I Do Not Resolve, I Quest!!!

As resolutions go, I tend to fail dismally. You may be one of those amazing goal setters and not in the least bit familiar with making but, not keeping, New Year’s resolutions. Good for you.

I’m this person, or at least I have been in the past. I purchase a treadmill, use it for a month, and then within a few weeks, have a place to hang my coat when I get home from work. Come February, the treadmill sits in the corner collecting dust but truly is convenient for holding my winter attire.

So far, the year hasn’t really gone as planned. I’d actually hoped to restart my podcast, but the program I was using in the past was sold to a larger company and now the software I loved so much that only required me to use my phone is no longer available. I’m researching and hoping to do that this month.

I’d also intended to write at least a blog post a month but here I sit in the international world headquarters of How Big Is Texas writing my January post as February has already arrived. 🙁

All that to state that rather than call them resolutions, I will call my new year’s activities quests. That’s how I have referred to all my trips around the great state of Texas since I created this blog in 2020 and first drove the perimeter of the Lone Star State.

Visit All 254 Texas Counties

Having lived in 21 Texas cities and towns in my life, I saw a lot of the state from an early age. However, I hadn’t really paid attention to what I saw until later in life. One of my quests this year is to complete visiting all 254 counties in the Lone Star State. Fortunately, I knocked off three last fall in the Panhandle region and I only have three left to go. Luckily for me, they are all together in south Texas – Jim Hogg, Duvall, and McMullen. The entire population of the three counties barely exceeds 15,000 people. In looking at the map above, you’ll see that I somehow drove around them. Time to remedy that once and for all and finally knock this list off so I can complete my quest.

Visit All 89 Texas State Parks

Ever since the Texas State Parks put out their scratch-off map to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the park system in the Lone Star State, I have wanted to visit all of them. While I didn’t get any blogging done in January, I can say that during that month and the first of February, I was able to visit five state parks and scratch those off my lovely map.

I got a little carried away this morning and accidentally scratched off the wrong one, but fortunately, I have a list that I made of those parks I haven’t visited. Here’s what I have left to see:

• Copper Breaks
• Lake Arrowhead
• Palo Pinto Mountains
• Meridian
• Village Creek
• Colorado Bend
• Kickapoo Cavern
• Lake Casa Blanca
• Choke Canyon
• Falcon
• Old Tunnel
• Hill Country
• Sheldon Lake
• Sea Rim

Of course, the park system continues to build new parks, but I think I can get to these before the next one opens…or at least I hope I can. If you’d like a scratch-off map of your own, visit this page.

Hey Batta Batta Swing!

I’ll preface the start of this quest by stating I have not been a follower of baseball, so this one is for all you fans out there who love the minor leagues and watching as these athletes play in the hopes of someday getting called up to play in the majors. I hope that’s even correct.

Anyway, I am on a quest to visit all eight of the minor league baseball parks and watch a game with my friends, including my ultimate sport’s fan friend, Barry, who bleeds TCU purple but is on board with joining me at the ballfield. I gotta say, if for no other reason, I am on board with their fun mascot names. I realize that’s not a reason to want to go, but it’s the one I’m using, plus, who doesn’t love a great hotdog at a baseball game. Now, let’s play ball!

• Sugar Land Space Cowboys
• El Paso Chihuahuas
• Round Rock Express
• Amarillo Sod Poodles
• Corpus Christi Hooks
• Midland RockHounds
• San Antonio Missions
• Frisco RoughRiders

I’ve shared my quests for 2025 with you. I’d love to hear what you’re hoping to accomplish this year. I’d welcome your comments.

Until next time from Texas…safe travels!