Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

Simmons Bank

The Texas Bucket List – Rick Fairless Strokers in Dallas

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Dallas – When you first meet Rick Fairless, it doesn’t take long to realize he has a unique flair about him. “I got to be doing other things, I got to be moving around. I can’t be sitting still very much, I got to be moving,” said Rick while moving his arms and hands in a gliding motion.

Rick’s free spirit is a tribute to the generation he’s a part of and his motorcycle shop Strokers is a tribute to that time in American history.  Here it’s all about peace, love, and the Cowboys. “I grew up with the peace, and the love, and all that, and that’s the way I think it still should be,” said Rick.

Born in Big D and raised in Irving, Rick’s childhood is reminiscent of a time gone by, when being outside all day was just a way of life for little ones. “You were never in the house as a kid. Unless you’re eating, or sleeping, or grounded, you were outside. It’s just the way it was. You were riding a bicycle, everybody had a bicycle and you rode your bicycle everywhere, and you knew where all the kids were, because their bicycles were piled up in the yard or on the sidewalk. How many kids are you seeing outside riding bicycles in your neighborhood? You don’t,” said Rick.

That feeling of freedom on wheels turned into an affinity for motorcycles. “If I’m having a bad day, sometimes I’ll just tell my wife or one of my daughters, ‘I’m going to go for a ride before I kill somebody. I’m going for a ride.’ I just want to be able to ride my motorcycle,” explained Rick.

For 20 years, Rick worked at a paint company but in 1996, he had enough and decided to rev up his dream of owning a motorcycle shop. “I just knew that there was something else, and I thought, ‘If I can make this my passion, my livelihood, wouldn’t that be cool?,” explained Rick.

Strokers was born but this wasn’t just going to be a place just to talk shop. “Somebody’s only going to come to a bike shop, well, they hadn’t been in a while, well, they’re looking for a bike, well, they need some parts, well, they need an oil change. But if you have a beer joint next door, they’re going to keep coming back every weekend,” said Rick.

With his daughters by his side, Rick’s little family venture has become a huge hit with bikers, business clients, and just about anybody who enjoys unique people and places. “If a dumbass like me can be successful, anybody can, you just got to have a work ethic,” joked Rick.

Rick’s true calling is custom bike design.  That’s his bread and butter and he’s proud to show off his work. “When I did this, I call it the Psychedelic Chopper, that was a game changer, and that’s when people around the country started to notice, ‘Hey, this tie dyed kid in Dallas is doing some pretty cool stuff.’,” explained Rick. “When we build a bike for you, it’s something that we hope that you treasure forever. It’s an artistic piece for you, but it’s something that you can take out and ride,” stated Rick.

His colorful creations and custom bikes bring out all sorts of customers looking for the perfect cruiser. “Me and all my buddies, when we grew up, we all wanted the Harley. You probably wanted the Harley when you were a kid, we all wanted the Harley. You still want one, I can help you with that, Shane. I can fix that for you, brother,” joked Rick.

Any bike enthusiast will tell you convincing the wife is always the toughest part. “Wives are the big deal killers. You got to get the wife on board. So when somebody brings their wife in, we’re like, ‘Oh no, he’s bringing his wife in. Hey baby, how are you doing? You look good on the back of that motorcycle, I ain’t kidding, get on there, you’re going to look good.’ That’s what I keep telling her,” joked Rick.

So, what is Rick’s favorite ride in Texas?

“It depends if it’s a long ride, or not. I love to ride Alpine, you get no prettier than there, or you get no prettier than the Hill Country is awesome out there, or you get no prettier than riding through East Texas. Just depends where you want to go,” explained Rick.

For a lot of folks, Strokers is that stop because reliving what life was like 50 years ago will always be on their bucket list. “It’s a motorcycle shop, it’s a Bar & Grill, it’s a live music venue, it’s a museum. And it’s not just about motorcycles, it’s about growing up in the ’60s and the ’70s,” expressed Rick.

Passing along the feeling of nostalgia is what Rick enjoys the most and selling the occasional bike too. “I’ve got to meet a lot of really nice people, and some of them are Troy Aikman, and some of them are just hardcore riders, and some of them are guys that come in every weekend and look at bikes, that want one, but their wife won’t let them get one, like you Shane,” joked Rick.

