Fredericksburg & Elvis sighting

Another group adventure, lions tigers and zebras ? That's what we were told, Texas loves their exotic animals. We met again with Lynn and Jeff for a fun time in Fredericksburg. On our way we'll show you some of these exotic animals these farmers have...so, we headed off the main road to the farm lands where if there were such creatures, they were not there for the viewing today. Okay, we'll believe you...on the way into San Antonio I thought I saw a zebra in the pastures next to a small ranch...no, I said to myself "it can't be"so I never told a sole...I was afraid everyone would think I was drinking or driving too long in the desert.

So much for the animals, on to Fredericksburg--1st stop (and there will be many) was a large nursery, "Wildseed Farm", 7 miles east of Frederickburg. Wildseed is one of the nations largest working wildflower farms. In the Spring (which it is not) one can see colorful wildflowers and cut your own bouquet. The flowers were sprouting above the ground about 2". Over 5000 wildflower species make their home in the state of Texas, products of the states different ecosystems. The Texas hill country is defined by limestone cliffs, granite outcrops and hidden springs, providing diverse habitats for wildflowers. At Wildseed Farm, one can visit Lady Bird Meadow, the Market Center, Brew-Bonnet Biergarten, Flower Haus and Blumemhaus. We had a fun time checking out the grounds and sampling the fruits, jellies, wines and fancy popcorn ..should we get some ? No, we don't need that...that's another story, always plan ahead.

Back to the car, we're so lucky to have a nice day, they have been few since we started our trip.
Okay, off to town....onto the highway and here we go. Oh, oh what was that......

Car feels, sounds strange, just had it serviced --do you know what happens after a car is serviced, right, it breaks down !!!!
Pull over, check it out........remember the popcorn ? should have bought some !!!
mmmmmmmmmm, doesn't sound good, doesn't look good...oh well, just call for service. Do you know there isn't a service bay in town that stays open past noon....okay, we'll just have to get it to town....go for awhile and stop and cool....go and cool...yup, for 7 miles we chugged along trying not to boil over...met all the town police officers who were more than willing to let us go on our way as long as we stayed out of the path of traffic.....we made it to the town DQ, yes !! we can have lunch while it cools for the last trek then we can find a garage that can offer info for service.

After a hearty lunch which did not include the famous blizzard which I am told comes in a few hundred delicious flavors we moved into town. The ladies were left to shop while the guys found a service station where they could leave the car. Now, how to get home-no rentals in the area so we needed to call Lynns' son Eric who was more than "Happy" to drive to Fredericksburg, spend the evening with 5 adults attending a 50's-60's Rock Concert where Elvis made a startling appearance. Thank you Eric !!!

The Concert was terrific, a group of very talented singers brought back the memories of our high school days...."The Rock Box" as the theater is called....

Join us for a rockin’ good time at our state-of-the-art live music theater in downtown Fredericksburg, Tx. Your family will enjoy variety music and wholesome comedy performed by our cast that’s been together for over 10 years and 2000 shows. Reserve your seats NOW and come see why The San Antonio Express News calls Rockbox Theater “an undiscovered gem" and TripAdvisor rates Rockbox as the #1 Attraction in Texas. And a great time was had by all, now to get Gram along with the rest of us into the truck and head for home. Thank you Lynn, Jeff and family for a very memorable day........

Pictures of Big Bend National Park-Texas

Pictures of Big Bend national Park from the prairie through the Mountains to the Rio Grande



