Q is for Quanah

Quanah was the first stop on my road trip this summer.  It was early on Sunday morning, so I didn’t get to experience the town, but I did find one of the arrows that marks the life and times of the town's namesake, Quanah Parker.

I also found a marker commemorating a shootout between two law officers at the Quanah Depot.  The shootout happened in 1890 and was really the result of verbal sparring and someone’s feelings being hurt.

Quanah is just over 3 hours from Fort Worth, so I’m hopeful that I can visit again to explore a bit more of this town.

V is for Vega

Woo hoo!!!  I checked off one of the most challenging letters on my Rt. 66 trip.

Vega is a small community about 30 miles west of Amarillo.  It’s located on the original Route 66 and is often called the “Crossroads of America.”  Arriving on a Sunday afternoon, there wasn’t really anything open.  But I did find the restored Magnolia Station, which was the second gas station to be built in Vega in the early 20’s.  It was two stories which allowed the operator to live upstairs and always be available to customers stopping for gas and other supplies.

On the same lot as Magnolia is one of the Quanah Parker arrows.  The twenty-two foot arrows, located throughout the high plains of Texas, commemorates various places where the Comanches, and their last chief, Quanah Parker, hunted, traded, lived, traveled, and fought in the late 1800s.  There are over 70 arrows; here is a list of the counties you can find them in.  The  Vega arrow notes a Comanche camping spot as they traveled north to Tucumcari and Tecovas Springs.

Vega is also home to Dot’s Mini Museum and the Milburn-Price Culture Museum. 

S is for San Saba

My final destination for the day was San Saba.  I’ve always been interested in visiting this town of about 3000 for a couple of reasons.  Texas Monthly has done a few stories over the pecan capital of Texas over the years, most notably about the murder of a pecan matriarch.  Also, Tommy Lee Jones, one of my favorite actors, has a ranch in San Saba.  Unfortunately, I did not run into him.

Instead of a hotel, I opted for an Airbnb just north of San Saba in Richland Springs.  I stayed in a 1 bedroom house on a ranch.  It was absolutely gorgeous!  After picking up dinner from Pecan House Grill in town, I headed back to dine on the back porch.  What a view!  It included scimitar-horned oryx, sheep, and chickens.  If you need a place to stay in Central Texas, I highly recommend staying here.  Close by is the Regency Suspension Bridge.  It’s a one-lane suspension bridge over the Colorado River that spans 403 feet.  You can drive it or walk it;  I chose to drive it. It was a bit nerve-wracking so I probably went a little faster than I should have, but I was anxious to get to the other side.  Joke’s on me though . . . I had to turn around and drive back over it otherwise it would have taken me another 45 minutes to get to my final destination.

Before heading to Round Rock on Sunday, I took in the town of San Saba.  Most of the stores were closed, but I was able to take a morning walk at San Saba River Nature Park.  Afterwards I found the Wedding Oak Tree, which is rumored to be the location of both Indian and early settler weddings over the years.  It is actually noted as a historic tree in Texas.  I ended my time in the pecan capital with a visit to Wedding Oak Winery where I promptly joined the wine club.

 

E is for Early

Just outside of Brownwood is Early, a town of just a few thousand.  As you can imagine, there isn’t a lot to do in Early, but I did manage to find a winery to visit after lunch.  Skies Over Texas Winery has a great variety of wines to choose from and their tasting room is laid back and casual.  The perfect place to spend a Saturday afternoon.  I did a flight so I could try a few different options while I enjoyed the scenery and a good book.

B is for Brownwood

My quest to visit a Texas town for each letter of the alphabet continued in March 2026.  I had a conference in Round Rock that started at the end of my Spring Break, so I left a couple of days early to hit up a few towns.

