When I Went: March 13-15, 2011
Was That the Best Time of Year to Go? The March weather suited us fine. The animals were out and about and anxious to devour the feed out of our hands. I’m sure most native Texans might not mind going in the mid-summer triple-digit weather, but I suspect the animals may be less active. I’m not fond of the hot weather stuff because even though I’ve lived in the Lone Star State for 19 years, I’m still a Minnesotan cold-weather lover at heart. Despite what scientists say, I believe my blood flows better in cooler temps.
[mapimage url=”http%3A%2F%2Fmaps.google.com%2Fmaps%2Fapi%2Fstaticmap%3Fsize%3D200x200%26sensor%3Dfalse%26markers%3DGlen%2520Rose%2CTX%26zoom%3D9″]Why I Went There: My 17-year-old daughter and I had fond memories of going to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center when she and her brother were young, and we wanted to go there one more time together on her last spring break before she graduated high school. Her good friend, Samantha, came along, and even though they wanted to drive their own vehicle, I said, “Nah, we’re driving together.” We made use of a cell phone offer the center had running and brought 10 cell phones for two free admissions to the park. The park hours are 8:30 a.m.-3:29 p.m. Fossil Rim is the most awesome park, and the drive through is easy and fun. At times the cars can get backed up, but load your car with snacks, drinks, and patience, and you’ll be a happy camper. Just don’t let the animal feed get mixed up with your snacks. You may want to get your car cleaned. I found feed crumbles in every nook and cranny of the car months after we returned. It brought back memories.
Who Went With Me? My daughter and her friend accompanied me, with ear plugs and cell phones to keep them happy as we drove from McKinney to Glen Rose.
We Stayed Here: We chose a modest but nice place to stay: Comfort Inn & Suites. Has a pool and hot tub and comfortable clean rooms and is near the parks we wanted to see. A good choice for my budget. Upscale hotels along the river and a retreat center are also available.
You Won’t Want to Miss: Fossil Rim, of course. We laughed and laughed when the giraffes and deer stuck their heads in the car windows for food. Endless variety of deer and antelope, with beautiful colorings on their coats and bizarre-shaped curly horns, paraded before us. The rhinos were big, gray, and lumbering. But they’re cool to observe. Be aware that the ostriches and emus are not to be messed with, though. Their beaks do much damage, if given the chance. Roll the windows up and enjoy watching them peck the glass when you get to those areas. Another park that’s not very obvious is Big Rocks Park on Barnard Road. We felt like we were walking on the moon there, with the gargantuan rocks all around us. This natural park is where the Paluxy and Brazos rivers merge. A limestone layer eroded to expose the big rocks. We enjoyed the peacefulness of the river water flowing after our visit to the wildlife center. The girls proved that one is never too old to climb around big rocks. We all kept clicking photos—mine for possible future watercolor paintings and theirs for their Facebook albums.
Eat Here: My favorite place is the Storiebook Cafe with lovely homemade desserts. In a previous trip to Glen Rose by myself for a singles’ retreat, I spent quite a bit of time there in a corner tapping on my laptop, editing my book. They were kind and kept the coffee coming. I even joined the locals for a karaoke outing one evening. They were silly enough to hand the microphone to an opera singer. They had no idea that I’m actually a lyric spinto soprano, because I kept my selections to over-performed Better Midler tunes and folk songs. The girls and I frequented the Subway and Juliany’s Italian Restaurant. We like sandwiches and pasta. We tried to go to the raved-about Loco Coyote Grill west of town, but when we called they said they were fixing to close and had literally run out of food. Too bad. I’d heard it’s a neat place to go.
Play Here: The Big Rocks Park is a must and, of course, the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center. But, also, if you have children who love dinosaurs the Dinosaur Valley State Park is quite interesting. We didn’t do the park on this trip, but I have fond memories of watching my young son put his hand in the huge dinosaur prints along the river when we went there. We imagined the immense beasts that once walked there. Be aware that, in high-water times, care needs to be taken on the rocks with the rushing river water.
If I Went Again: I’d call ahead to plan a horseback-riding excursion and schedule a relaxing massage. These items were booked and ended up being out of my budget when I waited until arriving to try and arrange. We opted for an afternoon of manicures and boutique shopping, which suited us just fine.
How Did You Get There From Dallas? We drove Highways 75 and 67 and were there in about two hours time, minus stops for munchies. This is an essential: keep teens well fed, and much less grumbling occurs. I drove my 2003 Buick Century, which my niece informed me is an “old lady” car. The girls took great delight in pointing out blue-haired drivers and men wearing felt hats whenever a like-modeled car drove by. I ignored their chants, and drove on. We listened to the Beatles and Cher (our compromise music), and the the time flew by.
Other Tips For Fellow Travelers: This is definitely an activity for young and old. Don’t be daunted by taking teens there. The girls griped a little now and then, but that’s kind of a teenager’s duty (to grumble), and I just more or less ignored it and said, “I’m going to go climb on the rocks.” They reluctantly followed and accidentally had fun in the process. I particularly enjoyed finding a child’s muddy shoe or two along the river and thinking about the fun the child had daring to get dirty. Living a muddy-shoe-life seems to be the way to go, as far as I’m concerned.
