Tourist Town Central

Finally, we made it to Fredericksburg. We have been within 100 miles of the town for the past month. Everyone we talked to said this was the place to go. They said we would love it there. It is a very popular tourist destination for locals and visitors alike. And the German influence may get us that Rye bread we have been so wanting.

We were pleased on all counts with this town. They definitely know they are a tourist town. The main drag along the highway is the 'historic district', home to restaurants, bakeries, candy and fudge stores, granite and iron shops, boot and hat stores, gift shops, wine stores, antique malls, patio stores and museums. There was also a park across from the Court House with German heritage items as well as a skating rink.

For $10 a piece and the cost of skate rentals we could have skated on ice. Maybe next time.

There was a statue commemorating the earliest treaty signed in the area with the Commanche and German Settlers back in 1847.

One could spend days taking in all the sights and sounds of Fredericksburg. We had been told by folks in the town as well as others prior to coming here that the spring time is really the best time to see Fredericksburg. That is when the wildflowers are blooming. Apparently the area around Fredericksburg is famous for it's wildflowers, and the bluebells which bloom in May.

Our first purchase in town was at the Walmart. I found the rye bread I was looking for. Each day we were in town another loaf was aquired. It was sooo goood, and definitely hit the spot.

We went antiquing for a friend, finding a good selection of items requested. For a tourist town, the antique malls were very reasonably priced. That was nice to see.

A pair of boot jacks

an old spur

some hand forged branding irons

In the granite and iron store, there were stacks of granite slabs (obtained from the local area) that one could have made into tables of any size. The tables averaged about $3000, but one could purchase a cutting board or lazy susan for $100-200 depending on the colors in the granite. I was so tempted to get a cutting board, but Ward said we didn't the extra weight in the RV. He is so practical like that, hmm.

Our last stop was at a funky patio store we saw on the way into town. It was filled with bright colored metal figures, ceramic pots, metal art, and so much more.

They even had a singer / guitar player on a small stage outside amongst the patio art, entertaining customers.

The weather in this area had turned quite cold since Christmas day, and the forecast was predicting rain and 50 degree temperatures for days to come. With that in mind I checked temperatures for various areas of southern Texas and we made the decision to leave the area for a month or so, and head to Corpus Christi. The plan is to come back to Austin / Fredericksburg around the end of February when the weather is to be a bit nicer. We also made the difficult decision to put the bike back on the rack before leaving town. It hasn't seen that rack since Van Horn, Texas in mid October.

Next stop Luckenbach, for a quick picture at the post office. Then we head on down the road.

A Trip To Mecca

Today Ward and I thought we would go into the historic district of Fredericksburg for a few hours, and check out the town. The plan was to wander around town until one o'clock or so, when temperatures warmed a bit, then we would head up to Enchanted Rock. It's a State Park about 20 miles north of Fredericksburg. Story has it the Native folk of the area considered it a sacred place, but nowadays people simply go there to climb to the top.

I checked the weather conditions for the area and today seemed to be the best day for our pilgrimage. Temperatures were going up to 65 degrees, which would be the best we would get for several days. The only issue was the north wind blowing at about 15 MPH, yikes.

After a morning of wandering through shops downtown, and a nice bowl of soup at a local cafe / bakery, we headed out. The wind turned out to be quite a challenge, but we made it to the Enchanted Rock State Park. There was a line of cars waiting to get to the entrance and make payment. We didn't mind because we were out of the wind and the line moved fairly quickly.

Once we parked the bike Ward and I both looked at each other, then the rock, and back at each other, saying it likely was not the smartest thing we have done by walking around town all morning before coming out to the Enchanted Rock for a trek to the summit. We agreed that we would not take the trek too seriously and just go part way up the 450 foot climb. Looking up the rock, you could see a long line of hikers making their way up. It looked like pilgrims on their way to Mecca, with those at the summit becoming tiny specs in the distance.

I was surprised at how many people were at the rock, climbing to the top. Some folks had walking sticks, others had dogs with them. There were a lot of kids hiking up the rock with their parents. Some smaller children road in packs on their parents backs. Then there were the ones that were jogging up the rock.