The Texas Bucket List – Indian Lodge in Fort Davis

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Fort Davis – Over the years on The Texas Bucket List, our trips to the Davis Mountains have always been a highlight in our adventures. The McDonald Observatory is one of my favorite stops we’ve ever featured on the show but the desolate destination makes this trip a little tougher than most.

Now if you really want to soak in the sites here, you’ll have to find a place to stay and if you plan well enough in advance, the Indian Lodge situated in Keesey Canyon is a pretty cool place to do just that. “This entire area, not just the lodge, not just the park, but Fort Davis, Alpine, Marfa, these are destination places for people to come visit,” stated Jeff Williams, the Park Superintendent at the Indian Lodge State Park.

Situated in the Davis Mountains State Park, the Indian Lodge is the only full-service hotel run by Texas Parks and Wildlife and it is very popular. “With any state park in Texas, you can make reservations up to five months in advance, and currently we are booked five months in advance,” said Jeff.

Built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the resort originally had 19 rooms but now there are 39 places for Texans to get a good night’s rest. “The architecture of the lodge is called Pueblo Revival, and it was built as a tourist motor court. This was an effort to get car touring in this part of Texas,” said Jeff. “What it is now is a historic site, and we work our best to preserve it. But when they built it, you have to put yourself in mind of the teepee, the teepee hotels, or Route 66, because that’s the vibe they were going for here is that off-the-beaten-path unusual tourist draw thing for the culture that went crazy for traveling around the United States right before and after World War II,” explained Jeff.

While taking us on a tour of his office, which used to be the dinner room of the lodge, Jeff gave us an architectural breakdown of the lodge. The building is made from adobe bricks, the majority of the materials used were harvested from throughout Texas to create a beautifully detailed lodge. “Because of the fact that it was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, I think it’s important that everybody, at least, know a little something about that history, and that generation that went to work to provide for their families. It’s important that we honor that history, and preserve it, and pass that history along,” explained Jeff.

The surreal beauty of the white adobe walls sitting in the middle of a west Texas canyon is stunning and if you head up Skyline Drive next to the lodge, you can marvel at one of the most beautiful sunsets in the whole state. “I’ve become a collector of sunsets since I’ve moved out here. I have some pretty awesome sunset pictures,” said Jeff.

But when the stars come out at night, they truly are big and bright. “You don’t have to go to the observatory to observe the night skies, most of the time they are beautiful just with the naked eye from right here in the park,” said Jeff.

Popular with people who want to get away or have an amazing family adventure, chances are you’ll want to visit Indian Lodge more than once. “We came one year, and my folks turned right around and came the next year. They didn’t bring my brother and me with them that second time,” joked Jeff.

So if you’re looking for fun with family or just a romantic and relaxing trip to west Texas, pass on the teepee and lay your head at the Indian Lodge in the Davis Mountains, a magnificent stop on The Texas Bucket List. “You don’t get to see this kind of terrain, and these mountain features. You don’t get to see them everywhere in Texas. And if you have the opportunity, you ought to come see this beautiful part of the state,” expressed Jeff.

The Texas Bucket List – The Roadside America Museum in Hillsboro

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Hillsboro— Smack dab between the Metroplex and Waco, you’ll find Hillsboro, which also happens to be the home of some very nice billboards for our favorite rest stop in West. Before we buy a bunch of kolaches at Slovacek’s we got our fill of Americana at one awesome stop. “Welcome to Roadside America… in Hillsboro, Texas. I’ve got some pretty interesting things, I would say,” said Carroll Estes. Carroll is the curator at the Roadside America Museum.

Originally from Dallas, Carroll bought the old Ford Dealership in Downtown Hillsboro and converted it to a showplace for all his possessions.“It’s mainly a hobby turned into what people started calling a museum. So, I started calling it a museum too,” he explained. A lover of all things 50’s, Carroll has been collecting a curious assortment of anything that makes him feel like he’s a kid again. “I wish I had a time machine. I’d go back to 1959 and stay there forever… Reason I picked 1959 I wouldn’t want to miss the fins on ’59 Cadillac,” said Carroll. “Such a simpler time. Before the computer age and all that stuff took over. And the cars, the cars of the 50s, come on, that’s all I need to say.

Vintage records, vintage remedies, and vintage road signs are just a few of the retro things Carroll collects. He searches the state looking for this stuff, but also finds some of it on the internet. “I do find things on there now from time to time… I guess… there’s some advantages [with computers]. The spell check is good,” he commented. Fortunately, U-S-A is easy to spell and this place sure showcases that it’s proud to be American.

