first job was working for a freighting company. By the time he was 14 he was riding for the Pony Express. Cody was an superb horseman and after his tours for the Pony Express he worked as cowboy on cattle drives. It was on one of the cattle drives that Cody became famous as an Indian fighter after he killed a Native American that was part of a band that attacked the drive. Cody also met Wild Bill Hickok at this time as Hickok was a cowhand on the same drive.
Cody served as a scout during the Civil War; from 1861 to 1863 he was assisting the Union Army in their attempts to destroy the Kiowa and Comanche tribes. In 1863 Cody joined the Seventh Kansas Cavalry which served in Tennessee and Missouri. After the war he continued to scout for the U.S. Army for several years before signing on with the Union Pacific Railroad to hunt bison to feed railroad crews. He is credited with personally killing over 4000 bison!
Cody continued to scout for the Army for many years throughou the summer. He capitalized on his fame as an Indian fighter to create a touring Wild West show during the remainder of the year starting in 1883. He especially used his famous scalping of Cheyenne warrior Yellow Hair by re-enacting the event during his shows. The scalping was reported to have been in retribution for the rout of Custer and his troops at Little Big Horn. The show toured the USA and Europe and featured other Western celebrities including Chief Sitting Bull and Annie Oakley. Queen Victoria is reported to have been a big fan as she attended three performances while the show was in London (each performance was approximately four hours in length).
Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show
Cody continued to perform in his show until 1916 when he was 71 years old. He unfortunately needed to continue to perform as he had lost much of the fortune he had made from the show due to some horrible investments (including a non-performing gold mine). He died the following year in Denver.
After a day of trains and history we were ready for a sit down dinner before heading out to our campsite (no fires due to dry conditions). We had been pleasantly surprised to find an excellent specialty coffee shop in town and were just as pleasantly surprised to find The Cedar RoomRestaurant and Cocktail Lounge in downtown North Platte.
Cedar Room, North Platte, Nebraska
The restaurant was founded in 2020 by friends BJ Stenger and Hector Ortiz. Both Stenger and Ortiz have university degrees in Agribusiness. They met after Ortiz moved from the West Coast to North Platte. Stenger is from the area having grown up on the family cattle ranch located in Box Elder Canyon. They decided to partner and open a fine dining restaurant with an American Fusion menu, which would be the first of it’s kind in North Platte or anywhere within hundreds of miles. The restaurant was Travel Awaits Magazine Best Steakhouse of 2022.
Stenger Ranch, Box Elder Canyon, Nebraska(Photo courtesy of The Cedar Room)
We were able to camp just outside town along the North Platte River at Buffalo Bill State Historic Park. We took a walk along the trail on the historic river utilized by the pioneers over 150 years ago. Then we took refuge in the Beast due to forest fire smoke sweeping across the Nebraska plains that evening.
In the morning we resumed our journey east on the historic US Route 30 (with our new 300 amp fuse) to visit the Nebraska capital of Lincoln and the big city on the river – Omaha.
We had been in Texas and New Mexico several times prior to our most recent trip, but for some reason had steered around El Paso (EP). Perhaps the timing was just not right or we were concerned about conditions there based on the reporting regarding the immigration issues at the border. Regardless, we were ready to explore EP as part of our OTR 9.0 adventure and draw our own conclusions about the city.
El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico viewed from Scenic Drive
We made the decision to stay in the city and booked a hotel in the University district for three nights. We are glad we chose this area as it enabled us to walk to a number of casual but excellent restaurants and coffee shops dotting the university neighborhood. This was especially nice as EP is a sprawling metropolis that requires some driving in order to explore the city.
Of course, the first entry point for any worthwhile city visit is COFFEE! We were traveling from the east after our recent visit to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, therefore we were able to vector directly to an excellent specialty coffee shop and roaster on the east side of the city. We were most fortunate that the founder and owner of Global Coffee, Erika, sat with us for quite awhile. She shared with us her family history and the ties with Mexico that exist in a border town that has been a major immigration point for centuries(El Paso del Norte). Erika is a delightful and talented young woman and we wish her all the success she deserves with her business and family. https://globalcoffeeco.com/
After refueling we went directly to the tank museum, officially known as the 1st Armored Division & Fort Bliss Museum. The United States Army has had a post in EP since 1849, which has served as an infantry post, a cavalry post, an air defense artillery post and currently operates as a maneuver training post. The size of the Fort Bliss training area (965,00 acres) and its mountainous desert terrain have made it a vital training location for the many forces that have been deployed to the Middle East over the last three decades.
The museum chronicles the history of the post and the units stationed there from the the initial mission of patrolling along the Rio Grande before the Civil War through the current mission of the units stationed within the base. From a Western United States history perspective this includes the Indian Wars and the Mexican Punitive Expedition.
The Indian Wars is an umbrella term for the United States Army prosecution and ultimate decimation of the Native American peoples across the Western United States. The Indian Wars were waged throughout the Civil War until 1890 when the last of the Native American bands were imprisoned or sent to reservations. Many of the actions by the federals were in direct violation of treaties negotiated between the federal government and the Native Americans (standard operating procedure).
Another interesting piece of history is the Mexican Punitive Expedition. Between December 1916 and February 1917 American forces under the command of General “Black Jack” Pershing crossed into Mexico in pursuit of Mexican Revolutionary leader Pancho Villa. Villa had attacked a town in New Mexico killing a number of U.S. citizens. The incursion into Mexico was ostensibly in retaliation for the raid. However, the main motivation was to support the Mexican leader, Venustiano Carranza, whom the U.S. was backing. The Mexican Revolution was destabilizing Mexico and jeopardizing U.S. corporate interests. Pancho Villa had to go! The U.S. Army, however, did not capture Pancho Villa and returned to the U.S. after several skirmishes with Mexican Federal soldiers who greatly resented the incursion into Mexico. An early example of the numerous unsuccessful and unwarranted interventions by the U.S. government in the internal affairs of another sovereign nation! P.S. Pancho Villa survived the Mexican Revolution and was granted amnesty only to be assassinated three years later.
After checking in at our hotel we walked a couple of blocks to have supper at a popular local eatery – The Shack. The restaurant is owned by two brothers – Adrian and Michael Soto – they grew up in the restaurant business working and learning at their mother’s restaurant, Mima’s Cafe. The Shack has a wide array of dishes but we went for the Mexican inspired dishes and had a great dinner at this casual and friendly spot. https://theshackwings.com/
Since our hotel was a considerable distance across town from Global Coffee we opted to try our luck at Casa Cafetzin which was just a five minute drive from our hotel. Erika from Global Coffee had recommended Casa Cafetzin, so we were fairly certain that we would be starting our day on a great coffee and tea note. If we are being honest, we might admit that we would have passed by this cafe due to its location attached to a modest motel. Fortunately, due to the recommendation from Erika, we did not pass up a great coffee and tea experience. Cafetzin was excellent and the baristas were all terrific! Thank you Erika!
After departing Casa Cafetzin we headed downtown for a day of viewing fine art and street art. Our first stop was at the El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA). The EPMA came into existence in 1959 as the result of a large donation of European art by a private foundation. The donated collection became the impetus to build a first class art museum serving the El Paso – Juarez Borderplex. Today the museum houses over 7000 works. The museum has also operated an art school for the last twenty years. Fittingly, the EPMA operates as a bilingual institution, reflecting the heritage and diversity of the Borderplex (75,000 people cross back and forth between El Paso and Juarez on a daily basis).https://epma.art/visit
Artist: Fremont Ellis, El Paso Smelter at Night, 1919
We really enjoyed the portraiture works on display. The painting top left, below, The Telephone Operator (The Weaver of Public Thought), was our favorite. The artist Gerrit Beneker, is probably most well known for the posters he created during World War One in support of the war effort.
