With Mike Phillips
With Mike Phillips
Another great ride with some really great people . Rode from Bossier City down to Grand Cane on hwy 171 with Daryl Adams , Jim and Jackie Powell , and Charlie Tudor . Some of the old buildings have been renovated , but most are gone . The beautiful old Methodist Church is still in use . From there , we traveled south on the Blount Sawmill road hwy 84 . I love this little known tree shaded curvy road . West on 84 to Logansport , where they were having their River City Festival . This town sits on the banks of the Sabine River , which feeds Toledo Bend Lake , and is part of the boundary between Texas and Louisiana . The town played a prominent part in the westward migration of American settlers after Texas gained its independence , then later when it became a state . A Dr . Logan moved to this area and not only practiced medicine , but owned a ferry , so the settlement became known as Logans Ferry . It was named Logansport in 1848 when a post office was established here . Anyone that has ever traveled through Logansport in the last 50 + years would be familiar with the cowboy on the bucking horse displayed above one of the old buildings downtown . It is a town trademark . Another local long time fixture is the N . J . Caraway & Company general store , which has been in business continuously since 1897 , and has an assortment of just about everything . The present owner , Mrs . Palmer , is a sweet lady , but she will talk your ears off . We checked out the festivals vendors and sampled the refreshments . It ' s hard to beat an ice cold sarsaparilla in a tin mug on a hot summer day . Really enjoyed looking at and dreaming about the vehicles in the car show . Rode north of town about 10 miles to see the only remaining International Boundary marker in the country . It was placed there in 1840 , depicting the boundary between the Republic of Texas and the USA . Back to town , where we crossed the new bridge into Texas , and rode to Center . When we reached the square downtown , we were all impressed with the beautiful old courthouse , which was modeled after an Irish castle . From any angle , the craftsmanship and brickmanship are outstanding . Also , on the grounds , stands the early jail , now used by the chamber of commerce . All around the square , sunk into the concrete curb , are steel rings , very useful for preventing your horse from wandering away . Lunch time found us at the BBQ Joint . Very good
food & friendly people . From there , we rode south to Milam , Tx .( I ' m amazed at the number of Texas towns and counties named after Alamo defenders and Texas independence fighters ). Milam sits on the El Camino Real , the old road between Natchitoches and Mexico City . So , we headed east across Toledo Bend Lake , then north on La 191 back home . 270 mile round trip from my house , beautiful weather , and everyone made it home safe .
Article by Kenneth Phillips Photos by Mike Phillips
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