“I know some collectors they collect great stuff, but they just build rows of shelves and stick things up on shelves… But you could give some personality,” he said. Carrol’s collection includes massive cartoon characters that are colossal in size. Pepe Le Pew, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Sylvester the Cat! “My goal is to get the entire Looney Tunes cast someday…Foggy, you got to have Foggy [Foghorn Leghorn]. I’m looking for a Foggy,” he said. “The eight foot Big Boy over here, which was my first fiberglass statue…I just found out a couple of years ago that he came from one of the first two Big Boy restaurants,” said Carrol.

Grape soda known as Grapette also means a great deal to this gatherer of all things 50s.“I got what I think may be the largest Grapette soda collection in existence,” he claimed. “I got started on the Grapette because that was my favorite drink as a kid, for one thing. I was 12 before I knew my tongue wasn’t supposed to be purple.” Carroll’s colossal collections of grape soda and Looney Tunes are impressive, but there is even more out back.

“I’ve got an old general store out back…it’s a display. It’s not for selling. It’s for showing… Built it out of 100% old rustic materials. It’s pretty cool. Stocked up with any kind of old store stock like stepping back into the forties…It covers a few decades, but it goes from all the way to turn of the century up probably,” he said.

It’s been said that as you get older, three things happen. First your memory goes and the other two, well I can’t remember the other two, but not Carroll. He is too busy remembering the 50’s because that brings him back to a joyful time in his life, a joy he wants to share with Texas.

“If you grew up in this area, it will take you back to a time that just makes you feel good… It was just a time in history I think everyone should either relive or at least learn about,” he concluded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – The Blueberry Place in Nacogdoches

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Nacogdoches – Amongst the towering trees of east Texas sits a field full of frolicking furry creatures.  Where butterflies gently flap their wings waiting for just the right summer breeze to lift them off for a flight and folks get their fill of fine fruit.  “It’s just beautiful. It’s a beautiful peaceful place,” said Sherrie Randall.  Sherrie owns the Blueberry Place, a farm hidden in the woods near Nacogdoches and we when pulled in to pull some blueberries off the bushes, we didn’t realize how beautiful this place is. “Mm-hmm, they’re very healthy, healthy bushes,” she said.

Before Sherrie was the boss lady at the Blueberry place, she had an aerospace career in Colorado that kept her eyes to the sky. “We work behind the doors… Secret stuff, yes…[Not allowed to talk about it] But it was fun stuff,” she said. Sherrie retired from the industry with her husband in 2001 and they wanted the perfect place to put up their feet. “East Texas is gorgeous and it’s a lot like Denver with the trees…Just flat,” she laughed.  When they found this field full of fruit, they fell in love but continuing to cultivate the crop for the crowds wasn’t something they expected to do. “We weren’t going to keep it, we thought, ‘Well we don’t have to do that, because we weren’t looking to do that,’” she said. Apparently, the town felt a little differently about the fate of The Blueberry Place.

“Closed on this place on a Friday night and Saturday morning there’s all these people out here picking blueberries and it was the Kiwanis club picking blueberries for the pancakes for the festival. It’s like the town’s patch…So we ended up having a blueberry farm,” explained Sherrie.  Overnight, Sherrie and her husband unexpectedly became blueberry farmers. “After we bought this, I answered the phone and this lady said, ‘Are you still open?’ And I said, ‘Yes.’ She goes, ‘Oh we heard it was bought by old people.’ And I said, ‘I am the old people, I just have a young voice,’” she laughed.

As summer kicks off in the Lone Star State, people come from far and wide for the few short weeks to take a stroll and get their fill of fruit. “June [is the key time to come]. A lot of times by July 4th we are closed,” explained Sherrie. “[Only about] a month, month and a half… Then I get my privacy back.” While Sherrie jokes about her visitors, if you happen to run across the retired blueberry farmer during your stay, she’ll talk to you till she’s blue in the face because somehow, these blueberries bring people together. “You make a lot of friends, it’s like old home week when people come back… Especially when you get older, we made it another year. So it’s really cool,” she explained.