The museum’s collection also demonstrates an impressive commitment to diversity and regionalism based on the works on display when we visited. Fritz Scholder (top left, below) is one of our favorites and well known for his insightful depictions of Native American stereotypes. Scholder was a member of the Luiseno tribe.
We were also surprised and pleased to see a portrait, Mrs. Viola Andrews – My Mother (bottom left) by the figurative painter, Benny Andrews. We had the fortune of seeing a number of his works several years ago at the Ogden Museum of Fine Arts in New Orleans (see our post, Fine Art Tourist: Ogden Museum of Southern Art ).
We also enjoyed the works of American art featuring West Texas and the Southwest. The museum has works by El Paso native Tom Lea and many other noted western artists including the self-taught Fremont Ellis.
After departing the EPMA we stopped for some tacos and then went in search of street art downtown. We have included a few of the murals we found there. The art works below are all located on walls on Leon Street, all by different artists.
Dinner was another great find for us, a short walk from the hotel, in the University District. Kaedama serves outstanding ramen dishes! We did not think that we would be greedily shoveling awesome Japanese noodle soup dishes into our faces when we arrived in EP. The business started as a food truck owned by two friends – Garbiel Valencia and Andres Romero – and became popular very quickly. The friends decided to open a brick and mortar location and were able to open relatively quickly in part to an enthusiastic response to a crowdfunding campaign. The restaurant even gathered a visit from Food Network Chef and TV host Guy Fieri while he was visiting EP. A great way to finish day two! https://www.facebook.com/Kaedama915/
Artist: @DEKO_UNO, Kerby Avenue, El Paso, Texas
On our final day in EP, we journeyed across town to visit La Mision de San Antonio de la Ysleta de Sur. The Ysleta mission is the first permanent mission established in Texas. The mission was founded in 1680 by Indian and Spanish settlers who fled New Mexico as a result of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The revolt was the culmination of more than 100 years of incursions by Spanish soldiers and, of course, missionaries. The indigenous Pueblos killed 400 Spanish soldiers and drove about 2000 Spanish settlers out of the Albuquerque area.
The original mission was built by the Tigua Indians in 1862. The mission has been rebuilt several times due to flooding and fire. The last time was in 1908 after a fire destroyed the roof and bell tower. The Tigua Indians are still active in the mission, celebrating traditional holidays and the Tigua Feast of San Antonio, their patron saint.
As with many other missions along what is now the border, the mission was located in Mexico until the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo transferred this territory to the United States. While the mission was technically in the United States, it continued to be administered by the Mexican church until 1872.
After visiting the mission we found our way to the El Segundo Barrio near downtown to view the many notable murals. As the name suggests the Segundo was the second neighborhood in EP. Since the 1830s this area has been a major entry point for Mexican immigrants coming into the United States. The majority of the immigrants in the barrio were and still are migrant farm workers.
Artists: Jesus Alvarado and Victor Casas, El Segundo Barrio, El Paso, Texas
The Segundo still reflects its Tejano culture and traditions very proudly (we hope the murals we have featured reflect that same sense of tradition, culture and aspiration). At one point, the city planned to demolish much of the barrio as a way to eliminate the significant substandard housing stock instead of addressing the root causes in a humane fashion. Fortunately, civic groups formed and defeated the city’s plan to demolish the historic area.
Unfortunately, the preservation of the barrio has not improved the economic conditions significantly. Many of the Mexican-American residents and immigrants still toil as farm workers. The barrio is poor by any measure, albeit rich in culture, tradition and pride in its heritage.
On our final night in EP we took in a ballgame. The El Paso Chihuahuas are the Triple-affiliate of the San Diego Padres and compete in the Pacific Coast League. This team has been located in a number cities (Spokane, Albuquerque, Portland, Tucson) prior to arriving in El Paso in 2014 to play in their brand new stadium. The stadium is very attractive and sits right in downtown.
The Chihuahuas are not having their best season, but to the delight of their very enthusiastic fans, the club rallied late in the game to defeat the division leading OKC Dodgers. Go Chihuahuas!
We departed EP and Texas the following morning to head across the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico. We enjoyed our time in Texas and EP and have no reservations about recommending visiting EP. This was our third time traveling across the state and we still have not explored several areas within the state. Everything is bigger in Texas!
We hope you enjoyed this post. Be seeing you! 2023 May OTR 9.0
P.S. You have probably read much about the immigration issues along the Texas/Mexico border. While were in the city we witnesses significant Border Patrol activity along the border fence on the United States side of the Rio Grande. We also observed the large military presence patrolling along the Rio Grande on the river side of the border fence utilizing Humvees and foot patrols.
And yet, we could clearly see immigrants massed on the Mexican side as well as detainees on the U.S. side. Currently around 900 immigrants per day are crossing from Mexico into the EP port of entry and allowed to legally enter the U.S. The city works with a number of non-governmental agencies to provide the immigrants with shelter, food and water. It is quite apparent that the city is doing everything it can do to ensure the immigrants are treated humanely. The majority of immigrants currently entering at EP are from Central and South American countries and Cuba. Venezuela accounts for approximately 70% of the immigrants.
We can only imagine how bad conditions must be in Venezuela and the other countries for individuals and families to risk everything to escape the poverty, crime and repressive governments in their respective countries.
After departing Seminole Canyon, we made our way west to Marathon (Mare-a-thun) to spend a couple of days in comfort, before heading to the Big Bend backcountry. While our attempt to drive the entire way from Seminole Canyon to Marathon via ranch roads was not successful, it did not dampen our appetites. First order of business, Texas style bbq at the Brick Vault Brewery & BBQ. Mighty fine beef brisket (almost as good as Keef’s!). After our hardy and delicious lunch, we strolled down the block to check in at the Gage Hotel.
After checking in, we enjoyed our first hot shower in several days, followed by a lie down. When we awoke we were very thirsty. Fortunately, the White Buffalo Bar is adjacent to the hotel and was ready to serve us cocktails and wine. With our thirst at least partially quenched, we made our way from the bar to the dining room of the 12 Gage Restaurant.
The restaurant markets their fare as “West Texas Cuisine with a gourmet twist”. We totally agree with the description. All of the restaurant’s vegetables and herbs are grown in their own garden. All of the wild game and fowl is sourced locally and the beef comes from the Iron Mountain Ranch about seven miles up the road. All of the food was delicious!
Marathon, like many of the other towns in the Trans-Pecos region of Texas, was founded when the railroad arrived. Railroad workers building east from El Paso reached what is now Marathon in 1882. In this case, it was the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railway (later the Southern Pacific). Around the same time, a former sea captain by the name of Albion Shepard had purchased land north of Marathon to develop a ranch (Iron Mountain). Shepard is credited with naming the town Marathon, because it reminded him of the plains of Marathon, Greece, which he had seen during his seafaring days.
Iron Mountain Ranch(Photo Bill Murphree)
The “Long View” Across the Plains to the Glass Mountains
Alfred Gage was a native of the Green Mountain State (Vermont) who ventured to Texas in 1878 at the age of 18 to make his fortune. He did just that – building a 500,000 acre ranching empire. As Marathon became an established shipping center for the ranching industry, he recognized the need for hotel accommodations for business and other travelers. He commissioned the construction of the hotel which opened in 1927. Gage was based in San Antonio but spend considerable time in Marathon, utilizing the hotel as his residence, office and entertainment venue while in town.
