March/April 2021
The Jam Guy Died in Fredericksburg
But Vinny’s Pizza is stil alive and well in Leakey
Familiar places, favorite haunts, new surprises, new friends; welcome back to Texas. We visited a number of towns and camping spaces we hadn’t seen in several years and could not help but be struck by a sense of rapid change and growth. Some things remain the same, Texas Bluebonnets in the hill country, deer in the camp grounds, mountains and bluffs along the road, but at the same time the traffic seemed heavier and faster moving and construction sites were everywhere.
Have you heard of Google Timelapse? Now, you can get a look at Earth changing before your own eyes over a 35 year period. Through massive computing power and amazing use of multiple satellite resources, Google offers you a new way of seeing the world. This is neither an endorsement nor a promotion of this technology, but only an introduction to our own small experience over the past few months as we have done a little wandering about in Texas. During our first few years on the road back in the early 2000s we spent a fair amount of time in Texas and of course we’ve returned many times over the years since then. Our title captures a couple of our observations from this year’s journey and if you read on you’ll find a bunch more. In summary, we’ll just say that whoever came up with, “The more things change, the more they remain the same”, is only half right.
When we left Alabama over New Years we wandered about in Florida for a little bit and then turned west toward Texas and eventually California. We ended up deciding to spend much more time in Texas than we had intended because we decided that this would be a good time to get ourselves signed up for Covid shots. At that time, which was early February, California was experiencing a bit of a surge so we were not in any hurry to rush over there and Texas seemed as good a place as any to get started on what looked to be a lengthy process.
It all went pretty well for us, but did take some time. Rick got us both signed up on the state’s appointment list, but in the end we got the shots from different places; Kathy got hers at the state-sponsored site in Bryan, while Rick had success at a site run at the county level down in Brenham. In the race to get vaccinated, Kathy ultimately won, getting her second shot 12 days before Rick. Never did find out why it had to work this way, but in those early days things were all pretty confusing; we even signed up in Arizona because other friends seemed to be having success there. One way or another, after a total of about eight weeks, it was all done and we were happy. That took us to the beginning of April, and by then we were more than ready to put plans in place that would get us back on the road.
While we waited for shots, however, we did spend some of our time fairly wisely. Our home base mostly continued to be at Somerville Lake, about half an hour out of the small city of Brenham and an hour away from the Bryan/College Station regional university/shopping/business center. Neither one was overly fascinating, but we were able to do whatever shopping was needed, do research on various projects, make friends with a local chiropractor, and even found a Chuy’s for take-out lunch one day.
Before the shots even started, however, back around Valentine’s Day you’ll remember that we had to deal with some very cold, nasty weather as the Great Texas Vortex came by and dropped a bunch of ice and snow on all of central Texas, unfortunately leaving us with a major case of mold in the Tiger. We ended our last message with a description of the cold weather we’d experienced and a photo of the Tiger in the snow. As with many such challenges, we did manage to survive, although it would be a bit of a stretch for us to say we enjoyed the experience.
Post-Vortex, the deer at the park re-emerged into the spring sunshine and resumed their charming wandering through the campsites and dashes through open areas into better places to forage. The squirrels and the birds followed suit and life slowly returned to normal. We enjoyed them all a lot.
After we got our first shots, we had about 3 weeks in which to enjoy wandering the area before we needed to be back “at home.” We had interesting new friends who were over near Corpus Christi and they were our first stop. Ovi and Cory have just purchased a used Tiger and are fixing it up, along with helping to make repairs on a yacht that is berthed in a nearby marina. We had a great visit, Rick helping to make decisions on repairs/changes/improvements that are being made on their Tiger. It was fun, and there’s nothing like fresh air to improve your sense of humor.
We also wanted to revisit some areas further south in Texas. The further down you go, the drier it gets of course, and we noticed that changes had been made to the countryside since we were last in the area. Oil and gas took over much of the area, and then that boom sort of went bust, and the land is mostly filled with refineries and pumping stations and fracking spots. We were disappointed, and kept moving on. Towns often seemed not to be doing well, the countryside was mostly dry except where a river ran through it, and we were finally seeing more horse trailers than RVs on the road.
