Having lived within the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area for most of about 25 years it's always been necessary to drive out of the mess for at least 25 or 30 miles to find some lesser used, curvy, somewhat scenic roads to have an enjoyable drive. Around here you're not going to find any Tail of the Dragon or Ozark Hwy 7 drives, but something better than just another freeway commute is a great improvement.
Now that I already live 35 miles outside the DFW mess and now that I own this wonderful car (after having a 73 911T spend most of it's time awaiting it's next repair project with very little time for enjoyment on the road) I've been discovering some short but very enjoyable drives around my home base in Waxahachie that have proven to be great for reducing stress and satisfying the need to drive something other than a freeway.
So for the benefit of other DFW area Boxster drivers who want to know some more places to go for a drive I thought I would share some suggestions and try to provide some info about the roads - condition, scenery, etc. Maybe these routes could be good starting points for finding other drives in the area.
Please realize that these are also fairly short drives, around 30 minutes to 45 minutes, but if you combine a visit to the Waxahachie downtown/historical area with several sidetrips it might make for an interesting morning/afternoon. Your mileage may vary.
I guess I should put a cautionary statement on this too: it is highly recommended that you observe the speed limits and drive aware and safely. Not all the roads are perfect. And I've spotted enough police, sheriff, or state trooper cars to keep you honest. You're still not going to be able to safely discover the limits of your car on these roads - for that I highly recommend that you participate in an autocross or driver education event sponsored by PCA or one of the other area car clubs.
I would love to hear from local DFW 986ers of other good roads in our area.
All of these routes originate in or near Waxahachie.
"thenavarro" may chip in on some recommendations here too - he's lived in Waxahachie longer than I have. When emailed some of these routes to suggest to him, he had already discovered them and he recommended some of the roads I've mentioned here.
Route 1, so far my favorite:
Here's a nice little tour that's around 25 minutes or so: Start out from Waxahachie on Brown Street and continue northeast on FM 813, stay on 813 where it takes a hard right at Rockett and continue on (I think this is the best and prettiest part of the route) to Palmer and take a right on FM 878 which will take you back to Waxahachie. Repeat as needed. Try reverse direction!
Here's a map of the route:
Same thing but zoomed out a bit:
Route 2:
FM 55 south by way of I-35E or Hwy 77 to west on Hwy 34 then return north to Waxahachie on FM 877. Sections of this route are pretty but a good bit of the roads are rough. The section of 877 and other roads near Lake Waxahachie (home to local sports broadcaster Dale Hansen) have some nice scenery.
Route 3:
Except for the section on FM 875 which is very beautiful and recommended just for that 10 - 15 mile stretch, I don't like this route as well as the other two. I think I'll continue to explore the roads around the escarpment that runs through the Midlothian area. Take Ovilla Road/664 north to West on 1387 into Midlothian then south on FM 663 (I think it's 9th street in Midlothian that becomes 663) to East on FM 875 back to Business Hwy 287, take a right and you're back to main street Waxahachie.
Have fun, be safe, and let me know if you take any of these suggestions and/or if you have some other good routes to suggest!
Ken