Ward and I just took our time, slowly walking along the trail and clambering up the rock face. We actually made it quite far up the rock, which surprised both of us. Ward is in this picture, making his way up the rocky steps.

We each went as far as we thought prudent. Yes, I left Ward in the dust, or on a nice rock in the sun and went a bit further up the rock.

Ward was right beside me in this picture, sitting on his rock. I got to the top of this section of the rock, up a fairly steep incline before I made the decison to stop.

I would like to say that I made it almost to the top, but I believe there was still quite a hike ahead of me if I was to continue. You can see the summit in the distance in this last picture. It was not in the cards for me to try making it the full distance. Well, not if I was going to make it back down again.

You can see the 'start' marked in the photo in the top right corner. Ward made it quite a ways up, his mark is to the left in the photo. I got  to the top of one section of the rock, up a steep incline and marked my spot in the photo in the bottom center.

The view from where I made it was quite nice. I stopped several times during my accent to take photos.

During the trek down the rock Ward and I were both glad we each turned around when we did. We could feel it in our legs as we came to the end of the path and back to the motorcycle.

Here is another view of how far we made it up the rock.

Next time maybe we should bring water, oh, and not go hiking all morning through shops downtown.

That's about it for now folks. 

Itchy Feet Are Here Again

It was nice while it lasted, electricity I mean. We stopped in Menard for a couple of weeks, paying for camping at the local RV spot, Stockpen Crossing. We have not paid for a camping spot since early July in Fargo, North Dakota. Back then, we just wanted to turn on the air conditioner and cool off. But this time I felt like stopping and putting down roots.

Ward and I had been talking with real estate agents in the areas around Brady, Mason, Menard, Junction and Eldorado. The plan was to find a small acreage or a lot in one of the smaller towns where we could stop, maybe spend a few months, or something. I was not sure if we were after a place to live, or just somewhere where we could stop and relax for a while. A lot of people who go down south for the winter actually go to a specific RV park, and spent 6 months in the same place, year after year. We have been travelling, continually moving, and it was starting to get a little old. So, we stopped, plugged into the Matrix, and got ourselves a steady supply of electricity and water.

While in Menard, we made side trips to small towns checking on property, and looked at a few likely prospects inside the town of Menard as well. I kind of like Menard. And I like a few of the properties we looked at. The price was right, and by-laws would accommodate our needs (being able to park an RV on a city lot, and the ability to have a Llama or goat in our yard if we so chose). Oh, ya!! Menard has so very few by-laws that even the mayor has goats, 20 of them if what we were told was correct. One realtor referred to Menard as "anything goes Menard" because of their laxed laws. Also, the folks in the sleepy little town of Menard are very friendly.

Having said all that, you would think I would be sending out my new mailing address and setting up a patio and BBQ pit next to the RV. You would think invitations would be sent to one and all to come on down and join us. So close, so close. But I just could not commit. When push came to shove, I just was not sure I wanted to take the plunge. Was it the lack of internet service? I don't know. That's available at the library in town, and at the McDonalds in Brady. Was it the inability to get cell phone service? No, one could generally get service at the top of the hill, well usually, kind of. Was it because the radio station reception was sporatic and we have not been able to get any TV stations with our cheap old Radio Shack TV antenna? Or is it that we like just plain travelling, and we got itchy feet again? Maybe we're not ready to make the big decision on where our hats will hang.

We had a good stay in Menard. I did some baking in the toaster oven I packed. We plugged in the coffee maker and toaster. I baked some very delicious German dark rye bread that took care of a rye bread craving I have been having. And we had ourselves a wonderful couple of weeks fishing on the San Saba River. Word is, there are catfish in the river, and they like chicken livers, but the guy at the hardware store said it was too cold for them to be biting. Personally, I didn't care if I caught a fish or not, it was just nice sitting on the bank of the river, fishing, and reading a good book. Our evenings were spent reading or watching movies, never worrying about using too much electricity. Then we spent a quiet Christmas day in the RV, cooking chicken breasts, home made stuffing, and roast potatoes in our handy dandy electric frying pan.

I guess we took a vacation from our vacation. Well, we pulled up the stakes this morning and headed south. We made it to Fredericksburg, finally. And I must say, these people know they are a tourist town. Tonight we are staying at Walmart, but tomorrow we'll be checking out the town.

