Day 32--Fredericksburg

Today we began exploring the Texas Hill Country around us. First we stopped by the park office where we learned that the unfamiliar, spotted deer we had seen were Access (or Axis?) deer, exotics that had escaped from Game Farms in the region. We also learned that the fire was in the host’s RV, when no one was home. Germans were some of the primary early settlers of the Hill Country and they have left their mark on the towns and villages throughout the region. We drove first to the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park in Johnson City, which was named for his second cousin, who started the town. In the Visitor Center Marv watched a movie about his presidency while I watched a movie about Lady Bird Johnson. We looked at the timeline exhibit that followed his lifetime and what else was happening in the nation at the same time. Then we took the walking trail around the Johnson Settlement, where we saw his grandparents’ rebuilt cabin and other restored historical structures. There is also an exhibit on open range cattle kingdoms, because that was what his grandfather and his brother did when they settled in the region. On our way out we drove past LBJ’s boyhood home. About 14 miles outside of Johnson City is the LBJ Ranch including his birthplace and the “Texas White House” Complex. They can only be seen if you take a tour bus from the State Park, which we opted not to do. So we continued on to Fredericksburg, a charming town that is rich in the cultural heritage of its German immigrant founders. Located in this birthplace and home of Adm. Chester Nimitz is the National Museum of the Pacific War, George H. W. Bush Gallery. The Gallery is new and just opened on Dec. 7, 2009. It is set up to take you on a “tour” of the war beginning with Japanese, Chinese, and Western relations from the mid 1800’s up through the end of the war. Most of the museum is dedicated to a blow-by-blow description of how the Pacific War took place. There are lots of high tech movies and video maps that could outline the different battles of the war. There were also small stands where you could listen to recorded stories of veterans. Marv had expected to get a little better idea of how his father, a fighter pilot in the Pacific Theater, might have been involved in the war but he was disappointed to find that the Army Air Corps was hardly mentioned and when it was, only in the context of bombing Japan. All of the action described in the many displays seemed to be about naval battles, navy bombardments, the landing of troops and the ensuing battles of foot soldiers on the islands. In three hours we only had time to see the gallery, and no time for the Nimitz museum or to take the tour of the Pacific Combat Zone, a three acre site showcasing the large artifacts. We left when the gallery closed and walked around Fredericksburg a bit before going to what the tourist information said was the oldest brewery in Texas. Imagine our surprise when its sign and coasters said it started in 1994! Oh well, they had good beer and an old-fashioned German Biergarten. By then it was time to head back to the campsite, about 45 minutes away. We had added to our list of unusual animal sightings with herds of bison (at a Heritage Farm near the LBJ Ranch), llamas, and the Access Deer. After a light supper we took a walk around our camping loop by the bright light of the almost full moon.

Day 31--Guadalupe River State Park

It didn’t get as cold as they predicted last night (more like mid twenties) and we made it through just fine. It also warmed up faster than predicted so we were packed up and ready to go by 9:10. We drove up to I10 and drove east about 350 miles to Guadalupe River State Park, near the town of Bourne. Along the way we saw everything from the mountains we were leaving, to very flat plains, to interesting plateaus covered with wind turbines, to the hill country where we are now. We passed herds of sheep, goats, cattle and antelope. We also had the harrowing experience of putting 25.3 gallons of gas into our 26 gallon tank! We figure we had about 10 miles left but couldn’t do anything about it until we finally found a gas station. PHEW!!! DQs being more prevalent than McDonald’s in Texas, we gave in and enjoyed a $5.00 Birthday Bash meal of their Hungr-Buster hamburger, fries, drink and a small Blizzard. We saved the Blizzard coupon to enjoy another day. As we drove through Bourne we did some much needed grocery shopping before coming to the State Park. The park is another beauty and there seem to be only about a dozen sites occupied of the 90 some here. One sobering sight—a few campsites down from ours there is a site marked off with caution tape. Within the tape there are obvious signs of a large fire, including the remains of long awning and other parts of an RV. We wonder what happened and pray no one was hurt and that they had insurance to cover the catastrophe. The campsites are up on the bluff, high above the river. After setting up we rode our bikes down (and I do mean DOWN!!) to the picnic area along the river. It’s very beautiful and wild because there are no dams above this area to tame the river. There are plenty of warnings about flash floods and the river has worn a deep canyon, especially on the other side from here. It’s very popular for tubing, rafting, canoeing and kayaking in the summer, but it would be pretty cold right now. This is going to be good place to stay for the next 5 nights, while we travel around the area and see Austin and San Antonio and their environs.

