What can you tell us about Texas?

[Dean & Linda Stock]

What Betty said - Come to Quartzsite (Linda !!) and we'll give you lots of poop on Texas.

All right already!  Yes, Dean is dragging me to Quartzsite this year.  And, the ONLY reason I'm coming is to see you, Betty, and the other RVForumers.  So, dig out those pictures, those fond memories of times in Texas, and regale me with tales of wonder.  Maybe it will make me forget that I am in "The Armpit of the World", boondocking with a wonderful husband who shudders every time I turn on the tap.  And, yes I did read your post about the water situation, which will give us both a chance to practice maintaining a calm demeanor when we have conflicting priorities--mine being clean, clean, and Dean's being conserve, conserve.

Linda

 

[Dean & Linda Stock]

Hi Linda!

The Hill Country  - Austin is a neat town.

Now I know at least one place in "Hill Country" that everyone is talking about.  Thanks

  You can take a World War II "duck" ride out onto a lake.  It's a vintage amphibious vehicle that drives on both the road and water.  Jerry got to drive it out of the water onto land and had a blast.

This is new to me--sounds great--we will definitely try it.

Fredericksburg is nearby and it has a wonderful museum in the former Admiral Chester Nimitz family's hotel (he grew up there) - it's the Nimitz museum about the War in the Pacific.

We will add Fredericksburg to our itinerary.

The Alamo has a good museum too. 

We were in Texas for a short time and went to the Alamo.  I have to agree with Wendy on this one.  I was so disappointed that they had "prettied up" the grounds and nothing there was real.  The museum had some good exhibits--I was especially intrigued by all the countries' flags that represented the soldiers who fought, but it was very crowded.

We happen to like Big Bend.  It has a stark beauty with huge terrain.  The little town of Lajitas is where General Pershing chased Pancho Villa across the Rio Grande and down into Mexico.

Big Bend is now a question mark--go or no?  We will look at again and thanks for the info.

 

[Dean & Linda Stock]

Apologies to everyone.

I have been volunteering in my daughters' second-grade classroom, and I volunteered to type her kids' stories.  The titles were to be done in all caps. 

So, when it said subject I hit the "Caps lock" key.  Dean tells me that typing in caps is like "SHOUTING!"  Oops!  I will try to change it.

 

[Tom]

Linda, you're fine. It's when the full body of a message appears in uppercase that people have a tough time.

 

[geodrake]

Whole Foods world headquarters is in Austin and on the ground floor is their flag ship store.  Well worth a stop. 

 

[rhmahoney]

Kerrville is a good base to day trip the hill country.

 

[Tom and Margi]

Between Austin and Fredricksburg is Lyndon B. Johnson's ranch.  It's a state park, as I recall, and we took a bus tour all over the "spread".  Lady Bird was in residence at the time.  I wonder if they have included the house in the tour now.  His boyhood "shotgun" home was part of the tour as was the airstrip and Secret Service facilities added while he was President.

Margi

 

[Bob Maxwell]

,. . .and thanks to Lady Bird, [whom Bev & I met at the ranch,] the LBJ Ranch and TX benefited from her wildflower planting campaign and the ranch abounds in Bluebonnets and Indian Paint Brush, In bloom, it make a great stop!

You'll find these blue plants from south of Wichita Falls to near Houston to south of San Antonio to near Midland. IMO the best area is San Antone to Austin to Llano to Brownwood and down to Kerrville and Hopalong Cassidy contry.

TX has 25-35? distinct cultures so you'll be missin' more than you'll see and "Come on back, ya hear?" will mean more when you return to the shaky side.

 

[sheltie]

We love seeing Nature--birds, animals, flowers.  We also like interesting museums, small and large, things that are unique, Native American culture, arts & crafts.  We like good food, especially regional foods and homemade foods.  Unfortunately, due to arthritis, physical activities are a "no go" for me.  What places are best to simply travel through and keep going, so we don't spend extra time just twiddlling our thumbs in the middle of nowhere?  What should we see in the Hill Country, and where is it?

I wanted to answer so you didn't think I was ignoring your question - especially after requesting it!  Since you are going to QZ and will be getting info first hand, and because so many people have answered here with great responses, there isn't much I can add.  With all the rain we've been having since Fall and even now, plus the cold weather snap we had, the bluebonnets should be spectacular this April.  You can see them most anywhere that there isn't desert, but particularly in East Texas, Central Texas and the Hill Country.  The Hill Country can probably best be described if you Google it, but places like Fredricksburg, Marble Falls, Kerrville, Austin, Gruene, Wimberly, Dripping Springs, Johnson City, the Wild Flower Farm just east of Fredricksburg, et al, come to mind.

I, too, have arthritis and you can visit any of the places and not have to exert yourself more than just walking and enjoying the sights and stores.

 

[Marsha/CA]

Hi Linda,

You've got some great answers for things to see and do.  Texas is not one of our favorite places; but San Antonio and the Alamo was worth the trip; especially as we were heading back west to California anyway and had to go through it. 