St. Mary’s Mission (Founded 1908)
Over the last several years, Marathon has become a destination in its own right. Previously, it was mostly a jumping off place for people on their way to Big Bend NP (BIBE). The current owner of the Gage Hotel (JP Bryan) also owns and operates the White Buffalo Bar, 12 Gage Restaurant, Brick Vault Brewery and the V6 Coffee Bar. Additionally, he has purchased and renovated a number of properties in town for retail space and art galleries. We found that Marathon more than lived up to our expectations for a couple day stay to unwind and enjoy find food and lodging before our adventures in Big Bend NP. We definitely recommend a visit to Marathon on your way into or out of BIBE.
After our stay we drove the 60 or so miles south to BIBE (see our post Three Nights in the Backcountry). After our stay in BIBE we made the drive up the immensely scenic Texas State Highway 118 to spend a couple of days in Alpine. The 118 runs through Study Butte (Stew-dee) and Terlingua before heading north through the Chichuahuan Desert.
Texas State Highway 118
Our first stop in Alpine, unsurprisingly to any of our regular readers, was for coffee and tea. We had spent an afternoon in Alpine in March 2020 before the pandemic lockdown made its way to Far West Texas and knew from that visit that Cedar Coffee and Supply would meet our needs.
Staying in Alpine provided us with the opportunity to stay at the Holland Hotel, our fourth Henry Trost designed hotel. Henry and his brother Gustavus were early 20th century architects based in El Paso. They were renowned for their Spanish Colonial Revival Style hotel designs – tile floors and roofs, courtyards, exposed beams and wrought iron are used throughout. The lobbies and courtyards are the centerpiece attractions for us – comfortable, wonderful spots to read, drink coffee or wine and perhaps do a bit of people watching.
Alpine’s origins are similar to Marathon’s and many other towns in the Trans-Pecos–cattle and the railroad. Alpine grew from a tent encampment of railroad workers in cattlemen along a spring fed creek in 1882, to a small town. The spring was the key element for the railroad as the locomotives were steam powered at that time. In 1921, the state opened Sul Ross State Normal College in Alpine. The opening of the college brought a significant increase in population and, as an added bonus, the first paved roads in town. At the turn of the century the population was estimated at 300 people. After the college opened the population ballooned to around 3000.
Today, the freight trains continue to chug through town, although they have no need to stop for water as the steam locomotives have long since been replaced. The town is serviced by AMTRAK as Alpine serves as a jumping off point for BIBE for those people that would prefer to travel by rail to this remote national park. The Sunset Limited stops in Alpine six times per week – three times from the west and three times from the east. The eastbound Sunset Limited originates in Los Angeles from the west and New Orleans from the east. The town continues to be anchored by what is now the Sul Ross State University.
On our first evening in Alpine we dined at the The CenturyBar and Grill located in the Holland Hotel. The Century provided us with another fine dining experience featuring delicious regional cuisine. We also had the opportunity to chat with our servers, both students at the university who were actually a couple. They were quite friendly and most knowledgable about the geology and history of the area. We meet the nicest people on the road!
On our second evening in Alpine we decided to take advantage of the live music scene in town. The Petit Bijou bills itself as the “teeniest tiniest wine bar in Texas”, contrary to the usual boast that everything is bigger in Texas. You can see the Airstream bar in one of the photos below – the claim that it is the teeniest tiniest wine bar in Texas just might be valid. We were in for a treat – a jazz show that was canceled earlier in the week due to a wind storm was set to open the evening, followed by a country duo from Austin.
We enjoyed a couple sets of great jazz and country music while getting acquainted with a number of the very friendly folks sitting at our neighboring tables. The food and wine was delicious and we were fortunate to meet and spend some time chatting with Ginger Hillary, the petit Bijou proprietor. As Hans Christian wrote “to travel is to live”.
One of the reasons we visited in March 2020 was the town’s reputation as home to excellent street art. We found several murals that we had not seen previously which we have included in the photos below.
We hope you enjoyed this post. As always, we look forward to your comments and suggestions. Our next post will feature El Paso, our last stop in Texas.
Our first stop in Texas was the town of Texarkana (TXK), a twin city with Texarkana, Arkansas. TXK sits on the western side of the Texas/Arkansas border. Our purpose in stopping off in TXK was to purchase a new tire for Maria’s bike as she had suffered a tire destroying flat on our previous ride in Little Rock.
We had not planned on stopping in TXK and therefore knew little about the town other than its twin city status. When we entered the downtown area to access the bike shop we were caught off guard at how run down the town appeared. The streets were largely deserted and many of the buildings were dilapidated and vacant.
A quick online inquiry revealed that TXK has one of the highest crime rates in the U.S. and a poverty rate of 25%. As another indication of the problems the town is experiencing we found that while the bike shop was open for business, the entrance door is locked at all times and customers are only admitted after stating your business. When we brought Maria’s bike in for repair we could not help but notice that all of the shop’s inventory of bikes were chained together!
This is one of the few towns where we really felt uncomfortable and decided not to poke around other than taking some photos of street art we had passed on the way into town.
In lieu of burgers, we found a bbq joint about thirty miles south of TXK in Atlanta, Texas. The Texas BBQ was very rustic, but we would have to say the bbq was pretty dang tasty!
Atlanta, Texas was named after the city in Georgia as a number of the settlers arriving in 1871 were from the city of Atlanta, Georgia. The arrival of the Texas and Pacific Railroad in the same year was a boon to the area’s main economic activity – timber (the piney woods of East Texas) as it allowed the efficient transport of lumber. The town also benefited from the discovery of oil in 1935, which greatly helped the town survive the Great Depression.
About two hours south of Atlanta sits the town of Nacogdoches. The town is considered to be the oldest town in Texas – having by founded by the Spanish in 1779. What is now the town was a Caddo Indian Settlement from approximately 800 A.D. until the early 1700s when the Spanish arrived and began building missions, displacing the Caddo.
While Nacogdoches is considered the oldest town in Texas, the bigger claim to fame is The Battle of Nacogdoches which started in 1835 and was a precursor to the Texas Revolution. At this point in history, Texas was part of Mexico, although there were many settlers from the United States residing there in addition to the Tejanos. One of the major issues the U.S. settlers had with Mexico was over slavery. Mexico abolished slavery in 1829 and the U.S. settlers were dependent on slavery for their economic prosperity. Eventually, Texas seceded from Mexico (Remember the Alamo!) and was an independent republic for just under ten years. Texas was admitted as a state in 1845.
Today, Nacogdoches is an attractive town with a well preserved downtown brimming with mercantile establishments and red brick streets. The economy that once depended heavily on cotton, timber and tobacco now is centered around the Stephen F. Austin State University which brings 12,000 students to the town.
Always looking for bike trails and with several days until our camping reservation at Mustang Island SP, we detoured slightly inland to the town of Spring, which is located just north of metro Houston. The area is densely populated and covered with the usual urban/suburban sprawl that we tend to avoid. However, the trail looked interesting, and it is billed as the longest urban forested greenway in the United States. We are really glad we opted to check it out. It was a lush oasis in the middle of a crowded metro area.
After spending two days cycling on the greenway we departed Spring for Mustang Island SP (MISP) which is located a short distance from Corpus Christi. This was our first stay at the Texas shore. The camping spots were just off the beach behind the dunes and as an added bonus the beaches in this area allow vehicles to drive on the beach!
We stayed three days at MISP. We divided our time between bicycling along the shore road, walking and driving on the beach and, of course, drinking coffee and tea at Island Joe’s Coffee and Gallery (made from containers – see photos below). All in all, a good first experience at the Texas shore – our only complaint being the windy nights which curtailed sitting by the campfire.
Our next destination on the Texas State Park portion of OTR 9.0 was Garner State Park (GSP). GSP is located in the Hill Country west of San Antonio. Therefore, we felt compelled to pop into San Antonio to check out Estate Coffee Company. Estate is a small batch roaster with a minimalist espresso bar and cafe in downtown. Estate was excellent and the stop gave us a nicely timed break on the four hour drive to GSP.
