"Where flowers bloom, so does hope." — Lady Bird Johnson
Tuesday (5/7) – Pittsburg
On Tuesday we had an easy 2.5-hour drive from Hot Springs, AR to Lake Bob Sandlin State Park in northeast Texas. We were given site 13, a secluded, spacious site on the lake. Like most state parks, it had electric & water only, with a dump station on the way out. Also like most state parks, it was very reasonably priced at $26 per night.
On our way there we stopped at a convenience store and saw what we considered a quintessentially Texan sight: at the back of the store in a diner booth sat an elderly gentleman dressed in a nice dress shirt and jacket, bolo tie, and 10-gallon hat. He was scratching off lotto tickets with a shiny—and large—hunting knife. I definitely got a “do not disturb” energy from him! I wonder if he won anything.
We spent that evening enjoying the view down by the lake, and then decided to re-hitch the trailer since the forecast was for heavy rains overnight and into the next day. “Heavy rains” was an understatement—more like a deluge! When Dave dumped the tanks the next morning, he got so thoroughly soaked that he had to change his clothes before we got back on the road.
Wednesday (5/8) – Hillsboro
After driving in the rain all morning, it finally cleared by the time we reached Airstream of Dallas-Fort Worth, one of the biggest dealers in the country. There were a few models we wanted to see, so we thought we’d stop in for half an hour. But we weren’t prepared for their inventory—they had 70 trailers on the showroom floor, plus many more outside. The salesman there was helpful and knowledgeable, and even gave us some tips on how to take care of our current trailer (pertaining to the black tank, so I will spare you the details). We wandered among various trailers, and decided which one would be our next if we were to spend more time on the road. We love Pearl, but she is short on storage and has a tiny bathroom, which Dave can barely squeeze into.
The salesman also told us about an Airstream-only RV park between Dallas-Forth Worth and Waco, so we decided to check it out. No one answered the phone when we called, but we took our chances and drove there, arriving an hour before they closed their gates. The park is called the North Texas Airstream Community, and they have a huge parking lot with full hookups for people like us (anyone can camp there, but non-Airstreamers pay $10 more) and garage-type houses for the people who live there. The community looks a bit down on its luck, not at all like The Gardens. But the people were very friendly and helpful, and they told us how to check in and gave us the gate code so we could get back in after we went out for dinner (at Whataburger—whatawerewethinking). We used their laundry facilities that evening.
Thursday (5/9) – Del Valle
Right before we embarked on our trip, we joined Harvest Hosts, which enables members to park for free at various wineries, farms, historic sites, and golf courses around the country for about $75 per year (less if you don’t get the golf course add-on). We had never tried it before, but we were heading toward Austin and thought we might find something in the area. We did: Austin Orchards.
We made arrangements that morning and arrived around 3:45 p.m. Jason, a nice young man with a full beard who manages the place, showed us where to park. He said there were three other people who had called wanting to stay that night, but we had called first. Ordinarily they could accommodate more, but the site where they would put other trailers was like a bog from the rain.
We decided to sit outside and read, since there was a nice breeze. Jason and some of the other people who worked there sat on the porch of a little nearby cottage, chatting and drinking Coronas. Jason asked us if we minded dogs, and when we said we liked them, he went to the truck and let them out. There were four, two adults and two puppies, all rushing us at once. Willis, a huge boxer, sat on my feet. This one put her snout into our snack bowl.
After dinner we wanted to take a walk around the property, so we went over to the porch to ask Jason if it would be okay to do so. “Sure,” he said. “You’re welcome to walk anywhere. Just stick to the road and avoid the tall grass. There are copperheads.” Then he went on to mention scorpions, black widow spiders, and snapping turtles. “If you didn’t want us to camp here, you should have just said so,” I joked. “Just warning you,” he said. Then he pulled out his phone to show us pictures of the copperheads he had killed—and eaten! As we strolled the orchards with our eyes partially trained on the ground, Dave found a coiled piece of orange twine on the path, which he brought back to show Jason. “Look at what I found,” he said proudly. They had a good laugh.
This orchard has 98 acres, and they grow peaches, pluots, blackberries, strawberries, melons, gourds, pumpkins, and a variety of vegetables. They also have chickens, a goat, a very rotund pony, and a donkey on the premises. It was really fun to wander around.
There are no hookups at Harvest Host properties, so we boondocked (RV parlance for “you’re on your own”). It was 80 degrees and humid, but shortly after we arrived the wind picked up. Later in the evening it was so strong that we had to put the windows down because they were vibrating. We enjoyed sitting in the dark reading by the glow of our Kindles. We could have turned on lights, as we have battery to rely on, but we liked the mood. That night it got down to 55 degrees, but we were pretty snug in bed.
We bought some peach preserves and peach butter on our way out the next morning. Yum!
Friday-Sunday (5/10-12) – Wimberley
Our daughter Kayt lives with her dog Banksy in a sweet little guest house on a horse property, so we parked beside the barn, which came with water and 30 amp service. Plus two adorable donkeys! We had a fun visit with her that included a variety of good restaurants, such as Hays City Store & Ice House, Community Pizza, Kate’s Place, and Salt Lick BBQ.
We drove in to Austin on Saturday. While Dave took the truck for an oil change, Kayt and I explored the impressive Austin Central Library. It’s a platinum LEED-certified building with a rooftop garden, a “Technology Petting Zoo,” coffee shop and cafe, bookstore, and art exhibit space. We enjoyed the work of Calder Kamin, who makes art from plastic trash. Afterward, we visited the Capitol building and BookPeople, a fantastic bookstore we had visited the last time we were in town. We also went to REI to find hats, as neither Dave nor I could find our hats before we left.
On Mother’s Day we visited Unity of Wimberley, then had brunch at the Shady Llama, which is an outdoor space with gorgeous views of the hill country from the scattered picnic tables. The food is from food trucks, and Kayt and I had “phoritos” (combining pho and burritos, which were delicious, believe it or not!).
In the evenings we played board games and talked, and it was a lovely—and too short—visit.
Monday (5/13) – San Angelo
It was a long drive through the Hill Country and beyond today, mostly on two-lane highways. Texas really has some beautiful land, full of live oak trees and fields of Indian Blanket and other wildflowers.
We came upon a sign for the LBJ Ranch, which we hadn’t intended to visit, but couldn’t pass up. This was home for Lyndon Johnson, and apparently he stayed there often when he was President. It was called the “Texas White House.” Driving around the vast acreage, I could understand why he would seek refuge there. There was something serene about the landscape, and it couldn’t be more different from Washington, DC.
We pulled into the KOA in San Angelo around 5 p.m. ($43, full hookups) and set up in a spacious site at the end of a row (site 60). After a quick dinner at a nearby Asian fusion restaurant, we came back to do laundry (Dave) and clean (me). After two weeks on the road, it was past time for clean sheets!
We are on our way to New Mexico to meet our friends Hal & Val tomorrow.