Rough Creek Lodge...a weekend adventure!

Recently, Coach and I spent a wonderful weekend with our BFF, Laynce and Leslie, at Rough Creek Lodge. Have you heard about this 11,ooo acre Hunting Ranch Resort? I had no idea where we were going but was excited for our 3 day adventure. We left Abilene on Friday afternoon and headed east on I20. RCL is located in the Stephenville, Glenrose, Hico area, so we left the interstate and stopped in Dublin for a Dr. Pepper (sweetened the old fashioned way with Imperial Pure Can Sugar). With our appetites whetted, we bee lined it to Stephenville to eat some mesquite smoked Texas style barbecue at Hard Eights. A must, if your in the area. Then it was back in the truck for a short 20 minute drive to Rough Creek Lodge. As we pulled up we were greeted by Larry and the aroma of oak burning in the outdoor fireplace. By now it was dark and we couldn't see much of the property but were super impressed when we walked in the door. No expense was spared in designing, constructing and decorating this rustic resort. Our rooms were amazing and we slept like a log in the extra comfy beds! In the morning, we had coffee in our rooms and enjoyed the beautiful view from our balcony before heading downstairs for breakfast. Served buffet style the food was delicious! There's green chili grits, omelets, fried potatoes and onions, waffles, biscuits and gravy to get you started and an array of fruits, berries, homemade granola and pastries to fill you up! Did I mention that breakfast and a 3-course dinner are included in your lodging? Trust me you won't need lunch. After breakfast we walked around the property. First, the guys checked out the hunting excursions which include deer, hog, pheasant, duck, quail and varmit and made arrangements for that afternoon. Then we peeked into the spa and glanced over the full service brochure. Next we walked down to the boat house, grabbed a reel. With live bait on the hook we caught quite a few large crappie. The water was super clear and we could see tons of fish. While Coach was reeling in a small perch, he watched a big bass try to swallow his fish! By now, Leslie and I have had enough of the great outdoors mainly because it was freezing!...and decide to try our hand at a more familiar sport.............. (shopping!) and headed into Hico to check things out. Hico is well known for several things. The Koffee Kup is right up there at the top of the list! We secured it's location first, just in case we needed a piece of 'pie'! Slowly we began to cruise through the historic downtown. I had been told, several years ago, that Carol Bolton and her husband, owners of the once famous Homestead in Fredericksberg, had bought several buildings in Hico. In fact, they moved Homestead to Hico! We would quickly discover that bit of gossip was absolutely true. All but one small detail. A few years back, the Bolton's sold Homestead and it's H2O annex to Dallas couple. For the first 8 months, they worked side by side with the Bolton's learning from the best and I must say the current store looks wonderful! I took a few pictures with my iPhone so I could show you. These pretty yellow roses, painted on moire taffeta were lovely. I love the lettering. I have no idea what this is but hey, it's pretty! This alter (1 of 2) must have been 12 feet tall and had been rescued from an old church somewhere in Europe. It was pretty fabulous. Will you look at these beds? Aren't they beautiful? ...and there are two of them! They are very old, made out of metal and expensive, but beautiful and unique, you must admit that! Lot's of pretty of dishes, platters, bowls and pitchers. What is it about European things? Aren't these hanging lights precious? Assorted lace and ribbons are attached to a simple wire basket. I think I'm going to have to make one of these soon. Where did I put those crocheted doilies? There was so much more to see but we were anxious to see the Homestead Annex, H2O. This smaller but lovely store everything is white! Well, not everything! Let's say, whitish. Okay, okay! Alot of white!I really liked this table. I never tire of old chippy paint. It helps if you don't think about the lead. The next store to catch our eye was, Bliss! This boutique was a breath of fresh air with it's spacious, simple decor and displays. At the back of the store we were surprised to find a charming 'chocolate' kitchen, where they make the famous Wiseman