Sunday, September 11, 2022

No Question---I'll be going back to the Ft. Worth Stock Yards to the H-3 Ranch

 My Server, StephanieP, was one of the best servers that I have had anywhere, bar none. In fact, the entire experience at the H-3 Ranch was outstanding. The short-notice table was made ready. My television position to watch the Texas v Alabama game was excellent, too. From the front-in contact with the desk to the finish was a perfect experience and the place was packed the entire time that I was there.  Thank you Stephanie, for a get experience at the H-3 Ranch. You were a delight to have as my server. BTY---the peach cobbler was totally sinful in the cast iron pot. I have a large soup bowl that was smaller than that thing you served me. WOW. What a desert a la mode. 

Now, My purpose for going to the stockyards was to watch and shoot images of the daily cattle drive at 11:30 and at 4. So, I was out the door at 7 am to catch a bus to the train station where I would catch the Orange Line train to DFW terminal A. Which I did, albeit on a Saturday Schedule with DART. When I railroaded in to terminal A, the 5-minute walk around to terminal B found the TEXrail waiting for the westward trip to what I had discovered in some trip planning only the night beforehand that saved me having to travel all the way in to the Ft.Worth Central Station station and then catch the 15 bus through downtown and out to the stock yards. The discovery was that I could detrain the TEXrail at the North Side Station and catch either the 12 or the 15 bus into the stockyards. The North Side Station is at Decatur Avenue, Ft.Worth. The 15 bus from the North Side Decatur Station to the Stockyards is less than a 15-minute ride. 

 My last trip to the Stock Yards was 10-years ago via the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. Then, it was the only way to the Stockyards unless you rode the TRE to the Ft. Worth Central or TP station then ride the bus to the Stock Yard or drive to Grapevine and take the Vintage train. Neither the DART light rail to terminal A didn't exist, nor did the TEXrail train. 

That all is about to change again with the Silver Line (like the TEXrail in style and comfort) is finished and enters into service about 2024. It will come into DFW airport direct to terminal B where the current TEXrail is located. That said, it will eliminate the long DART light rail travel to terminal A. Instead, I will then be able to take a shorter DART Red, or Orange train to City Line Station just north of Renner Road and ride the Silver line straight into DFW terminal 2, walk across from track 1 to track 2, or vise versa to catch the other train to Ft. Worth. It will cut time off the trip by at least a half hour. 

I walked the old Stock Yards which seemed to me to be turned around end-on-end from my last trip. I found the old Armour and Swift landmarks. The old wooded stock pens have been cut down to just a few. The old Round-About for the trains to move from one line to another are still there,but are now really seeing more traffic than the original trip but on the previous trip, instead of just one street , the stockyards seem to me to be a much better entertainment, retail and restaurants district than beforehand.

Originally, I had wanted to see the "Herd" moved down the street route but I missed it by about 10-minutes that was lost in Dallas with the DART 17 bus route taking a break that I had not planned for. After a great meal and visiting all the old haunts plus checking out some of the new ones, I did here the Grapevine Vintage Train whistle but never saw it. It was 3 pm and I was now pretty tired and looking for the Ft.Worth bus 15 stop when I took a nasty fall onto the sidewalk from the spot that is on the downhill slop,had little 1-2-inch steps going down to the pavement. It was there that I stumped my toe on those little steps and was propelled forward, trying to recover, but falling hard onto yet another raised slab of a storefront that had about a 6-inch metal edge on the stores stoop. I did land hard and had some nasty scrapes on one of my knees that hit the ground first. Instantly. there was several people that came to my rescue and one man pulled me up to a standing position again after making sure that I was alright. One woman directed me to a concrete parapet between the sidewalk and the street to sit down. Great people and I thank all that were there to help and aide me at that time.With that, I gave up waiting for the 4 pm cattle drive and caught the next 15 bus to came my way. This morning, my knee and tibia are a bit sore but I'm not complaining. I was lucky and I know it.







No comments:

April Steps Fell, Weather brought shut-in days. Happy May Day, Too!

Springtime in Texas is mixing up the cold air with the warm moist Gulf air inflow, but it was still, a pretty good month weather, health and...