We are on the road again, taking in the sights and sound of South Texas Hill Country.

 

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!!

We're Eating Pecans Right Off The Tree

From the Panhandle to Big Bend Country and into Hill Country, we are making our way through Texas. As we drove south past Abilene the first thing that struck me as different was the water in the creeks. Up until now the creeks, rivers, reliefs and draws had all been dry. The reliefs and draws must be much the same as washes in Arizona, areas that take on water when the hard rains hit. I remember passing Cherry Creek, Cherry Draw and Cherry Relief all along one road on our way back to Pecos from our trip to Fort Davis. And of course, each sign was accompanied by dry ground. But not in Hill Country. The creeks and rivers are flowing.

Another change in this area is the high mesh fences around tracts of land along the highway. They surround game ranches, filled with deer and exotic animals, and they are everywhere. Going through the small towns there are several different meat processing businesses and stores selling deer feeders, blinds and huge bags of corn, oh, and guns.

The terrain is no longer flat and we are surrounded by forests filled with trees. Cactus are still in abundance, but mostly the prickly pear cactus.

Ward and I found a great little spot to stay for a few days. It was a rest stop just south of the town of Brady. We had been at the Walmart for a few days before leaving. When we stopped at the rest area we both looked at each other and said if we knew this little gem was here we never would have spent any time at that Walmart. The rest area was right beside the San Saba River. It reminded me of Seven Sisters, in Manitoba, with the flat rock formations going into the river. We agreed that it must be a very popular place in the area during the summer.

As per usual, Ward was yacking with every vehicle that pulled in to the rest area. One person, who came down to the river to go fishing with his dog ended up coming back later that night with his girlfriend. We stayed up most of the night with them down on the river. They dropped by again the next night, and we followed them home on the third day. We enjoyed our first cook-out in a Texas back yard where the food was cooked over a fire of mesquite and pecan wood on ‘the grill’, Texas style. Wow! That was some great flavor from the wood. Oh, we had our first homemade mac and cheese. That was awesome as well.

While we were at our new friends’ house I noticed they had pecan trees. It seems these pecan trees are everywhere and many people have them growing in their yards, much like our crab apples trees back home. I was shown how to crack them open and check to see that they were good. There is no need to roast them or do anything to prepare them before eating. So we gathered a few pecan nuts, shelled them, and enjoyed.

Everyone we have met in Texas has been so friendly, but it was really great to actually spend time with people. We got to know them over the past few days and hope to keep in touch.

Our travels have taken us into several small towns in the area, and we love them all. They are filled with old architecture, nice parks and some funky stores. We have been checking on vacant lots and land up for auction by the county in each town as we move further south in this wonderful Hill Country.

Personally, I am looking forward to Fredericksburg and the area, which is populated by German culture. I am craving rye bread and hope to score some in that area. Wish me luck in the next few weeks.

Later dudes and dudettes!

Llamas For Jessica

This is for you Jessica, pictures of Llamas.

They were in a field along Hwy 180 between Snyder and Roby, just standing there. Llamas, who would have thought. Well, of course I had to stop and take a picture. I was planning on pulling over at a rest area two miles up, so I drove the RV there and waited for Ward to arrive on the motorcycle. Then we both headed back to pay the Llamas a visit.

They were very interested in having us stop by. They all came over to the fence,  along with their friends the ass, the donkey and the burro.

The cows did not seem as interested in us and remained further away in the field.
That's it for now. Hope you and Wally Llama enjoy the pics.

Wind Storms and Dust Bowls

We found ourselves driving up to Lubbock again. What the heck, I know. But I found another acre of land for sale and am a sucker for punishment. The land was situated just outside Bledsoe, TX about a mile from the New Mexico border. The ad seemed promising, stating a deed was actually possible and there was a road to the property. I sent an email to the fellow and got GPS coordinates. Ok, the coordinates showed the property to be west of town and the description said south. But why quibble over details.

