Texas

Return to RV Travels Return to Main Below is an interactive map which outlines our journey. Please feel free to scroll around, zoom, and comment! View Texas in a larger map Click Here for a static map Please look at our Photo Albums by clicking on the links (or Photos) below! Austin The five of us finally packed up the camper and headed for Austin. We started the college tours by visiting the University of Texas in downtown Austin. The next day Michelle, Nicole and I took a drive down to San Marcos to see Texas State University. There we unexpectedly met the Air Force ROTC admissions officer, who took us on a private tour and gave us a presentation on the benefits of the ROTC program. Michelle really enjoyed Texas State, and condidered it a top choice after the visit. The third stop on the College tour took the five of us to College Station to visit Texas A&M. We arrived just in time to join the tour provided by one of the students, which was very comprehensive. We also stopped and spoke for a while with the commander of the Cadet Corps, who gave us a lot of interesting info. For New Year's eve we went into town on the bus, starting out at the family New Year's party across the river from downtown. It was very nice and had music, food, and a beautiful view of the city. From there we made our way back across the river to 6th street, where the real party was in full swing. Quite a spectacle, and very crowded! We couldn't get in to any of the bars, so we wandered back and forth until the ball dropped. Got home quite late, but had a lot of fun. Other highlights of Austin was a hike and bikeride through Lady Bird Park, with stops at Uncle Billy's brewpub. After the kids flew home Kim and I took some nice rides in the Hill Country, stopping at the Salt Lick BBQ and Real Ale Brewing. On our last night we me a very nice couple at BJ's brewpub, Jay and Oksana. They came over to the camper (I took Oksana home on her first motorcycle ride) and we stayed up quite late with them. San Antonio When we left Austin we headed in the wrong direction, to Livingston. There I made my Texan status official by joining Escapees and registering all my vehicles. Stayed at the Rainbow Park for a few days before heading west again, this time to San Antonio. We were only there a couple of days, but we enjoyed the Alamo and the Riverwalk. Also liked Blue Star Brewing Company, of course. Also took a ride out to Boerne to visit the Dodging Duck Brewpub, a really nice, small place with a good sized brewery (7 barrel) in the garage. My kind of place! On the way home we stopped at Freetail Brewing, and after spending a nice evening there, John the brewer invited us over to his house to meet his daughter and have another beer. We had a very nice visit with them before heading for home. Port Aransas After San Antonio, we decided to head south for the rest of the winter. Drove through Corpus Christi and landed in a very nice RV Park in Port Aransas on Mustang Island, Marina Beach. We pulled in next to a very nice biker couple from Iowa with a new toy-hauler and a couple of Harleys. They were there for two months during the time his farm was dormant. We hit it off right from the beginning and partied with them regularly during our own two-month stay. We also connected with some more High School friends from Hamburg, Pamela and Rupert Wright. Pam is Charlene's sister (Destin), and Rupert and Pam met each other at ISH, and now live in Corpus Christi. We visited with them several times while we were there, and had a blast every time. We also saw our friends from Moncton and Badeck, Gail and Lenny. They introduced us to another couple, Tony and Tambra, with whom we spent a few days as well. We made a lot of friends in Port Aransas and are definitely considering returning next winter. More Text to Follow... Hill Country We left Port A with about a week to get to Bike Week, so we wanted to spend a bit more time in the Texas Hill Country. We decided to try staying at the Koyote Ranch near Medina, a biker-friendly campground on the edge of the best riding area in Texas. The first day there we went ahead and rode the "Three Sisters", famous biker roads 135, 136, and 137. It was a long ride but they were good roads to ride, and gave us a real appreciation of the Hill Country. The second day we rode into Bandera with James, a new friend from the Ranch. Bandera was having a small rally and western show, but we ended up just walking around town with Boyd drawing his usual attention. Our last day there, we rode up to Fredericksburg to check out the town (and the Brewpub). Nice Pub, but the service was rushed and unfriendly. They wouldn't even give a sample of a beer to help decide what to get in a growler! I've never encountered such arrogance and rudeness at a brewpub before. Big Bend The last stop in Texas was to visit Beg Bend National Park. We parked the RV in Marathon, a very small town about 100 miles north of the park. The next day we got up early, had a nice breakfast in town, then headed down to the park. The scenery was very beautiful and remote, and as the day wore on it began to get very hot and dry. We went up to the main visitor center for some nice views, then headed down to the Rio Grande River. We were a bit surprised at how small the river was - I could have waded across at one point about 10 feet wide without getting my knees wet. Not much of a border! The ride back took us through Study Butte and Terlingua, a town famous for it's Chili. We stopped for a late lunch (and to escape the heat) before heading back home through Alpine. I even managed to test the speed capability of the Rocket, reaching 120 mph with no effort or loss of stability. The total distance we rode for the day was about 280 miles, and we were quite tired from the heat and lack of humidity when we got home. Return to RV Travels Return to Main