One of the toughest aspects of writing a travel guidebook is the necessity to pick and choose. Gone are the days of the comprehensive guidebook. Today most volumes are “the best of” collections, a curated assortment of travel destinations, accommodations, and activities on a particular theme.
The same was true for our DogTipper’s Texas with Dogs guidebook. As with the other 30 guidebooks we’ve written, we were restrained by a book length that’s set in the contract. Our guide featuring the state’s most dog-friendly destinations spans 248 pages–but we easily could have filled another 248 pages in this large (and very dog-friendly) state!
One of the destinations we didn’t get to include in our guidebook was Flatonia, Texas. This small town, located just off I-10 near La Grange, is home to John’s alma mater, Flatonia High School. (John’s hometown was the much smaller community of Muldoon, which doesn’t have a school.)
This community was settled by English, German, Bohemian, and Czech immigrants, many of whom came to the United States in the 1850s and 1860s to avoid Austro-Hungarian oppression. Surrounded largely by farms and cattle ranches , the town is primarily known for its railroad history. The railroad goes right through town, dividing its two main strips. Along this stretch is the town’s park, now home to several historic structures, and this week we enjoyed exploring it with Irie and Tiki. It was another good reminder how dogs make every destination an interesting stop on the road, even when the town isn’t a large city that’s known for its dog-friendly attractions.
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