Off we went north from Odessa. The first night we stayed in Seminole. A local was kind enough to tell us about the city park in town. He said RVs could stay for free for up to three days. So off we went in search of the park. When we got there we found another camper with a fifth wheel. They have been homeless wanderers for five years now, originally from Amarillo. We talked about places we have been and things we have seen. Then the topic got on to the water, as we were still a little under the weather. The woman said they had both been sick recently as well and it was a bug going around. That was a relief to us because we were beginning to doubt every bottle of water we bought. They told us the windmill water stations used the same reverse osmosis as the Walmart Culligan machines. That was also good to know.

We ended up staying an extra day in Seminole, then headed north again. This time I was on the bike and Ward was driving the RV. No reason he gets all the fun, I say. We stopped overnight in Brownfield then drove into Lubbock the next day. It was a bit windy when we left, but the wind was at our backs so I didn't think it would be too bad. About half way to Lubbock I pulled over at a rest area for a bit. I was dodging tumble weeds on the highway, and had driven through a few large dust clouds. Goggles would have been a good idea that day, but we left them in Winnipeg. My big concern was running into one of the bigger tumbleweeds that were darting out in front of me on the highway. I ended up running over a smaller one, which broke apart under the bike.

Ward had been listening to the radio and told me there was a wind advisory out. No kidding! He said the wind was gusting up to 35 MPH or better. At least it was at my back. When I got to Lubbock I had to turn onto the loop (like our perimeter hwy). I had the wind blasting me from the side. All I can say is 'ouch'. I ended up getting a bit lost and driving around for a while before finding the Sams parking lot. In the open areas it was like being in a sand blaster. Again, ouch.

The next day the parking lot was filled with debris and huge tumbleweeds everywhere.

After the wind came cold temperatures for a few days so we hunkered down in the RV and waited out the weather until it would be warm enough to take a day trip to Bledsoe on the bike. The weather was only going as high as 65 degrees in the afternoon with a wind coming from the cold front in the Central States, so Ward put on his snowmobile suit and I got my winter jacket out. You know, the nice black leather one (thanks Jo). We drove past another heavily populated oil field around Levelland, and on to Bledsoe. The land was uncultivated and had a fence around it. The soil was red and sandy. Everything was fine except, again, there were no roads and no access onto the land from the county road.

 

We stopped in at the county court house in Morton and asked about the land. They did not have any record of the person selling the land and no record of that section being subdivided. Doesn't it just figure. This fellow took it one step further and didn't even file a plat map with the county. The county clerk said a lot of people are purchasing these lots sight unseen and driving out to find no road access. She said the land is not suitable for parking an RV on it. The RV would just sink. We got to talking about the other lots we had looked at and how we are just looking for an inexpensive piece of land to park the RV. So, she got out a book and pulled up some information on lots the county was selling. We were given sheets on a few lots right in the town of Morton and were told we could stop by City Hall to see if they allowed RVs on the lots. We checked the lots. One had some old buildings on it and the other was empty, with just overgrown weeds. They were both under $1000. That was an interesting idea to consider and we drove back to Lubbock with new ideas in our heads. Maybe we will find a town we like and then hit City Hall and the County Clerk to see if there are vacant lots that the county is selling off for cheap. Hmm.

We stayed in Lubbock to watch a PBS show that aired Nov 18-19, called The Dust Bowl. It showed how people settled in Northern Texas, the Oklahoma Panhandle and Kansas back in the 1920s. They broke the soil and began farming the land. The show explained how their farming techniques made it easy for the winds to blow the soil and may have contributed to the drought and horrible dust storms of the 1930s. We sat there watching the show, remembering the small and insignificant wind storm we were just in. But we also were witness to large burms of dirt that form along fence lines, caused from the wind storms. The show also talked about irrigation techniques that allowed the farmers in the area to keep farming, even when it did not rain. They mentioned the windmills that were put in, taking water from the underlying Ogallala Aquifer. And then they said the Aquifer would be drying up in about 20 years if the farmers kept irrigating their crops with it.

It is strange being here, in the areas they were talking about. We went to the Museum in Lubbock that celebrates the windmills used to irrigate the fields, drawing from the Ogallala Aquifer. And we have seen the farms with their irrigation systems that allow the crops to grow.

We have been to Salt Flat, Texas where we were told the wells were drying up, and there is no more water to be had. And we have heard the farmers from Nebraska to Texas talking about the current droughts. It is like the whispers of another dust bowl on the horizon. But it is just a whisper right now.

