jscruggs

Texas Travelers Trip 1 – Route 66 and the Northern Panhandle Day 3

Starting with the map …. Zoom in on Amarillo and find TX 136. Go north to Fritch, At Fritch we stopped at Lake Merideth (Just Beautiful!!) then we took TX136 to Ranch Road 687 and we stopped at the dam. Then Ranch Road 1319 north to FM 1913 north to TX 152 west to Dumas. From Dumas we took US287 North to Stratford. From Stratford we took US54 to Dalhart. From Dalhart US 385 South to Channing then on to Vega. From Vega we took I40 west to Glenrio then back east to Adrian and on into Amarillo using Business 40 (historic Route 66).

Lake Meredeth National Recreation Area … We entered the area between Fritch and Sanford on Fritch Fortress Road. The drive into the area was Awesome. Red Bluffs on both sides. Winding two lane blacktop road following the walls of the canyon. At the end of the ride this is what we found waiting:

Lake Meredeth National Recreation Area - Fritch Fortress Road — Lake Meredeth National Recreation Area – Fritch Fortress Road

Lake Meredeth National Recreation Area - Sanford Dam — Lake Meredeth National Recreation Area – Sanford Dam

We didn’t stay long, but, we were there long enough to know one day we will get back to see more of this place. Next we drove over to the dam in the town of sanford. There is a park and the road down is on a steep grade. Once at the bottom, the valley floor is open and inviting. No pets are allowed in this park, so we didn’t stay long at all. We looked around a bit, took in the scenery and the early morning fresh air and off we went.

Dumas, Texas. Nice little town. Main Street and the town square were nice, just off main street was all but totally dilapidated. They do have an old theater in operation, a few stores with nice wares and antiques for shopping and a beautiful courthouse for a backdrop.

Evelyn Theater - Dumas, TX — Evelyn Theater – Dumas, TX

Moore County Courthouse - Dumas, TX — Moore County Courthouse – Dumas, TX

Stratford, Texas. Stratford has a small museum in the old Rail Depot. Lots of artifacts and history on the town and its inhabitants. Photos of the dust bowl, WWII era, Family histories, uniforms, trinkets, furniture. That little depot is stuffed to the gills. And the lady in there the day we went was an amazing host. Was definitely worth the stop and the donation for admission.

Museum Grounds - Stratford, TX — Museum Grounds – Stratford, TX

Sherman County Courthouse - Stratford, TX — Sherman County Courthouse – Stratford, TX

Dalhart Texas had quite a lot going on. First off, their downtown area was really very nice. Everywhere you look there is some sort of connection to the legendary XIT ranch. XIT cleaners, XIT western wear, XIT used cars … OK, I am starting to exaggerate, but, you get the point. What is this XIT? Well, it must have been really important to Austin, because, Austin provided the theater in Dalhart with Pink Granite from the state capital. We tried to see the XIT museum, but, it was closed at the day/time we were in town. Maybe on some future trip we can learn more about it. Dalhart has a statue on its courthouse grounds that Officials in China sent to thank the town for one of its sons. An active playhouse called the LaRita Theater is the Gem of Main Street. Memorial to the 305th Airdrome Squadron is an imposing memorial on the grounds of the courthouse. The 305th had been assigned to Dalhart Army Airfield and saw action in several Pacific Theater places including Layte and Okinawa. We tried to find a famous sculpture called the “Empty Saddle” unsuccessfully. We just may have to go back to Dalhart one day to see the stuff we missed.

Town Clock - Dalhart, TX — Town Clock – Dalhart, TX

Dallam County Courthouse - Dalhart, TX — Dallam County Courthouse – Dalhart, TX

La Rita Theater - Dalhart, TX — La Rita Theater – Dalhart, TX

Pink Granite from the State Capitol in Austin (5 Star Points)

Channing, Texas is a sleepy little town. That’s a nice way of saying there is absolutely nothing there, except the courthouse (and it appeared to be closed).

Hartley County Courthouse - Channing, TX — Hartley County Courthouse – Channing, TX

Vega was the last town on our “County Seat” tour and first town back on the “Route 66” tour. The County Courthouse in Vega is Newer than the others we photographed on this tour. Vega is home to several Route 66 Attractions including Dot’s Mini Museum (Dot Passed, but, the museum lives). A fully restored Magnolia Station and some abandoned buildings.

Oldham County Courthouse - Vega, TX — Oldham County Courthouse – Vega, TX

Dot's Route 66 Mini Museum — Dot’s Route 66 Mini Museum – Vega, TX

Restored Magnolia Station - Vega, TX — Restored Magnolia Station – Vega, TX

Old Highway Texaco - Vega, TX — Old Highway Texaco – Vega, TX

Glenrio, Texas/New Mexico straddled the border of the two states. The motel in Texas (First Motel In Texas / Last Motel In Texas) depending on which side you were coming from and which side of the sign you were looking at on the road. The rest of the town is in New Mexico. There are very few signs of life, Glenrio is effectively a Ghost Town.

