Category: Road Trip

Into the Texas Plains

Posted in Historic Sites, Road Trip, RV Parks, RVing, State Parks, Texas, Tourist AttractionsTagged , , , , , 17 Comments

The landscape changed from vibrant green rolling hills and roads lined with bluebonnets to flat, brown plains as we drove north to the small town of Buffalo Gap where we camped at Abilene State Park. Huge buffalo herds once traveled through the area where the town is today. Many of the cattle drives also came through the area.

Visiting with my friend Tim was the highlight of the day!
Visiting with my friend Tim was the highlight of the day!

We had a great visit with my high school friend Tim, a 7th generation Texan who has lived in Arlington most of his life. He picked a beautiful, sunny day to drive over to Buffalo Gap to see us.

We drove to nearby Abilene to see the western heritage exhibits at the Frontier Texas museum in Abilene. We learned a lot about the history of the area from the prehistoric days to the wild west. Everything was very well done through exhibits and two excellent films.

Outside the Frontier Texas Museum in Abilene
Buffalo Skulls
Closeup of one of the skulls
Map of Texas Cattle Trails
Buffalo Hump was the name of a fictional character in Lonesome Dove
Buffalo Weather Vanes
Giant buffalo skull at Frontier Texas

From Buffalo Gap we continued through the Texas panhandle driving through miles and miles of plains to Lubbock. Around Sweetwater we saw huge wind farms on top of the buttes and lots of oil pumps across the plains. As we approached Lubbock there were huge cotton fields on either side of the road.

The highlight of our trip to Lubbock was a visit to the Buddy Holly Center. Buddy Holly was born and raised in Lubbock and began his music career there. Two of his biggest hits with Buddy Holly and the Crickets were “That’ll be the Day” and “Oh Boy”.

Buddy’s music was a big inspiration to many of the British bands who became superstars later. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Elton John all credit Buddy Holly as a big influence in their music. The Rolling Stones first hit, “Not Fade Away”, was a Buddy Holly song.

Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. Richardson (“The Big Bopper”) died tragically in a plane crash on February 2, 1959 while touring across the Midwest. One of the members of Buddy’s touring band for the tour was Waylon Jennings. Waylon was supposed to be on the plane but gave up his seat to J.P. Richardson who had the flu.

Buddy Holly Statue and West Texas Hall of Fame
Buddy Holly
We toured the house where “That’ll be the Day” was written
McCartney Oak commemorating Sir Paul McCartney’s concert in Lubbock on October 2, 2014
Crickets Avenue in downtown Lubbock
Chopped brisket sandwich at Triple J Chop House, Lubbock
The Lubbock Railway Depot now houses art exhibits at the Buddy Holly Center
Buddy Holly Center, Lubbock, Texas

To visit Abilene we stayed at Abilene State Park in Buffalo Gap. Our site was a large back in surrounded by woods with water and electric hookups, a picnic table and fire pit. Go here to read my review of this park.

To visit Lubbock we stayed at the Mesa Verde RV Park in Wolfforth. Our site was a large pull through with full hookups. The park has a swimming pool (not open when we were there), two laundries, free WiFi, two enclosed dog walks, and very nice, helpful owners. Go here to read my review of this park.

More of the beautiful Texas Hill Country around Inks Lake

Posted in Birds, Restaurants, Road Trip, RVing, State Parks, Sunset, Texas, Tourist Attractions, WildflowersTagged , , , , , , , , , 13 Comments
Bluebonnets lined the roads around Inks Lake
Bluebonnets lined the roads around Inks Lake

Inks Lake State Park in Burnet (pronounced BURN-it DERN it) was our home for the 4 nights before Easter weekend. Thanks to my friend Tim in Arlington for recommending this park.

We arrived early in the day and were able to get a beautiful waterfront site. The bad news is we would have to leave on Good Friday because the park was full for Easter weekend. I knew we would love the area when we saw bluebonnets lining the roads to the park.

