Dallas - Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

Close to sixty years ago, on November 22, 1963, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assasinated while riding in a Cadillac down Elm Street in Dealey Plaza in the heart of Dallas. Though conspiracy theorist fans may disagree, it seems pretty clear to me that the man that killed JFK was Lee Harvey Oswald, and that he fatally shot the president from his perch on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository Building at 12:30 pm that day. Above you can see the corner Oswald, a one month employee of the Texas School Book Depository, crouched down in to aim his gun, hidden by boxes of textbooks.

The building, pictured above, is now the Dallas County Administration Building, but the sixth floor has been converted into a museum. You are led through the early 60's and JFK's presidency, and then to the events of November 22nd . I learned a few things I did not know before. I did not know that Oswald worked in the building. I did not know he was questioned in the building's cafeteria minutes after the shooting, then freely walked out the building moments later. Within the hour, he shot a policeman dead, then was arrested, questioned, and then himself was shot dead by Jack Ruby, a night club owner, two days later.

Texas - Buc-ee's. World's biggest gas convenience store?

Benjamin has earned his Texan wings. Having lived in Texas through all seasons, sampled a fair amount of BBQ, and otherwise explored the Texas landscape, he is qualified to tell us what's quintessential Texas. And that includes Buc-ee's. He took us to one of these fabled Buc-ee's on the way back from LBJ's grasslands preserve. Was I impressed? I was impressed. It's not just the cheap gas prices (starting at $3.12 a gallon), but the 50 odd gas station bays, the half dozen car washes, and the Walmart-size convenience store. Inside that football length convenience store you will find just about everything you could find at Walmart, but add to that all things Buc-ee. Buc-ee the beaver's happy face is imprinted on everything - bandaids, nail files, key chains, and of course, clothes. Here Benjamin shows off a Buc-ee's kids costume for Halloween. I was so taken with the Buc-ee logo that I bought Steven some Buc-ee jammy bottoms. (He says they are very comfy.)

Meanwhile, we scoped out the food, of which there is quite a lot. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks (including the famous Buc-ee nuggets), and an entire aisle of jams. Buc-ee's also has an entire fridge of chocolate cookie dough. Really, it is too much and yet, you can't get enough. Filling up the car should always be such an adventure.

Texas - LBJ Grasslands Preserve, Decatur

We have put off visiting Benjamin in Dallas until it "cooled off." Now it's October and the temperature has dipped to a high of 92 degrees, so a relative improvement, and so here were are in Dallas. Today, after brisket sandwiches at Tender Smokehouse in Denton County (highly recommended), Ben drove us to the LBJ grasslands preserve near Decatur, which takes you past numerous cattle ranches along rolling hills.

The preserve, a hefty 20,309 acres, used to be home to large herds of bison, antelope, deer, and elk and was hunting grounds for the Caddo Indians. While we did see two deer, one vulture, and a whole lot of moths, it now appears to be a hot spot for equestrians and a few hardy hikers. We tried a trail ourselves, and hot was right. Just 89 degrees, but 200% humidity. To avoid melting, we cut our hike short and admired the man-made lakes instead. You can camp here too. Bring lots of water.

Pacifica, CA and the world's most scenic Taco Bell

Pacifica, "peaceful" in Spanish, is a town in San Mateo County that hugs the Pacific Coast south of San Francisco and near Half Moon Bay. We visited on a fog-shrouded Sunday to take a hike, see the beach, but also to visit their famous Taco Bell.

You read that correctly. The fast food chain has an outpost right on the beach. This is not your typical Taco Bell. It's housed in a weathered wood building, with a fire place inside and an expansive patio over the sand.

This Taco Bell also serves magaritas and other spirits. Here you can see Samuel with our drinks, which we ended up enjoying inside, as the ever-present fog cooled us down a bit too much.

The beach by Taco Bell is also a hot spot for surfers, all in full wet suits. We counted dozens, many learning to surf for the first time in the baby waves.

We also checked out the pier nearby, crowded with fishermen hoping to catch crabs and striped bass. Most were catching mackerel instead, which is so numerous that the Fish and Game Department lets you keep every single one, no matter the size. (Too bad they are not good eating.) We also attempted to see the statue of Friar Junipero Serro (now Saint Serro), who in 1749 sailed to the New World from Spain and was instrumental in establishing the missions in California, with brutal consequences for the natives. In 1976, they erected his statue at a rest stop in Hillsborough off the 280. But alas, the gate leading up to Friar Serro was locked up tight, apparently due to vandalism. (#21 of 111 Places in Silicon Valley That You Must Not Miss).