off the beaten path

Just For the Fun of It . . .

~ adriennecohen221 ~ Leave a comment

Stoby’s, known as the home of a much-loved cheese dip known well by residents of Russellville, Arkansas, was the destination for a caravan of approximately 15 convertibles on Thursday, April 11.

The lovingly polished convertibles, all with tops down, arrived for lunch in Russellville after a scenic drive along “steep and curvy” Arkansas scenic byways. At times, workers, residents, and forestry crews along the route stopped what they were doing to wave as the caravan passed, and vehicles traveling on intersecting roadways usually did the same. It was the first “Escape the Gate” excursion of 2024 for a loosely organized group of convertible owners from Hot Springs Village, a planned community approximately 50 miles south of Russellville.

Many of the convertibles gathered at the designated meeting place outside the Village’s West gate at 10 a.m. with their tops up, drivers and passengers wearing fleece hoodies or quilted vests over sweaters and sweatshirts. Even though the day had dawned clear with a bright sun shining, the temperature was still a breezy 49 degrees as the time neared for departure. But depart we did, most of the vehicles with tops down, windows rolled up, and heat on. However, spirits were high, spring was in the air, and the fun of an hour-long drive through rural Arkansas was on the agenda.

No Age Limit on Good Times

This is a purely social group, with no regularly-scheduled meetings, no dues, and no participation requirements. There is little planning involved in scheduling an outing away from our gated community, and there are no regularly scheduled events. It is more a “looks like Thursday might be a good day for a road trip” kind of effort — the word for this excursion was spread by telephone with only four days’ notice. Excursions over the past couple of years typically include lunch at a destination not more than a couple of hours from the Village. After lunch, participants may continue to explore a new area or find their own way home via a route and on a timetable that is theirs alone.

Lunch is “Dutch treat,” and sometimes it’s as simple and old-fashioned as a picnic in a park.

Highways in the area are typically two-lane paved roads with little traffic. The routes are invariably scenic, sometimes winding through national forest land, skirting nearby streams and rivers, passing former CCC-improved picnic areas and campgrounds, or with views of local dams, locks, and spillways. Last year, the convertible club made two well-attended trips to nearby state parks. Once, the group made a scheduled stop at the Rockefeller Museum of Automobiles on the way, before proceeding on to Petit Jean State Park for lunch in a rustic lodge with a view of the surrounding valley beyond. Another time, the destination was a distinctive diner with the unlikely name of Toad Suck Buck’s, situated along the shore of the Arkansas River. The eatery is renowned for its steaks, and the owner, Ted Buck, had agreed to open his establishment to specially accommodate our group!

Let’s be clear, this is not a road rally or a race. Drivers are not off-road enthusiasts or backwoods explorers. Most are middle-aged or older gentlemen and their partners who simply like to put the tops down on their well-kept BMWs, Mustangs, Corvettes, or beloved motorized “toys” that run the gamut from aging Chevys and Toyotas to classic European sports cars.

And, yes, there are female owners and drivers in the group. With tops down and hair flying, women are perfectly able to put the pedal to the metal with skill and purpose.

It’s all for fun — did I already say that?

The most common comment when the group arrives at each destination is “What fun! We ought to do this more often.”

Now, About Stoby’s

The history of this eatery reads somewhat like fiction. But it’s all true!

This time, the attraction was a diner that started out in a single rail car. It has now grown to encompass a new “train station-sized” compound with several dining rooms the size of the original rail car. Stoby’s story is unique, and the hometown sensation celebrates its 40th anniversary in business this year! David Stobaugh (nickname Stoby) has a history, to be sure!

Retro decor and old photographs lend period charm to the eatery, and patrons are invited to sound a train whistle as they arrive at the diner. The food is worth the drive, both for quality and price! And the story is worth repeating!

Stoby’s is known for its Cheese Dip. It was sold at Walmart between 1992 and 2012. The diner is acclaimed for its sandwiches, made with a choice of breads, an option to choose two or three meats, and to select two cheeses from six options, all served with lettuce and tomato, and Stoby’s special sauce.

The menu also offers extensive additional food options, and all portions are more than amply-sized. There are salads and soups, burgers and fries, quesadillas, chicken tenders, a variety of pastas, and a month’s worth selection of cold and grilled sandwiches. To-go boxes are readily provided along with each order, and most diners happily take leftovers home for another meal from this legendary diner. We certainly did!

Stoby’s serves lunch from 11 – 9, but opens for breakfast at 6 a.m. daily

The appeal of Stoby’s goes beyond its good food, its prompt and friendly service, and its “small town boy made good” success story, however. Did we mention the desserts?