“It means a lot…for a small town, to have something like this to do,” said local, Britney Castle.  “I can’t really think of not having a blueberry patch down the road,” added customer, Nick Jacobs. “Mid-season are the clumping berries, so you can walk up and just find a big clump and you’ll get several berries at once,” said Sherrie. The bushes at The Blueberry Place aren’t treated with pesticides, so they are safe to eat while you pick.  “They taste like candy, coming off the bush they’re sweet,” said Nick. “There’s a lot of people that don’t realize, they have never seen a blueberry bush and they’re so different. They’re sweeter, especially here,” said Sherrie.

A pound of blueberries will set you back a buck fifty here but remember, you’re doing all the work. “We made everything so it’s self-serve. They drive in and they get their harness, their bucket, their bag, and they go out and do their thing, they pay and they don’t ever have to see us,” explained Sherrie. As you might imagine, this is very popular with the kids, and parents, well they love it too. “We live in town, so it’s nice to come out here and let him [her son] just be in nature really,” explained Britney. “Oh it means that I can wear them [the kids] out and they’ll go to bed early, it’s awesome. And they’re eating fruit, so it’s a twofer on that one,” confirmed Nick.

While it may take a while to fill your bucket, picking and partaking in blueberry binging at The Blueberry Place is well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List. “If you can come out here and enjoy God’s creation, this is one of the best places to come do that,” concluded Nick.

The Texas Bucket List – The Chairy Orchard in Denton

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Thanks to a collection of colleges and an eclectic feel, Denton, Texas has been called a mini Austin of sorts and the stop we found fits right in.   Along the banks of Copper Creek on the city’s northeast side is a chairy orchard but we’re not talking delicious fruit, this chairy orchard pulls the seat out from under ya.  Turns out it’s field full of chairs!

“A lot of them think it’s cherries. They’ll say, ‘Where are the cherry trees?'”, joked Anne Pearson.

Pearson and her friend Judy Smith got my hopes up about my favorite fruit, fortunately I was able to find a seat to hear them tell me about the quirky collection that initially got folks thinking they were off their rocker.

Friends since 1973, the two met in the meadow that happens to be in the middle of their two homes.

“So you guys always had this space between you?”, I asked. “Yes. Yeah. Always”, they said. “Our kids built forts in that tree and we had soccer games happen out here, I mean our kids are older than you. My son is going to be 58. What can I say? You’re almost the age of our grandchildren”, the two explained.

I was on the edge of my seat to hear what the family thought of their little business!

“At first my kids were like, “Oh, mother, you have always embarrassed me, But this is it. … but now,  their like, “Oh, I’ll help you do this and help you do that”, Judy explained. “They’ve seen it be a success?” I asked. “Yeah. “And I think they’re proud of us now”..

“What has your relationship been like over those years?” I asked. “We’ve never had an issue. We’ve traveled together”, Anne reminisced.

The two hang out everyday, despite the fact that Ann still works.

The way I see it, you two decided to put two chairs out here, you were drinking some wine and you said, “Let’s just leave the chairs out there.” Is that what happened? “No”, Anne corrected. “Judy had chairs hanging in the tree and then we were at work one day and said, ‘Well, why don’t we put some on the ground?’ We call that the Chairy Tree”.

“Our goal was a hundred chairs and I bet it didn’t take us three months. Not even. We got a hundred chairs and went, huh, we’ll get more”, Judy bragged.

That’s when it grew, and grew and grew.

Where do all these chairs come from? “Garage sales. Thrift stores. Dumpsters. Dumpsters. Curbs.  Yeah. And people donate. Sometimes- Sometimes. … not very often. People come and think they can take a chair. But no, it’s not like that”, Judy said.

Red chairs, blue chairs, black chairs, old chairs, new chairs.  One has a little star, man what a lot of chairs there are.

“People have said, there’s an aura here. Now some people don’t get it, but some people really feel like it”, Judy explained. “Every one of these chairs was chosen by somebody, by a family. It has a history. They were in a kitchen, they were in somebody’s dining room, they were in their bedroom. They all had a previous life. And now we’ve brought them here”.

The imagination and humor these two can put together makes meeting them a worth while stop on The Texas Bucket List, heck they even have titles!

“We’re the Chairy Fairies, but also lately we’ve been calling ourselves the Chairwomen too”, Judy said excitedly. “You all are the boss”, I joked. “We are! We’re really tough!” they joked back.