The Frio River (Rio Frio) runs through GSP and provides about three miles of river access within the park. This was most fortunate for us as the weather in Hill Country was a matching set of 85s – temperature and humidity! We had luckily secured a campsite directly above the river and we were able to access the river via a five minute walk. We spent much of our two days at GSP sitting or wading in the river. P.S. While there was a feral hog alert in effect we fortunately did not encounter any of the beasts during our stay!
Seminole Canyon SP & Historic Site (SCSP) was the next stop on our journey west across South Texas. SCSP opened to the public as a state park in 1980. The land that now encompasses the park was privately owned until the late 1970s. The state purchased the land to protect and preserve more than 200 pictographs located in the canyon and caves, which date back 7000 years.
Seminole Canyon, Nine Miles West of Comstock, Texas
We hiked the Canyon Rim Trail which provided spectacular views of the Seminole and Presa Canyons. The rim trail leads to the park’s southern boundary at the Rio Grande River with Mexico directly beyond.
We also broke out the bicycles for some dirt riding on the Rio Grande Trail. While one of us had a minor crash (see video below) our early evening ride was lots of fun and provided beautiful views of the Rio Grande and Mexico!
Our final stop before heading to Big Bend NP (see our post Three Nights in the Backcountry) was the town of Marathon (pronounced Marathen). We made a brief stop in Marathon in March 2020 en route back to Connecticut during our pandemic-shortened trip. As with the majority of towns we traveled through on our way home, Marathon was locked down tight. With a population of just 365 it was deserted for all intents and purposes. We made a note to return on a future trip to stay at the charming Gage Hotel and check out the town.
Marathon is a straight shot west from SCSP on State Route 90. We had traveled SR90 on our 2020 trip and recalled that significant sections were not attractive, There was a fair amount of truck traffic hauling oil from the fields along 90 and a lot of Border Patrol activity. We decided to attempt to wend our way through the maze of ranch roads using our DeLorme Atlas. We also figured that we could use the east-west Union Pacific Rail Line as a rough guide. We made good progress but eventually ran into a locked gate and after considering our options decided to backtrack until we could intersect with the 90 and finish the trip on the highway. A fun adventure nonetheless!
Ranch Road Adventure
One of the items you will become accustomed to seeing (not necessarily appreciating) driving through (and camping) farm and cattle country is the carcass pit. The carcass pit is just what it sounds like – when farm and ranch animals die (for whatever reason) they are hauled to holes that have been dug at various locations on the property and thrown into the pit to decompose.
You might go right by a pit while rumbling down a dirt road if you didn’t know that ranchers often use a skull as sign post (see photo below). In theory carcass pits need to follow state approved methods to avoid contaminating water as well as discouraging scavengers from dragging contaminated carcasses from the pit. While there are groups trying to end the practice I do not foresee that happening anytime soon – livestock mortality is a fact of life on ranches and farms.
In a future post we will share our experiences and thoughts on two cool towns in Far West Texas – Marathon and Alpine. We hope you found this post interesting and informative.
Our first stop after departing Silver City was Catwalk Recreation Area (CWA) where we were looking forward to hiking through the Whitewater Canyon. The beautiful slot canyon formed by the Whitewater Creek once served as a hideout for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as they attempted to evade the Pinkerton’s. Geronimo and his warriors also used the canyon to elude the U.S. Cavalry.
During the 1890s, the power of the upper creek flowing through the canyon was harnessed to bring water to the gold and silver mill which was situated in the lower canyon. Workers constructed a pipeline through the canyon which was bolted to the canyon walls about 20 feet above the creek. A series of catwalks were built on top of the pipeline in order to access it for maintenance and repairs. The boom came and went, and the mines and mill were closed in 1913; the materials were sold for scrap. The 200 or so residents left for other parts to find work.
The canyon essentially returned to its original state with no residents or mining operations. In 1935 the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) utilized the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to create a hiking trail through the canyon. The CCC used the existing bolts in the canyon walls to build a new wooden catwalk as part of the hiking trail through the canyon. The trail was opened in 1937 and survived until 1961. It was replaced by a metal catwalk which subsequently was destroyed by storms in 2013.
Fortunately for us and other visitors, the USFS was able to have a new catwalk built and installed in less than a year. Today the catwalk extends approximately one half of a mile into the canyon, then hikers can continue on the canyon surface for another mile — as long as they are willing to make several water crossings. There are plans to extend the trail deeper into the canyon in the future.
After our hike at Catwalk, we traveled north and ventured across the winding single lane Bursum Road (NM59) to visit the town of Mogollon (mo-go-yone). The town sits deep in the Mogollon Range within the Gila Wilderness at 6500 feet above sea level.
Bursum RoadDriving Towards Mogollon
View from Bursum Road to the West
The town is sometimes referred to as a ghost town but it actually has a handful of residents (apx. 15) and several businesses. We saw several parked cars but no people during our walkabout. The town’s history began when gold was discovered in the late 1800s. Gold was mined here continuously until the 1950s. As a result, many of the structures are still standing today which leads to sense of stepping back in timeas you travel through the small town.
Mogollon, 1940, Photo credit Russell Lee
Gold mining brought as many as 6000 people to the town at the height of production at the Little Fannie Mine and several other nearby mines. The town flooded often (sitting on the Silver Creek) and major portions burned multiple times. The town’s reputation (like many mining towns) was that of a rough and tumble place with several saloons and brothels (and no law).
Little Fannie Mine
After our day at CWA and Mogollon we found camping in the Gila National Forest among the pines and the serenading cattle that were roaming around us in constant search of food. The next morning we pushed northeast out of the forest onto the Plains of San Augustin. The Plains stretch 55 miles from the northeast to the southwest and range in width from five to fifteen miles.
Our primary purpose in transiting the Plains was to visit the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). The VLA consists of 27 radio telescopes positioned across the Plains via railroad tracks. Each of the radio dishes stands 90 feet tall, 82 feet across and weighs 250 tons. In their widest configuration the radio dishes stretch for over 20 miles across the Plains. The Plains are an ideal setting for the VLA as it is far away from any population centers and shielded from light by the surrounding mountain ranges.
The Very Large Array
We won’t pretend for a second to understand how this works but it is nonetheless fascinating to see the array in action and to learn about the many important discoveries made utilizing radio astronomy. The array has captured activity in our galaxy as far away as 150 quadrillion miles!
We met a motorcyclist who had pulled over for a break while we were off the road near the VLA adding air to two of our tires with slow leaks. He asked us if we were going to stop in Pie Town – we said yes – he said good, it is a tradition whenever you cross Route 60 to stop and have pie!
Well, we did, and it was dang delish! Maria had the Cherry Almond Pie and I had a piece of the freshly made Coconut Cream Pie. Pie Town establishments did a good business dishing out pies for cross country travelers and local ranchers until the ubiquitous interstate was built and diverted much of the traffic away from town.
Fortunately, about 25 years ago the Pie-O-Neer Cafe opened and it has been doing a booming business ever since. In addition to many travelers that now routinely avoid the interstate, the Continental Divide Trail runs through Pie Town. Many hikers stay at a nearby hostel and consume thousands of calories (based on what we saw) replenishing for the next leg of the journey. The town itself has not grown with a population hovering around 25, but they apparently throw a heck of a pie festival every September.
After filling our bellies with delicious pie, we set north across some dusty ranch country on the York Ranch Road in search of camping near El Malpais National Monument (EMNM). As you can see in the photo below left, the desert can be cruel for those unprepared for the terrain.
We found a beautiful spot to camp just east of EMNM on a bluff which provided great views and a spectacular sunset.