Although we had no room for pie or cake after our meal, we noted that others skipped the sandwiches and went straight for the sweets. Maybe next time. The display case certainly makes desserts look tempting.

Faraway is close at hand . . .

~ adriennecohen221 ~ 2 Comments

It recently occurred to me that the small town in Texas I now call home is the “faraway” to most of the world’s inhabitants. It’s still true that most places on earth are totally unfamiliar to most of us, even though we refer repeatedly to “the shrinking planet.” There are enough faraway places to keep me occupied for several more lifetimes!

In preparation for the next getaway, I have lately been googling “best things to do in . . .” as an attempt to separate “must do’s” from “possibles.” I’m trying, as always, to jumpstart trip-planning. It’s a task I never finish in advance, but half the fun of going is facing the unexpected. The other half is the anticipation of what’s already decided!

Learning about home . . .

On a whim, I plugged in “best things to do in Burleson, TX.” It was more than just interesting, just short of enlightening. I have started a new mini-list of places to go and things to do right here in my own faraway place. I still qualify as a new arrival, at least in the eyes of born-and-bred local friends.

There are plenty of newcomers to Burleson, drawn by proximity to Fort Worth, reasonable prices, good schools and a distinctive small-town aura. There is a unique vibe — a progressive attitude with pervasive ties to the past — and no shortage of friendly people. This dot on the map was established in the early 1880s as an interim stop for the railroad running south out of Fort Worth.

Later, in 1912, an interurban rail line from Fort Worth to Cleburne also operated a station in Burleson. That depot still stands today. It is, in fact, a cornerstone of the town’s historic district, the focus of a cosmetic redevelopment plan that extends several blocks in each direction from city hall. The historic depot and two early interurban passenger cars will figure as prominently in the city’s future as they did in its past, when trains rumbled through 10 times each day.

Freight trains still run twice daily, sounding mournful whistles and stopping traffic at local crossings. I like that, because I’ve been a lifelong fan of trains and train whistles. (Can you guess why? Because they take people to faraway places, of course!)

Where commonplace and uncommon meet

During my online search, I learned:

There is a periodic ghost tour that makes at least five stops at local “haunts.” There may be no regular schedule, but that tour is on my list!

There is a Coldstone Creamery — how I’ve missed that, I do not know, but I am no stranger to other ice cream shops and numerous pizza parlors!

In 1920, the population was 241. The 2010 census reported 36,690 residents, and next year’s count is likely to exceed 50,000. Whether that is good or not depends largely on one’s point of view.

There’s at least one popular sports bar that features karaoke nights. I will probably continue to miss that attraction, a decision regulars there will surely applaud!

Learning new things about the place I call home made me stop and think about the other places I’ve been recently, those with histories that span many centuries. Burleson is only a child on the world stage.

But my small Texas city is charging forward, growing and taking giant steps to build a sound, healthy, connected community that is good for business, good for residents, supportive of its students and its seniors, welcoming to newcomers, and attuned to citizen wants and needs. It is progressive in all the best ways, and still manages to cherish its past.

It is comfortable.

Reality is the intruder . . .

There are still working farms within Burleson’s borders, along with golf courses and city parks, a creek-size tributary of the Trinity River, a stocked fishing pond, and two local wineries. Its previous rural character is still evident, and getting anywhere in town takes only minutes.

It remains small-town enough to boast large turnouts for summer music and movies on a blocked-off downtown street, for local holiday parades, and for patriotic observances at the city’s Veterans Plaza. It is a place where one can stumble upon painted rocks, left in public places by the volunteer artists of Burleson Rocks. They are meant to be found and treasured by passers-by. And several of its buildings are enlivened by colorful, larger-than-life murals.

It is a place where friends can meet for a spontaneous dinner out without making reservations, and where the sounds of live music drift from a local craft brewery/eatery’s rooftop deck on pleasant evenings. The drumbeat of high school marching band practice punctuates early mornings in the early fall, and local high school football games attract Friday night crowds.

Rabbits and possums are regular backyard visitors, and finding Texas longhorns, horses, donkeys, and even young camels grazing in a field is not entirely unusual.

Even though a busy Interstate runs through it, my city is not a tourist destination by any stretch of the imagination. But if you find yourself in Fort Worth for business or pleasure, Burleson is only about 20 minutes south of the high-rise office buildings and hotels, and it beckons to visitors with the promise of an entirely different Texas experience.