We spent the weekend of June 12-14, 2009 in northeast Texas, up in Mount Pleasant and points surrounding. It was for a political gig, but that wrapped up in the late afternoon Saturday and we were free to roam from there. Trust me when I say, leaving that particular event to roam the backwoods of northeast Texas was the most freeing sensation I've had in probably a year or more. Between the general pace of life and the personal things that have happened....yeah.
So the counties up there are, for the most part, dry (meaning, the sale of alcohol is prohibited by law). The immediate four counties we ventured in Saturday were all dry. Except, in Camp County (seat: Pittsburg), there were two wineries right off the highway. So after the beating that was the general business meeting (I HATE parliamentary fights used as substitutes for the personality battles that are actual seething under the surface), we headed to the Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards just outside Pittsburg, Texas.
This place was the BEST getaway possible. It was off several one-lane dirt roads, hidden behind tall trees that shaded us from the 100+ degree day. We were surprised to find the place open - most wineries and tasting rooms we've been to close at 5 or 6pm. But this one, probably in part due to the fact that it's the only "watering hole" of its kind in the area, is open on Friday and Saturdays until 11pm. Unlike a lot of tasting rooms, it was full of character and ambiance, which was the perfect cure. I felt relaxed just sitting down at a table.
I ended up, instead of doing a tasting, ordering a peach concoction, the name of which escapes me, but that was basically peach nectar and the winery's chenin blanc, with cherries and chunks of peach. Absolute heaven. My husband did a sweet wine tasting and ended with a glass of "Rosie the Riveter" (the winery's Rose'). We shared a huge plate of bruschetta and just sat there letting the tension drain and our wits return. (Here's a picture of me outside the winery)
We headed that night into Lone Star (apparently, there are 2 "Lone Star"s in Texas) and Daingerfield, the county seat of Morris County. Lone Star was nothing special, really, though in searching for a sign or something to take a picture of, we found a police station with a sign stating the hours of operation. I found that incredible - police who only work 8am to 6pm! It was pretty incredible.
Daingerfield proved a moderate disappointment. We found the Morris County Courthouse pretty quickly, but it's not very nice looking and it was hard to get a picture since it's actually on the highway. We left our copy of The Courthouses of Texas at home, so we couldn't get further info, but I found out later that the original courthouse still stands and is a museum - we just didn't dig enough in town. What should have been the courthouse square was just a city park (albeit with plenty of historical markers to help explain this conundrum of a town).
Our drive back home today took us into all sorts of neat little east Texas towns (we don't ever take the major highways when we can avoid doing so - today was great for that, hardly a soul on the road and a beautiful view the whole time). Some of the towns were less impressive than others, as happens with small towns. Many of them are very old, have fallen on hard times, seem never to have moved past a certain point in time, etc. But Clarksville, in Red River County, and some others were charming and had the feel of places steeped in history and lore. Clarksville is one of the oldest towns in Texas, founded in 1833 and serving as a major hub during the Civil War.
The high school in Clarksville had a statue of Republic of Texas president David G. Burnet (burn-IT - learn it, durn it!). We couldn't figure out why (this Handbook of Texas article on Burnet sheds some light - but why Clarksville High School was chosen remains a mystery). There is a good Texas Escapes article about Clarksville here, written in 2003. Randy and I are absolute geeks for historical buildings (especially courthouses - the Clarksville one is a beauty) and the sense of history runs extremely deep in Clarksville, which is a gem of a Texas town we really didn't expect.
We ended the trip by skirting south through Athens, down into Corsicana and through Waco from the southeast. We hopped on I-35 for the last stretch home from Waco - which was only necessary because we were trying to get home in time for a Longhorn baseball game!
Lovely trip, full of gentle surprises and reminders that Texas is far more than just the 1-35 Corridor. It was especially nice to get away from the cities and enjoy what Texas' vast rural area has to offer and remind us of.
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