The Journey Begins – All About Texas..

One thing I am learning in my transformation, is that time is very fleeting and far too much of it is wasted on negative energy. We spend far too much time rushing to get to somewhere, that we completely miss the joy of the journey. Of course, that is sort of what we did, rushed to our destinations. Being the passenger, however, allowed me to gain information and take in the sites, even if we did not stop that often. It did not allow for a lot of picture-taking though, so I did the best I could. With that said, I am trying to savor every moment, to live my life fully, sharing it with others, if only for small moments at a time. That is what this trip was about, about spending time with old friends, family, and about attending a wedding of a pretty special girl. So as promised, here is a post about the beginning of our journey.

We set out on part one of our journey, from our home in East Texas to visit a friend in Fort Mohave, AZ, early on a Sunday morning. The total distance of this part would be 1,325 miles. Our first day was a 949 mile drive that ended at a hotel in Gallup, NM. This post has us traveling the 598 miles through the Piney Woods, Prairies and Lakes, and Panhandle Plains regions of Texas. The remainder of our first days journey will be completed on the next post. Rest assured that you will make the complete journey with me, only in smaller increments, so that we can take time to savor it.

So to begin, the Piney Woods, where I live, are a region of Texas consisting of 23,500 square miles. Its elevations range from 200 to just over 500 feet above sea level. It is a region of thick forests of pines, that are part of a larger forest that extends into Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. The small rolling hills have wet bottomlands that grow hardwood trees. Along with our pines, we have everything from oaks, elms, ash, birch, and maples to red mulberry and farkleberry on our property. To give you an idea of the size of some of our trees, we have cut down a few that had reached the height of 110 feet and taller. It is also a good thing that I love my critters, as this region is home to all kinds of woodland wildlife. We have everything from snakes, birds, squirrels, rabbits, and opossums to raccoon, deer, fox, and more.

On into the Prairies and Lakes region next. A region consisting of 45,000 square miles. The elevations here range from 300 to 800 feet above sea level. Patches of woodlands, like those in my area, sprinkle throughout the grassland prairies in this region. The hills roll gently and there are several lakes and state parks that people go to, to enjoy activities, like fishing. They have found fossils of 17 different dinosaurs in this region, so we know that even giant dinosaurs once roamed here.

Onto the final miles in Texas, the Panhandle Plains region. This region consists of 81,500 square miles, whose elevations range from 1300 to nearly 4000 feet above sea level. It is a region of mostly flat, grassy lands or plains. According to Texas.gov, “The plains here are actually part of the same flat land that extends from what we call the Great Plains of the Central United States”. Kansas, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota are just a few of the states that make up the Great Plains. The Panhandle Plains are mostly treeless and on a high, flat plateau. If you are lucky enough to view the divide between the more rolling, lower elevated eastern, and the higher, more flat western, parts of the panhandle, then you will see some breathtakingly beautiful deep canyons carved by rivers. Though my brain has images of here, sadly my camera does not. Perhaps a reader that has been here or lives here can help us with a picture.

I stop here at the Texas border and will continue on my next post, where we will say goodbye to Texas and complete our first days journey. If you have pictures of your own from any of these regions in Texas, or a story to tell of a trip you took, or just thoughts on this part of our journey, please share when you are ready. We are here waiting for you to join in.