We are a road tripping kinda family! We’ve driven thousands of miles across our great United States (and 3 Canadian Provinces) to see the sites, adore the beauty, soak in the history, and just take in the fun the open road offers…ok, sometimes you endure the long seemingly endless stretches to get from point A to point B, but still SO worth it! 🙂 Eric and I set a goal when our girls were young that we’d like to take them to all 50 states before they got out of high school…we almost made it! We are at 49 out of 50 and the 50th (Hawaii) scheduled for 2018. So, we’ll get to them all by the time they are out of school…college…haha

On every trip, I’ve written imaginary blog posts…what I would share if I had the connection to new friends via the World Wide Web. Today, I start putting those thoughts into print. I’ve planned and replanned (ok, not a real word, but you know what I meant) how I might share these stories…with 49 states, there’s a lot of road to cover. Do I start from the beginning with our first trip? do I share each road trip in it’s entirety? does it even matter?!? I’ve decided to share what’s on my heart and in my memory when it comes to me! So, today it’s tidbits from our most recent trip…Hartzell Summer Road Trip Out West (ok, only OK and TX but it was West of Arkansas nonetheless lol) We all put a stop on the list…it was quickly apparent we were headed to all of our favorite TV host hometowns!

First stop, Pawhuska, OK to spend some time at The Pioneer Woman’s Mercantile and Deli & Bakery! Loved shopping at The Merc! Beautiful dishes, kitchen accents, and whimsy gifts – something for everyone to enjoy. My hubby held a spot in line for the deli while we shopped…he’s a sweetie like that…or maybe he didn’t want to shop, idk…at any rate, it worked! Once we laid our eyes on the menu, we knew we were about to enjoy a delicious, memorable meal, and yes, worthy of the wait! Every description sounded just as if Ree had written it herself…maybe she did! We enjoyed one of the very best meals! One of those where everyone wants a bite of what everybody else ordered! Forks were flying and every bite was scrumptious! The Olive Bread – OH YUM! A recipe we quickly pinned and have enjoyed numerous times! And, I have to share my favorite part about being at The Merc, Deli & Bakery…the atmosphere the people created. It was welcoming, inviting, and so pleasant. From a young man opening the door for us as we approached to providing popsicles and umbrellas to those in line in the heat…the people that represent her are as gracious as I believe she is. Icing on the cupcake for us was my daughter’s senior pictures. She wanted The Merc to be in the background so we asked if it was ok to come back after hours to take some photos outside…not only did they agree, they offered us the bakery sitting area too! Our server told us they would be serving after closing the doors, but we could take some pics in the bakery while they were cleaning up. The one picture I don’t have is the look on my daughter’s face when that opportunity was offered! We are forever grateful for such amazing hospitality! 

Next stop, Gainesville, TX. Visiting a lavender field is (was) on my life list and this trip was all about checking things off that list. We enjoyed a beautiful afternoon at Lavender Ridge Farms. A beautiful property just a little off the beaten path featuring a cafe, gift shop, and several gardens…oh and yes, acres of lavender! At The Lavender Cafe (onsite) we enjoyed lavender sweet treats – Lavender Lemonade, Lavender Cheesecake, and Lavender Lemon Bars….all refreshingly tasty! We enjoyed the experience of cutting our own lavender bundles and shopping for all things lavender in the gift shop. And, yes, we took lots of photos!

Where to next…can you guess?!? Waco, TX for a visit to The Magnolia Market at The Silos. LOVED being able to visit the place of ‘a finished episode’ and really seeing Joanna’s attention to detail everywhere! The cupcakes were OH SO GOOD from the picture perfect bakery. We all tried a different flavor, but hands down, our favorite was the deliciously simple ‘The Shiplap’. The entire property is fun and interactive, so many great photo opps everywhere, and the food truck ‘food court’ was a terrific surprise! Shopping was a bit challenging because of the crowd…but that can’t be helped in such a hotspot of attention. Definitely worth the stop and would go again…but maybe not during summer vacation season. lol

Between Waco and San Antonio, we found fun stops around Fredericksburg at Becker Vineyard and Wildseed Farms. My oldest daughter enjoys working in a vineyard and wanted to tour one of the largest Texas vineyards, so Becker it was. Beautiful property boasting many sitting areas from which to enjoy the views. Becker is usually home to a large lavender field as well, but they were in transition this year…however, they still offered several lavender gifts in their shop to enjoy. Wildseed Farms, just a short drive from Becker, is absolutely the most beautiful nursery I’ve ever visited! Now, I do love nurseries…they are bursting with beautiful, healthy, blooming plants…so filled with hope of long lives…until I purchase them. LOL I do wish my porch and yard displayed my love for flowers and lovely landscape, but it doesn’t. However, I do grow weeds rather well. sigh… Anyhow, Wildseed is the Nation’s largest working wildflower farm – stunning wildflower fields all around! Definitely worth a walk through the gardens!

San Antonio was an overnight stop and a fun one it was! We enjoyed a perfect evening on the Riverwalk with a boat tour and supper at Casa Rio! Such a fun and festive environment, rich in history! The next morning we visited The Alamo. History lessons are so much more meaningful when you can actually experience a piece of it. Seems to make it real.

Time for a little beach camping (another life list item checked off) on Padre Island National Seashore. I am not a fan of overcrowded, tourist beaches, so when we do plan a beach stay, we seek out a remote area to enjoy…and we found it here! Room for everyone to play, relax, enjoy walks, or just roam around with the camera. We were also blessed to be onsite one of the days of a scheduled sea turtle release! Albeit quite an early morning activity, a very rewarding experience! Afterward, we drove up the beach highway to Little Shell Beach and spent a few hours gathering shells, one of our favorite beach activities.

One afternoon while camped, we drive a short distance to tour the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi. After sharing our whereabouts with family, we learned that my husband’s uncle trained there for a little while…it made the visit so much more meaningful!

One more stop as we make our long trek home. Round Top, TX to visit The Junk Gypsy’s. We fell in love with this quaint little hometown. Although quaint and quiet in it’s day-to-day life, it is home of one of the largest Antique Festivals, twice a year…hundreds of thousands of people fill miles of road for shopping and treasure hunting. We enjoyed this little town in it’s normalcy, but do have it on the list of revisits to go back during a festival…all the empty little lots and shops intrigued us!

And finally, Home Sweet Home for a day or two of rest before our own return to ‘normalcy’. Hope you enjoyed our road trip…share some of your favorite road trip stops!