March 25, 2017 - Fredericksburg, TX

We were hoping to be up around 7 am, but we slept in until 7:45 am. We wanted to leave early at 8 am to start. Not happening!

I went out to see how the weather was like.  Really nice.  It was 46˚. It was very sunny and there were no clouds! A perfect day for our outing.  

We packed our lunches to go.  I made a list of places to visit today: Johnson City, TX; Lyndon B. Johnson State Park; Fat Ass Winery; Texas Longhorn Metal Sculpture; Hill Country Science Mill and Der Stadt Friedhof Cemetery.

We were on way to Johnson City, TX (the hometown of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President) when we spotted the beautiful Longhorn metal sculpture.  There were also several outdoor sculptures. 

We went to the community market, walked around, bought two handmade soaps (key lime and cherry).  There was one booth that had Phoenix, the Euarasin eagle-owl. It is not found in America and its native land is Eurasia.  It is one of the largest species of owl. Its average lifespan is 60 years.

Just behind the market is Blanco County Jail that that was built in 1892.  Across the street from the jail is Blanco County Courthouse that was built in 1916.

We drove by Hill Country Science Mill so I can get out and get pictures of the metal sculpture climbers scaling an old metal silo.  Then I walked across Hwy 290 to take pictures of metal sculptures at one store.

At the intersection of Hwy 281 and 290 there are fields of wildflowers.  We pulled over to a shoulder and I walked over to the field to get close-up shots of the flowers.  The winds were blowing, so it was hard getting a shot that is not out of focus. There were maybe 6-8 different kinds of wildflowers.  

Erwin wanted to go and check out Arc De Texas Wine & Views, the luxury wine tasting place on 290 South. The building is modeled after the “Arc de Triomphe” in Paris, France.  It is a 4 story building. It is situated om a 2,000 acre ranch. The view was outstanding. We did not do a wine tasting.  It also has accommodations nearby. The expensive accommodation is the 86 ft tall Lighthouse. It has 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, and can sleep 9 people comfortably.  The nightly rate for 2 people is $720 a nite. 

We went back to Johnson City to check out one store: Whittington’s Jerky & General Store. We had jerky samples and we did not care for any of them.   

We visited Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) National Historical Park where LBJ’s boyhood house. He spent most of ten years living in the house.  It was there that LBJ launched his first campagin for Congress, and his ascent to the U.S. President from the east porch.

We checked out Vino Vium and sampled five different wines. Erwin did not care for three of them and I did not like one.  The lady who served us was born deaf, but wore hearing aids.  She used to know sign language, but has not used it since. 

LBJ State Park and Historical Site is in Stonewall, TX.  This is where LBJ was born.  After retirement from the public service he moved back to live at the ranch.  He died in 1973 and was buried in the family gravesite at the ranch.

To visit the ranch you need to go to the visitor center to get an auto tour permit. We were given a map of the route to follow and visit: LBJ’s first school building, birthplace, the family cemetery and Texas White House. 

The last attraction before leaving the state park was the Texas White House where LBJ and his wife, Lady Bird, lived there after LBJ's retirement from politics.

It was after 5 pm when we left the state park and went to Fat Ass Winery.  We wanted to get 6 bottles of Country Peach wine. Last year we bought just one bottle, drank it somewhere, liked it so much but we were too far away from Texas to buy more. 

Last stop before going “home” was for me to take a picture of red poppy flowers in the field. It was so beautiful.

We were really tired, but enjoyed the day so much. Tomorrow we will be leaving here to go to Del Rio, Texas.

~Edith

March 24, 2017 - Austin, TX to Stonewall, TX

The morning sky looked very threatening and the weather forecast called for rain.  We did not fix our breakfasts because we were going to meet friends at Cracker Barrel Restaurant in Buda, TX, about 9 miles south from the state park.

It was good to see Char, our good friend from Washington State.  She introduced us to her friends, who came along with Char.  They were raised in Minnesota, but now live in Texas.  

Vickie, Char, Erwin and I

We stopped at HEB near Cracker Barrel to pick up stuff we needed before we leave Austin, TX.  This store was not as big or fancy as the one we went to on South Lamar St in Austin.  They did not have fresh guacamole dip or fancy cheeses/crackers.  We got gas ($1.99) for the Jeep at HEB gas station.

After getting back to the state park and putting groceries away we discussed about finding a campground in Fredericksburg, TX for tonight and maybe tomorrow night.  Fredericksburg KOA was fuly booked, so Erwin made three calls (no luck). 

We left McKinney Falls State Park at 1 pm for Fredericksburg, TX.  While enroute Erwin made some calls to RV parks in Fredericksburg and all had no available sites.  I looked up RV Parky app, checked reviews on other campgrounds. Peach Country RV Park is in Stonewall, TX, about 12 miles to the town center of Fredericksburg, and Erwin called to check about sites. The office said they had some available sites. Little pricey, but we had no choice.  We could boondock somewhere in Fredericksburg, but we did not want to. 

We got on 290 West and there was a traffic jam that got us delayed for about 15 minutes.  We went through the town of Dripping Springs, TX.  So surprised to see how much the town has grown since the last time we visited.

We went by Johnson City, TX, the hometown of President Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ).  It was founded by James Polk Johnson, LBJ’s uncle.  It is about 30 miles east of Fredericksburg, TX.

We pulled into Peach Country RV Park little after 2: 30 pm, checked into the office.  The lady was very pleasant and is an artist.  We were assigned to site #32 (pull-through).  

Not much trees around, but the area was well-maintained.  It is ideally situated between Johnson City and Fredericksburg, TX.  

After setting up the Lil’ Home we immediately left for a drive on Willow City Loop.  Without double checking the map we went on 965 to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.  When we got closer to Enchanted Rock we realized that we were on the wrong route, pulled over to check the map. Banging our heads!  We should have gotten on N. State Highway 16.  There was no roads connecting between 965 and 16 where we stopped, so we had to continue driving north to meet Route 16. 

There was a sign pointing where Willow City Loop (RR 1323) is. It is 12 miles north of Fredericksburg and is the gateway to the scenic 13 mile loop that is a favorite of locals and tourists for beautiful country drive.  It is maintained by the county; however all the lands are privately owned.  We were hoping to see the abundance of wildflowers, such as bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush and more.  The best time to visit Willow City Loop is during the Wildflower season (March through May).  We were disappointed it was not as awesome like it was last year.  Perhaps in a week or two there will be more. We would not advise you to drive the Loop during weekends due to bumper to bumper traffic.  

On way back to Fredericksburg I looked up to see if there is an historic cemetery in the town. Yes, there is one, and I gave Erwin the directions.  While on the road toward the cemetery there were old log cabins, but are not privately owned.  

While in the cemetery I did not get out of the car to walk among the graves to take pictures of because the sun was going down.  Maybe I’ll come alone tomorrow after I drop Erwin off at a laundromat either tomorrow or Sunday morning.

After supper we took a leisurely stroll around the campground, checking out every RV, met with a fellow camper from CA who was on his way to Louisiana.

It is supposed to be very sunny tomorrow, so I am going to do my homework and see what attractions we can visit tomorrow.

~Edith