Route 66 Texaco - Glen Rio, New Mexico — Route 66 Texaco – Glen Rio, New Mexico

First / Last Motel in Texas - Glen Rio, TX — First / Last Motel in Texas – Glen Rio, TX

Finally, We stopped in at Adrian, Texas on the way back to Amarillo. There isn’t a lot there other than it is the old midpoint of Route 66. The Mid Point Cafe still operates limited hours, The Bent Door Cafe is said to be preparing for restoration. A few Abandoned Gas Stations round out the offerings. The image of the Coke Machine at the top of this page was taken at the Bent Door Cafe Grounds.

Mid Point Cafe - Adrian, TX — Mid Point Cafe – Adrian, TX

Bent Door Cafe - Adrian, TX — Bent Door Cafe – Adrian, TX

One can very clearly see the reason the Bent Door Cafe was named what it was …. legend is the door came from an Airport Control Tower and the building was built around it …

Texas Travelers Trip 1 – Route 66 and the Northern Panhandle Day 2

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We explored the ares of the panhandle north and east. North of Route 66 and east of Amarillo.

Starting with the map …. Zoom in on Amarillo and find US 60. Going up 60 we stopped in Panhandle, White Deer, Pampa. After Pampa on 60 we took TX 152 into Mobeetie and on into Wheeler. In Wheeler we took US 83 North into Canadian then on to Lipscomb by taking US 60 out of Canadian then TX 305 North. From Lipscomb to Perryton it got really cool …. FM 1920 out of Lipscombe changes into FM 3260 North a few blocks on TX 23 then County Road V changes into County Road U stay on county road U past Huge Boulders and Outcroppings, Unbelievably beautiful scenery and NO cars whatsoever … stop and photograph Wild Turkeys, a lake …. WOW then US 83 North into Perryton. Then Leaving Perryton on TX 15 into Spearman … Leaving Spearman on TX 207 in Stinnett and on to Borger. Whew … Finally Back to Amarillo … and Rest.

Panhandle Texas was a Major Surprise. You expect to see a courthouse, maybe a railroad station …. they have a full blown museum!! Donations Accepted!! So many things to see!! A Must See if you are ever in the Texas panhandle, spread out across 2 buildings and a huge block of ground is a fantastic museum about life in the panhandle. Rail Cars, horse drawn paddy wagon, dispatcher’s office, pioneer dugout home, lots of artifacts. More than possible to list.

Beautiful Rail Station for the Santa Fe Railroad … Currently City Hall

The surprise museum is in the town square directly across from the county courthouse. Shown is the smallest building. There are several static structures and 2 larger brick buildings on the grounds. Worth the time to stop, definitely.

Carson County Courthouse has a beautiful Carved Mosaic Right above the front door.

Well, this just about sums up White Deer, Texas. Main Street is closed and the white deer guards empty brick streets. The historical marker points out that the town got it’s name from a nearby creek which, according to indian legend, had white deer feeding there.

Pampa Texas has an old Downtown area with several very interesting buildings. Also Gray County Courthouse is in the town of Pampa.

Mobeetie Texas was another nice little surprise. Mobeetie (the town) is on the north side of TX 152. Historic old Mobeetie is on the south side of TX 152. We went to the town, first and almost went on our way …. then we went south. Mobeetie was once the county seat of wheeler county. The first county jail in the panhandle is there …. along with several other structures … an old one room schoolhouse, an old barber shop, an old doctor’s office, each with artifacts! US Cavalry Fort Elliot once occupied space near Mobeetie and several artifacts from there are housed at the museum including the old original flagpole. There is a larger old school building on the grounds that houses artifacts from several school districts in the area including yearbooks, photos, jackets, furniture, and other small school artifacts. All of the structures were open for touring the day we were there!

Wheeler, Texas. The most impressive veterans memorial view was in this town. The view of the memorial with the massive county courthouse and the cannon off to one side was definitely striking.

Wheeler Texas County Courthouse and Veterans Memorial

Canadian, Texas …. The county Seat of Hemphill County. Hands Down the most beautiful veterans memorial in the entire panhandle. The Courthouse was being restored while we were there, so it was covered with scaffolding. You can easily see what glory awaits when the scaffolding comes down. Canadian actually has a very old movie theater still in operation and a wagon bridge built at the turn of the 20th century that is in good enough shape for pedestrians to use …. we did. We walked almost the entire length of the bridge. It was awesome!!

Imagine driving into Canadian, Texas from Oklahoma within this structure …. this bridge carried automobiles and trucks into the 1960s!!

Canadian Texas Wagon Bridge

Lipscomb Taxas …. Well they had some old boarded up old west buildings and the county courthouse. Not much else.

But, the Drive between Lipscomb and Perryton made the disapponintment of little to see in Lipscomb worth while. What a beautiful drive!! Highly recommend Ochiltree County Road U (Except that you may not see another car or human for quite a while … not for the faint of heart).

Ochiltree County Road U Northern Panhandle

Perryton Texas is a neat little town. The old Ellis Theater is still in operation. There’s another beautiful Art Deco Building almost directly across the street from the theater. The old Ochiltree County Courthouse has cows instead of gargoyles … how fitting is that?