Don’t let them fool you.  Seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter while people play musical chairs around the chairy orchard is what they consider the best seat in the house.

Is that the best part for you guys? Just seeing people come here and smile. “It is! Oh yes! Because, we don’t know they’re coming. It’s all a surprise.  We come out, we, it’s really fun to talk to them because- To see why they came. They don’t understand why, why is this here? They say Dallas would never allow this Fort Worth, Austin would never. We checked before. Would never allow this”, they explained.

“Why do you think it speaks to people? Why do you think people find it so amusing?”, I asked. “Because it’s just silly. It’s so unusual. There is- It has no reason.” Anne laughed.

But there is a reason, their friendship is the reason.  Taking the time to sit down and enjoy one another helps bring a light hearted look not only into their lives but others as well.

Well, what would you guys do without each other? “I think my life would not be nearly as fun. We have a lot of fun. Sometimes people have asked, if, “Say, haven’t you ever had a fight?” And I said, “No, not really.”  And I can tell you one thing that why it works, Ann will probably agree. If Ann doesn’t want to do something that I do, we don’t do it. We both have to agree”, Judy said.

After being friends for 45 years, these guys have figured it out.

“I think my life would be half empty if it weren’t for her. Because we do so much together. We do. You know, she- It’s just the best. It’s just wonderful to have a good friend. Yeah. A lot of people don’t. You don’t need 10 good friends. No. You need one or two good friends. We just have a good time”, they said.

 

The Texas Bucket List – David Adickes Art Studio in Houston

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On an overcast Houston morning, the towering skyscrapers of the space city seem to reach for the stars, through the clouds, as the rush hour commute commences.  In a town where bigger and bolder go together, the skyline has some amazing architecture and it pairs perfectly with some huge works of art that are hard to hide. History is a huge part of the Lone Star State’s pride and culture, and for those who also subscribe to the adage that everything’s bigger in Texas, David Adickes’s art studio in Houston is the perfect destination. Showcasing some of the most massive sculptures in all of America, the studio is an outdoor exhibition comprised of hand-sculpted busts of some of America’s most iconic former presidents. “It’s hard to get rid of them. Yeah. Can’t bury them, got to have a big hole”, joked Adickes.  Texas artist David Adickes created these huge heads of state and has them stored at his studio which happens to be completely surrounded by superhighways, making it feel like you’re in a fish bowl.  “I feel like that also. It’s the noise that gets me, but inside you don’t hear it that much”, said Adickes as we moved into his building.

Born in Huntsville in 1927, David’s art has been around the block for a while and we’re not just talking heads. David’s talents have taken him all over the world and even earned him a personal friendship with President George H.W. Bush.  “I spent the night in the Lincoln bedroom as president Bush 41’s guest”, reminisced David. “Oh yeah. I saw him a lot, a lot of letters exchanged back and forth”, he said fondly.  David created the bronze of former President Bush that sits in the airport, but his art is not all about the biggest office in the land. He likes to create all sorts of sculptures, which has kept his long career busy and eclectic.  “Well, I have a condition called ‘bitimus chewicus’. Means biting off more than you can chew”, he joked.

If you’ve ever explored H-Town you’ve probably come across David’s art. The Virtuoso in downtown, the Big Ol’ Beatles at the 8th Wonder Brewery, as well as the “We Love Houston” sign are all signature Adickes’ pieces and are also some of the most instagramed sites in the city. “Are you on Instagram at 93,” I asked him during the interview.  “I don’t think so. I don’t know what it is”, David replied with laugh.

 

David’s biggest accomplishment, is just that. BIG. In his hometown of Huntsville stands a 687-foot-tall statue of Sam Houston, staring down the constant stream of SUVs on Interstate 45. It’s the tallest statue of an American anywhere, and it’s the tallest standing sculpture in the United States of a real person. “Why was it important for you to make Sam so big? Just because he’s bigger than Texas, I joked. “That’s part of it”, he said. “Plus we wanted to be impressive. We wanted to be iconic, so it is an icon”.