Our waterfront campsite was a great place to watch ducks, geese and all the water activities. We saw people paddling canoes and kayaks, floating on tubes,  and fishing from motor boats. The sunsets were gorgeous.

Mallards at Inks Lake
Dove at Inks Lake
Canada Geese at Inks Lake
Hooded Merganser at Inks Lake
Turtles on a log at Inks Lake
Sunset at Inks Lake

I love talking to locals to find out the best places to see. We stopped at Longhorn Caverns State Park one morning to ask about the tours. The ranger had seen me taking pictures of bluebonnets beside the road and he told us about a great scenic drive south of Llano. We were headed to Llano for lunch so we were off on a bluebonnet hunt after we stuffed ourselves with brisket and ribs.

Cooper's Barbeque in Llano, Texas
Cooper’s Barbeque in Llano, Texas
Indian Paintbrush
Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush along Park Road 4
Bluebonnets beside a stream
Boots and bluebonnets
Beth in the bluebonnets

One afternoon we toured nearby Longhorn Caverns. During prohibition the cavern was privately owned and the cavern was run as a honky tonk and restaurant. In one of the large rooms was a bandstand with tables set up all around. When prohibition was repealed the owner gave the land to the state of Texas.

Crystals in Longhorn Cavern
This dog was formed naturally
Longhorn Cavern
Longhorn Cavern
Eastern Pipistrelle bat about three inches long at Longhorn Cavern
Eastern Pipistrelle bat about three inches long at Longhorn Cavern
Longhorn Cavern State Park
Built by the CCC in the 1930’s at Longhorn Cavern State Park

One morning we took a hike on the Valley Spring trail in the state park. The trail started out beside the lake and wound through the woods with wildflowers growing beneath the trees.

Blondie getting her feet wet at Inks Lake
Deil’s Waterhole on Inks Lake
Bluebonnets beside the Spring Valley trail at Inks Lake
Top of the waterfall
Beside the waterfall
Waterfall at Inks Lake

Inks Lake State Park has moved up near the top of my list of favorite state parks. Our site was a back in paved pad with water and electric hookups, a picnic table, fire ring, and lantern hook. We had a huge area beneath shade trees to set up our chairs and watch the world go by. There are two fishing piers, a marina and boat launch, canoe and kayak rentals, playground, camp store,  and several hiking trails. Click to read my campground review of Inks Lake State Park.

Exploring the Texas Hill Country around Canyon Lake

Posted in COE Park, Parks, Road Trip, RVing, Sunset, Texas, Tourist Attractions, WildflowersTagged , , , , , , , , , , , 13 Comments

There is so much to see and do in the Texas Hill Country we could have stayed a month and not seen in all. Unfortunately, we only had about two weeks to explore this beautiful area in the heart of Texas. The hill country includes San Antonio and Austin and extends west about 200 miles. Driving through the area on mostly twisting, two lane roads we saw canyons and creeks, dance halls and wineries, historic sites and ranches, quaint small towns and old homesteads, green grass and more wildflowers than I ever imagined. We dined on barbeque and schnitzel and I bought a cowboy hat!

Our first home base in the hill country was Cranes Mill, a beautiful Corps of Engineers park on Canyon Lake near New Braunfels. We enjoyed driving on the country roads to explore the area. The bluebonnets were really starting to bloom and we saw more and more each day.

The first order of business was to eat some Texas Barbeque. One of my brothers lived in San Antonio for a few years and told us not to miss the Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas. We started out our first full day in the hill country driving the back roads to have our first taste of brisket, ribs, sausage and turkey. After our delicious lunch we stopped to visit the Dr. Joseph Pound homestead. Dr. Pound and his family settled there in 1853 and raised 9 children. His descendants lived in the home continuously until 1983.

Salt Lick Barbeque
Buckboard used by the Pound family
Ball Moss on live oak at the Pound Homestead
Pound Homestead in Dripping Springs, Texas

On a beautiful sunny Friday we took a drive to Luckenbach and a winery near Fredericksburg.