In the morning we made our way north to Grants, New Mexico to have our leaking front tire replaced. From there, we set out for the Big Tubes area to explore. There is only one way in or out – the Big Tubes Road ( NPS 300) – a classic impassable-when-wet mud job. Fortunately, while there had been some rain leaving behind some large ruts, the road was fairly dry and passable. Regardless, we would not recommend this road without 4WD and high clearance.
NPS 300
The Big Tubes Area is a massive volcanic landscape that provides the opportunity to explore lava tube bridges, lava tubes, tube caves and lava flows. There are no marked trails, although there are cairns laid out across the field – use the cairns – there are no other usable reference points in this other-worldly place. Even utilizing the cairns we made several wrong turns in hiking out and back across the field.
You are free to scramble down into the tubes and caves and under the bridges. We recommend wearing gloves and a climbing helmet. The boulders in the trenches and tubes are big and sharp!
From EMNM we traveled through several portions of the Ramah Navajo and Zuni Indian Reservations on our way north on the 602 to Gallup. We had reserved a couple of nights at the El Rancho Hotel and were looking forward to staying at this 1940s hotel that once hosted dozens of Hollywood stars ensconced here while filming Westerns in the area. Additionally, the hotel sits smack on Historic Route 66 to add even more kitsch. From the photos below you might suspect we were not disappointed with our decision.
Gallup has a storied history that predates the movie making haydays of the 1940s and 1950s. The first white settlers arrived in the area that became Gallup in the early 1860s. This was Navajo land and thus the Navajo attacked the white settlements. The cavalry was dispatched to physically remove the Navajo people from the area. The U.S. Army destroyed the Navajo homes, crops and livestock. The Navajo were then force marched 400 miles to a reservation where they were held for four years. In Navajo history this event is known as The Long Walk.
The town was formally founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad. The freight lines that ran through the middle of Gallup hauled the high grade coal that was mined in the area. While the coal mining in the area has largely played out, more than 100 freight trains still rumble through town every day.
American Coal Company – Atlantic & Pacific Railcars
Coal miners in Gallup went on strike in 1933. The situation in Gallup was politically charged due to the multi-faceted race issues that existed in the American West. Many of the miners were Mexican and, influenced by their experiences during the Mexican Revolution, were members of the communist National Miners Union. The white miners aligned with United Mine Workers of America. Additionally, by the 1930s, many Navajo Nation members from the abutting reservation had begun working in the mines in Gallup. The Navajo coal miners did not belong to any union and routinely crossed the picket line – they did not consider themselves as members of the world outside the reservation. This act further intensified the significant racism already directed at Native Americans in the West.
The strike turned violent in 1934 and the sheriff was shot and killed by a Mexican miner. Subsequently, the Mexican miners were deported en masse. The UMWA became the sole union, although it took another nine years for a contract to be signed by the coal companies.
Mural Depicting the Coal Mine Riot of 1934
We took advantage of the opportunity to try the local cuisine. Lots of delicious dishes to choose from. The only item we do not recommend is the beef tongue – it’s a texture thing!
We enjoyed our stay in Gallup. Fascinating western history, excellent local cuisine, fine coffee and great street art. However, please keep in mind this is not a trendy tourist town. As a result of the long history of cultural and socio-economic issues there is a legacy of high unemployment, high crime and poor education which is evident within the community.
A quick stop in Farmington, New Mexico for fuel, coffee and groceries and then we headed over the state line for the snow capped peaks of Colorado.
“Stevie Wonder” Richard Wilson @richardwilsonartwork(2019)
@streetartfromtheroad and @finearttourist traveled to Detroit (DTW) in early December to see the Van Gogh in AmericaExhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts(DIA).This exhibition was originally scheduled for the summer of 2020 but was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Fortunately, the DIA was able to gain access to the majority of paintings scheduled to be part of the original exhibition. An upcoming post by @finearttourist will showcase this spectacular exhibition.
Of course, while in DTW we took full advantage of the good weather to explore the outdoor museum of street murals scattered throughout the Eastern Market District.In this post we will share some of the fantastic street art on display in the Eastern Market. Disclosure: some of the mural photographs have been edited to eliminate peeling paint and graffiti.
Ndubisi Okay @n_du_time
Brandan Mike Odums @bmike2c(2017)
“Dreamers” Jeff Soto @maxxer242 (2015)
The Eastern Market has been in existence for over150 years. After World War 2, the market became a major hub for food processing and wholesale food distribution. The market covers approximately 43 acres just north of downtown DTW.There are still 80 standing structures ranging from fully occupied to abandoned and decaying.
Today, the Eastern Market is the largest open-air flower bed market in the United States. Additionally, there are over 150 firms sellingmeat, spices, vegetables, jams and poultry. There are also a number of restaurants, bars and non-food retailers located within the market district.Lastly, if you are hankering for a corned beef sandwich, a pastrami sandwich or Detroit’s (in)famous “coney” this is the place to go.
Victor Quinonez @marka_27(2016)
Tylonn Sawyer @tylonn.j.sawyer(2016)
Ashley McFadden @mcfadden_ashley (2019)
Sydney G. James (A girl raised in Detroit) @sydneygjames(2017)
Enough SAID (Enough Sexual Assault in Detroit)
Tatiana Suarez @tatunga(2017)
The Murals in the Market (MM) organization has been actively supporting the transformation of the Eastern Market from a wasteland to a cultural destination within Detroit. The organization sponsors an annual mural festival in the Market District. To date, the organization has supported the production of 100 muralsin the District and 200 murals across the city. Additionally, MM supports a number of other arts events (including live music) throughout the year.We hope that this organization continues to receive support from the DTW community as part of the revitalization of DTW.
Arlin @arlin_graff(2017)
Birdman @ed_Irmen (2019)
Joey Salamon @joeysalamon (2019)
Osunlade(2019)
“Mama Maiz” by Ivan Montoya @imontoya_ (2019)
Sydney James (A girl raised in Detroit) @sydneygjames (2016)
Of course, a day of mural hunting requires sustenance. Fortunately, we were able to start and end our pic shooting at Anthology Coffee, which is located conveniently in the market. Anthology roasts their own coffee on the premises.Anthology Coffee.com | Always Tasty
In keeping with the meat packing history of the Market, our mid-day replenishment was taken at Franks’s Deli and Grill. We feasted on a Detroit staple – Wigley’s Famous Corned Beef!https://www.facebook.com/FranksDeliandGrill/menu/
After completing the final portion of the Trans America Trail we traveled to Clarksdale to begin our exploration of the Mississippi Delta. Clarksdale is generally considered to be the home of the Delta Blues with an impressive roster of musicians calling Clarksdale their home in their early years (see previous post: Street Art from the Road: OTR 8.0: Part Two: Clarksdale Music and Artat http://www.ontheroadwithmariastephen.net.
Clarksdale boasts live Blues music every day of the year at one or more of the local blues clubs, bars or juke joints. The town itself is a bit hardscrabble but please don’t let that keep you away. Even if you are not a fan of the blues we think you will enjoy the live performances that take place at the various venues in town, all of which are very intimate and, you will hear the real Blues. Typically, you will pay $10 – $15 for a show that will run from two to four hours!
Ground Zero Blues Club
We opted to stay in an apartment above the Ground Zero Blues Club which is convenient-unless you plan on sleeping before midnight. We were in town to hear the Blues, so we figured it was all part of the experience.https://www.groundzerobluesclub.com/
Clarksdale is also home to the Delta Blues Museum. We spent a morning at the museum and learned a lot about the history of the Blues, the musicians and the Blues recording industry. There is a treasure trove of artifacts at the museum including musical instruments and performers’ stage costumes. We highly recommend a visit to the museum when you visit Clarksdale. We don’t have photographs to share with you as they are not allowed in the musuem.