David graduated with a degree in mathematics and physics from the Sam Houston State Teachers College, now known as Sam Houston State University. He served in the Army Air Corps at the tail end of World War II and spent two years in France from 1948 to 1950.  It wasn’t until he spent this time abroad and saw the incredible art and architecture there that he knew he just had to try his hand at sculpting.  “That changed everything. I learned to speak French and chase French girls and caught a few”, he said with a reminiscing smile.  “Sounds like a horrible way to live”, I joked. “Terrible”, he responded quickly.  “How far out is your schedule right now? How many years in advance are you having work”, I asked considering his age. “From now? Oh, 10 or 15 years”, he said.  “So you’ll finally be done when you’re 108″, I joked. “I don’t do the math, but yeah”, he said with a smile.

Despite being 93 years young, David still makes his way up the stairs of his home to his artist studio to paint every day.  His sculpture work has slowed down significantly, and eventually his collection of heads will head to Huntsville for a permanent display. But for as long as he can, David plans on keeping his studio open, free of charge, to curious crowds looking to walk amongst his king-sized Commander-in-Chiefs.

“I’m flattered when people come and look at them. The whole point in doing them is that they are to be seen. If they were hidden someplace, there would be no point in doing them. Same with art, painting. As long as it’s in your closet at home, what good is it to anybody? You’ve got to get it out and be seen”, he said.  “It’s like reading a good book or hearing a good joke or hearing good music, it gives you pleasure. The pleasure is mine”.

So if you’re meandering around Houston anytime soon, make sure to check out the David Adickes Art Studio, and keep your eyes peeled for the rest of his iconic creations around town. As always, tune in with us next week for more must-see places, people, art, and music right here on The Texas Bucket List.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – Eiffel Tower in Paris

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Paris—In the town of Paris, the Lone Star State’s version of the city of love, the square reminds you of it’s distant cousin to the east. Such a peaceful part of town with fragrant flowers and a subdued fountain spraying into a dry Texas day. That European feel continues on the southwest side of town at tower dedicated to the namesake of this city in the Lone Star State.

“Welcome to Paris, Texas. This is our Eiffel Tower,” said the town’s Chamber of Commerce President, Paul Allen.

Paul was born and raised in Paris, TX, so he understands the importance of embracing their connection to the town that sits 4,833 miles to the east.  (That’s like driving across Texas six times!)

Fittingly you can find the tower at the Love Civic Center. 

“It all works. It’s perfect,” he said.

Now we always boast that everything is bigger in Texas, but this version of the Eiffel Tower checks in at 65 feet tall, nearly 1000 feet smaller than the one in France. On American soil however, Paris has the second largest version of the tower with Las Vegas taking the top spot and Paris, Tennessee taking third.

“At one point in time theirs [Tennessee] was taller and when the cowboy hat was added, we surpassed Paris, Tennessee… And we became number two,” said Paul.

Built in 1994, the tower was donated by local welders and pipefitters who thought it was fit for the city of blinding lights in the lone star state to have its own towering tower.

“A lot of it was done at BMW and then those pieces were brought out here, but a lot of that welding was done here as well… Volunteered their time and volunteered the pipe, material and [built it] piece by piece,” explained Paul.

“I have been to Paris, France. I’ll tell you, I’d rather be in Paris, Texas than Paris, France any day of the week. Because I’ve seen it and I’ve been there, I’ll take this one,” he said.

While it may not be the biggest in the world, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Texas can put a big ol’ feather in its hat for one big reason—it’s in the town with the biggest heart!

“It means a lot to me and it means a lot to a lot of people that have grown up here and don’t want to be anywhere else,” concluded Paul.

The Texas Bucket List – Monahans Sandhills State Park in Monahans

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Monahans  -West Texas has always been known for being a bit dry, but there’s one sandy spot that seriously seems out of place, even for these parts, the Monahans Sandhills State Park. Park Superintendent Michael Smith understands what it takes to work here.

“My house is covered in sand,” Michael said. “So it’s always sand in everything. Sweep the bed out in the evenings so you can go to bed, ’cause it’s full of sand. To be honest when I drew Monahan Sandhills State Park, I had never seen past the office up there. I was pleasantly surprised, it is a beautiful and unique park. It’s the only place in Texas where this particular type of ecosystem is preserved. And so I’ve been pleasantly surprised ever since.”

This place is literally like a Texas-sized sandbox that provides all sorts of recreation, but playing in it is most popular.

“This is where most families come to play, to dune, what they call duneing, or sliding down the dunes on anything they think might slide,” Michael said. “Children of all ages. There actually used to be a gentleman that lived in Odessa, that came out here regularly, way up into his 70’s, was coming out here and surfing the sand dunes pretty regularly.”

