Day 250. April 13, 2024. Frightening windstorm!

LOCATION:  Lubbock, TX in noth panhandle part of the state

WEATHER:  Hot, high around 88 and WINDY

We packed up from the Airstream rally and got an early start.  We are heading north, first to see a famous canyon, and then to start our trek back to MN.

We started in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.  The wildflowers, especially the a Texas bluebonnets are at their peak.  Then we drove through thousands of acres of cotton fields.  We didn't know Texas grows so much cotton.  

Then about noon, it was my turn to drive.  Suddenly, high winds started up from the west.  For a short period, I had to go straight west into the wind on the Interstate.  I had the gas pedal floored, but couldn't get up to even 50 mph.  Then we turned north, and the winds blew us all over the road.  I was holding the steering wheel so tightly that my arms ached later.  Tumbleweeds blew across the road.  There was so much dust that you could not see the wind generators in the fields.  There was road construction, so nowhere to turn off.  It was so scary.  Finally, we saw this abandoned cotton gin, and I pulled over.

We tried to open the car door, but the wind was too strong.  This building was very rickety and we thought a piece of metal might fly off.  We parked for about 30 minutes hoping the gusts would due down.  It did improve a bit, and George took the wheel.

The wind was so hot and piercing...about 88.  Tonight, it is supposed to get down to 29, and possibly snow Monday AM.  With the wind and weather forecast, we decided to stay in Lubbock in a motel.

It was a long day on the road...more than 8 hours.  George happily watched the final hour of the Master's Golf Tournament in the motel.  We didn't want to unhook the camper, and there are no restaurants nearby, so we ate leftovers in the room.   

Day 249. April 12, 2014. Airstreams everywhere!

LOCATION:  Johnson City, TX..  In south central Texas, about 60 miles west of Austin

WEATHER:  Partly sunny. Beautiful. Highs in 70s

The Airstream rally continues.  There are Airstreams everywhere in this campground.  The club is really pleased with the turn-out.  There are new ones, vintage ones, big and small.

When I come out of the bathroom, all I see is a sea of Airstreams.  It takes a minute to pinpoint ours.

If that weren't enough, we visited a shop today that refurbishes really old ones.  Some are from 1940s and 1950s.  The guy had about 50 in his lot he was restoring.

It is amazing how great they look.  

We went to a wine and art studio in town.  George had on a Mayo Clinic shirt.  The owners asked if we are from Rochester.  Turns out their daughter works there, and I even know who she is....small world.  This prickly pear plant was outside their studio.  They are starting to bloom.  The flowers, which are supposed to be quite tasty, are called tuna.

Then we went to a nearby meat smoker shop send bought some jerky and sausage.  

Back at the RV park, we had "open house".  Everyone strolled around looking at others' RVs.  I got some good ideas for decorating.  Some rigs are  super expensive and fancy.  George got lots of advice about tires, etc.

We had another pot-luck dinner.  I made a veg/orzo side dish.  The main course was fajitas.  Someone made stuffed jalapeños....that was my favorite.  

Day 248. April 11, 2014. Napa Valley?

LOCATION: Johnson City, TX, in south central Texas

WEATHER:  Sunny and hot, high around 85

We are at the Airstream rally.  More RVs keep coming in.  I'm hoping that there will be a "parade of homes" so we can see the interiors of others.  George has picked up some maintenance tidbits from others.  

We took a day trip to Marble Falls.  They have huge granite quarries there, and everything seems prosperous.  We drove around LBJ Lake.  So nice to see rivers and lakes with water!

There are wineries all over, and we went to one off the beaten path.  This series of Burma Shave signs was along the road.  I wonder how many people remember them?

The grapevines are pretty

And the wineries themselves are nice buildings

Instead of doing a tasting, we just shared a glass of wine, a Tempranillo

Here is George sipping it

Back at the campground, there was a pot-luck dinner.  The host grilled salmon and asparagus for everyone.  I brought some marinated veg that I put on skewers...grape tomatoes, artichoke hearts, mushroom tops, and sharp cheddar cheese.  Sprinkled with oregano.  Quite tasty, and easy. 

Day 247. April 10, 2014. Luckenbach outing.

LOCATION: Johnson City, TX, in south central Texas

WEATHER:  Sunny; high around 85

We took a nice hike around the campground.  We are in LBJ country.  Our campground is called Lady Bird Municipal Park.  

We only had a 30-minute drive today, so we took a detour through this little town called Luckenbach.  It is well-known for its live music.  Concerts are held on the weekends, and people flock there.  Waylon Jennings apparently wrote a song about the town, and Willie Nelson has had a big 4th of July celebration here for several years.  There was a guitarist playing while we lunched.

It was fun...lots of motorcyclists.  They are driving around the countryside looking at the wildflowers. 

