Sure, to get there you have to drive an hour and a half through the corrugated tin and abandoned bass boat architecture of un-beautiful Upper East Texas. But you need to think of a search for pretty country near Dallas sort of the same way you might think of escape from Alacatraz. It's not supposed to be easy. When you get to Mineola, keep going a few miles east out of town and then head north on any halfway decent-looking road. You will find yourself in a land of rolling hills, tall pines and glittering lakes. It could be Wisconsin, if you took away the ticks and water moccasins. Well, and the people. It's very pretty country, and it's way less than a plane ride away from Dallas. Bet you didn't know that was possible, eh?