Nothing great to report except for the charming town of Victoria. It has a lovely old courthouse and an ancient cemetery, as well as some elegant southern homes and a lovely little campground next to some water on the edge of town. Now that was a total success!
And we passed through the little town of Benevides, “Home of the 6-Time World Champion Baton Twirler”; congratulations, Bonnie.
Returning a bit further north, we stopped for a few nights in Hondo, at the Escapee RV park there, where we ran into some old buddies, Frank and Annie. We got caught up on all the important stuff, and really were pleased to see them again so soon after our visit in Florida in January. We also took a nice bike ride up to Leakey, one of our old haunts, where we rediscovered the pleasures of Vinny’s Italian Restaurant. It was early spring in this part of Texas, and the hills were lovely and green. We saw a few of the “exotics” that are raised in this part of Texas, non-native species of antelope and other four-legged critters. Sadly, they’d apparently been hard hit in the nasty storms and numbers of them had died. On a brighter note, the redbud’s in bloom. This area (the western edge of the Hill Country) has seen a lot more development in recent years, but it continues to be attractive and always good for an explore.
Working our way back to Somerville Lake, we wandered past the LBJ Ranch and headed for the historic areas near Fredericksburg and Boerne. Man, have those towns grown! Couldn’t find a place to park (although in Boerne we managed to get near enough to have lunch at the Hungry Horse, an old favorite), and in Fredericksburg nothing was easy any longer. Worst of all, that terrific jam guy was no longer at his stall on Main Street. We’d been buying his wares for years, but were told at the visitor center that he had died. Bummer deluxe!
Life goes on, however, so onward! We drifted up to Llano, with it’s beautiful old buildings, to grab BBQ at Cooper’s Pit BBQ. Nothing like it, if you get into the area. Best of all, it’s close to Marble Falls, (still) home of the Bluebonnet Cafe and its terrific pies. Yes, of course, this was the Return Visit to Old Haunts and Bluebonnets Tour. The bluebonnets were now in bloom everywhere and coating the countryside like no other flowers can.
So many little towns in this central part of Texas are now no longer small and isolated. They are being over-run with folks; roads are being widened and there is less and less open ground. Brenham, where the newer highways intercut the quiet older neighborhoods, is a good example of another community being “enlarged upon”, or should we say encroached? It’s one thing to read that Texas is the fastest growing state in the country but to actually see it happening is something else.
We did some more traveling again later on, with a trip through Round Top with its big antiques etc. trade days; even selling Brazilian cowhides?? Importing cowhides to Texas??? Say it isn’t so; and on down to La Grange with another beautiful old courthouse. Again, we had lovely spring weather, lots of grass, wildflowers etc. Past La Grange we crossed the Colorado River (no not that one, the Texas one) and went on to Lockhart ((one of the state’s 11 best, apparently!) via Smithville and Rosanky. We were headed down to Alice, deep in south Texas, and this was the perfect way to get there. There were more and more wildflowers everywhere we turned, blanketing the roadways and fields. Along the way we passed the Barking Ranch Pet Hospital and Guest Home.
Why Alice, inquiring minds may ask… well, Alice is where the couple live who were buying our Can Am trike and trailer of course. WHAT?? Yes, it is so. After only four months Rick had determined that the trike simply was not a good fit for us — literally. The riding position was incompatible with the present condition of his knees. Riding was fun for the first thirty minutes, then increasingly uncomfortable for the next thirty; after an hour he just wanted to stop and get off. This was the main reason, but in addition we just really didn’t like towing a trailer again. It isn’t difficult at all, but just a bit confining given how accustomed we are to sudden changes of direction and the overall sense of freedom the small and agile Tiger gives us. So an ad was placed and amazingly, a buyer was found who was first of all near by, and secondly wanted both the trike and its trailer. It all could not have been easier and we even managed to not lose too much on the transaction. Life goes on.