Watching these 60-70 lbs. kids have a hard time going down the hill makes one think what it would be like for grown men to go down.

“I’ve gone down on discs and on boards,” Michael said.“Have not tried the toboggans yet. A long disc.”.

A park since 1957, the sand dunes have been sitting here for very long time.

“So the theory goes that this sand was underneath the last ice age, located in the northern New Mexico, Colorado area, and it was ground under the weight of the ice until it’s much smaller and much closer to perfectly round than most sand is,” Michael said. “And so when the ice melted away, the wind and water was able to blow it this direction, wash it and blow it this direction, until it blew it down into the Permian Basin. So now we’re in a big bowl, and the wind and water can’t have the same effect on it that it had before up on the top. And so it stays down in here, now it blows around a little bit, but doesn’t blow out, and so it moves enough that the vegetation has a very difficult time encroaching on the sand, because it’s moving.”

This sand isn’t your average sand.

“This is the only place in all of Texas where this resource is protected,” Michael said. “So you can go to the beach, you can have your water, but this sand is very unique, it’s different material. It’s quartz, about 97% quartz. It’s almost perfectly round, it’s smaller, and is the only place in all of Texas where this resource is protected. So if you wanna see this type of resource, this is the place to do it. Up is hard, so because of its physical characteristics, the same thing that prevents plants from growing on it, makes it move around quite a bit easier than most other sand. It blows in the wind more, makes it harder to walk on. So I tell people, ‘Down is the easy part. Then you gotta go back up.’”

When you get it in your hands, it just doesn’t feel like going down to the beach.

“That is true,” Michael said. “When visitors are talking to us, one of the most common comments is how good it feels on their feet. Most visitors choose to go barefoot. It’s like getting a pedicure from God. It’s amazing to walk, it feels good on your feet. I’ve never made a reference like that before, that was a first.”

If you want to get the special foot treatment and maybe attempt to sled, summer is usually not the best time.

“When it’s very, very hot, it doesn’t slide as well,” Michael said. “So not only is it just a really, really hot place to be the sun reflects off the sand as well as the direct sunlight, it’s very, very hot in the middle of the summer. Best time to come is gonna be spring or fall. Easter is actually our single busiest day of the year.”

The Monahans Sandhills State park is a great place to see and experience a very unique part of Texas, making it a great stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“…you’re guaranteed to get sand in your stuff,” Michael said.

The Texas Bucket List – Far Flung Outdoor Center in Terlingua

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Terlingua – The majesty and beauty of Big Bend is truly hard to behold. Covering over 800,000 acres and an elevation of over 6,000 feet, the features of this fine place are far and wide.  Hiking is how most folks see the sights in the national park, so if you want a bit more adventure you’ll have to head a wee bit west in Terlingua to take a ride at Far Flung Outdoor Center.

“Well the people ask my why we moved out here,” Greg Henington said. “It’s like well the car broke down, we’re still waiting for parts to get delivered.”

Greg Henington and Mark Evans got this business venture dedicated to adventure started back in the mid 70’s.

“Well, we knew folks wanted to see the Big Bend and we wanted to provide a way to do that,” Greg said.

They did just that…with four wheelers.

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve enjoyed sitting on mechanical machine and riding it out to some country that’s pretty spectacular,” Greg said.

We suited up to the sights with our tour guy Randy Carnes.

“I first came here in 1972 and fell in love it,” Randy said.

Randy took us to the hot spots accessible by ATV in the area, and if you’ve never ridden around one a 4 wheeler before, it is awesome.

“We require our guides to have a real good knowledge of the area,” Greg said. “It’s not just a ride around on the ATV. It’s all about sort of teaching folks about, this is our backyard, so we want people to respect our backyard and understand it and learn a little bit about it and have some fun in it.”

Our next stop, Indian Head mountain.

“Between 20 and 40 million years ago this whole region became volcanic,” Randy said. “Some of these mountains were actual volcanoes, other were volcanic intrusions. As this magma came to the surface it cooled into rocks and it’s very unstable.”

If you’re up for a ride through the scenery of West Texas that provides a good look at the beauty of the Big Bend, finding your way to Far Flung in Terlingua is a fine stop on The Texas Bucket List.

