ELIASSEN TRAVEL

Under the clear blue skies of East Texas is a gem of a drive-through wildlife and safari center called Rocky Ridge Safari that hosts over 25 different species of animals amongst the 200 acres of native trees and smooth red clay winding roads.  A friend asked me to go with her while visiting family in Texas, and I didn't hesitate to say yes! I couldn't believe my luck in the backwoods of Eustace, very close to Canton, was an incredible drive through wildlife center. The trip was a perfect opportunity to do an animal photoshoot and hopefully shoot some great pictures right from the front seat of my friend Linda's car.  We headed out early to be the first car in line when it opened at 10 a.m. since we knew the animals would be hungry and eager to make their way to our car. When you buy your ticket, it also comes with a good size food bag for feeding with each one. The animals were very eager to see us or rather the food we were handing out. I'm not sure I have a favorite f

Killough Monument The winding black top country road shaded with huge east Texas pine trees protected us from the hot July sun as it pried its way through the branches.  As descendants of the Killough Klan living in a distant state, my husband and children had never seen the family monument dedicated to one of the greatest tragedies in East Texas history.  A massacre and tales of conspiracy are still keeping us guessing to this day of what really took place that set this tragedy into motion.  This was how legends are started so we wanted to uncover the truth.  Is it fact or fiction or could it be both? Our directions and GPS seemed to fail us as we drove deeper into the countryside on Farm to Market (FM) roads that didn’t seem to end.  Farm after farm and roads that appeared to shrink in size as the large oak and pine trees overshadowed them with their huge century old branches.  As we parked along the side of the road a couple who lived close by stopped and asked