Just a few days later, we finally received the last of our shots and could really hit the road. We were heading towards the Big Bend National Park area and stopped for our first night in the little village of Gruene (pronounced Green for you non-Texans). At least it used to be a little village; now it’s an extension of New Braunfels and is completely surrounded by upscale residential developments; it used to be a charming little spot. Now? Not so much.
On our way down towards Big Bend we had a nice visit with Sylvie and Jake at Canyon Lake. We’d met them in the Everglades a million years ago, and it was great fun catching up. Next up, we’d always wanted to explore Amistad National Recreation Area (Amistad means peace), right out of Del Rio, and we headed there. Wish we could have stayed longer (you’ll hear this several times during this trip); and we want to come back. It’s an interesting area, has cool pictographs and great hiking. Next time.
On towards the BBNP area, crosing over the Pecos River where it joins the Rio Grande (aka the Brazos River North on “the Mexican side”). This is Highway 90, a nice quiet road with lots of views and relatively little traffic. The wildflowers have continued blooming, although now mostly cactus and some tiny yellow ones roadside. We’re definitely in the desert now.
We turned south at Marathon after fueling up (much less expensive here than further along we’d been told.). We were heading to see friends in Terlingua, to be reached by way of Big Bend. We’re still seeing bluebonnets, but they aren’t as lush and big as in the Hill Country. We have started to climb, now at 3600 feet.
Our friends, Tiger owners Mary and Dwight, had told us to be sure to stop in the park at Dagger Flat to see the aloe yuccas (Spanish dagger plants). They display huge white flowers this time of year and Dwight had told us this was a particularly good year to see them. We stopped and explored a bit; they were indeed quite amazing.
We had a very nice visit with Mary and Dwight. They took us on a great tour of the canyons and back areas nearby. We are happy to report that Terlingua is still a nice little town, though it is growing fast. And yes, they still have their annual chili cook-off, which has turned into a huge international event.
Leaving Terlingua, we took an incredibly lovely drive on a road that parallels the Mexican border west to Presidio though Big Bend Ranch State Park. Plants in bloom and hawks soaring above. Even saw some cute javelinas crossing the road in front of us, then jumping up on the stone retaining wall before disappearing down the hill. Why did the javelina cross the road??? We drove through the border town of Presidio, which we’d last seen 15 years ago on one of our crossings into Mexico. Didn’t appear to have changed at all, and its old courthouse is one of the prettiest around.
Then we turned back north through Marfa. We know a family from there, missionaries we met in Fez, in Morocco, ten years ago. Wonder where they are now? Still a quiet town, known for its lights at night; but we drove through in the daylight. Another time we will stay to see the view. But for now on to Van Horn and more.
We definitely were now in West Texas — wide open spaces with the occasional pronghorn; wooden cutouts from the movie “Giant” along the roadside; scrub brush for color; you know what we mean! But we like west Texas, and always enjoy our time here.
We passed through Van Horn, and suddenly we had entered Mountain Time — a sure sign of progress on our westward journey.
We kept going further west. Our last experience of Texas was the somewhat chaotic state of the infrastructure transitioning around El Paso. Things seemed rather messy and confusing, with lots of construction going on, but we made our way through, found our way to the New Mexico border, and heaved a sigh of relief. Finally, a new State! Hurray!
By this time, naturally, we’d started making plans for our time in California, thus putting ourselves on a bit of a schedule. Not a tight one, mind you, more of a sense of how long to be in one place, and then a possible direction to take from there forward. We’d made medical and other appointments, contacted friends to see how they felt about sharing their lives with a couple of fugitives from the middle of the country, and generally begun making plans. Big doings ahead!
We only spent just a few days in New Mexico, but enjoyed them very much. A friend had recommended we explore the Aguirre Springs BLM Campground not too far in from Las Cruces. Good choice. In general, this seems to either be part of Desert Peaks National Monument, or right next to it. We are finding that there is a lot of joining at the hip in these areas, going back and forth between them, and we suspect that every facility gains rather than loses from the juxtaposition. Aguirre Springs is a lovely spot, with peaks in the background and a nice little campground clinging to a hillside that’s covered with trees and interesting plants. We were up at 5700 feet, and enjoyed it after the Big Bend and Van Horn areas. We will come back another time for further exploring.