For a more pleasant ending to this blog post I will leave you with a photo of a Cushman trailer we saw in the parking lot. The fellow does not own a motorcycle but said he gets an awful lot of motorcycle people stopping and taking photos of his trailer, just like Ward did.

 

Here is an old building in a field on the highway between Seminole and Lamesa in Texas.

 

 

We have been seeing these odd round objects along the side of the road every now and then, never knowing what the heck they are. Well, we stopped to see one time. They are melons. It seems they are grown in patches along the side of the road or at the edge of fields. After harvesting, I guess the smaller ones stay behind.

 

Snake Farm

There's a blog post coming, maybe even tonight. But I just had to share this song we heard on a local radio station called "Twister". The song is Snake Farm by a fellow named Ray Wylie Hubbard.
Here it is on Youtube:



Hope you enjoy it as much as we are.

Later.

Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits

Sorry for the delay in writing, we have been a little under the weather. I think we have had the flu. At first we thought it was the water we have been drinking. My husband and I have tried to be careful with our drinking water, and only drink bottled water. We have been getting our water from Walmart, filling bottles at the Culligan station or purchasing 1 gallon pre-filled containers of drinking water. That was all fine and good as long as the Culligan machine was available. But in Carlsbad the machine was broken. We were told to use the "windmill" down the street. There are water depots in store parking lots that sell drinking water even cheaper than Walmart, at 25 cents per gallon (Walmart gets as low as 39 cents per gallon). We never really paid much attention to the quality of water coming from bottles purchased or machines dispensing it. Well, not until a few days ago. Ward got really bad cramps in his stomach and got sick. That got us thinking, and fast. He just drank some water we purchased from Lowe's Market. It was marked drinking water, but how good was it. I mean really. Was it charcoal filtered? Or was it distilled? No, but it mentioned reverse osmosis. So, what water is really best for drinking? Are you ok if you grew up on the water, or is some water better or worse for you than other water?

We never really worried about water before. Every other time we travelled through the USA we drank local water, and we were never sick. So, what was up with us this time.

Thinking back, we did feel a bit off in Amarillo. Was it the pork? Or was it the water we drank from a drinking fountain at Palo Duro Canyon? A few other times we were feeling a bit off. Again, the food, the water, or what?

Well, I started feeling sick the next day after Ward. We both had stomach cramps and other unpleasant flu like symptoms. I bought a case of bottled Nestle water, and we have been sticking with that until we are feeling better.

We did manage to do some tourist stuff in and around Odessa. We visited the meteor crater, 2nd largest in USA. It is located just a few miles west of town. The crater doesn't have the classic tell tale look of a crater, but was still pretty cool to see. We got to walk through the crater on a path that wound from the North side, down into the bottom and up the West bank.

On the way back to town we saw a few longhorn cattle in a field. They were a ways away from the fence, and I chose not to jump the fence for a closer shot. Sorry.

The University in Odessa built a replica of Stonehenge and have it displayed on campus. The circle itself was made the same size as the actual Stonehenge, but the height of the stones was scaled down slightly. When we were visiting the site, some guy was practicing parkour on and around the stones.

George Bush lived in Odessa at one time, and his house is listed as one of the tourist destinations and is located behind the Presidential Museum in Town. Bush actually only lived in Odessa for about 6 months as a child. His parents, George Sr and Barbara moved the family to California for a year, then back to Midland (10 miles east of Odessa, and it's sister city).

There are also rabbits in Odessa, actually Jackrabbits. It turns out they used to have jackrabbit ropings at the rodeo here. But, the humane society got active on it, and shut that down. So, the town put up a 7 foot sculpture of the Jack Rabbit, and several businesses in town have Jack Rabbit statues in front of their businesses.

 

 

We found the original Jack Rabbit, and I managed to get pictures of 9 of the 30 or so smaller statues that have been painted and placed throughout Odessa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's it for the tourist stuff around Odessa. We are leaving this oil rich area for air quality that does not smell as much like money (oil). Odessa is in the middle of an oil boom right now, with oil derricks everywhere you turn.

That's it for now. Still a little under the weather but still enjoying ourselves here in Texas!