“It looks sort of like a barren, nothing’s out here, you know, wasteland,” Greg said. “Well, when you really start getting into the backcountry and look around, there’s just some amazing plants and geology, animals, insects, all kinds of things. I think people are sort of like surprised sometimes that there’s this much beauty out here when you start really looking. Right up there with the Alamo in my opinion. It’s one of our big treasures here in Texas.”

The Texas Bucket List – Veldhuizen Cheese Farm in Dublin

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Dublin – The cattle industry in the Lone Star State is big business.  From the plains to the valley, we’ve seen all sorts of livestock is all sorts of settings and when we pulled into the Veldhuizen Farm in Dublin, it’s safe to say we found some of the happiest cows we have ever come across. Stuart Veldhuizen takes good care of his cattle because they provide him and his family with lots of cheese.

“We really disturb them very little,” Stuart said. “The only time we really mess with them is milking, which is twice a day, so we really don’t mess with them a lot, they’re just curious as ever it’s like, what are you doing out here today? And so they just come up.”

Stuart isn’t exactly from around here.

“I say I got delivered out in Minnesota, brought to Texas, it’s where I’m supposed to be,” Stuart said.

His journey to the Lone Star State started in the early 90’s when the former diary farmer’s father found a magazine article about making milk in the most beautiful place in the whole world.

“My dad actually read an article about a Texas dairy and he showed me pictures and there was cows on green grass in December,” Stuart said. “And when you live in that world you think, how can that be? A dairy where there’s green grass in December?”

Their venture only lasted until 1996 when Stuart decided that making milk wasn’t for him, but after working off the farm for a few years he started to yearn for another adventure in agriculture. This time, he wanted to be the big cheese.

“Doing some research and found that raw milk cheeses looked like the up and coming thing, ended up deciding to do it,” Stuart said.

With the help of his wife, Connie, his daughters, Chelsea and Rachel, and Stuart’s dad, Veldhuizen cheese got off the ground.  To make the artisan cheese different from the rest, his daughter Chelsea had the bright idea of adding sheep to the mix.

“This is the only dairy in Texas that has sheep,” Stuart said. “I’m sure there’s a little bit around, more in Europe where there’s maybe some blends. There’s maybe a little in the U.S. but nothing in Texas.”

Stuart and four generations of his family got to milking and making all sorts of raw milk cheese.

“It’s just a beautiful … flavors of the cow side, and amazing flavors of the sheep side,” Stuart said.

One of the biggest differences with this cheese is the fact it’s raw milk which means it’s not processed.  In other words, you won’t find any yellow cheese here.

“Raw cheese means that it never gets warmer than the temperature of the cow during the whole cheese making process,” Stuart said. “So with most cheese that people are used to, they first pasteurize the milk at 181 degrees for 30 seconds, cool it back down to 89 to 90 degrees, do the cheese making process. What we do is we start with our milk at 89 degrees with our cheese making and it’ll only get up to 100 to 102. We never get it above that mark, so it’s raw milk cheese. So we don’t change the structure of the cheese, we keep all this natural flora that’s in our milk that gets passed on into the cheese. And so this’ll be run through the Cheddar mill and we will add salt to it and some beer today and we’ll mix all this in and then we’ll be running it or putting it into the molds.”

The cheese is aged in rooms that would surely be on any rodent’s bucket list. With 20 varieties on hand, you’ll find all kinds of queso.

“We make sheep Gouda and then we thought well, let’s marry the two and so now we have a blend, which is gorgeous,” Stuart said. “Now you’re just making everything Gouda. “Yeah. That’s a cheese joke, everything Gouda.”

Connie gave us a crash course on this culinary delight.

“We’re gonna go over here next to our sheep cheese, this is called Wooly Texas,” Connie said. “This is all sheep. We have a couple of all sheep cheeses, and a couple that are cow and sheep blend. So it’s gonna have a little bit different flavor to it, ’cause it’s a different type of milk. It’s really not saltier, it’s just how it hits your pallet. What happens is that cheese ages, they’re all aged at different amounts of time, flavors will concentrate, so you’ll taste them more but actually, so it doesn’t actually have more salt.”

It’s all comes down to happy cows and sheep making the most of their milk. With cheese this good, the Veldhuizen farm in Dublin is a can’t miss stop on the Texas Bucket List.

“I really feel that I’m really living more than the American Dream, because I get to have all these people at home at a place where we work and live life, it’s beautiful,” Stuart said.