A Quick Getaway to Glen Rose

Texan Papa and I planned a trip to Glen Rose, TX for a two day getaway. It’s a little more than an hour from DFW. The town boasts many tourist activities, including Fossil Rim Wildlife Park (a driving tour with giraffes, zebras, etc.) and Dinosaur Valley State Park (a state park where dinosaur tracks have been discovered and preserved). We decided to stay overnight on Tuesday at the most charming little bed-and-breakfast I’ve ever found, called Country Woods Inn. We had our own cabin, decorated with rustic woodsy decor. It had 2 full beds, a bathroom with claw-foot tub, and a full kitchen. AND CENTRAL A/C!

Our kids first impression as we drove up: “This place looks junky.” Uh, yeah, it’s not the Marriott. That’s the whole point. Our cabin was directly next to the pasture where 2 horses and a sheep were grazing. Adjacent to the pasture was a petting/feeding area for chickens, turkeys, goats, rabbits, and a donkey. There was even a play area for kids, complete with teeter-totter, tire swing, basketball hoop, and tether ball. They had croquet sets, horseshoes, and an outdoor chess set. Our cabin even had a giant TV, DVD player, and satellite TV (which we refused to turn on. After all, if we wanted to watch TV we could have stayed home or gone to the Marriott). Everything on the premises was EXTREMELY CLEAN and WELL-KEPT, not like what I expected from cabins in the woods, directly next to the river.

Speaking of the river, we took a long walk in the riverbed, which was dry. We saw minnows and tadpoles and tiny frogs. We saw lots of bugs and beautiful scenery.
That evening, we sat outside our cabin and cooked hot dogs on the wood-burning grill around the campfire circle (every cabin has its own).
We cooked s’mores and even ate a few extra gooey marshmallows. I think one of the best things has to be that we didn’t get bit by a single mosquito (probably because of the dry riverbed). Staying at the Country Woods Inn might have been even better than the activities we did during the day.

We enjoyed the Dinosaur Valley State Park, but it was REALLY hot. The kids got to swim in the swimming hole and see giant dinosaur tracks, which was cool.

We also went to the Creation Evidence Museum. That was kinda a let-down. We were hoping for a great learning experience for our kids to counter all the evolution theory they will hear in school, but the museum wasn’t very kid-friendly and just kinda all jumbly. Exhibits weren’t explained very well. But, now we can say we’ve seen it, right?

On our next trip to Glen Rose we are going to go to the Fossil Rim Wildlife Park and definitely stay at the Country Woods Inn again. It was so much fun. A real rustic experience but without having to pitch a tent. Texan Papa must have said a half dozen times, “This makes me want to buy a cabin on a river or a lake someday.” That would be so awesome! But, only after all our kids are grown and gone. I think he and I just need to realize that we love our kids, but enjoying some peace and quiet is too heavenly to not fantasize about.

Texan Mama is the Texan Mama of 4 who writes from the metroplex at Who Put Me In Charge of These People?

Monday – Home Sweet Home

My family and I were out of town last week for our summer vacation.  We drove to Colorado and spent time in both the Winter Park and Vail areas.  All of us enjoyed the mild weather, incredible scenery and change of pace.

The boys kept talking about how they wish we lived in Colorado…and there were moments when I had those same thoughts.

Toward the end of the week I asked the boys which place they liked better – home or Colorado.

It was unanimous.

They missed Scratchy (aka Scooter our cat) and were ready to go home.

My husband works from home and so home COULD be anywhere.

Anywhere is here.

Anywhere has to be here.

I love Texas.

Janine Turner said, “You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can’t take the Texas out of the girl and ultimately can’t take the girl out of Texas“.

I totally get that.  No matter where I am in the world and no matter how much fun it is, it is nice to return home.

Texas Sweet Texas.

Tuesday – Colorado

Before I became a Texan I regularly visited Colorado to ski. It was a winter place. A place where snow piled up instead of blowing through like it did in my Nebraska home.

My first weekend as a Texan, I met my husband. A few months later I traveled with his family for a ski trip in Colorado. It was Winter Park – the very same place that I had skied many times before.

We married and moved. And moved. And moved.

One summer he had a conference in Vail. I went to the Colorado mountains for the very first time in the summer.
*insert angel choir*

Who knew it could be so amazing?

We both agreed and have regularly traveled back – first childless, then with one, two and now three kids. We love Colorado for the winter sports, but the summers are touched with magic.

I took this picture this week at sunrise while shivering. Awed by it’s beauty. Frozen by the August mountain air.

Canopy Tours in Cypress Valley

The Hart family visited Cypress Valley Canopy Tours on a recent trip to Austin.  This is a little about their adventure:

When we arrived at the Cypress Valley Canopy Tours, they suited us up with a helmet, harness, and gloves.

They gave us training on how to take off from the platforms, glide on the zipline and how to land on the next platform.

Before we know it, we were on the first platform and they were locking us onto the zipline.

The first “Zip” is a little scary.  We took off from a platform over 40 feet in the air–don’t look down!

After the first zip trip, we couldn’t wait for the next one.

Our tour included zipping from one 100 foot cypress tree to the next, we also saw the Lofthaven. It is a treehouse that is also a bed and breakfast – you can stay in overnight. What a fun thing to do! We will have to do that the next time we go.

The guide pointed out many interesting sights – one of which was a group of snakes below in the creekbed!

Our experience lasted about a hour and a half.

We were all ready to do it again!

This is a “must-do” if you are in the Austin area and your kids are adventuresome and 8 years old or older.

More information about Cypress Valley Canopy Tours can be found here.

Macey Hart is a Flower Mound mom of two.  She is a photographer who uses a fancy camera when not zipping through the Texas forrests on a zip line.  She can be reached through her website, Macey Hart Photography.

a