We weren't parked on the railway tracks by accident last night, so we survived the rush of two trains honking so loud that they sounded like they were going to run us over!
The Silos at Magnolia
First thing in the morning, we walked over to the Silos at Magnolia, which were old grain storage towers built in the 1950s. A decade ago, Chip and Joanna Gaines transformed the area around the silos into a complex that includes boutique stores, a bakery, coffee shop, food trucks, lawn games, and even a restored old chapel. If you don't know who Chip and Joanna Gaines are, they started with a home renovation show called "Fixer Upper" that would flip houses in Waco. The TV show became so popular that they're now a mega brand, with the Magnolia Network that they own including a TV network, magazine, real estate company, and stores that center around the home, furniture, design, apparel, and accessories. They've definitely invested a lot in Waco and evolved its reputation beyond the Branch Davidian cult!
It's free to go in, and with all the shopping and activities there (there's even guided walking tours), it definitely seems like a popular and profitable enterprise for Chip and Joanna, but also a lovely spot in Waco. Everything was very aesthetically lovely, neat, and highly curated. Michael loves design and has a great idea for it, so walking through here also gave him additional inspiration!
The Historic Suspension Bridge
A short drive from the Silos at Magnolia is the historic Waco Suspension Bridge, which was completed in 1870 and the longest single-span suspension bridge west of the Mississippi at the time. We learned that this bridge was an essential part of the Chisholm Trail, a major route for driving cattle from Texas to Kansas. To commemorate this, there are bronze sculptures at one end of the bridge showing a cattle trail, as if frozen in time. There are multiple bridges parallel to the Suspension bridge now, as well as a couple of parks, which make it a lovely place for a stroll (even more so if the temperature dropped a few degrees for us!).
Finally! An Oil Change
When we were in Dallas, we'd gotten an alert that we needed to get an oil change, but figured we'd wait until Waco as it was a smaller city (and therefore be easier to navigate and sort out). It turns out that while there were plenty of places that offered oil changes, there were none for large vehicles like trucks or RVs. Either we wouldn't fit in the bay, the mechanics didn't think we'd fit so we were turned away, or when we called they straight up refused to service our RV.
But, don't give up! We contacted about 7 different shops, and it was on that 7th one--a Take 5 Oil Change franchise--that we rolled in and were guided into the bay. The width of these garage spaces were no different to all the other ones; they were simply just more accommodating to help push in our mirrors, guide us in, and provide really good customer service, even asking if we were okay with the music they had on (for reference, 90s metal again, like when we got propane in Oklahoma). They even showed us how to check proactively for whether we need to change our oil, which wasn't in our RV manual and we didn't know until now. This will definitely help us in the future so that we can plan ahead for getting it serviced.
Austin's Sparky Park
We could tell that we were getting close to Austin, as we soon saw more overpasses above us, to the side of us, and generally all around us! Tragically, Texas has made news headlines around the world as it's been the victim of catastrophic and deadly floods, which has killed over 130 people as we type this. We aren't going near the affected areas, but did see as we drove along the highway that there were some fallen trees immersed in water at some point. Hopefully the worst is over from this horrific disaster.
As we got closer to Austin, we also passed one of the city's largest art installations, the Mueller Sunflowers. These used to light up at night (via solar power), but apparently they no longer are illuminated in the evenings, and we were there at the height of the day.
But another place that has an energy connection that we did check out was Sparky Park, a small former substation that is now a neighborhood park featuring a decorative wall, created by Berthold Haas, the artist. There was construction happening on the road when we were there, so we walked past the dust being flicked up by the bobcat equipment to arrive at the park, which has a wall made of an eclectic array of stones, mirror balls, glass, shells, wood, and other materials. The words "Sparky Park" show up as a mosaic, and it was cool to look at how all the materials have come together to create this artwork.
Mayfield Park & Nature Reserve
A very different type of park is the Mayfield Park and Nature Reserve, which sits on 23 acres and includes historic buildings, a quaint cottage that can be rented for events, walking trails, and serene lotus ponds. For us, one of the main attractions was the several peacocks and peahens that reside at the park, roaming freely around the grounds. We even saw them on the road outside of the park (so drive carefully and slowly if you visit!), as well as in trees inside.
It's free to go in and wander the peaceful park setting. There are different community programs at the park, including a Gardens Program where people have individual plots that they tend to. We could see their names and the names of their gardens--such a great idea to encourage the community to support the park and also cultivate gardens they can be proud of!
A Stinker of a Night
There are no signs saying "no overnight parking" or anything to that effect just outside of Mayfield Park, so we decided to stay here for the evening. While there was a slight breeze that seeped in which at times did cool things down inside of the RV, it unfortunately wasn't enough overnight, making for a difficult nights' sleep for everyone! While we love warm weather, the scorching weather and lack of insulation/cooling in our RV has us looking forward to cooler temperatures later on this trip!
Route Map