Brownwood is a town of just under 20,000 people at the north end of the Texas Hill County.  I really wanted to visit because of Intermission, an independent bookstore housed in a movie theater originally built in the 1920s.  Visiting an independent bookstore is always fun, but this one was especially cool.  They did an amazing job of maintaining the history of the theater.  You can see the imprints of soldiers who laid their heads against the walls as they watched movies.  These WWII soldiers were based at nearby Camp Bowie, where they trained.  Camp Bowie was actually the largest military training camp in Texas, so you can just imagine the number of soldiers who came through Brownwood in the 1940s.  

Brownwood was also a railroad hub for the Southwest so be sure to visit the Lehnis Railroad Museum and Visitor Center.  You’ll be able to see so many different artifacts from this era.  The museum did a really great job of creating displays that give you a good understanding of the role the railroad had across the southwest region of the United States.  I especially enjoyed the exhibits that focused on the Harvey Hotels along the route.  If you don’t know about the Harvey Girls, check out the movie starring Judy Garland.  In keeping with the train theme, I decided to have lunch at Runaway Train Cafe.  It’s a small cafe in an older train dining car.  The food was typical diner fare, but it was a fun experience.

U is for Uncertain

There are some letters that offer a lot of choices and then there are some letters that will be a struggle to find a town I want to visit.  I was so excited to discover my U town . . . Uncertain!  When I realized Uncertain was on Caddo Lake, Texas' only naturally made lake, I was absolutely certain this would be on my list of places to visit.  In fact, I planned my other East Texas locations around Uncertain.

Uncertain is on Caddo Lake and I found the perfect place to stay.  Spatterdock Houses is owned by a retired teacher and on the water.  It's a collection of guesthouses of all sizes and I'm not lying when I tell you how perfect it was.  The owner, Dottie Carter, is a lifelong resident of Uncertain and an amazing artist.  Her eclectic works can be seen throughout her property.  It's like you're staying in on outdoor museum.    Even though I had a kitchenette, I opted to eat at the local establishments, Caddo Lake Lighthouse and Caddo Outpost.  Like Jefferson, several of the restaurants aren't open in the middle of the week, so I missed out on the classic Big Pines Lodge, which has been around since the 1940s.

I stayed in Cricket.  Isn't it the cutest?!?

    

The view from the end of the pier.

No trip to Uncertain is complete without a boat ride on the lake.  I enjoyed a two hour ride on the lake, complete with lessons on the history of the lake, the town, and wildlife sightings - turtles, snakes, Ospreys and baby alligators!  Although it was a cool day, the sun was shining which made it that much more gorgeous.  Caddo Lake is in both Texas and Louisiana; it was formed by the Great Raft, uprooted trees creating a log jam in the Red River for over 80 miles.  

While I didn't have time to go into Caddo Lake State Park, I did go to the visitor center.  As always, Texas Parks and Wildlife does an amazing job of telling the history of the region and explaining the various ecosystems that make up the Piney Woods. 

  

If you've never visited East Texas, I hope you'll consider it.  From outdoor opportunities to history and everything in between, there's something for everyone.  I'm certain you'll love it!

K is for Karnack

Unless you are from East Texas, you probably haven't heard of Karnack. I hadn't either, until I started researching for my ABCs of Texas. Karnack is home to the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the birthplace of Lady Bird Johnson. After spending time in this neck of the Piney Woods, it is easy to understand why nature and conservation were so important to the former First Lady.

The Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge has only been existence since 2000. Prior to that, it was the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant for much of the 20th century. The refuge is a bottomland hardwood forest ecosystem and provides sanctuary for migratory birds, as well as other types of wildlife.  While there are horse and hiking trails, you can also drive through the refuge.  The day I visited, there was a prescribed burn in action which was really interesting to watch (from afar).  After watching the crew in action, I drove the six mile auto route, stopping along the way to take in the views.

These concrete structures are what's left of the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant.  In the beginning, TNT was made here for use in World War II.  As warfare evolved, the product varied; the plant also played a part in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.  This area was originally chosen because of its proximity to rail lines and water transportation, yet it was also far enough removed from major population centers.