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Published: April 17th 2007
The first leg of our westward journey took us from Fernandina Beach FL to Ft. Gaines, GA, on the Alabama border. We stayed in a nice campground on the banks of Lake Walter F. George, and played the golf course in the George Bagby State Park. The next stop was Montgomery, AL, where we spent a pleasant evening listening to the tornado warning sirens. Fortunately, no tornadoes came our way, but thunderstorms did knock out the power for several hours in the middle of the night.
The third day found us at the Lefleurs Bluff State Park in downtown Jackson, MS, where we overnighted after playing the nearby golf course.
Crossing the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, we made our way across Louisiana into Texas, where we stopped for the night at Tyler. Not expecting very much, we were pleasantly surprised to find that Tyler is a very beautiful little town where we would have liked to spend a few days. This will have to wait for another day, because we are meeting some friends tomorrow in Fredericksburg, some 350 miles to the Southwest.
Fredericksburg, in the Texas hill country, is a wonderful little town that was founded by German settlers
The Critter
Ain't nobody feelin' no pain.in the mid 1800’s. The German influence is still clearly evident in the architecture as well as in the many very good German restaurants. Here we spent three delightful days with our friends Bill and Helen, whom we met last summer in Alaska, and David and Shirley, also fellow RV’ers we met in Fredericksburg.
About 15 miles to the Southwest of Fredericksburg lies the village of Luckenbach (population 25), made famous by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson back in the 1970’s. Luchenbach consists of an old general store, saloon, dance hall, and blacksmith shop. Behind the store is a huge oak tree, under which you can almost always find an impromptu gathering of pickers and singers. Adding to the down-home charm, two roosters were perched in the oak tree listening to the musicians. What a great place to kick back and have a cold beer.
On our last day in the hill country, we took the 70-mile trip down to San Antonio to visit its two big attractions, the Alamo and the Riverwalk. In the early 20th century, the San Antonio River was a shallow muddy river, which was considered a nuisance, and many civic leaders advocated paving it over.
Dance Hall
It was here, before a live audience, that Jerry Jeff Walker recorded "Viva Terlingua". If you don't know what that is, you probably shouldn't be reading about Luckenbach, Texas. A local architect, Robert Hugman, conceived the idea of building a paved promenade along the banks. The project finally got funding from the depression-era WPA program in the 1930’s, and became a hugely successful attraction for the city. Today, it is a beautiful tree-shaded waterway winding through the city lined with hotels, shops, and sidewalk cafes. We had a great Mexican lunch right on the riverside as we watched the sightseeing boats ferry tourists up and down the river.
No trip to San Antonio is complete without a visit to the Alamo, site of one of history’s most famous sieges. For 13 days in 1866, a group of some 180 volunteers under the leadership of Colonel William Travis, Jim Bowie, and David Crockett stood off Mexican general Santa Ana’s army of several thousand men. All the defenders were finally killed, but the battle became the inspiration of those struggling for the independence of Texas. The mission, located in downtown San Antonio has been beautifully preserved, and is a must-see place for anyone interested in history.
We had a great time in the Texas hill country, but we must say goodbye to our friends. Tomorrow we’re off to Carlsbad Caverns in
Us at the Bar
Longneck city! New Mexico!
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