There are several excellent restaurants in town in addition to the customary BBQ. We highly recommend Hooker Grocery & Eatery which is a two minute walk from the museum.https://www.hookergrocer.comP.S. If you like pancakes make sure to try Our Grandma’s House of Pancakes.
Last, but certainly not least, we recommend a visit to Hambone Art & Music. We popped into this gallery for a quick look around and then spent several hours with the owner Stan Street. He is a transplant to Mississippi and was a touring musician before settling here and focusing on his painting.
Stan bought a vacant building and converted it into his gallery in the front, his studio in the rear and his apartment above. He also operates a small bar in the studio and has a stage for musical performances. We really like his artwork and we were amazed to find out that he is largely a self-taught artist.
Greenville – do not, we repeat, do not get your car washed!
We visited Greenville after reading that there is a state park there with a hiking trail along the Mississippi and a 60 foot tall observation tower that provides fantastic views along the Mississippi River. WRONG! The park was turned over to Greenville and the town has not maintained the park other than the small boardwalk when you first enter the park. This was our first disappointment with Greenville.
As we were leaving town we spotted a self service car wash and pulled in to hose the van off – you may have noticed in our photographs the Beast is in perpetual need of a wash. Immediately, a man told me he was an employee and would wash the vehicle – a minute later another man showed up and informed me he was going to help wash the car and then a third man showed up to help wash the car.
At his point we knew we had a problem – none of these guys worked at the car wash and that this was a shake down. We were able to persuade the third manthat he was not going to get paid (although he hung around circling us). At that point, we told the two guys (taking turn hosing off the van) that we were good. The first of the gentlemen demanded $60.00 for the wash. We settled on a more reasonable amount and left town quickly.
Cleveland, or “fear the okra”
We stopped in Cleveland for coffee at Zoe Coffee. We met some nice folks at the coffee shop and learned that the coffee shop is affliated with Zoe Ministries, which focuses on providing clean water, orphan care, widow care, and education to communities in Kenya. https://zoeempowers.org/
Cleveland is also home to Delta State University. The mascot for the athletic teams is the Okra and the school chant is ”Fear the Okra!”. This is the best mascot and chant we have ever encountered! Look for DSU merchandise by the pool this summer. P.S. The men’s baseball team went 32-15 this year and is currently in Florida for the NCAA Division II regional tournament.
Vicksburg, or, it’s all about the war , no wait, it’s really all about the river
Vicksburg, MS is undoubtedly best known as the site of a major Civil War Battle which was a turning point in the war in favor of the Union.We were keen on visiting the Vicksburg National Military Park (VNMP) to gain a better understanding of this historic battle and see the battlefield.
The Mississippi River was a critical supply route for the Confederacy.Vicksburg sits on a bluff high above the eastern side of the riverand was heavily fortified with artillery to stop Union forces from cutting off this essential supply route. The Union forces knew that taking control of the river would seal the defeat of the South.
After several failed Union attempts to take Vicksburg, General U.S. Grant laid seige to Vicksburg. Grant surrounded the city with over 77,000 troops. The 29.000 Confederate troops dug in to defend the city. Confederate attempts to break through the encircled cityand resupply the soldiers and citizens failed. After 47 days, with all food and water supplies exhausted, the troops and citizens surrendered; the mighty Mississippi was under Union control. For additional information: https://www.nps.gov/vick/index.htm
In addition to the battlefield, there is a museum in the park which includes the remains of the Union ironclad gunboat USS Cairo. The Cairo was sunk by Confederate torpedos seven miles north of Vicksburg. It slipped back into the river after being beached and abandoned. Over 100 years later the ironclad was raised, restored and given to the National Park Service. For additional information: https://www.nps.gov/vick/u-s-s-cairo-gunboat.htm
Historic downtown Vicksburg is perched above the river south of the main artillery emplacementsand battlefield. A number of excellent restaurants, rooftop bars and art galleries can be found there. The Jesse Bent Lower Mississippi River Museum, managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, is on the waterfront and worth a visit.
The Mississippi River is still a vital supply route for the US economy. The Corps, one of the largest employers in the area, is responsible for commercial navigation, flood risk management and environmental stewardship.
A visit to the museum also includes the opportunity to tour the retiredM/V Mississippi IV. The Mississippi IV was a tow boat used by the Army Corp from 1961 until 1993 when it was retired.
M/V Mississippi IV (Photo courtesy of Army Corp)
Our endless search for good coffee and tea took us to Highway 61 Coffee House in downtown Vicksburg. Highway 61 is a local coffee house with a cast of characters. We immediately ingratiated ourselves with the owner Daniel Boone – yes! – and his cohorts by making a donation to their poporn machine fund.
When Daniel Boone and his friends are not serving or drinking coffee they are the leaders of a local art movie house and amateur theater company. The popcorn machine that they have been utilizing for the last 14 years (on loan) for movie nights is going to be taken back by the owner.
Our donation to the fund earned us a private guided tour of the Strand Theaterwith Jack Burns – a board member and coffee shop regular. The Strand was a movie theater until it closed in 1963. The building remained vacant for a number of years until the theater group struck a deal with the owner to lease the facility for both live theater performances and screening movies. The interior was renovated by volunteers from the community who were very interested in having an opportunity to see art house movies and community theater. An excellent history of the building can be found at Urban Decay: https://worldofdecay.blogspot.com/2011/04/strand-theatre-vicksburg-mississippi.html Strand Theater: http://www.strandvicksburg.com/
While we might attempt to live on coffee, tea, and wine, we are reasonably certain that as pleasant as that scenario sounds it would not work in the long run. So, we went in search of victuals during our Vicksburg visit and found a gem just outside of downtown. The Tomato Place started as a roadside produce stand and evolved into a restaurant and mercantile in addition to a produce stand- all still sitting roadside in a collection of colorful shacks. The Tomato Place is a must when you visit Vicksburg. For more information: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/mississippi/you-havent-lived-until-youve-tried-the-blt-from-the-tomato-place-in-ms/
Jackson, or hello, art minton
While in Vicksburg we decided to pop over to Jackson to see some minor league baseball. Jackson is home to the Mississippi Braves – the Double A affliliate of the Atlanta Braves. It also gave us the excuse to listen to the Johnny Cash – June Carter Cash version of the song Jackson for the entire ride from Vicksburg to Jackson. “We got married in a fever. Hotter than a peppered sprout. We’ve been talking bout Jackson ever since the fire went out. Oh, we’re going to Jackson.” Dang, that’s goodmusic!!
The Natchez Trace runs just north of Jackson. We have driven the majority of the Traceduring the course of several trips through Mississippi but had never done any biking as part of our travels along the Trace. Jackson provided a great opportunity to do so as the Chischa Fokka Greenway runs parallel to the Trace for a number of miles. It’s a great trail that cuts through Pine stands and farmland as you head north from Jackson.
ChischaFokka Greenway
We enjoyed our brief stay in Jackson with the added bonus of meeting @art.minton. Art is a fellow van adventurer who lives in Jackson and we follow each other on Instagram. He spotted our van while we were leaving Pig and Pint after having just finished dinner—Serendipity—Very cool!
The road to Rodney
We decided to visit Rodney after reading an interesting article in Mississippi Folk Life about efforts by a local organization to preserve the remains of Rodney. The town was once a thriving Mississippi River port city. Migration from Rodney started in earnest after 1870 – Rodney had been bombarded during the Civil War by Union gun boats, enslaved individuals were emancipated and left the cotton plantations and finally, the course of the river shifted two miles west and Rodney was no longer a port city. For an excellent history of Rodney: http://www.mississippifolklife.org/articles/haunted-by-a-ghost-town-the-lure-of-rodney-mississippi
Getting to Rodney takes a bit of work. The only road to Rodney is a bumpy and muddy dirt road affair but you know we never say no to the chance for a bit of mud on the fenders.