We will post to another site later for better viewing......enjoy

On to Lakehills

The ride to Lakehills was fascinating, the limestone quarries, rolling hills and sprawling junipers are such a contrast to the flatness of San Antonio where we were camped. Driving through the canyons gave us a great feeling of smallness with the towering limestone walls along the roadside. Will we find our way out of here I ask, hopefully "Mona" has been here and knows the way.
We drove by Lake Medina, a supposingly large lake but since the drought the lake is down not by inches but by feet. This area really needs some serious rain, maybe we should stay a month or so just to make sure it happens. Driving down to one of the rivers that feeds this lake we noticed it too was a small stream with it's banks many feet back from where they should be, leaves a lot of room for 4-wheeling. A few miles from this area is a RV campground, upon a quick visit we noticed a "herd" of deer visiting the campers. There are so many deer in this area, they are really a nuisance to many homeowners trying to landscape the yards with wildflowers (that's another story) and young trees. One must almost stand guard in the yard to keep them away. Does that sound familiar Mark ? There is no fear and to make it worse, some of the people choose to "feed" them and that brings their deer friends, thus a large herd can be seen in a yard right next door. Sad too is the fact that many meet their demise at the hands of travelers up and down the roads. ( that too is another story) Thus, the turkey buzzards, these Texans leave the road kill to the buzzards, uggg !! While driving, keep your eyes straight ahead, the view is not for the weak at heart or stomach. Look up, see the homes built in the hills, a much nicer view....

I'm going to post some pictures of the lake, the deer, the hills and the canyon, take a break and be back soon. Enjoy !!!

Hills and Bandera

Okay so that's the longest 2 days you ever waited for, we can say we've been so busy or I can say we've just been so relaxed there was no rush to type this in. We have some friends in the San Antonio, we'll call them Jeff, Lynn,Eric and Gram...come on down they said, we'll have a great time. So, went out to the hacienda( is that what Texans call it) or am I in the wrong state, country....

We met with Jeff at Government Canyon, a state park sprawled across the desert with lots of trails for hiking and biking.

Galm Road
San Antonio TX 78254
210/688-9055

History: Government Canyon State Natural Area is an approximately 8,624-acre area in Bexar County, just outside San Antonio. The State Natural Area was purchased by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1993, in cooperation with Edwards Aquifer Authority (formerly Edwards Underground Water District), San Antonio Water System, the Trust for Public Land and the federal government Land and Water Conservation Fund. The park opened to the public on October 15th, 2005.

The canyon was on the "Joe Johnston" Road from San Antonio to Bandera which was blazed by the military at Ft. Sam Houston in the 1850s. The canyon is a part of the rich ranching history of Texas.

Natural Features: Trees such as Mountain Laurel, Ashe Juniper, Mesquite and Live Oak abound, as well as Mexican Buckeye, Lindheimer’s Silk-Tassel and Escarpment Black Cherry. Steep slopes provide scenic overlooks of the surrounding Bexar County and glimpses of San Antonio. Rare birds such as the Golden-cheeked Warbler can be found. Geologically, the Natural Area lies on the Balcones Escarpment, an area of deeply entrenched canyons that defines the eastern boundary of the Edwards Plateau. Approximately 88% of the Natural Area overlays the Edwards Aquifer recharge zone. We walked( no we did not do heavy hiking) around a short trail, checked out the main building, visitor center and the picnic area. While "on the trail" Jeff pointed out a familiar looking plant growing, or attached to, a Live Oak tree. It looked familiar but what is it..well, turns out it's a parasite, we call it "Miseltoe"...it attaches itself and feeds off healthy trees-after a number of years it will kill the tree. "Beware the Christmas Kiss"

Go Minnesota

Here we are in "Cowboy Country" cheering for Brett and "his" cowboys !!! Go Minnesota !!!!

Back to the Riverwalk

A week has gone by and we have many experiences to share, the "Freeze", the "Kahuna", the Hills and back to the Riverwalk. Yes, the freeze, we woke to frozen water one morning...where are we, in new England ?--no, we are still in San Antonio and the weather is about to break. This is the last cold morning we are supossed to have before the Big kahuna comes in and changes the weather patterns. What in the world is the big kahuna you ask, well that's what the local weather men or woman call a large rain and wind storm that is coming in from the west and it's going to drop a whole lota rain on this here Texas town. Well, did it ? Yes sir it did...it never rains this much in January in Texas they say. We had 2 days of constant rain which is really no big deal for new England but in Texas !!! the soil can't take it, no loam just limestone in most places. The rain just gathers on the surface and makes the ground look like large lakes popping up all over. The roads in a lot of lower places are shut down because the water rises, has no place to go and creates a hazard for cars. "Turn around or drown" read the signs at the barricades and detour signs, one will get charged $660.. to get pulled from the high waters if you chose to try and cross. The creeks, as they call them here, fill very quickly and most flow over the lowland roads. Matter of fact, some of the roads are built so that the creek just flows over it. "Not in Massachusetts" We will include a picture of this in this reading.

