Midway Loop

June 11, 2022

We had planned on going to the beach today. The truck was packed, and we were sitting in the driveway, ready to go.

But sometimes things don’t work out as planned. The beach report we follow described conditions as being difficult, even for 4×4 vehicles. There were an above-average number of visitors, too, according to Google Maps. Driving far past the entrance sounded risky. We weren’t concerned about getting stuck–we are well-equipped to handle that. Our main concern was that those conditions make the more accessible areas of the beach very crowded. Given that a lot of visitors don’t know how to drive and behave along the beach, we decided to postpone our visit for another time.

We were still ready to go somewhere. But, where?

Plan B was to explore some dirt roads near Lufkin, Texas, and then visit some museums in the Lufkin area. On the way, though, we came up on Old Onalaska/Groveton Road, which we had explored before. I’ve been wanting to do some rock hunting, so on a whim we switched to Plan C and drove down Old Onalaska Road again.

There are several spots along the road with loose gravel that are fun to pick through. Be careful parking in the sandy ditches, though, unless you are sure that your vehicle can get back out.

The road conditions have worsened since our last visit just over a year ago. I think it is still navigable by 2WD vehicles, but a decent amount of ground clearance is a must in some spots. Still, it’s a fun little drive and there are some interesting spots to look for small rocks. Here are some of the treasures we found:

We came upon a large number of mimosa trees as we approached Onalaska. Many were in full bloom. Mimosas are one of our favorite trees. They are a short-lived, invasive species that are prone to breakage in high winds and infestation by webworms. Their seeds will spread far and wide and will germinate just about anywhere. But they are pretty and add a beautiful splash of color in the early summer.

Shortly before the road became pavement we came across this pretty patch of flowers.

Our next plan was to head to Lufkin via Livingston. We were getting hungry by the time we got to Livingston, so we decided to eat lunch at the Pit Row Pit Stop Diner, just outside of town. We had been there before and really liked it but found out that it was closed for remodeling.

I’m not sure why, but we decided to keep traveling east on 190 and find someplace to eat near Woodville. That led us to Wild Bill’s Grill, a small cafe that serves American comfort food. Oh, boy! It was delicious! The servings were big, and the people were friendly. A lady was selling homemade soaps, bath milks, lotions, and various health and beauty items. Kristi bought a few items and some delicious peanut brittle being sold by one of the local churches. If you find yourself hungry in Woodville, Texas, we highly recommend Wild Bill’s!

On the way to Woodville, I took note of a few roads that looked like they might be interesting to explore. While we were eating lunch, I looked at the map to see what some of those routes might offer. One in particular caught my attention because it wound though lots of uninhabited forest. It wasn’t clear from the phone app, though, whether it was a through road, but it seemed worth checking out. And if it didn’t work out, then there was another interesting road nearby that looked like a promising alternative.

About halfway between Livingston and Woodville is the community of Midway. Midway Loop begins and ends at separate points on U.S. 190. The eastern half starts at the Midway Corner Store and RV park. Hubert Cemetery Road branches off of Midway Loop East and heads north. The road starts off paved, but quickly goes to dirt. Most of the woods in the area are replanted trees, and it appears that some sections have been logged fairly recently. It’s a pretty drive, though, with some beautiful views. There were also a few deer (and deer flies!) out and about.

As you have probably already guessed, there is a cemetery along Hubert Cemetery Road. We stopped and looked in across the fence but didn’t go inside. It appears to be an old family cemetery. It is small and well-kept. The name “Hubert” appears on other road names in the area.

Continuing down Hubert Cemetery Road we passed Ed Dickens Road. The map shows Ed Dickens looping around and rejoining Hubert Cemetery, so I originally didn’t plan on driving down it. But, as we passed it, we caught a glimpse of this view:

So, naturally, we had to explore it. Ed Dickens Road descends into the Horsepen Creek valley.

The trees in this area were harvested about a decade ago. The pines that were planted haven’t grown enough to completely obstruct the view.

The road took a turn to the left and then crossed Treasure Creek, a tributary of Horsepen Creek.

A little past the creek we came to an open gate. It was marked with a “Keep Out” sign, so we turned around and headed back to Hubert Cemetery Road.

Continuing along Hubert Cemetery Road, we came to the spot where Ed Dickens Road rejoins it. There was a closed gate on this end. A sign in the ditch of Hubert Cemetery Road read, “Dead End, No Outlet.” It didn’t look like an “official” road sign, but that was official enough for us to decide to turn around and head back to the highway.

My backup plan was to explore Midway Loop. After a brief stop at the Midway Corner Store to check the map, we headed back up Midway Loop East to see what there was to see.

If you are reading this blog post on the actual web page as opposed to reading it in an email, you will see the routes outlined by Google Maps. I would like to point out that Google Maps estimates the drive times based on assumed speed limits, traffic conditions, and distances. In reality, however, we generally take our time driving these routes. I rarely drive more than 15 or so MPH over most of these dirt roads–partly for safety, but also to give us a better opportunity to enjoy the scenery and find interesting things. Keep that in mind if you are planning to follow any of these routes. Round trip, including stopping for lunch, we spent seven hours driving, exploring, and rock collecting.

Midway Loop did not disappoint. It’s a mix of dirt and pavement. I mean, it looks like someone had a bunch of spare pieces of road lying about and decided to throw them together into a hodgepodge of a road; but it was a very pretty drive.

Midway Loop is a residential area with several nice homes. It’s not a rich area for the most part, but the homes look comfortable, and the route was clean. The residents obviously have pride in their community, even if the road itself is sort of rough in spots.

Some of our best adventures feature at least one property owner who has something interesting on display. This one has a classic truck painted with what we suppose are the names of family members. Too bad there wasn’t a better angle to get all of the names in a single shot.

And a little further along we encountered these trees covered in Spanish moss:

Midway Loop East met Midway Central Road, then became Midway Loop West. A short distance from the junction we saw this interesting tree that tried to jump out and scare us:

After rounding a bend in the road, we came across some lovely fields of flowers:

Most of the rest of Midway Loop is forest with a few houses here-and-there. We crossed over a couple pretty creeks…

…and then came to another patch of flowers near the end of the road:

From there, we rejoined U.S. 190 and headed back home.

While it was not the day we had planned, it turned out to be a very interesting and relaxing trip. Kristi said that Midway Loop was one of her favorite drives so far. I’m hoping for an excuse to go back to Wild Bill’s!