Luckenbach, Texas
Luckenbach, Texas
Luckenbach Dance Hall
Music on a sunny Friday afternoon
Down in Luckenbach, Texas, ain’t nobody feeling no pain
Luckenbach, Texas
Fat Ass Winery, Fredericksburg, Texas

We enjoyed touring the LBJ State Park and Historic Site in Stonewall. Lyndon  Johnson was our 36th president and spent much of his presidency at his ranch on the Perdanales River. Adjacent to the ranch is the Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm, a working farm which recreates a Hill Country farm at the turn of the 20th century.

The driving tour of his ranch goes around the air strip where he would land in a small plane he called Air Force One Half because Air Force One was too large to land on the landing strip. President Johnson left the ranch to be enjoyed by all the people so there is no charge to tour the park.

Hog at the living history exhibit
Saddles at the LBJ Ranch
At the LBJ Ranch
In the show barn at the ranch
Bluebonnets on the LBJ Ranch
Air Force One was to big to land on the landing strip so he called this plane that flew him from Austin “Air Force One Half”

We also enjoyed visiting some of the towns in the area. Many of the older buildings in the hill country are made of stone because of the lack of wood for building.

Gazebo in New Braunfels, Texas
Henne Hardware in New Braunfels – since 1857
Comal County Courthouse in New Braunfels
One of the stone buildings in Fredericksburg
Home in Gruene, Texas

On a sunny Palm Sunday we strolled through the town of Gruene where we enjoyed music at one of the oldest dance halls in Texas. Our Sunday drive continued to the artistic town of Wimberley and a walk along the banks of the Cypress Creek.

Gruene Water Tower
Gruene Hall is one of the oldest dance halls in Texas
Gruene Hall on a Sunday afternoon
Gruene Hall on a Sunday afternoon
Sign in Wimberley, Texas
Totem beside Cypress Creek in Wimberley
Cypress Creek in Wimberley
Cypress Creek in Wimberley

While driving around we passed many interesting ranches and the Albert Dance Hall and Twin Sisters Dance Hall. Although we were still a little early to see the bluebonnets in all their glory we enjoyed seeing patches of them beside the roads.

Sculpture at the entrance to a ranch
Gotta love Texas
Bluebonnets near Stonewall, Texas
Bluebonnets near Stonewall, Texas
Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush

When we weren’t sightseeing we enjoyed our large lake front campsite at Crane’s Mill.

Cranes Mill Campground on Canyon Lake
We saw deer almost every day at Cranes Mill Campground
Deer, Canyon Lake
Sunset over Canyon Lake

Starting the Lonesome Dove Cattle Trail

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“Yesterday’s gone on down the river and you can’t get it back.” – Captain Augustus McCrae to July Johnson, from “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry.

“If you want one thing too much it’s likely to be a disappointment. The healthy way is to learn to like the everyday things, like soft beds and buttermilk—and feisty gentlemen.”  – Captain Augustus McCrae to Lorena, from “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry.

Our dog eared copy of Lonesome Dove
Our dog-eared copy of Lonesome Dove

One of my favorite books of all time is Lonesome Dove, the 1985 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Larry McMurtry. I am currently reading  it for the third time, and Henry has read it two or three times. We both also love the 1989 TV miniseries starring Robert Duvall as Captain Augustus McCrae and Tommy Lee Jones as Captain Woodrow Call.

In fact, the whole idea for our Lonesome Dove Cattle Trail, Gulf Coast, Cajun Country, Whooping Crane, Bluebonnet and Brisket Tour began over a year ago when we watched the  miniseries for about the third time. As we were watching, the idea of a trip to follow the cattle trail through Texas as far as Ogalalla, Nebraska began to form. Once we started talking about Texas we decided to time it so we could try to see the whooping cranes and bluebonnets. We couldn’t pass by Cajun Country or the Gulf Coast without spending some time there, either.

The story begins at the Hat Creek Cattle Company in the fictional south Texas border town of Lonesome Dove and revolves around the two former Texas Rangers Gus and Call as they lead a cattle drive to Montana.