Tromping northward through Alamagordo and then across to Socorro was delightful. New Mexico is a quiet respite from the crowds and tourism of Texas. We like that a lot. This is lovely countryside, nice and cool this time of year. We headed toward the little town of San Antonio, which we remembered as home of The Owl Bar and Grill, which makes mighty fine green chili cheeseburgers. We’d been stuck in that area for a few days while repairs had been made on our Safari Trek back maybe 17 years ago. The Owl is still there, and the parking lot was as crowded as ever. Right here you cross the Rio Grande, in a much more youthful form than what you see down at the Mexican border.
We turned west at Socorro, stopping at the local Sonic Drive-In for a bit before moving on. We were joined by a large group of teenagers that piled out of a limo, heading for burgers and drinks. They were all dressed up and part of a quinceañera party for a pretty girl in a fancy outfit with full petticoats almost a match for her makeup and hairdo. She was lovely and they were having a great time — at the Sonic — honest!
We spent the next night parked out in the desert a short distance from the VLA — the Very Large Array — you know this place? The VLA is the American radio telescope research facility searching outer space. Look it up; it’s quite fascinating. The facility has a visitor’s center, but is not open to the public these days due to Covid. We were able to stay in an area nearby and got a pretty good look. There are maybe 2 dozen huge dishes; they revolve at times, and blink at times, and are wonderful to look at during the night. On a clear night, which we had, it’s pretty darn cool (and cold, too — it got down to 31 degrees). Oh, and you have to turn off your phone if you want to hang out there for a bit.
The next day we crossed the Continental Divide (7796 feet) just east of Pie Town, finished moseying across New Mexico and through the very nice, quiet town of Quemado, home of the Eagles. And thus we entered Arizona.
We had mail to pick up in Show Low, along US 60, so we moved right along; also we had plans to meet a friend somewhere in that area and hang out for a few days. We looked for an appropriate spot, ending up in a camping area near the Mogollon Rim. There was snow on the ground in Springerville, so we knew it was going to be chilly over the next several days. And indeed it was.
We hooked up with our friend, Mabelle, and we had a few swell days together. The towns in this area have grown enormously in the years since we’d last been here (sigh), and the woods are pretty heavily trodden, but it’s pretty country and it was still fun. We practically froze at night, but sunny days compensated. There were lots of birds around to enjoy, a few squirrels, and wildflowers were just coming out. Pretty nice all in all.
Over the next few days we explored various areas, camping in some and otherwise just taking note for return visits. A couple of times we had loose horses (no, not wild ones) keeping us company, which was very cool. One day we were just setting up camp, quite close to the Rim, when a ranger came by. Very politely he agreed we were just fine to stay there, but mentioned that very strong winds were expected that evening, up to 50 mph, and we might be more comfortable further off the rim. Also that there was a fire (quite a ways off) in the vicinity, and if it got out of hand…. Well, discretion and all that; we moved to a different spot, a bit more protected, where we had a very pleasant (and calmer) time of it.
All this time we’d been drifting from Show Low towards Payson, our turn down (literally — we dropped over 5000 feet) out of the mountains toward the Phoenix and Tucson areas. We had chores to attend to down there, plus a couple of visits with new and old friends to enjoy. A great time was had by all, and then after a few days we started making a bee-line towards California, where we would begin our West Coast swing. Lots of family and friends we’d not seen over the last many, many months — since December ’19 — were waiting for us and we were eager to see them all.
We arrived at lower elevations with the desert in bloom, almost as if we’d planned it. There were saguaro, palo verde, and then as we headed toward Boulder City and its great Dam, Joshua trees. Arizona in April, and the air continued pleasantly cool.
And now we are on to California, and a whole new set of adventures…
Rick and Kathy and Tiger Himself, alone at last.
Be sure to check out the photo page for this story for lots more pictures