Let's Buy Some Hill Country, Maybe

Hill Country is amazing. And we haven't even gotten to the gem in the valley around Fredericksburg. I know, it's just down the road, but we got side tracked. Ward and I have been spending time in Mason, Menard, Junction, and the surrounding areas. We have been stopping in at Court Houses and real estate businesses and have been talking with the locals.

So, here's the deal. We love Hill Country, but it is expensive to buy land or houses in the area. Also, most countys will not allow you to park your RV on an empty lot in town and live in it. As for the countryside, it is broken into mostly ranches and there are very few small tracts of land. Most smaller tracts go for big money. We were told our best bet for an inexpensive lot where we could park an RV would likely be in Menard County, maybe Kimble County. We were told we could try Eldorado and Sonora, but further west gets more expensive again, as the oil companies are buying up land for housing of their crews. When we got to Eldorado, we were told they were affected by the oil companies and cheap land would not be found. Not only that, but they are up on the Edwards Plateau, and do not have the water that is found even one county to the east, which is Menard. In Junction (Kimble County), just south of Menard, the realtor said they were starting to get more expensive with tourism, like Mason County to the west of them. So, that leaves Menard County. We had a look around the town, talked to the County Clerk, and had a conversation with a local who may have something to offer. We have also been in touch with a realtor in the area. We will be heading back to Menard to check on things before we make any offers. And we'll spend some time at the RV park in town to get a better feel for the area.

I will leave you with some pictures of the area I was just talking about. Life could be worse than finding our own piece of heaven in this area.
City Park in Junction allows free camping. So, of course we took advantage.

The park is right along the banks of the South Llano River.

We bought briquets, brats, and supplies for s'mores. Oh, yum!

The South Llano State Park is only a short drive from Junction. They have hiking trails through the park, which close at 3pm because the area is also a nesting ground for wild turkeys.

Fort Mason, built on a high hill overlooking the current town of Mason.

Oh, by the way, Menard County is about an hour or two away from Fredericksburg, Austin and San Antonio. Del Rio, a Mexican border town and tourist area, is about 100 miles directly south. Menard is also right on the San Saba River and has the Vietnam Vet Memorial Highway (83) running through it, which runs from the Canadian border straight south to the Mexican border and on to the Gulf of Mexico.

And it is 30 miles west of the geographic center of Texas. Plus, it has an historic ditch, dug in 1756 by the Mission Padres. Check out these pics. The ditch is what really sold me on the town.

 

 

Adios for now, dudes and dudettes!!