Ochiltree County Courthouse - Perryton, TX — Ochiltree County Courthouse – Perryton, TX

Spearman Texas had another little nice surprise. First of all, spread out throughout the town are windmills. Each with a number like you’d check it off a list or something. Turns out, JB Buchanan Windmill Park has a whole bunch of windmills that actually operate in one spot and the mills you see in the town are actually part of the park’s collection. We spent several minutes roaming around the park, just looking. Spearman is the county seat of Hansford County Texas.

Hansford County Courthouse, Spearman Texas

Windmill Park - Spearman Texas — Windmill Park – Spearman Texas

Stinnett Texas …. another neat little town, not much to see. Beautiful County Courthouse and Isaac McCormick Cottage built in 1899. That’s about it.

Hutchison County Courthouse - Stinnett Texas — Hutchison County Courthouse – Stinnett Texas

Isaac McCormick Cottage 1899 - Stinnett Texas — Isaac McCormick Cottage 1899 – Stinnett Texas

Borger Texas … It was getting dark when we rolled into Borger. We looked at a couple of old theater buildings and left to get back to the hotel room. It had been a very long day. Nice, but, long.

The Morley Theater - Borger Texas — The Morley Theater – Borger Texas

Texas Travelers Trip 1 – Route 66 and the Panhandle Day 1

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Our panhandle Journey Starts at an Old Route 66 Town called Shamrock. I grew up as a military brat and I have vivid memories of trips we made on old US Highways. Route 66 is particularly neat, because of the restoration and upkeep that has taken place over the years. I personally never traveled on Route 66, but, many of the old structures I remember from my childhood on the road.

Feel free too zoom in on the map to Shamrock, Texas at the intersection of US83 and I40 to follow along.

From Shamrock we went into Oklahoma using I40, then we took the Business 40 exit just across the Oklahoma Border into Texola, on to Erick, on to Sayre, then we drove to Amarillo (the epicenter of the panhandle) using I40 to spend the night. Between Erick and Sayre, there are still patches of the old highway in a few places ….. The pictures for this leg of the journey are below along with some explation.

The Art Deco Conoco – This larger than life remnant of the earlier half of the 20th Century is a must see for anyone traveling on I40 through Texas. Get out your camera and explore!!

Magnolia Gas Station - Shamrock TX (Restored) — Magnolia Gas Station – Shamrock TX (Restored)

This Fully Restored Magnolia Station sits in Downtown Shamrock …. Really a nice place to see!!

Old Gas Station - Texola OK — Old Gas Station – Texola OK

Wasn’t much at all in Texola …. Just this old Gas Station and a few old signs.

West Winds Motel - Erick, OK — West Winds Motel – Erick, OK

Erick was a little better than Texola …. kind of like going back in time. The hotel signs and buildings are clearly dilapidated, but, definitely worth a look.

Stovall Theater - Sayre, OK — Stovall Theater – Sayre, OK

Sayre OK …. I wish I had taken a few more photos, but, we were not really impressed with Oklahoma’s upkeep of Route 66. I only took a series of photos of the old Stovall Theater on Main Street. They seem to be trying to revive Main Street … let’s hope that happens!!

Without any Doubt the highlight of the trip into Oklahoma was finding an original ribbon of the old Route 66 between Sayre and Erick. There is absolutely no way 2 modern cars could drive on this ….

This wraps Up Day 1 of our northern Panhandle trip. From here, we went to Amarillo to check in and get some rest ….

White Throated Sparrow – Birding –

White Throated Sparrow Taxonomy/Description:

The white throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) is a member of the family Emberizidae.

The breast has gray/tan streaks, the streaks continue down the flanks, however, the belly is generally light gray. The wings are rufous with two distinct white wing bars.

There are two adult plumage variations known as the tan-striped and white-striped forms. On the white-striped form the crown is black with a white central stripe. On the tan form, the crown is dark brown with a tan central stripe.

Some individuals may show dark lateral stripes of each side of the throat.

White Throated Sparrow Habitat:

In the northeastern U.S. and across most of Canada, white-throateds breed in forests within dense undergrowth. The conversion of forested lands to agricultural fields does eliminate potential breeding habitats, as it does for many species.

In Texas, these birds are plentiful in the winter months and can be seen most anywhere food is available. These birds do frequent backyard feeders and are right at home in a dense forest area.

Photo/Details/Information:

Photo taken in Frisco, Texas Febuary 5, 2013

The photo, above shows, clearly, the field marks of the white-striped form or morph. It also shows an individual with dark lateral stripes on each side of the throat.

White Throated Sparrow

Carolina Wren

The Carolina Wren is the state bird of South Carolina. It is found in Central to Eastern Texas year round. Stunning little creature with cinnamon color plumage, barred tail and wing feathers, tail often cocked upward while perched.

Our Texas Travel Blog is Now online.

In the next few days we will be adding a photo gallery containing some of our favorite subjects, things and places.

Author: jscruggs

Texas Travelers Trip 1 – Route 66 and the Northern Panhandle Day 3

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Texas Travelers Trip 1 – Route 66 and the Panhandle Day 1

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White Throated Sparrow – Birding –

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White Throated Sparrow Habitat:

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Carolina Wren

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White Throated Sparrow Taxonomy/Description:

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