After a day of wet hiking in Oklahoma the sun shining bright as we headed to Texas made the drive so much nicer. Getting to meet our nephew and his bride for the afternoon made the drive even more fun as we anticipated seeing them again after over a year since last time.

Conner and Jenny drove from their home in Dallas to meet us in Texarkana, and we let Connor pick the lunch spot since we were near his turf. He found a delicious little Mexican restaurant Taco Trip, quaint and clean, a hole in the wall, and after welcoming hugs we enjoyed the delicious tastes of this place, even got to sit outside as the day was gorgeous.

Afterward the four of us headed to a greenway in a neighboring town with a stop for coffee along the way. This outdoor path in New Boston, Tx was a former railway, and was a perfect spot to walk and chat while being outdoors. Was great to catch up. After finding and getting settled into our AirB&B Tammy and I headed out for a few groceries to do us for the next few days and settled in for the night.

The next day was overcast, and Monday, so we didn’t hurry out. We found a local post office which turned out to be a historical building on the TX/AR state line, then made our way to the hiking spot we had found. Bringle Lake Park was beautiful, nestled into the northwestern part of Texarkana near a new university. There were no hills, but there definitely was beautiful scenery in this 6.7-mile loop. As the time had fallen back overnight the sun set earlier than we wanted but the sunset it created over the lake was perfection.

As we had already cycled in Texas a few years ago Tuesday was to be a travel to Louisiana and hike day, but that had to be nixed as a large storm cell was sweeping across the area and we didn’t want to hike in the rain again. Instead we headed north to visit Tammy’s friend Amber who had moved away some time ago. 

Rolling into Malvern, Arkansas Tammy and I got a long laugh out of the “truck on a stick”, the things you see in small towns in the South, LOL. Although the visit was short-lived, we made the best of it, with hugs and pizza at a local place. Lots of laughs and memories as the two of them caught up from missed time.

Night was creeping in as we headed south for our drive into Louisiana. We skipped the interstate for the direct and shorter route although much of the drive was dark two-lane roads. Was great to get back into civilization, and no deer to watch out for.

Waking up again to beautiful sunshine after a day of rain was welcome, in the small college town of Ruston, LA. Before heading for our hike we needed some supplies and coffee, and found a little shop with a similar name as a west coast hamburger joint, In-n-Out Donuts, we just had to stop and get an energy rich bear claw filled with apple goodness, Yum!!

Evidently the local college mascot is the Bulldogs, and as such there are decorated bulldogs standing guard all around downtown, each one was quite unique. Was a bustling little town but clean and looked like a great place to stay a while. But we were here to hike and move on.

The spot Tammy found for hiking, Driskill Mountain, is the tallest peak in LA, only 535 feet above sea level but still beautiful and filled with history. Most places we hike are public lands or parks, but this one is private, and the owner welcomes folks. The trailhead is situated beside a historical old church, the trail was well marked and maintained, even benches at the top for those that might need them or just want to take in the view at the top.

Leaving out of Ruston we headed across Mississippi (both hiking and cycling already complete there) stopping overnight in Tuscaloosa, AL and on home the next day. This trip made 27 states cycled and 28 hiked, over halfway complete for each. Stay tuned for what comes next.

Full album of pictures: https://photos.destinationsawait.com/LA-via-TX