Since you are from California like me, you may be surprised to know that you probably have already seen Bluebonnets.  Texans call "our" Lupine Bluebonnets.  Here is the link for a better explanation.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluebonnet

Not to dissuade you, but we were not that thrilled with Big Bend.  It looks a lot like Barstow...... ;D.  And if you have seen Yosemite and Yellowstone or even the Grand Tetons, you might be a bit disappointed.  Big Bend is quite a ways off the beaten track.  However we did stop at the "Judge Roy Bean" bar/courtroom on the way from Big Bend which was very interesting and brought back memories of old black and white cowboy movies where the "hanging" judge was in charge.  I can't recall the exact location; but can find it if you decide to head that way.  Big Bend NP is unique in one respect though, they have Havilina running around!!

See you in QZ, we will be getting there on Wednesday morning.  Take lots of extra water in 1- 2 gallon jugs!  Do all your "cleaning" in a little plastic tub, then empty it out on the desert plants.  Or, as predicted it's supposed to rain, I'm gonna set buckets out...<just kidding>

Marsha~

 

[sheltie]

Havilina????  You MUST be from CA!

 

[Luca1369]

What I have to say about Texas does not concern a place so much as a "style." 

I like the fact that if you're driving down a road in Texas, not an interstate, that Texans will pull over to the right to let you by if they feel they're slowing you down (the roads generally being wide enough to do this).  There's not many places where drivers show such consideration.

Steve

 

[Marsha/CA]

Yes, Sheltie,  There are Havilinas in Big Bend National Park.    I have a picture and will attach it.  We were warned when we camped that they would attack dogs, so we could not leave our big dog tied up outside.  One evening during "cocktail" hour the dog jumped up and kept staring in one direction.  We turned around and here came "Chucky" (the park Ranger's nick-name).  Because Chucky was pretty close and moving fast, we grabbed the dog, left our beer and chips out on the little table by our chairs.  Chucky checked everything out and even went underneath the coach trying to find the dog.

Chucky had been injured and the next day was relocated to another area of the park.  Apparently he wasn't afraid of people or dogs.

Marsha~

 

[Bobandpamlemay]

Linda and Dean: My wife and I enjoyed Texas last year for the first time. We loved the Alamo in spite of the negative comments in this thread. We also loved the RiverWalk in downtown San Antonio. We hated a campground west of town. We disliked it so much I can't remember the name.
We stayed in SanBenito for 2 months and enjoyed the nature trails every chance we could. Walking is also a problem for me but some of them have tram rides and others let you drive through. We're going back in 2 weeks and I'd like to try bikes in the nature parks where we can. Hope it will be easier than walking.
We went to Progresso as well and other than the tank on the bridge with 6 federalies with machine guns at port arms, it was uneventful. We did find a good restaurant though.
We also went to South Padre Island and were disappointed except for driving my pickup on the sand in 4 wheel drive. We like Capita and Sanibel.
We took a few days and went to Galveston. Loved the trip....Mustang Island, Aransas Pass, The Lexington Museum and the aquariums next door. On the way back we stopped at King Ranch. Not a big deal but we enjoyed it.

Hope this helps.

Bob

 

[edjunior]

Okay...so you like flowers and stuff.  Well, you say you are interested in the wildflowers of Texas.  Okay...please do not miss this chance.  Check out this link.  I've looked around a little bit, and this seems to be the best of them.  Whatever you decide, please check out anything to do with the wildflowers of the Hill Country:

http://www.hillcountrycruising.com/willowcity.html

The wildflowers will of course be everywhere, but this loop really seems to be the best of the best.  There may be pockets that might be better, but this will give you the chance to check out a really good "tested" route.  And so far, the rains this winter are going to be contributing to a spectular show this spring.

Just keep googling anything to do with Hill Country Wildflowers, and keep up to date, and do not miss this outstanding display of Mother Nature!

 

[edjunior]

Oh, and yes...the Alamo may be a bit dissapointing as far as "a lot to see".  But again, as some have said...it is a solemn kind of thing.  Just reading everything that happened, and spending a little time in comtemplation, will really make a difference.  Dont' get caught up in the little there is to see, but rather, spend time reading aobut what happened and how.

 

[sheltie]

Marsha - actually, I was chuckling at your spelling of Javelina.  They are extremely nasty buggers and cause a great deal of damage to both property and other animals.  Your spelling is the transliterated version from Spanish.  I knew what you meant, just wanted to rattle the chain of someone from CA who had something nice to say about my home.

 

[wthibeaux]

I suggest you go to www.traveltex.com and order the Texas Travel Guide. It breaks down the state into geographic regions and cities and all the attractions in each city. The best thing is that the book is FREE and usually arrives in less than 10 days.

 

[Marsha/CA]

Sheltie,

<slapping my forehead>  I relied on the spellchecker to "catch" me.  It didn't even flinch, so I thought I was "doin good"..... :
Oh my...<hanging my head>

Don't mean any offense to your state.  You'll get a good chuckle when I tell you that I love Nebraska.  What can I say, I'm warped.  Must be from too much time in the sun out here in California.

Marsha~

 

[Wendy]

Sorry, guys, I wasn't insulting the Alamo, I was saying that there are 4 other historic missions in San Antonio that I found MUCH more interesting than the Alamo. I think my biggest disappointment in the Alamo is that it is completely and closely surrounded by the city and loses much because of that.

Wendy