Later, we stopped at one of the hundreds of wineries in the area.  It is like Napa Valley.  

We are now at the Airstream rally in Johnson City, TX.  So far, about 25 Airstreams have arrived.  We are probably the smallest rig, as well as the only out-of-staters.  Everyone seems very friendly.  We all went together to a brewpub in town.  We just had a beer, while others stayed for dinner.

DINNER:  We grilled salmon burgers.  One was jalapeño flavored  and one had blue cheese filling.  We had bought them at a nice grocery store earlier today.  For side dishes, I made orzo and steamed asparagus.  Very spring-like!

Day 246. April 9, 2014. Spring has sprung!

LOCATION:  Fredericksburg, TX, in south central Texas, in the Texas Hill Country

WEATHER:  Sunny and hot. High around 85

We drove about 150 miles  SE to Fredericksburg.  We are kind of back-tracking, as we have been in this area before, in late January.  We are here as we are on our way to a nearby Airstream rally.  

This is the prettiest (I think) part of Texas.  It is rolling hills with some green, for a change!  The Texas bluebonnets are popping up.  There were beautiful wildflowers all along the road on our drive.  

It is also wine country, and there are wineries all over.  It is a cute town, with lots of shops, restaurants, venues for weddings, spas.  It has a German heritage. 

After parking the Airstream in a nice municipal park, we drove to Enchanted Rock State Park.  There is an interesting, huge rock formation there.  We climbed partly to the top of the rock dome, but since it was so hot, we turned back.  

We rewarded ourselves by stopping in a wineshop in town, and enjoyed a cool glass of Sauvignon Blanc under the trellis with some great olives.

We decided to splurge and went to a super nice restaurant.  It features Texas food and wines

We had spicy pork belly in Asian buns for an appetizer.  For our entree, we shared a Texas Mixed Grill.  It was steak, Texas quail stuffed with jalapeño, and venison sausage.  The sides were terrific steamed green beans and 3-cheese grits.  We paired the dinner with a Texas Tempranillo.

Everything was perfect...food, service, atmosphere.  Plus, it was near our campground.  Super nice evening. 

Day 245. April 8, 2014. Exploring San Angelo

LOCATION:  last full day at San Angelo State Park, in west central Texas

WEATHER:  very nice.  Highs in 70s

We took another hike along the trails in the park, and then went into town.  It is a very nice little city.  They have  a Riverwalk with museums and walking paths.  We visited an international water lily collection.  

Texas has seasons, too, and it seems like spring now with flowers and trees blooming.  These were very pretty.

We had lunch (chicken tacos) in a nice pub.  Then we walked around downtown.  We went through this old hotel which was Hilton's fourth in the world.  

It is called the Cactus Hotel now. Someone told us about this boot shop.  It is very famous.  Supposedly the Bush family get their boots here.  

They do everything by hand.  Customers get measured and select the type of leather (cow, alligator, ostrich, crocodile) and design.

There is a 15-month waiting list right now.  We asked the price.  We learned that prices start at about $995 for the least expensive leather, and go up.  The most expensive was a pair of alligator boots with elaborate stitching for Richard Petty at $15,000. 

We also visited a jewelry store where they have pearls  from oysters in the river that flows through town.  The jewelry store is in a famous former bordello building.  

We came back to the campground to relax and for dinner.

DINNER:  leftovers.....smoked brisket to which I added BBQ sauce and onions and peppers.  My brother sent me a recipe to use the leftover beans from last night.  Also used the leftover broccoli.  

Day 244. April 7, 2014. Bathroom excitement!

LOCATION:  San Angelo State Park in west central Texas

WEATHER:  Cool. Highs around 60

We have European camper neighbors.  We spoke with one couple from Quebec.   Another group is definitely European....guy walking around in Speedos.  A third group  speak just a little English.  Last night we tried talking with them as we walked by their site, but no response.  Later, they started a bonfire, which is against the burn ban, probably because they didn't understand the rule.  

This morning, I was in the women's bathroom brushing my teeth.  To my astonishment, two of the non-English speaking men walked in.  They inferred that the men's side didn't have water, and rushed into the stalls.  Europeans are definitely more relaxed than we are!

We took a 3 -hour hike.  This park has 70 miles of hiking trails, so lots to explore.  There used to be lots of buffalo around here.  This is what is left.

In the PM, we drove into town to check it out.  The population is about 100,000.  We went to a brewpub, but their equipment was broken, so we just had other craft beers.  

The sky looked like it was going to storm, but it blew over.

DINNER:  Using cannellini beans that I had soaked all day, I made a white chili.  I added jalapeño peppers, onion, and chicken.  At the end, I swirled in some jalapeño cream cheese for texture.  I'm afraid I overestimated  the amount of beans needed (they really expanded as they soaked), so we have lots of leftover beans.