Texas-Disappointed in Fort Worth-State-11 of 49 on our Adventure-Part 2

If you are a first-time reader, welcome to Lora and Erics RV Adventure Blog. You can read about us at http://www.LoraandEricsRVAdventure.com. We started in December 2017 with a goal to complete 49 states before heading home to North Carolina.

Welcome to Texas Part 2. In our last post we visited Glen Rose and Waco. Texas is a big state and we are only in one place, but there is lots to do if you are willing to drive. We are continuing to camp at Whitney Resort. We start Part 2 on the evening of April 15th. We got back to the camper and Lora was getting the ice maker from Sam’s Club ready for a night of drinking her wine. Low and behold she pulled a piece off from the inside and seen nasty stuff under the screen. Off course she starts her pictures as I clean it out. I suggested she post a question on one of our RV Facebook sites and see if other people have experienced the same thing and how to best clean.

Almost immediately we got back “clean with vinegar”, “never knew it was there”, etc. The post responses lasted for some good entertaining hours. She also text Tara Lee to see if she had seen the same thing. Tara Lee first introduced us to the ice machine. Well that was our exciting evening.

Today we head out to Fort Worth, Texas. Google maps shows we have a one hour and nine-minute trip to Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. The route took us through a toll highway. The toll is charged via mail, so when we finally get our mail hopefully we can pay the bill then.

We arrived at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. The weather was perfect. There is no admission fee. The Garden walk is a long path that takes you across a street and down to a beautiful rose garden. The wooden boardwalk through the woods is very educational for children. They can speak through tubes that run underneath the boardwalk. The boardwalk can be busy with children, strollers, and people walking in both directions. After the gardens there is a vegetable garden and a short walk to the Japanese Garden which is not part of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

It is so great when you can visit the Botanic Garden and Japanese Garden in one stop. We had already planned to visit both but did not expect they were next to each other. The garden has rolling paths with manicured trees and bushes. A waterfall flows down rocks into a flowing stream that runs down the middle with small ponds. The stroll through the paths is so relaxing. The Koi fish were large and plentiful. There is an admission fee, but well worth the price.

After visiting the Gardens, it was time for lunch. I had not had steak yet, so it was my turn to pick the restaurant. I found Riscky's Steakhouse, 120 E Exchange Ave, Fort Worth, TX. It was in the Old Historic Stockyards. We found parking one block down for $7.00 all day. I had a great T-bone steak, it was cooked and seasoned just right. Lora has a boneless chicken breast loaded and a big baked potato. The restaurant has a great atmosphere and staff.

There is a nlce view of the Stockyard Riverwalk behind the restaurant.

The waiter told us the stampede down the street is very short and so be there on time. I had read the times are 11:00 am and 4:00 pm every day. I was almost 2:30 pm so we needed to kill time. We walked around the street taking photos like all tourists.

We walked to the Stockades behind the Stockyard Museum.

Now closer to 3:00 pm, we decided to visit the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame across the street from the Stockyard Museum. The Hall of Fame has a very respectful collection of Rodeo Cowboys, clowns, Rodeo Cowgirls, and special honorees not necessarily from the Rodeo. The collection of wagons is special. It shows how the old western commercial industry transported goods. It also has a funeral wagon in the collection.

Lora’s phone was down to 10%, we had 30 minutes before the Stampede. The truck is a short 3-minute walk. As we walked to the truck a guy in a cowboy outfit was coming towards us. “You are waiting for the Stampede” he said. We said yes, but Lora’s phone was almost dead, and she wanted to have a cigarette. He said that was what he was ready to do to. As we were ready to walk away he said the Stampede was at 4:30 pm. I said I though it was a 4:00 pm every day. He told us to check the sign down the street if we did not believe him. We took his word and headed back to the truck to charge Lora’s phone. We walked through the stable to get to our truck.

We stayed in the truck till 4:15 pm. We walked to the spot the waiter recommended. 4:30 pm came and gone. There were some people walking around. A kiddie train was going around, and people were taking photos on the steers on either side of the stockyard.

After 10 minutes I walked over to the sign and it was 4:00 pm. Son of a Bitch, the a-hole lied to us. We were so pissed and disappointed an employee at the Stockyard would lie to us. Last time we will ever go to Fort Worth, because of one person. We took the long drive back to Whitney completely disgusted with what happened. Lora was going through her pictures for the day and found a picture she took of the Steers used for Photo opportunities on the street. It turned out the a-hole who lied to us was the guy taking care of the steer and collecting money for photos. Lora posted his picture on Facebook and blasted him for what he did. Here is the bastard.

Except for the a-hole lying to us about the stampede drive down the street at the Stockyard, we enjoyed our day in Fort Worth. The wind had finally slowed down a little bit. Lora and I walked Bella Bee around the Resort and Retirement Community area. There were several properties for sale. We figure being a retirement community the residents pass away and the property goes up for sale. One couple we stopped to talk to had been there for the past 3 years. They full-timed many years and done all the states. As their health gotten worse, they had to settle. They had just sold their 5th wheel this year. They mentioned the rent was only $350/month + electric. Everything else is covered. The property has socials each day, clubs, and bingo at least once a week.

We are supposed to visit Dallas tomorrow, but with the experience today we will decide in the morning if we want to go or pack up and head west toward New Mexico.

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