Trolls in Luckenbach

Outside the general store

In the words of Waylon, Willie and the boys, "Everybody's Somebody in Luckenbach." Even trolls!

Luckenbach, Texas

Posing with the bust of Hondo Crrouch

Hat Station inside the general store

Welcome shade & places to sit while

listening to good, live music

Listening to an impromptu gathering of musicians

On the graffiti-covered general store porch

Hey Monk Troll, don't look now, but...

Erick, Oklahoma

Friend and Route 66 traveling partner, Chip,

 giving Lil Dude a hand in front of the

Welcome to Eric sign.

A few miles down Route 66 from Sayre, Oklahoma is the small town of Erick, home to the Roger Miller Museum and the famous Sandhills Curio Shop. Lil Dude was traveling Route 66 and stopped in for a visit.

The Roger Miller Museum is dedicated to the life and career of Erick's native son, entertainer Roger Miller. The hours open are not many (Wed - Sat 10:00 - 5:00 and Sunday 1:00 - 5:00) so don't be like Lil Dude and expect it to be open on a Monday or Tuesday. Since he was just passing through and was there on a Monday, he had to be content with trying to look through the window!

The Sandhills Curio Shop is not to be missed if you are traveling Route 66. After driving down the Mother Road for awhile, the auto museums, historic motels, rusty gas pumps, throwback burger joints, and tchotchke shops start to blur together. The nostalgia can feel a bit canned and inauthentic, but then you happen upon Sandhills Curiosity Shop, owned by a true and proud redneck hoarder named Harley. The shop is filled with antique signs, whiskey bottles, ashtrays, tambourines, and guitars interspersed with tourist photos and nothing is for sale. Harley has been entertaining Route 66 travelers for over 30 years. With his late wife Annabelle, they formed The Mediocre Music Makers and gave many a traveler a memory that will last a long time.

If you happen to find yourself near Erick, Oklahoma traveling Interstate 40 and its mind-numbing miles of nothing but concrete, give yourself a break and a treat. Lil Dude says stop at Erick for a while and see what there is to see!

Sandhills Curiosity Shop

Harley & Annabelle took a shine to Lil Dude!

The Mediocre Music Makers & Lil Dude in

front of their Sandhills Curiosity Shop

 

Troll in Fredericksburg, Texas

Fredericksburg is a small town in central Texas in an area known as "The Hill Country." It was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. It is often referred to as Fritztown. The town is also notable as the home of Texas German, a dialect spoken by the first generations of German settlers who initially refused to learn English.

Fredericksburg is the birthplace of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz and is home to the exceptional National Museum of the Pacific War. It is also home to 225 places to shop for everything from antiques to wildflower seeds.

Lil Dude Troll's favorite place in Fredericksburg is Rustlin' Rob's Gourmet Texas Foods. Rustlin' Rob's features hundreds of hot sauces, jams, jellies, rubs, spreads and pickled items. And the best thing of all is you can casually amble around tasting all of these things before making up your mind which ones you just have to take back home with you! Lil Dude Troll has never been able to visit this palace of taste testing without buying at least 4 or more jars of stuff!

For a wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable time, you can't do much better than a visit to Fredericksburg and while you are there, be sure to visit Rustlin' Rob's. Lil Dude Troll gives it 2 thumbs up!

 

 

Popeye and Lil Dude Troll in Alma, Arkansas

Remember Popeye the Sailor Man? Alma, Arkansas does and it erected a statue of everyone's favorite sailor to prove it. If you're a big Popeye fan like Lil Dude Troll is, you can also check out the spinach can water tower that proclaims Alma the spinach capital of the world.

The first Popeye statue was built in 1987 out of paper mache and fiberglass. Tourists in cars and buses would stop by to see it, laugh and leave. Residents of Alma were embarrassed that people were laughing so they decided to either get rid of the statue or make it into something to be proud of. After much discussion, paper mache Popeye was retired in 2007 and replaced with the bronze statue and fountain now in Alma's town square. The original statue is in a store called Kustom Kaps right up the street.

Why all the Popeye love in Alma? Alma is the home of Allen's Canning Company, which cans spinach. They are also home to the annual Spinach Festival held the 3rd weekend each April.

To see Popeye for yourself like Lil Dude did, take exit 12 on I-40 and go south on US 71. Go through the traffic light, bear left, then turn right onto Fayetteville Ave./Hwy 162 into downtown. The Park is near the end of town, on the right.

Troll at the Center of Texas

In 1871, a survey found the small community of Hughes Store was situated at the center of the state of Texas and in the middle of this community was a large Oak tree. The survey crew decided to call the tree Center Oak. Thinking a change of name would help the settlement grow and wanting to take advantage of the newfound publicity for being in the center of the state, the community changed its name to Center City.

The town built around the Center Oak tree began to grow and thrive, but then the railroad bypassed it in 1885 and the town began to decline. A more accurate survey in the early 1900's determined the center of Texas to actually be about 50 miles away. The town lost even the recognition of being at the center of it all and rapidly declined.