Day 30 evening--Balmorhea

It’s now evening on the 23rd and we have made a wonderful day of it. While I got a shower and washed my hair, Marv talked to a “neighbor” who said they had been at Balmorhea for a few days and had driven to Davis Mountains State Park and Fort Davis one day. We decided to try it and, if the roads were too bad, we would just turn back. There were some snowy, frozen sections in the shadow of the mountains at first. But surprisingly, although we climbed over 2000 feet in elevation, it got warmer, the sun came out and we found less snow, the farther we drove! We went to the State Park first and took a one mile hiking trail. As we began we scared up a mule deer (which reminds me—I saw two antelope as we left City of Rocks yesterday!) The trail climbed the south side of a mountain, crested the mountain and then returned a different way but still on the south side of the mountain. It was one of the most rugged trails we had done, narrow and lined with jagged rocks that weren’t very stable. The rigor of the trail combined with the sun on our backs made the 32° temperature feel much warmer, to the point that we were removing our gloves and unzipping jackets. But the wind at the top was fierce and it felt good to get out of it. We drove on to “Indian Lodge” in the park. It was built by the CCC and its pueblo style architecture nestles into the side of a hill very naturally. We had tea (me) and coffee and a sweet roll (Marv) at its Black Bear Restaurant before driving through the campground. Then we drove to Fort Davis National Historic Site. The Fort was built in 1854 to keep order along the San Antonio-El Paso Road during the California Gold Rush, as a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War, and then through Indian Wars, before being decommissioned in 1891. Most interestingly, the fort was the home of several regiments of so called “Buffalo Soldiers”, African-American fighters, many of whom found their first taste of freedom after the Civil War by serving in the Army. We looked through several of the reconstructed and furnished buildings and enjoyed the informative video about the fort’s history. We left before 5:00 and were relieved to find the road much improved from an afternoon of sun. It was very clear and 36° back at the campsite, and supposed to go down to 20° tonight. We just hope that none of the hoses within the camper freeze, then it’s supposed to be markedly warmer for the next few days.

less snow, the farther we drove! We went to the State Park first and took a one mile hiking trail. As we began we scared up a mule deer (which reminds me—I saw two antelope as we left City of Rocks yesterday!) The trail climbed the south side of a mountain, crested the mountain and then returned a different way but still on the south side of the mountain. It was one of the most rugged trails we had done, narrow and lined with jagged rocks that weren’t very stable. The rigor of the trail combined with the sun on our backs made the 32° temperature feel much warmer, to the point that we were removing our gloves and unzipping jackets. But the wind at the top was fierce and it felt good to get out of it. We drove on to “Indian Lodge” in the park. It was built by the CCC and its pueblo style architecture nestles into the side of a hill very naturally. We had tea (me) and coffee and a sweet roll (Marv) at its Black Bear Restaurant before driving through the campground. Then we drove to Fort Davis National Historic Site. The Fort was built in 1854 to keep order along the San Antonio-El Paso Road during the California Gold Rush, as a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War, and then through Indian Wars, before being decommissioned in 1891. Most interestingly, the fort was the home of several regiments of so called “Buffalo Soldiers”, African-American fighters, many of whom found their first taste of freedom after the Civil War by serving in the Army. We looked through several of the reconstructed and furnished buildings and enjoyed the informative video about the fort’s history. We left before 5:00 and were relieved to find the road much improved from an afternoon of sun. It was very clear and 36° back at the campsite, and supposed to go down to 20° tonight. We just hope that none of the hoses within the camper freeze, then it’s supposed to be markedly warmer for the next few days.