On our way to Rodney we drove through Port Gibson. Like many other southern cities during the mid-twentieth century, Port Gibson’s elected leaders and businesses were still fighting against integration and equal rights for Black citizens. That eventually led to the Boycott of 1966. The photo below from a mural in town depicts the demands. ‘Nuff said!https://mississippiencyclopedia.org/entries/port-gibson-claiborne-county-civil-rights-movement/
We also happened on the Windsor Ruins after departing Rodney. The Ruins was an antebellum Greek Revival Mansion built (by enslaved African-Americans) for a wealthy cotton planter and his wife. Today, 23 of the Corinthian coloumns are still standing. The mansion survived the Civil War (the owner did not) but burned in 1890. It was the largest Greek Revival home in Mississippi. Today it is an historic site and there are plans to complete some restoration of the columns and the grounds. For more information: https://www.mdah.ms.gov/explore-mississippi/windsor-ruins
Natchez —— Steampunk anyone?
Natchez was our final stop before crossing the Mississippi into Louisiana. First stop, as always, was for espresso and tea and our research pointed to Steampunk. There we met Dub Rogers, the owner of this unique establishment. Dub Rogers was born in Mississippi but spent 30 years living and working in NYC in a variety of businesses.
Steampunk represents an amalgamation of Dub’s many interests. The shop and haberdashery sells fine cigars, coffee, tea, chocolate, conservas, mixology gear and hats (see Maria’s newest addition above) of which Dub has endless knowledge. Dub is a great host – and we almost forgot to mention that he personally renovated the handsome space that houses his boutique department store, apartment and patio.
Natchez dates back to 1716 when French traders built a Fort on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi. The French settlement came to an abrupt end when the Natchez Indiansattacked the fort, killing several hundred people and enslaving a number of women and children The surviving French left the territory toute suite.
Future President Andrew Jackson built a trading postnear Natchez in 1789. The trading post traded in African-American slaves. This set the course for Natchez to become a hub for slave trading – one of the most active in the South.
With the wealth accumulated from the slave and cotton trade Natchez became one of the wealthiest cities in America prior to the Civil War. Today many of the lavish antebellum homes are still standing and open for touring. Because Natchez was prized by both sides due to its location, the Union forces did not destroy it when they occupied the city.
You now know where to go for all your caffeine needs in Natchez. Here are a couple of suggestions for dining: Magnolia Grill, located in the Under-the-Hill section of town down on the river (formerly the vice district of town); and Fat Mama’s Tamalesis the spot for excellent tamales.
Our final foray in Natchez was visiting one of the decidely less glamorous antebellum homes in Natchez. The house is named Longwood but also derisively as Nutt’s Folly. Haller Nutt was a wealthy plantation owner who had an octagonal house designed for him and his family. The house, if completed, would have had 32 rooms.
The outbreak of the Civil War ended the construction of the home as Nutt’s financial position tumbled. Even if he had the funds to continue, work would have stopped because the majority of the craftsman completing the finish work were from Philadephia – they returned to the North as soon as the war began.
The family moved into the basement (originally designed for the house slaves). Nutt died in 1864 and his wife and children hung on to the house for many years with the help of friends and several wealthy relatives. The Nutt family sold the home to the Pilgrimage Garden Club of Natchez in 1968.
The photograph below shows the fingerprints of one of the enslaved individuals who worked on the construction of the home. The Nutt family owned 800 slaves prior to the demise of the family fortune.
Fingerprints of enslaved individual
We hope you enjoyed our final installment regarding our Mississippi exploration, thanks for reading.
The TAT is a 4200 mile transcontinental route comprised largely of dirt and gravel roads. The trail is the creation of Sam Carrero, an avid off-road motorcyclist with a passion for exploring and tackling challenging terrain.
Sam began the process of mapping out this coast to coast off-pavement adventure in 1984. It took him 12 years to put the route together. The route utilzes only publicly accessible roads and trails, however, it is not intended for standard vehicles or standard motorcycles. Many portions of the route require 4WD and high clearance and significant portions are single lane only at best.
County Road 738
County Road 738
We had a blast driving the Mississippi portion of the TAT. Several nights of rain made some portions of the trail muddy but still passable. The notorious County Road 555 was partially washed out (see video below) and after a driver/navigator consultation we retreated to find a road in better condition and then rejoin the TAT!
County Road 555
County Road 555, Lambert, MS (pop. 1296 – size 544 acres)
The Mississippi portion of the TAT is relatively short at about 300 miles but it provided us with a fun overlanding experience and the opportunity to travel through some very rural areas of Mississippi. The majority of the trail takes the traveler through large swaths of pine forest, some farm land and the occasional cluster of homes and a small church.
This part of Mississippi is known as the Pine Belt. When we think of the timber industry we tend to think about the massive timberlands of the West and forget that Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia are still major producers of timber. Timber is the second largest agricultural commodity in Mississippi (poultry is number one).
Another observation from our trip across the state on the trail is that there is significant poverty in rural Mississippi (Mississippi has the highest poverty rate of the fifty states and DC). While we only passed through a small number of rural communities, we saw that people are living in very impoverished circumstances. A number of these small communities appear to be segregated and that the most impoverished of these communities are inhabited by Black residents.
The photos below are from a small town that we crossed through while traversing the state. The town has a population of approximately 448 people and is predominately Black (85%). The poverty rate for Blacks is 52% and for males 60%.
The balance of this post will provide a brief recap of our experiences in the towns we visited that are not along the TAT.
Corinth —- home of the slugburger
Corinth is a handsome town (pop. 14,000) in the northeastern corner of Mississippi and was our jumping off point for the TAT. We had planned on visiting Corinth even before our decision to tackle the TAT. The town is steeped in Civil War history (First Battle of Corinth and Second Battle of Corinth) and has 18 structures or locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
But alas, the charm and history of Corinth had not driven our desire to visit the town — we must confess it was our (well, honestly, for just one of us) obsession with eating a Northeast Mississippi specialty – the Slugburger. Additionally, we needed to try the Slugburger at Borroum’s Drug Store and Fountain because Borroum’s has the best Slugburger in Corinth. Borroum’s is the oldest drug store in Mississippi and still operated by the same family (the business was started shortly after the end of the Civil War when Jack Borroum arrived after being released from a Union Army prison camp).
What is a Slugburger, you ask? Slugburgers are a mixture of ground pork, soy flour, and spices. The mixture is flattened into a patty and deep fried in vegetable oil. The patty is placed on a hamburger bun with a garnish of mustard, onion, and pickle. Developed during the Great Depression when money and meat were both scarce, slug burgers were made with a mixture of beef and pork, potato flour as an extender, and spices, then fried in animal fat. Mrs. Weeks, credited with creating one of the first, found the “burgers” were a way to make meat go a little farther at the family hamburger stand. Selling for a nickel, sometimes called a slug, the imitation hamburgers became known as Slugburgers.
New Albany-or-the crash
We popped off the TAT to visit New Albany and cycle the Tanglefoot Trail. The Tanglefoot is a 44 mile paved bicycle trail that was formerly a line of the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad (which still operates today as a subsidiary of the Rock Island Rail). As an historical aside, the railroad was founded by Colonel Willam Clark Faulkner, great-grandfather of author William Faulkner. The line was conceived as a way to move timber to the Gulf. The trail is named after the steam locomotive Tanglefoot which was used during the construction of the line.
