Scenes from a drive around Wood County

Posted 9/24/20

The ponds were all full and the pastures were the color green usually seen only in pictures. After four inches of rain it was the perfect time to take a long drive in the country.  

The …

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Scenes from a drive around Wood County

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The ponds were all full and the pastures were the color green usually seen only in pictures. After four inches of rain it was the perfect time to take a long drive in the country. 

The objective was simple: to circumnavigate the county passing as close to the county border as possible without backtracking, crossing the county line or hitting a dead-end road. It took three hours and 20 minutes. 

Wood County is a big county by East Texas standards. The truck turned over 190 miles circumnavigating the 696 square mile county. 

It was a labor of love. Maybe one has to have grown up in East Texas to love the creek bottoms and pastures, the majestic oaks and thick pine forests. From a visual perspective, it is not Colorado (thank you), so not many folks come here for the scenery, but it is beautiful country nonetheless.

The trip had its starting point at the intersection of CR 2231 and FM 1799. The plan wound clockwise around the county. The route passed west of Golden, then north along Lake Fork and circled west and north of Yantis. It tracked back and forth through the county roads between Yantis and Winnsboro. 

Once exiting Winnsboro the route was limited to more well-travelled roads, as there are not many county roads in the eastern half of the county that traverse north-south. Those highways heading south to Hawkins are part of Texas Forest Trail and have a unique beauty of their own. 

Two jaunts south of US Hwy. 80 – one out of Hawkins and one from Hoard to Mineola – pretty much wrapped up the transit. 

A handmade road sign painted on the inside of a large, disused satellite dish was the first item of note and sent us on our way with, “Everything will be OK.” 

The trip started practically in the Sabine River bottoms. It is appropriately named because you can detect the downgrade as you drive nearer the river. There the vegetation seems hyper-charged, as if it wants to reclaim whatever roads, homes or barns that have been built there.

It was a Sunday morning so traffic was light and gave the opportunity to drive at a more leisurely pace. Once headed north on FM 17 one intrepid farmer, on a red tractor, was spotted near Salem.  

In Gunter we were reminded that more people were working that morning. Two sheriff’s office units with lights flashing pulled into the Lake Inn Resort. 

Crossing the western fork of Lake Fork revealed only a handful of boats on the water. The rain must have clouded the water. 

Once making the loop around Yantis, we were stopped in our tracks by the view ahead on CR 1726. Overhanding trees created a tunnel through which some mature pecan trees were brightly illuminated at the end.  

It wasn’t the first time we were stopped in our tracks on the drive. At one point we had to roust a sleeping dog out of the middle of the road. At another location a bunch of chickens were being herded out of the road by a small dog. 

Clear now of the lake and just north of Coke, the terrain took on a more defined shape of hills and draws. Around one of the many corners was waiting a beautiful old barn perched on a hilltop with hardwood trees standing guard.

Passing through Winnsboro on TX 11 we began the return side of the loop with a signboard which said, “For with God nothing is impossible.”   

Highway 11 is the home of the Keller Creamery, a facility which surprises us with its size every time we pass by. We should have stopped at the produce stand advertising okra and shelled peas at the corner of TX 11 and FM 1647, but we had committed not to stop on this trip. 

Headed through Perryville, the pleasant view of Perryville Baptist Church and the adjacent cemetery came into focus. It reminded us of how Mount Pisgah Church and cemetery seem to materialize in the same way for folks driving FM 49.

Jumping west over to FM 2869 we set out for Hawkins. A couple of unique Wood County organizations (Camp Deer Run and the Chapel in the Woods) were along our route. Further south a hammock was sighted in a small stand of trees adjacent to pasture on the east side of the road. 

Shortly the community of Peach came and went. The small communities in the county, those on whom history did not bestow development, are unfortunately passing out of general purview. Places like Muddy Creek and Myrtle Springs, Pineview and Pleasant Ridge all have histories which have shaped the county. No doubt long-standing families of the early settlers still reside in each of those communities. 

While looping south of Hwy. 80 on CR 3750 we were treated to the motivating sight of a woman in a ring exercising her horse. 

The return on Hwy. 80, the East Texas connector, was without note except that a passing train held us up as we turned south on FM 1804.  The diversion past the Nature Preserve was another example of the beautiful landscape within minutes of each of our Wood County cities. 

Among a number of tallies recorded on this trip, a total of 232 Stars and Stripes, 13 Texas flags and three flags of the United States Marine Corps were flying.

As a sign of the election year, 35 Trump signs constituted the only political signage.

Notably, a new sign is making its appearance in the county: “Jesus 2020.” 

The sojourn was a great success. It reminded us of how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful setting and with people who actually return a friendly wave from passers-by.