Enough of this strange happening, the weather did change, it warmed a bit and back to the city we ventured.
We find our way a bit easier each time we make the trip. "Mona" has been a big help. For those of you that do not know, Mona is our GPS...our lifesaver to say the least. We arrived again at the Riverwalk, no, there is still no water. Lots of mud and a few dead fish though the weather much better and we "walked the walk"...yes, even our spirts are better. Although a shopping and restaurant paradise, this area was transformed in order to control the San Antonio River so it wouldn't flood the town.

It’s a stretch to call the entire River Walk a neighborhood—at least it will be in just a few years. The downtown segment that most people think they know is about to be extended from 2 to thirteen miles, connecting many of San Antonio's museums and historic districts ( including the work-in-progress development at the old Pearl Brewery where there’s already a thriving school for professional chefs and another, by Aveda, for cosmeticians) with the beautifully preserved Spanish-colonial missions to the south.

River Walk Facts

• The River Walk is maintained and operated as a park by the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department.
• The source of the river’s headwaters are natural springs that are part of a vast underground lake called the Edwards Aquifer, also a source of drinking water for much of the Hill Country and San Antonio.
• The reason the River seems small is because the headwaters are very near downtown. For instance, the “Mighty Mississippi” begins with a stream that’s only five feet across.
• The San Antonio River ultimately flows for 131 miles through six counties, and empties into the Guadalupe River, a few miles inland from San Antonio Bay on the Gulf of Mexico.

The River Walk Began as Flood Control

In earlier years, the city had experience flooding along the banks of the now alluring San Antonio River. Many city fathers favored paving over the river as a means of flood control. In 1924, the San Antonio Conservation Society battled to keep the river afloat and backed a design proposed by Robert H.H. Hugman in 1929—the River Walk. The project was finished with WPA funding in 1938 and has remained a source of life and a hub of culture for the Alamo City.

Above taken from the "official San Antonio website" We had an enjoyable day exploring the sights and of course the food from this area. Next, the hills, yes hills outside of San Antonio. Will be working on this in a day or two. Thanks for reading !!!!

Remember the Alamo

One can hear the cries of the men and woman who so bravely defended their "Alamo"- the small group of brave soldiers mostly farmers and woodsmen stood against the many soldiers of the Mexican Army to defend their home and families. Of course as we all know they had no chance since a small band of 200 or so had no chance against an army of almost 2000. We braved the cold today (22 low-34 high) to explore the ruins of this famous Texas Mission. What is left of the large sprawling fort can be seen in the center of a very modern San Antonio. Some of the structure lies beneath the new buildings, parks and streets of the city as it is today. What can be seen is in remarkable shape.
We were able to take photos of the outside, the gardens and the long narrow courtyards with arches and gates for gaining entrance into the fort. Inside where so many lost their lives photos are not permitted, this being considered hallow ground and is granted such respect.
There were exhibits of clothing, jewelry, guns and other means of warfare of 1836. In the Barracks
were letters written by many of the men and woman of "The Alamo"..these were very interesting reading. Jon found a lot of these online and did some reading before we went there.
The weather as you know was not on our side so we were glad to step inside and read a lot of the history.
After the Alamo we walked down to the Riverwalk, no water in the canal because they are cleaning it so we will have to wait a week or so to see this or take a boat ride if they even do that in their Winter. The area looks very inviting but not today, we ducked into a restaurant where it was warm, watched the people from the inside (not many) and enjoyed our lunch.
We are excited for warm weather so we can explore this facinating, Southwestern style area. We are back in our MH with the heat on, suppossed to be colder tonight, right now 32. Just heard there is something of a strange happening for the end of next week...gearing up for colder weather. We thought we would stay an extra week but now, not so sure-we will give it a few days and decide what to do....I don't think it's warm any where and Jon says we're not going to South America. Have fun Judy and Ernie, you may be in the warmest place on earth.