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Two weeks ago my wife told me she had plans for us to take a trip but wouldn’t tell me where we were going. For the last year or so, I’ve thought several times about heading out to East Texas to ride the steam train owned by the Texas State Railroad that goes from Rusk to Palestine and back. I made the trip once about 20 years ago, but didn’t remember much about it. But this time, I had my trusty camera.

It’s not exactly an exhilarating ride, actually its quite the opposite. The trip starts in Rusk and arrives in Palestine about an hour and half later. The train coasts along at 20MPH so you have time to catch the scenery. We had the windows raised in our car which provided a perfect breeze in the warm sun. I imagine it would be rather hot during July and August, but I believe there is air conditioning available.

During the trip we briefly stopped in a small town and were boarded by “bank robbers” in full costume. They were very interactive and talkative. The money they “stole” goes to a local charity, so bring a few extra bucks to drop in the bag. Plus, you don’t want to be shot or kidnapped. Once you arrive in Palestine you have about an hour and a half to eat lunch. Here’s a tip for the ladies: BEFORE you do anything else, visit the restroom! Before the train started boarding for the return trip, the line to the women’s restroom was about 3.7 miles long.

Lunch was pretty good, sandwiches of various sorts you can choose from when booking the trip, were provided by a local bakery. There was a gift store if you’re so inclined, but with half a train worth of people in a room about the size of shed, I didn’t want to grease up and squeeze through. After lunch, we headed back and more than a couple of people dozed off with the gentle rocking of the train and the cool breeze.

While its certainly not cheap, its a fun trip, especially if you take a couple of kids along. And if you do, take some pennies as well. In Palestine, they disconnect the engine. Then they back it down a curved track and come forward down another curved track. This is how they turn the engine around to head back to Rusk. Just imagine pulling a big three-point turn to go back where you came from. As the engine was heading back toward the other end of the train, there is a perfect opportunity (and plenty of time) to go up and place a penny on the track to have it flattened by the train. With an entire troop of Boy Scouts present, this was quite the activity.

We rescued the yellow one because she was set to be put to sleep after five weeks in a shelter. Already owning two labs, we couldn’t let that happen so we drove the 60 miles to get her, figuring we could get her to a Lab rescue group if nothing else. She was petrified of people, obviously never having been handled and would lie down at the end of the hall and around the corner for months. Four years later, she is the first to rush inside and see me and beg for attention when we let them in the house. Every night she sleeps right beside my bed in front of the nightstand.

That’s why I was so impressed with the woman in the video below. If you’ve ever looked at an animals picture on a shelter website, you know how bad those pictures can be. This local professional photographer has found a way to get more animals adopted… professional photos! What a great use of her time and skills. Source

It had been too long since we had been on a day trip so today we headed out to Tyler, TX. Our first stop (after a BBQ lunch) was Kiepersol Estates Winery and Vineyard. I soon realized, the winery is but a small portion of the operation, but this is what we went to see.

The grounds are beautiful. Rolling hills provide great views of the vineyards on the hillsides. We started in the large and very nice tasting room. Tastings are $1 per ounce but since we ended up buying four bottles (1 for a gift) the tastings were included in our purchase. I highly recommend the NV Bridge Sweet Mengsel, if you are a fan of sweet reds. We also sprung for the winery tour which was great. My wife and I were the only two there so we had a private tour for $5 each! Our guide, Justin, was amazing because he is actually one of only three full time employees and he is the Assistant Winemaker and Cellar Master so he explained the process in detail from start to finish.

Kiepersol grows fourteen varieties of grapes for their various wines. If memory serves, they have 60+ acres of vineyards, each producing 4,000lbs of grapes. ALL of them are picked completely BY HAND! During harvest, they work fifteen hours per day, seven days per week for twenty-five days. Let me remind you, they harvest in AUGUST. In TEXAS. Yeah, its get above 100 degrees here a LOT during August. Our guide told us he had a hand in designing the building and insisted on having a shower installed because of the long, hot, sticky days of harvest.

We learned how the grapes are pulverized, separated, put into tanks, and every other step from picking to bottling. Because of the length of time to produce the wines, they are always working with three years worth of harvests, each at different stages of readiness. I learned a lot about winemaking. Probably the best education I ever received for five bucks!

Okay, so they have a vineyard and a winery. But that is just the tip of the iceberg at Kiepersol. Its called Kiepersol Estates because you can actually buy a house on the grounds…there are three residential developments. YOU can buy a house there, I cannot seeing as how I am not rich. The estates are massive and beautiful. However, if you do buy property there you get a discount at the winery!

Should you enjoy your visit, you can stay…at their Bed and Breakfast. Hungry? No problem, they also have their own restaurant. There is also a celebration center for holding concerts, business meetings, or trade shows. So take your band down and give a concert! Oh, and you can use the equipment at their Studio 333 to either record the live concert, or for a private studio session. If you need a place to park your concert tour bus, there is also an RV park with an extensive list of amenities.

I plan to be back in July to do some more photography while everything is green just before the grapes are ready to harvest.