less snow, the farther we drove! We went to the State Park first and took a one mile hiking trail. As we began we scared up a mule deer (which reminds me—I saw two antelope as we left City of Rocks yesterday!) The trail climbed the south side of a mountain, crested the mountain and then returned a different way but still on the south side of the mountain. It was one of the most rugged trails we had done, narrow and lined with jagged rocks that weren’t very stable. The rigor of the trail combined with the sun on our backs made the 32° temperature feel much warmer, to the point that we were removing our gloves and unzipping jackets. But the wind at the top was fierce and it felt good to get out of it. We drove on to “Indian Lodge” in the park. It was built by the CCC and its pueblo style architecture nestles into the side of a hill very naturally. We had tea (me) and coffee and a sweet roll (Marv) at its Black Bear Restaurant before driving through the campground. Then we drove to Fort Davis National Historic Site. The Fort was built in 1854 to keep order along the San Antonio-El Paso Road during the California Gold Rush, as a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War, and then through Indian Wars, before being decommissioned in 1891. Most interestingly, the fort was the home of several regiments of so called “Buffalo Soldiers”, African-American fighters, many of whom found their first taste of freedom after the Civil War by serving in the Army. We looked through several of the reconstructed and furnished buildings and enjoyed the informative video about the fort’s history. We left before 5:00 and were relieved to find the road much improved from an afternoon of sun. It was very clear and 36° back at the campsite, and supposed to go down to 20° tonight. We just hope that none of the hoses within the camper freeze, then it’s supposed to be markedly warmer for the next few days.

less snow, the farther we drove! We went to the State Park first and took a one mile hiking trail. As we began we scared up a mule deer (which reminds me—I saw two antelope as we left City of Rocks yesterday!) The trail climbed the south side of a mountain, crested the mountain and then returned a different way but still on the south side of the mountain. It was one of the most rugged trails we had done, narrow and lined with jagged rocks that weren’t very stable. The rigor of the trail combined with the sun on our backs made the 32° temperature feel much warmer, to the point that we were removing our gloves and unzipping jackets. But the wind at the top was fierce and it felt good to get out of it. We drove on to “Indian Lodge” in the park. It was built by the CCC and its pueblo style architecture nestles into the side of a hill very naturally. We had tea (me) and coffee and a sweet roll (Marv) at its Black Bear Restaurant before driving through the campground. Then we drove to Fort Davis National Historic Site. The Fort was built in 1854 to keep order along the San Antonio-El Paso Road during the California Gold Rush, as a Confederate stronghold during the Civil War, and then through Indian Wars, before being decommissioned in 1891. Most interestingly, the fort was the home of several regiments of so called “Buffalo Soldiers”, African-American fighters, many of whom found their first taste of freedom after the Civil War by serving in the Army. We looked through several of the reconstructed and furnished buildings and enjoyed the informative video about the fort’s history. We left before 5:00 and were relieved to find the road much improved from an afternoon of sun. It was very clear and 36° back at the campsite, and supposed to go down to 20° tonight. We just hope that none of the hoses within the camper freeze, then it’s supposed to be markedly warmer for the next few days.

Day 30--Balmorhea State Park, TX

I will never complain about fickle Michigan weather again! When we arrived yesterday afternoon, it was 63°. This morning it was 27°, we had two inches of snow, the water line had frozen and we were in the midst of a winter storm warning. We stayed warm and cozy inside but it was blowing and ominous outside. The steam is rolling off the pool. We decided the best thing for us was to stay put because tomorrow it is supposed to be in the high 50s and Thursday they are predicting low 70s. Weird!! Marv managed to thaw the water line and we filled the tank with water so we can put away the hose. We’ll go to the closest town and get some groceries and hunker down for the rest of the day. This just puts us off schedule by one day and, since we haven’t planned much past San Antonio, we should be fine. It's fun to see the palms and cacti full of snow and it just makes for a better adventure story, right?

Day 29--City of Rocks State Park, NM

Daylight showed us the wonder and majesty of the rocks within which we were camping! They are fanciful monoliths of ancient eroded volcanic ash that can be up to 40 feet high that tower all around in strange shapes. Some are balanced on their sides or on top of other rocks. Others were obviously used as grinding stones by the prehistoric people who first lived in this area. One was worn all the way through an eight or ten inch slab! We had a great time climbing all over and around them. But having spent an hour or so in them we felt it would be best to be on our way to avoid the coming storm. We drove east and south on I10 through Las Cruces and El Paso. We considered a state park with unusual sand dunes on I25, but it was mid-afternoon by the time we got to where I25 split off. It would have taken us a good hour and a half north of where we are heading so we decided instead to go to Balmorhea State Park, where they claim to have the world’s largest spring-fed swimming pool. It is interesting to see the 1.75 acre pool which was built in the 1930s, is 25 feet deep and stays at 72-75 degrees year-round. There are also canals that now lead to a restored ciénega (wetland). Like all the other Texas State Parks we’ve stayed in they have electricity and water at most sights and rates are usually around $15.00 which is quite reasonable. But having seen the pool, and not being interested in swimming with the air temperature in the high 50s, we’ll make do with another one night stand here and move on to South Llano River State Park, which will get us closer to our next major destination of the San Antonio-Austin area.

