Our Route
I have built a Google Earth file that shows the dates and route of the entire trip. Click the Google Earth icon below to download the file and run it in Google Earth.
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April 2011: PixTraveler's 2011 Road Trip - Part 1: Maryland To Texas
Join us on our 2011 Road Trip. Part 1 covers our travel through Kentucky, Tennessee. Arkansas and Texas.
Our Itinerary
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Day 1, Friday Mar. 25, Leaving Home
On Day 1 we traveled from home in Frederick, Maryland to the Hampton Inn in Barborsville, West Virginia. We were trying to make time on this segment so we only took a couple of pictures at our lunch stop. After lunch, we turned on the GPS and began tracking our trip.
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Day 2, Saturday Mar. 26, Driving West Through Kentucky
We drive through eastern Kentucky visiting the Folk Arts Center in Morehead and the University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Horse Farm in Lexington.
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Day 3, Sunday Mar. 27, Second Day In Kentucky
We travel through Western Kentucky visiting Mammouth Cave and then cross into Tennessee. We stop at a Hampton Inn north of Memphis.
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Day 4, Monday Mar. 28, In Memphis
Visit Beal Street in Memphis -- historic sites, but not much happening on Monday morning. Walk past the Benjamin Franklin Booth marker and drive on Memphis's scenic Riverside Drive along the Mississippi river. Drive south parallel to the river into Mississippi in search of the River History Exhibit, which we find is closed on Mondays! Returning to Memphis we drive past some beautiful Memphis homes and then visit the Memphis Zoo and Aquarium and take some great pictures.
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Day 5, Tuesday Mar. 29, Second Day In Memphis
We visit the elegant Peabody Hotel Memphis famous as the "Duck Hotel" and watch the parade of the ducks in the lobby. We continue west crossing the Mississippi river for the first time and arrive at our hotel outside Little Rock, Arkansas.
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Day 6, Wednesday Mar. 30, Visiting the Clinton Library and Heading West to McKinney, Texas
We cross the Arkansas River to Little Rock where we visit the Clinton Library. Then we cross the Texas border near Texarkana, and pass Lake Lavon just before arriving in McKinney, Texas.
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Day 7, Thursday Mar 31, Second Day in McKinney
Getting to know McKinney, we enjoy a walk around downtown and have lunch.
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Day 8, Friday April 1, Third Day in McKinney. Side Trip to Cowboy Stadium and Fort Worth
We drive to Cowboys Stadium and take a tour and then visit the stockyards in Fort Worth.
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Day 9, Saturday April 2, Fourth Day in McKinney Visit Dallas Arboretum
On a beautiful sunny day we walk through the spectacular color at the Dallas Arboretum and take some wonderful pictures.
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Day 10, Sunday April 3, Quiet Day in McKinney
On this Sunday we enjoy a quiet day with family and new Texas friends.
Day 11, Monday April 4, Heading South to Austin
We leave McKinney and drive south to Austin. We arrive at the famous and elegant Driskill Hotel and have lunch at the 1886 Cafe and Bakery. We take a walking tour of the Texas State Capitol. Then we cross the Colorado River into the South River City district of Austin where we shop and have dinner.
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Day 12, Tuesday April 5, Second Day in Austin
Today we enjoy the city via a motor coach guided tour. Our tour included Lake Austin, Mayfield Park, the French Legation Museum, which was build when Texas was the Texas Republic, the Texas State Cemetery, and the University of Texas, Austin.
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Day 13, Wednesday April 6, Heading South to San Antonio
We leave Austin and drive south to San Antonio. But, we take a little side trip to Marble Falls to have a tasty slice of pie at the Blue Bonnet Cafe. We arrive in San Antonio in time for a short walk around the Alamo. Then we drive to our hotel for the night.
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Day 14, Thursday April 7, Second Day in San Antonio
Today we toured San Antonio by bus, foot, and boat. We visited the Sunken Gardens, which turned an old quarry into a beautiful garden, stopped at the Buckhorn Saloon & Museum, then returned to the Alamo to learn more about that historic place. We took a boat ride through the beautiful River Walk. Back on the bus, we drive through downtown San Antonio and then to nearby missions, "Mission San Jose" and "Mission Conception".
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Day 15, Friday April 8, Quiet Day in San Antonio
Today was the midpoint of our trip, a good day to do nothing.
Day 16, Saturday April 9, Heading East to Houston Visiting the Johnson Space Center
Traveled from San Antonio to the Johnson Space Center near Houston. Toured the grounds stopping at the massive space shuttle building and the Apollo Mission building with exhibits of the Saturn V rockets and the history of the Apollo moon landing missions.
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