As you’ll see by my previous postings, I quit blogging part-way through last summer’s travels. I got more involved in the “doing” rather than the “writing” about our travel experiences.
This summer’s jaunt to Alaska will be such a special one that I need to be more faithful in recording it.
A special friend of ours, Steve Westmoreland, has thrown down the gauntlet by saying he’s become a “follower” of our blog and awaited future postings. (See the upper right corner and please sign up. You’ll receive email notice of any updates I make.)
Boy, the pressure’s on! So, get out your atlas and find the places we mention. Hey, we’ll supply the story and pictures. You can sit back, be entertained, and not have to pay the fuel costs! Just heard they’re about to go up. (Naturally! It’s approaching summer time!)
OK, Steve, here goes!
We finally left our home in Retama Village located down in Mission, TX, at about 11:30 a.m., Friday, May 7, much to the amusement of our pals who thought we’d NEVER be ready! On our first day, we hoped to get as far as Kerrville, TX, in the Hill Country n.w. of San Antonio. We were looking forward to cooler temperatures. It was to be 94 degrees today here in the Rio Grande Valley and the humidity was already stifling! Time to go!
Our motorhome’s starting mileage: 29,382 – make note cuz we’ll be keeping track and there'll be a quiz later! Oh, and I was so excited to be on the road again, I forgot to take a picture of us or the rig. Oh, well!
As much as we love to travel, we also love our winter perch in Mission and, in some ways, it's hard to leave in the spring. We'd planted a vegetable garden late last fall -- yes, tomatoes are planted in Oct.-Nov. for harvest in Jan.-Feb.!! We'd endured a historically cold winter (3 hard freezes, absolutely unheard of!) so lost some of our original tomatoes, replaced them, and -- as luck would have it -- they were just reddening as we prepared to leave. So, I picked what I could and these lovelies sit on our dashboard, ripening in the sun. I had also picked fresh basil and Italian parsley from my garden. Dinner on this hot, hot day will involve these things and some fresh mozzarella on a bed of mixed salad greens with balsamic dressing. With artisan multigrain bread, yummy!!
Our "road music" today was courtesy of Asleep At The Wheel, an Austin-based Texas Swing group led by Ray Benson. The group's been around for over 30 years yet remains as popular today as ever before. Last summer, we attended a Wheel concert at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA, where they appear a couple of times a year. The place was full, jam-packed FULL, and I talked to several people who had actually flown in just for the concert. Now THAT's band loyalty! Anyhow, we have just about every CD they've made and it is fine toe-tappin' music! Goin' down the road, be happy music!
Leaving the Valley, there’s only one main road north and that’s US 281. We drove up to the Pleasanton exit (#103), headed west to Jourdanton, n.w. to Devine, to Hondo, and due north through Bandera to Kerrville. This is a slick and scenic way to bypass San Antonio. (Thanks, Becky D., for the helpful hint!). Last year, as we headed south, we visited Bandera, Boerne (pronounced "Burny"), and Fredericksburg, in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. However, we missed getting to Kerrville, so it became a priority for our springtime trip north.
We were immediately aware we’d left the Valley because 1) RV’s were now replaced by horse and stock trailers, 2) signs were predominantly in English, not bilingual, 3) after the Inspection Station at Falfurrias, we didn’t see any more Border Patrol vehicles, and, 4) we were heading into the Bible Belt. The farther north we got, the more churches we saw and the bigger they got!
Our lunch stop was in Amanda’s BBQ in Premont, just north of Falfurrias, TX. It looked promising but, instead, made us hunger for true Texas BBQ!
An otherwise unremarkable building facade, unless you look closely both inside and out.
A detail over the entry door…our first hint. I found the next two signs inside very comforting! The rest of the interior decor was, at best, “undecided”. Everything from a calendar with the local high school’s football schedule; to the crucifixion; to oil drilling company ads; to silk floral swags. Randomly interspersed throughout, though, were items which frequently referenced “Apostolic” and “Pentecostal”. Some restaurant patrons wore t-shirts advertising their particular church. Hmm, I better mind my “p’s” and “q’s”!
After lunch, off we went, grateful for our air conditioning and to be on an adventure!
Along the roadside were lots of wildflowers still in bloom. Splashes of Indian Paintbrush, lavender Thistles, orange and rust of Texas Fire Ring, several yellow, pink and white flowers. As we headed west away from US 281 and began our curve to the n.w., between Devine and Hondo, we began to see live oaks and juniper. We’d definitely left the Valley now!
The last leg, from Bandera to Kerrville, took us into the hills, past ranches with high fencing (exotic game ranches offering canned “hunts”) and those which were working ranches thus needed to keep deer OUT! There were grand hilltop homes made of local stone and positioned to have sweeping views. These are prime examples, along with older ranch buildings, of typical Texas Hill Country architecture. Imposing stone gateways with decorative iron gates led to these retreats. It’s only about an hour or so to San Antonio from here.
Finally, at about 7:30p.m., we arrived at Buckhorn Lake RV Resort just outside Kerrville. Several friends had told us about it so it seemed like a natural first stop. What a lovely place it turned out to be (please see our next post). Here are some pictures of the entryway. The whole place is loyal to the Hill Country theme and includes a full-size windmill in the center of a traffic circle.
The main gateway of local stone with the center logo which resembles a brand, “BLR”.
The park’s Office and General Store.
The entry looking down toward the windmill
Our motorhome, as seen just below the entry road and main swimming pool. We’re shaded from the afternoon sun by nearby oaks.
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