Now a ghost town compared to what it once was, Lil Dude Troll visited the old Center Oak and found that like the town, the tree which had seen so much of history is just a shell. It died in 2011 and the trunk is slowly rotting away to nothing.
















(To read a more complete story of the Center Oak, click here.)


 

Troll and the Little Golden Gate Bridge

There's a miniature Golden Gate Bridge few people know about in Beaver, Arkansas. Lil Dude Troll knows about it though and went to see what it's all about.

Although only 554 feet long and 11 feet wide, it is a working bridge carrying Hwy 187 across the White River in one of the most scenic area's in all of Arkansas. It is the last remaining suspension bridge in this part of the country.

 Lil Dude say's be careful driving across this famous bridge as it is only one lane wide so you have to be considerate of any cars coming across from the other side. Fortunately, in the sleepy little town of Beaver there's not much traffic to worry about. It is a little unnerving though as you cross the wooden planks above the river below and hear it creaking and the whole bridge begins to wobble a bit. It's held up since 1949 so you should be safe - probably.

Troll At Sammy's Bar-B-Q

Just outside downtown Dallas, Texas on Leonard Street is Sammy's Bar-B-Q. The place has been open for almost 70 years. There's a reason. If you want some of the most delectable "Que" you've ever eaten, this is the place!

Serving up large portions of beef, pork, ribs, ham and sausage with yummy sides of potato salad, vegetables and tasty cobbler for dessert, you need to get there early as it gets crowded fast and the line can be long. Never fear, it's all worth it! Lil Dude gives it 2 thumbs up!

Oh yum!

There is an partially enclosed seating area in
the back to handle the overflow crowds..

 

Troll in Downtown Dallas, Texas

Reunion Tower in the background. There always
seems to be construction going on in downtown!

People around the world know, or at least think they know, Dallas. Mostly what the old-timers around the world know however, is the fictional TV show Dallas where J.R. held sway and was shot and the younger people only know Dallas and the state of Texas from old western movies they've seen. Actually, the real Dallas is the 9th largest city in America and is a financial center for the oil, cotton, technology, health care and banking industries. It is home to more Fortune 500 companies than any other city in America except New York City and Houston. In 2014, the population was 1,281,000 folks, give or take a couple. And believe it or not, it is pretty much like most of the other big cities in the world, just a little bit friendlier perhaps.

Lil Dude was born and raised in the Dallas area. He has travelled extensively all over America and the world, but like all native Texans, Texas will always be his home no matter where he travels.

Driving in downtown Dallas. Mostly empty streets
on a early Saturday morning.

Early one Saturday morning, he decided to take a little tour of downtown Dallas to see how much it has changed since he was a little kid who on special occasions got to ride the trolley car "into town" from across the Trinity River in Oak Cliff where he lived. That was a long time ago and not much remains the same, but it still felt like home!

Now a museum, this used to be the
"Old Red Courthouse" which was built in 1892.

Walking around an empty downtown Dallas. It
was eerily quiet.

The building behind Lil Dude is the Chase Tower.
55-stories tall, it is known as "the building with
a hole in it."



Downtown Dallas at night.
(photo by Creative Commons)

 

Sad Troll at Dallas' Dealey Plaza

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The place in downtown Dallas, Texas where it happened is called Dealey Plaza. Now, thousands of people drive right by the site every day. Some are reminded of what happened there on that terrible day over 50 years ago; many others don't give it a second thought; some don't even know the historical nature of what they are driving by.

Lil Dude Troll visited Dealey Plaza recently and was struck by the somber feeling, the air of sadness that pervades the site. Cars whiz by just a few feet away, driving over the exact spot where President Kennedy was shot, but on the grass, in the memorial structure, people speak in whispers and many just stop and stare, lost in thought. It is truly a sobering experience.

So strange to be standing just a few feet away from the spot
where President Kennedy lost his life and America lost
its leader.

Dealey Plaza & "The grassy knoll," right in front of the fence behind
which some people still insist there was a 2nd gunman.

Dealey Plaza looking back toward Dallas' "Old Red" courthouse

The School Book Depository building where the alleged sniper,
Lee Harvey Oswald, fired the fatal shots from the 6th floor window.

The building is now the Dallas County Administration Building. A very
interesting museum, the "Sixth Floor Museum," is located inside.

 

At the Drive-In

Waiting for the dark

Lil Dude Troll recently took a few young friends to experience something they had never even known about - the drive-in movie theatre. With so few left, the drive to one was a bit long, but once there, everyone had a great time. There was just one question everyone had upon returning home - "When can we do it again?"

Watching a pretty sunset before the picture show begins

Original speaker from 1966 - and it still works great!

Fold-up chairs, blankets & pillows in the back
of a pickup with the tailgate down - this just
might be the best way to watch a movie!

 

SmashBurger Troll

Lil Dude Troll went to SmashBurger for lunch. The verdict? In Lil Dude's opinion, it doesn't threaten Whataburger by any means, but it wasn't bad. Would he go back? If that's where other trolls in his party want to go, no problem, but if he makes the decision, probably not.