The Tanglefoot is an award winning trail – noted for the scenery and small towns that can be visited directly from the trail. We set out from the trailhead in New Albany heading due south. The ride was delightful – forest, farm fields, numerous creek crossings and lots of wildlife.
Unfortunately, our delightful ride became less so when the smarter, wiser and better looking member of this partnership crashed after getting sideways in some loose gravel at the edge of the trail. Maria managed to finish the remaining 15 miles of the ride but was unable to walk on her own power once off the bike.
Fortunately, after a visit to the local urgent care and a consultation (and more xrays) with an orthopedist the next day in Oxford, it was determined that Maria did not have a fractured patella, just a severe contusion. So we purchased crutches, swallowed some pain meds and got back on the road two days later. Ten days later we were back on the bikes! Phew!
Oxford —- or everybody loves ole miss
We were fortunate in one sense that Oxford was a short drive from New Albany and is home to the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and Specialty Orthopedic Group. After Maria received the good news that there was no fracture, we decided to stay in Oxford for several days and let Maria begin her recuperation.
Oxford worked well for us as our time there allowed Maria to get rest and stay off her feet for several days. So, perhaps needless to say, we spent most of our time in Oxford drinking coffee and tea, drinking beverages other than coffee and tea, and dining. The good news – as home to Ole Miss – there are plenty of choices from a culinary perspective.
We would say that while the town is very attractive and has plenty of dining options, we found Oxford more touristy than we expected and we are of the opinion the hype about how cool the town is overstated. Perhaps, we just missed it with Maria being less than one hundred percent.
Taylor grocery — “eat or we both starve!”
While we were in Oxford, a number of folks we met recommended the quick trip to Taylor to dine at Taylor Grocery. Taylor Grocery is billed as the best catfish in the South, and we would not argue with that claim. The building was erected in 1889 and we are pretty certain that not many improvements have been made to the property (part of the charm – see photographs below). We also had the good fortune to meet the owners, Lynn, Debbie and Sarah Margaret Hewlett. Lynn joined us at our dinner table, making sure we sampled most of the menu items—we had a great evening! We have included our note to Sarah below. For more information on the storied history of Taylor Grocery click on the link: https://taylorgrocery.com/
Hello Sarah— We had the great pleasure of dining at Taylor Grocery this evening (3/31/22) and wanted to send our appreciation for the hospitality and outstanding meal. From the moment we met Lynn on the porch playing his dobro, we knew we were in a special place. We ordered an appetizer and catfish dinners from our friendly and helpful server; and we also received complimentary sides of gumbo, rice and beans, and fried okra. And we managed to eat chocolate cobbler, too! Everything was delicious. On our way into the restaurant, we were chatting with a local gentleman who inquired about our van. When we went to pay for our dinner, we were so surprised to hear that he had already taken care of it-Mississippi Hospitality! We are from Connecticut and have been traveling throughout the US in our van six months annually for the last four years, and Taylor, MS will always hold a special place in our hearts. Hopefully, we will we back again. With our kindest regards to all at Taylor Grocery, Maria & Stephen
We hope you found this post from the first leg of our exploration of Mississippi interesting. Our next post regarding Mississippi will chronicle our time in the Mississippi Delta.
After our stay in Baton Rouge we decided to dive deep into Cajun Country. We chose to roughly follow the Bayou Teche south to tour South Central Louisianna Cajun Country.The Bayou Teche runs from Port Barre south for 125 miles before flowing into the AtchafalayaRiver.
Breaux bridge
Breaux Draw Bridge
Breaux Bridge is La Capitale Mondiale de l’Écrevisse(the crawfish capital of the world). The founding of Breaux Bridge dates back to 1771 when Acadian Firmin Breaux purchased land on both sides of the Bayou which he then connected with a footbridge. The Bayou Teche was the main means of travel in this part of Louisianna at that time. For more information on Bayou Teche:https://www.louisianatravel.com/paddle/trail/bayou-teche-paddling-trail-entire-bayou
Breaux was in Louisiana after being forcibly removed along with thousands of other Acadians as part of the Great Deportation.The British deported thousands of Acadians to Louisiana from the Canadian Maritimes and land which is now Maine. So, if you ever wondered how a portion of Louisianna is populated by a close-knit French speaking population – now you know. For more information on the Great Deportation: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-deportation-of-the-acadians-feature
While poking around Breaux Bridge we met a number of friendly locals. Chief of Police Rollie Cantu greeted us upon our arrival (he was directing traffic) and provided us with information about the town. Kenny Domingue aka the Handle Bar Healer, provided us with the history of the town (first the Spanish then the French inhabiting the area). Artist Robin Guidry, owner of the Pink Alligator Gallery, broke out the wine for us while we shopped (at 11:00AM) and Jacqueline Salser, owner of Chez Jacqueline provided us with all the local gossip and lots of laughs.Lastly, if you thought that after 250 years in Louisiana the Acadians would have stopped speaking Cajun French or lost their accents, you would be wrong.
St martinsville
Eglise Catholique, Saint Martin de Tours, Mother Church of the Acadians, Est. 1765
Many of the folks living in St Martinsville are the descendants of Beausoleil Broussard. Broussard was a leader of the Acadians that fought bravely against the British in Acadia (now Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick). Once it became clear that the British would be victorious, he led a group of Acadians south to safety in the area that is now St. Martinsville. Broussard is revered in Acadian history as a hero in the fight against the British.
St. Martinsville has one of the most beautiful town squares we have seen – anchored by the Saint Martin de Tours Catholic Church and the Presbytere. Interestingly, if you note in the sign below explaining the reason for the five flags hanging from the porch, the last government that is acknowledged is the Confederacy.
Today the economy of St. Martinsville is highly dependent on tourism (the town sponsors a half dozen festivals per year) while still keeping its agricultural roots with a sugar cane crop and crawfish farming. For more information about the history of St. Martinsville: http://www.stmartinville.org/ourhistory.html
New iberia – Avery island
Avery Island is home to world famous McIlhenny Tabasco Company. The company was founded in 1868 by Edmund McIlhenny. McIlhenny was given pepper seeds which originated in either Mexico or South America. He planted the seeds and the rest is history!
The company is still family owned and managed 154 years later – which is quite unusual in an economy where larger corporations usually devour and homogenize unique brands and products. The ingredients and process are not secret but the family’s knowledge is not replicable.
The self-guided tour is fascinating, taking you through the various buildings where the peppers are ground and then mixed with salt to create the mash. (Avery Island is a salt dome and rock salt was mined there beginning in 1791, making it very accessible). The mash is then filtered to remove the skin and seeds, vinegar is added, and finally the sauce is put into white oak barrels for aging. The aging process can take up to three years– the process is quite similar to wine making. For more information: https://www.tabasco.com/tabasco-history/
Jungle Garden
Avery Island is also home to Jungle Gardens and the Bird City sanctuary. Edward Avery McIlhenny developed the gardens and sanctuary in 1895. At the time the Snowy Egret was an endangered species due to plume hunters attempting to meet the demand for feathers for women’s hats!Touring Jungle Gardens and visiting the Sanctuary is a nice follow up to the Tobasco Factory Tour.For more information: https://www.junglegardens.org/
From Avery Island we headed southwest to lands’ end at Cypremort Point which sits on Vermillion Bay. We then continued along the Bayou Teche to it’s terminus at Morgan City.
Cypremort Point
Tour’s End – Crossing the Atchafayla River
Cajun Cooking
Crawfish Cake, Cafe Jo Jo’s, Morgan City Charbroiled Oysters, Low Country Boil, and Beignet Sicks, Jane’s Seafood, New Iberia
We spent two full days slowly making our way south from Breaux Bridge to Morgan City. We had a great time exploring and meeting local folks in the towns and, of course, some dang good food.
