I went on a road trip this weekend. I left Amarillo on Friday morning at 11:00am and arrived in the Texas Hill Country at 6:30pm. 400+ miles in 7+ hours. The trip from the Texas Panhandle to the Texas Hill Country is awesome. Probably my favorite place on my route is Paint Rock (pop. 320), the seat of Concho County. Next to it is Bronte (pop. 300-something). North of Bronte, you cross the North Kickapoo Creek. East of Bronte, heading toward Ballinger, you cross East Kickapoo Creek. I have never approached Bronte, TX from the south or the west. My destination was Mo-Ranch a conference facility maintained by the Synod of the Sun of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The Synod of the Sun provides support and assistance for the congregations in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. The greatest number of Presbyterians in the Synod of the Sun congregations are in Texas. Mo-Ranch is an amazing place. Originally, a vacation site for the chairman of Marathon Oil Co — Dan Moran — the Presbyterians were able to buy Mo-Ranch from the Moran estate approximately 53 years ago. Mr. Moran — a Roman Catholic — was angered by the presumptive arrogance of the Church leaders. Moran changed his will and did not give Mo-Ranch to the Roman Catholic Church. A Presbyterian friend of the Moran family contacted the Presbyterian denomination leadership and the PCUSA (or its predecessor) purchased Mo-Ranch. The site has become a preeminent conference center from the PCUSA. Mo-Ranch is situated on the Guadalupe River (one of the three main rivers in the Hill Country). So the Ranch offers both aquatic activities and rock climbing and the like. It is one of the finest conference facilities that I have ever seen.
I left Mo-Ranch on Sunday morning and drove 7+ hours back to Amarillo. Only in Texas: that's a weekend road trip.
If this be (fair & balanced) travel writing, so be it.
Monday, September 08, 2003
(Fair & Balanced) Rants & Raves Returns After Weekend Hiatus
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