Day 28--leaving Arizona

For the first time on our trip we had to take down the camper in the rain. We got up at 7:00 so we’d have plenty of time before meeting Aunt Mary at their Arizona church, Gold Canyon Methodist, for the 9:30 service. And it didn’t rain the whole time, but it came down pretty hard at the prime moments for closing so we ended up pretty wet and cold. The church has 8:00, 9:30 and 11:00 traditional services plus a 9:20 Praise service (in the old sanctuary) and a 5:00 Western service!! Despite the new sanctuary which holds 2000, the 9:30 service was basically packed and we had to meet Aunt Mary (Uncle Don didn’t feel up to attending and being out in the rain) at 9:00 to have seats together. The congregation is largely made up of retirees and the children’s time only had about 3 or 4 kids. But it is hard to say how many families might have been in the Praise service instead. It is a beautiful church and it was an enjoyable service. It was nice for us to be able to listen to their 60 member choir rather than singing in the choir ourselves for a change. After the service we drove southeast on Highway 60 and then Highway 70, not meeting up with I10 until we were back into New Mexico. It was a very pretty drive through some mountains, along canyons, across valleys and passing through the Salt River Apache Reservation. We passed several snow covered peaks but the temperature was in the high 50s or low 60s most of the way. We stopped at Globe, AZ to see the Besh-Ba-Gowah archaeological site. The area was originally inhabited by Hohokam, who established a pit-house settlement around 900 AD and abandoned it around 1100AD. Approximately 1250AD the Salado Indians began constructing what became a 400 room, three story pueblo. Shortly after 1400AD the pueblo was abandoned and the Salado people mysteriously disappeared. Part of the site has been reconstructed and part has been left unexcavated. It is a haunting and fascinating place and we were happy we took the time to visit it. However, we had underestimated how long it would take to reach our destination of “City of Rocks” State Park in New Mexico. As a result we arrived after dark in one of the poorest signed parks we’ve ever seen. As far as we could tell in the dark, all of the electrical sites were taken. So we set–up in what we think is a non-electrical campsite backing up to enormous rocks. As we ate dinner we found out the area is under a Winter Storm Watch for Monday evening and into Tuesday. So we’ll close up the camper and see the rocks in the morning and then head further southeast and to lower elevations before the snow hits. Tonight it’s cold (40°) and clear at 10:00.

Day 27--Scottsdale

So much for our gorgeous Arizona weather. We dropped the camper tire off at a Discount Tire. As we drove to a tribal cultural center and museum near Scottsdale it began to rain. To add to our disappointment the museum, which includes a walk-up window for food made by native women, was closed. We decided to drive to Scottsdale and find the historical museum and library near Old Scottsdale. We had a terrible time getting there because of closed-off streets, which we deduced must mean there was a parade. Passing the staging area, we knew it involved a lot of horses. By the time we got to the general area, parked the truck at a mini-mall and walked the right direction we figured we must have missed the parade because everyone else was walking towards us. The rain had let up and we approached a dripping wet young police officer who asked us if we had enjoyed the parade. He told us it was the Rodeo del Sol parade. We continued on to Old Scottsdale where they were having a street fair and had lots of signs welcoming the rodeo. We found the museum in the Old Red Schoolhouse and then walked around the area and went to the Farmers’ Market. On our way back we stopped by the Scottsdale library and admired the architecture. We picked up the tire and returned to the campsite where the temperature was 53° but the clouds were breaking up a bit. Marv wanted to put the new tire on and move the spare over to the other side but encouraged me to go to the hot tub. As the sun came out more, the temperature eventually climbed into the mid 60s. I went back and forth between the very hot tub and sitting in the somewhat cool sunshine. Marv joined me, quickly followed by our new next door neighbor, an interesting guy from Preston who welds nuts and bolts into little people and sells them at craft shows and online at www.boltpeople.com. Soon we had to get changed to go to Uncle Don and Aunt Mary’s, where Mary served us a nice spaghetti dinner and we visited. While there we could hear a couple of heavy rainstorms go through. But it was just sprinkling as we returned to the campsite to begin getting ready to leave tomorrow.