Lonesome Dove Trail Map
Lonesome Dove Trail Map courtesy https://www.etsy.com/shop/AntiqueMapsofTexas

Since Lonesome Dove is a fictional place, we had to do some research to figure out where to start.We studied maps of the cattle trail and the closest place we could find with a nice place to stay was Laredo.

Lake Casa Blanca didn’t exist back then and Laredo doesn’t resemble the dusty, dry town of Lonesome Dove at all. When we left Laredo and started driving north on I-35 towards San Antonio the landscape looked more like it must have looked like to the cowboys. On both sides of the interstate were fields of cactus, mesquite, yucca and dust with few trees in sight. The railroad, which was built following the cattle trail that was used by the real cattlemen, runs beside I-35 most of the way to San Antonio. There are few towns and for miles and miles there was no sign of civilization except the vehicles on the interstate.

We drove through the city of San Antonio (no fun pulling a fifth wheel) and set up camp beside Canyon Lake to explore the Texas Hill Country. When we crossed the Nueces River I could picture the cowboys on their horses herding the cattle across.

In the story of Lonesome Dove several events take place in San Antonio and in and around Austin. Of course, all the places in the story are different now. San Antonio and Austin are big cities and both are surrounded by suburbs, big box stores, strip malls, and outlet malls.

So our plans have changed. As Henry said, it would be disappointing to try to find where a fictional event might have taken place, because we might get there only to find a Home Depot sitting on the location.  Instead of driving through the plains of Kansas and Nebraska  (in the beginning of tornado season), we will spend more time in Texas. We will leave Lonesome Dove in our imagination.

Hey, it’s our trip! The beauty of not making reservations ahead of time is that we can change our plans if we want.

 

 

Bluebonnets in Laredo, Texas

Posted in Parks, Road Trip, RVing, State Parks, Texas, WildflowersTagged , , , 22 Comments

We hated to say goodbye to the Texas Gulf coast. Even with the overcast gray skies, fog and rain the whole time we were there we loved it. We knew we would miss the salt air and the sound of the waves from our campsite at Mustang Island but we had lots more of Texas to see.

Miles and Miles of Texas
Miles and Miles of Texas

Our journey from the Gulf took us across miles and miles of Texas to Laredo. On either side of the road were fields of cactus, mesquite and blooming Yucca plants. I spotted the tail of a wolf or coyote going into the brush on my side of the road. Henry and I both saw wild turkeys.

We arrived at Lake Casa Blanca International State Park on a beautiful, SUNNY Sunday afternoon. Finally, blue sky! The park was filled with families enjoying Sunday afternoon picnics.

Indian Blanket Flowers
Lake Casa Blanca
Lake Casa Blanca State Park

 

One of the goals of this trip was to see the Texas bluebonnets in bloom. The state flower of Texas, the bluebonnets usually reach their peak in late March and early April. Texas is the only place in the world where two of the bluebonnet species are found growing naturally.

We didn’t expect to see any blooms until we were farther north in Texas but Mona Liza over at Lowe’s RV Adventures had spotted bluebonnets around Lake Casa Blanca before we arrived. Thanks to her I was on the lookout and found a small patch in the campground and one of the park rangers told us about a patch near one of the picnic areas in the park. The small field was covered with bluebonnets! What an unexpected treat to see bluebonnets so early in our trip!

Texas Bluebonnets in Laredo
Texas Bluebonnets in Laredo
Bluebonnets in the campground
Texas Bluebonnets in Laredo
Texas Bluebonnets in Laredo
Bluebonnets in the campground

We spent 2 nights in Lake Casa Blanca International State Park. Our site was a paved pull through with water and electric hookups, a picnic table under a covered shelter, and a fire ring. There were willows and other trees around our site and we could see the lake through the trees. There is a boat launch, fishing pier, and many picnic areas in the park. The park is located near the loop road and close to restaurants and shopping.