“The center of a donut is 100% fat free”
Anonymous
State 27: Texas January 15, 2018
Nate
We woke up at a Walmart in Fort Worth well rested and ready for a brand new day. Last night, we touched the hands of country music’s biggest legends at world’s largest honky-tonk, and we could wait not to see what adventure lay head today! The first item on the agenda is a 32 mile drive East to Dallas to visit the Cross Country Couple's “Historic Location” for Texas “The 6th Floor Museum".
On November 22, 1963 at 12:30pm, The 35th President of the Unites States; John F. Kennedy was assassinated by a sniper’s bullet while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Downtown Dallas. The First Lady; Jacqueline, Texas Governor; John Connelly, and Texas First Lady; Nellie, were in the convertible with President Kennedy during the assassination. Although both first ladies were uninjured, Governor Connelly was seriously wounded in the shooting, but recovered. After the assassination, witnesses saw a man firing a rifle from the 6th floor window of the Texas School Book Depository, and provided police with a description. An all-points bulletin went throughout the city, and the search began for Kennedy’s killer. Thirty minutes after Kennedy was shot, Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit, approached a car of a man fitting the assassin’s description, and was shot to death in front of 12 eyewitnesses by Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald was arrested in a near-by theater, charged the murder of Officer Tippit, and subsequently charged with the murder of Kennedy. Oswald would never stand trial for his crimes. Two days after Oswald’s arrest, he was fatally shot by Jack Ruby on live TV during a police transport. On November 29, 1963, President Lyndon Johnson created the Warren Commission by executive order to investigate Kennedy’s assassination, and 10 months later, the 888 page final report concluded Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone. The Warren Commission's findings have proven controversial even to this very day!
Founded on February 20, 1989, The 6th floor museum encompasses the entire 6th floor of the former Texas School Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. The museum preserves the snipers nest where Oswald fired the 3 shots, and the exact location where the murder weapon was discovered. Both sites have been left to their exact appearance as the day of the assassination. In addition, the museum utilizes historic films, photographs, artifacts and interpretive displays to document the life, times, death, and legacy of the slain president. Please see the pictures below.
After parking Rosie, we walked a block away to the 1st floor of the 6th floor museum, paid our $16.00 per person admission, and were notified photography was not permitted! Sorry! Upon being provided with an audio head set, we took an elevator up to the 6th floor, and began our narrated self-guided tour. From the 1960 social culture of America, policies of the presidents administrations, the assassination, the investigation, and the conspiracy’s, the museum did an amazing job of telling the entire story of Kennedy. Some of the noteworthy artifacts on display included Oswald’s gold wedding ring purchased in the Soviet Union, the hat Jack Ruby wore when he shot Oswald, and the tan suit worn by Dallas Detective James Leavelle who was hand cuffed to Oswald when he was shot by Jack Ruby. By far, the most memorable experience of our visit to the most famous crime scene of the 20th century was seeing Oswald’s sniper's nest. Looking out the exact window where the shot was fired taking Kennedy’s life was a somber and eerie experience! The 6th floor museum is a place every American should visit in their lifetime, but if you are unable to make it to Dallas, the museum's webcam features a live view from the sniper spot at www.jfk.org.
Even over 50 years since the assassination, the majority of Americans still do not believe the Warren Commissions findings Oswald acted alone. According to a 2013 Gallop poll, 61% of Americans believe others besides Lee Harvey Oswald were involved in Kennedy’s assassination. When those polled were asked who else was part of the conspiracy, the mafia, CIA, Castro, and the federal government were the most common answers, but 40% of polled Americans could not offer a person or group responsible. According to the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, all government documents related to the Kennedy assassination will be released to the public on in 2017, and this past October President Trump stated that is exactly what he intends to do. Not so fast! 300 files are being withheld for a 180-day review to ensure they do not contain information compromising national security! I seriously doubt Americans will ever know the truth!
Lori
After departing the 6th Floor Museum in Dallas, we were feeling sad, and searched for something to cheer us up. We drove 177 miles Southwest to Round Rock to partake in the famous food for Texas; Round Rock Donuts. Since 1926, people from all over the world have been visiting Round Rock to partake in these to die for donuts, and they were even featured on an episode of the Travel Channel TV show Man vs Food. Although the bakery has changed hands over the years, the donuts which made Round Rock famous are still hand made from the original owner’s recipe from almost a century ago!
What sets Round Rock Donuts apart from every other you have even eaten? 99% of all commercial donuts are machine made using baking powder as a leavening agent. Round Rock Donuts use yeast to make the donuts rise, and therefore must be made by hand! In addition, each donut is rolled, cut, fried and iced all by hand to the tune of 200 dozen per day! The yolks of the farm fresh eggs give the donuts their trademark orange/yellow color. The end result is a delicious and uniquely colored treat with a bread like consistently placing this donut in a class above all others!
How good are Round Rock Donuts? According to local legend, a woman in active labor came into the shop, and actually waited in line to buy donuts on her way to the hospital! Then, there was a hearse who pulled up to the drive-thru window while enroute to the cemetery, because the deceased in the back had made his last request to be buried with a dozen Round Rock Donuts. These must be damn good donuts!
Like most donut shops, Round Rock offers a wide variety of pastries to suit any preference: strawberry iced, maple iced, donut holes, chocolate covered, sprinkles, plain, chocolate, applesauce, blueberry, strawberry, cinnamon twist, apple fritters, lemon, cherry, strawberry, cream filled, eclairs, fruit kolaches, cinnamon roll, muffins, and so much more! While all of these tasty treats sounded delicious, I was in Texas, and had much something bigger in mind! I didn’t want to just have a donut! I wanted one of their Texas sized donuts! The Texas sized donuts measure approximately 14 by 8 inches, are equivalent to 12 of their smaller counterparts, and are very reasonably priced at $6.99. The Texas sized donuts come in your choice of glazed or chocolate covered. I opted for the chocolate covered, because if you are going eat the equivalent of a dozen donuts in one sitting, then you mine as well go all out! Unfortunately, the Texas sized donuts proved too big for the Cross Country Couple, and we ate the leftovers for breakfast over the next 3 days. Although it was strange eating an orange colored donut, it was so delicious they could have been pink and purple-polka-dotted for all cared! Neither Nate nor I, even like donuts, but Round Rock Donuts not only made the biggest, they made the absolute best damn donuts I had ever eaten! Please see the pictures below.
After departing Round Rock Donuts, we went to a local library to catch up on some computer work, and then drove to a Walmart across town where we spent the night.