Chocolates, which peaked our interest and added another stop to our list. The historic Victorian, Wiseman House. This old home, next to the Koffee Kup, was not a disappointment. Home decor, gifts, coffee and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate abound, along with numerous framed magazine articles about the Wiseman's. After one taste, you'll know why! There were many more stores, 6-8, that enjoyed shopping. We we're really impressed! Isn't this table the coolest? It was old tin (nail gunned) to a wooden pedestal table...if I only had a ranch! Speaking of ranch, by the time we grabbed a couple of slices of coconut meringue pie to go, from the (Koffee Kup), we had just enough time to get back to the Rough Creek Lodge for dinner. The dining room is spacious with 50 foot ceilings and a wall of glass which provides a great view of the ranch. In the center of the room, is a gigantic fireplace, open on both sides. Dinner was excellent! Selection, preparation and service was outstanding. There is nothing quite like a delicious meal, in the company of dear friends. The next day the guys thought it would be fun for Leslie and I to shoot skeet, and it might have been fun if I had known how to shoot a rifle. However, they were not deterred and took us over to the skeet range. I was not very excited about this activity, but I was willing, after all it could have been much worse (like bungee jumping!) Upon arrival, I felt a little out of place and sort of under dressed. What does one wear to shoot skeet? Special eyewear -check! Boots -check!
Spurs -check!!! Whoa! These are serious hunting boots. I couldn't help but smile when I looked down at the boots I was wearing.....birdie rainboots!...and it wasn't raining. Oh well, on with the lesson. Leslie was kind of excited, so I let her go first. Dawn, who works at RCL is a modern day Annie Oakley who had six brothers and knows how to do all kinds of cool things! Leslie, caught on quickly and did a great job without one complaint. I however, who had been listening and watching carefully and was now 'siked up' for my turn. Carefully I did everything Dawn had instucted and when I was ready said,"Pull'! Looking down the barrel with both eyes open, I took aim, pulled the trigger and turned around and said, "Damn! I'm done"! Just out of curiosity, when was the last time you shot a 28 gauge rifle? Wowser! Did that hurt! I did try it again, after Leslie's turn, inspired by her grit and determination, but things went south quickly and I wound up crying. Behind the privacy of my Kate Spade sunglasses, mind you! Later, I would feel much better. Dawn, aka Annie Oakley, invited Leslie and I to ride horses that afternoon. It was such a gorgeous day and we thought that sounded perfect! So at 4:00 we drove over to the Equestrian Barn......and Dawn gave us a horse to ride. This is Dawn's horse. I'm sorry that I didn't catch his name.
This is my horse Betty, as in 'Whoa, Betty'! According to Dawn, Betty likes to hop over puddles. Oh boy! Dawn, is confident and comfortable around horses and guns and children....she has five! Quickly we were clopping along behind her, chatting and laughing with ease. Leslie and I had such a great time. Leslie's hair was the same color as her horse's ears and tail. They made an attractive pair. Dawn showed us around the ranch for an hour and a half. We really enjoyed getting to know her. She is an amazing woman. We even rode through a herd of black Angus cattle.

Which are raised for the RCL guests consumption. Shhhhh, they're in the dark, just happily munching on dry brown grass.....

Rough Creek Lodge is an awesome place! I would highly recommend it!
ROUGH CREEK LODGE has been named the "MOST OUTSTANDING LODGE IN NORTHAMERICA" by CONDE NAST JOHANSENS for 2005

ROUGH CREEK LODGE is the only Texas resort named by the readers of CONDENAST TRAVELER to the prestigious 2003 TOP 100 RESORTS IN THE WORLD

The 2005 ZAGAT SURVEY recognized ROUGH CREEK LODGE as the top scoringrestaurant in the United States for the 3rd straight yearROUGH CREEK LODGE is the proud recipient of the 2005 DiRoNA AWARD(Distinguished Restaurants of North America)

Peter Greenberg of the NBC TODAY SHOW named ROUGH CREEK LODGE as one of theBEST LOCATIONS IN THE WORLD TO HAVE A DESTINATION WEDDING

A special thanks to the amazing young man that gifted all of us with this amazing weekend. We enjoyed every minute. You are thoughtful beyond words!