THE BIG TRIP WEST, COWBOYS HERE WE COME....from Florida to Louisiana to Austin, the Hill Country, Bandera, San Antonio, Texas

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KELLEY AND DAVE’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

The Big Trip West…Notes From the road:

WEEK ONE:
They say the best laid plans of mice and men…after weeks of research and preparation for our tour of the northwest our plans were changed when we discovered the Road to the Sun at Glacier would not be open until mid June when we would need to be heading east for a family reunion. Not to be daunted by these changes, we simply redirected our route from Wisconsin, the Badlands, and Montana, to the beautiful and vast southwest. Despite these challenges, we’re on the road again! Our newly defined itinerary spans most of the south and central portions of the United States. This trip begins in Florida on May 22 driving on I 75 north to I 10 where we will travel through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. In Texas we will tour San Antonio, Austin and the Hill Country. We will then head west and north to El Paso, up I 25 into New Mexico to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Center to Socorro, Albuquerque, the Turqouise Trail and Madrid, Santa Fe, Taos and Taos Pueblo, Ojo Caliente, Georgia O’Keefe’s Ghost Ranch, Los Alamos, Bandelier National Monument, Jemez Hot Springs, Sky Pueblo, on into Arizona and Canyon de Chelly, Flagstaff, Sedona, Jerome, Grand Canyon south and north rims, weather permitting, into Utah and Kanab, Zion, Bryce, Rainbow Bridge, Slot Canyons, Page AZ, Monument Valley, Four Corners, Messa Verde, Durango, Silverton, Telluride, Rocky Mountain National Park, Boulder, Denver, Kansas City, St Louis, West Chester, PA, MD, DE and then returning to Florida mid July.

I pulled it together (meditate, calm down, meditate) and we left Sarasota on Thursday, May 22 at 8:30am, after an attempted 6am departure. Not surprisingly “we” had been packing and (I was) downloading music until midnight (road music for the Ipod), and probably not surprisingly I couldn’t sleep anticipating the grandeur and rough and tumble cowboys of the Wild West. We downed a quick breakfast and after about 7 hours of driving we made our first stop at DeFuniak Springs, FL to see the charming Victorian buildings and stretch our legs along the long pier to the gazebo on the lake. Families of turtles floated under the pier looking for handouts while we listened to a terrific live country western band performing to a “crowd of 7” in a band shell across the lake. Sounds from an urgent whistle and clacking of a train coming into town drifted across the lake as it rolled into the station adding to the country charm of this town.

We stretched our legs after we drove through Alabama and stopped for dinner at an old haunt of Dave’s called Aunt Jenny’s Catfish Restaurant on the bayou in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. We had raw carrots and green onions with a ranch dipping sauce as a starter and Dave had fried catfish while I had fried green tomatoes, fried yellow squash and “Talmadge’s turnip greens”, the very best turnip greens I have ever eaten! From the expansive windows on the second floor we finally relaxed enjoying the tranquil view of the bayou and sailboats resting at the pier. The restaurant is nestled under an enormous live oak and Dave found it relatively unchanged since his work in the Navy over ten years ago.

Following dinner we took a short drive through Biloxi. We were shocked at the ghostlike emptiness of the beachfront where memories of mansions and times of good fortune echoed in the stillness of the wreckage of hurricane Katrina some two years later. Twelve hours from Sarasota, slightly bedraggled, we arrived in Covington, Louisiana at Cousin Tim and Paula’s and after warm greetings we shuffled off to bed.

Friday, May 23. The next morning after some strong coffee and a hearty breakfast we toured Lake Ramsey in Tim’s boat with Paula, their daughter Kirsten, her darling baby Julia and Paula’s sister Lorrie (who later generously gave me a book she authored as well as some Cajun music I was looking for). Afterward Tim and Paula drove us into Covington for lunch at the Rani Café and Coffeehouse where we had enormous portions of salads and shrimp and cheese Quesedias. The higher gas prices had not reduced food quantity or increased prices on the menu yet at this restaurant. Later we explored the charming antiques district and I collected two antique bottles for my sand and a cast iron rabbit for my collection. Paula and Tim “discussed” which was the better route to show us the Boque Falaya River where Paula told us she swam as a child. Dave and I found it very refreshing since we had only been on the road for one day and already had encountered some “differences of opinion” as to which was the better route. At the river’s edge I collected the first of my sand samples for this trip. Paula shared stories of her family ancestry in this town and took us to the LaCroix family burial plots where she pointed out some of the largest oak trees I have ever seen that surely have withstood many years of hurricanes. We had dinner along Lake Pontchartrain at Rip’s which had recently been restored since Katrina devastated the area two years ago.

Saturday, May 24. We left early in the morning for Austin, Texas, the city of music. As we drove through the flat marshes and long low lying bridges of Louisiana we listened to the Cajun music that Paula’s sister Lorrie gave us. I had wished that we had more time to listen to some live Cajun music but we will have to plan that for another trip.

We arrived in time for dinner at Stubbs BBQ on the corner of 8th and Red River. The reputation and atmosphere was better than the BBQ and blackberry cobbler but we still enjoyed it. Live music began in the courtyard at Stubbs as we left to walk up 6th street toward the legendary (of Nanci Griffith fame) Congress Avenue. Dusk was approaching so we left in a hurry, walking down Congress Avenue to the bridge to see the famed exodus of the Mexican free tail bats. We had every intention to return to the music scene at Stubbs before leaving for our adopted home for the next few days in Lago Vista. Locating the bridge was not difficult since hundreds of people were already lining the bridge and the banks of the newly named Lady Bird Lake. Riverboats and paddlewheel boats drifted lazily by as passengers anxiously waited for the bat exodus. We waited along with many other anxious tourists on the banks for well over an hour and a half, eager to watch these night feeders swarm from their bridge-caves but it was all in vain. A few bats did leave their nests but it was not the mass exodus we had hoped for. I later found out from our friend Kaity that the bats were likely still feeding their babies who were too young to leave their nests. Finally we left in frustration, and tired from our long days on the road we walked back on the now very lively and eclectic 6th Street towards Stubbs listening to music pouring out of every door along the mile plus walk back. Too tired to enjoy this scene, we decided to bag the music at Stubbs and drive straight to our friend Lynn’s in Lago Vista, 45 minutes north of Austin in the Texas Hill Country. We were delighted to find a much needed peaceful haven and a charming and welcoming home.

On Sunday, May 25, we woke to discover wonderful views of the peaceful grasses and Texas scrub surrounding the house as the morning sun happily streamed through our windows. We set out mid-morning for the Texas Hill Country, driving up FM 1431 crossing the Colorado River in Marble Falls along river beds with names like Cow Creek and the adjacent Cow Creek Road (with nary a cow in site). We headed south on 281 to LBJ’s boyhood home and museum, stopping down the road to see the beautiful masses of orange and pink wildflowers that Lady Bird Johnson planted at their ranch. We continued south west to the charming town of Fredericksburg settled in the mid 1800’s by German immigrants. The streets were lined with historic homes and shops built of native limestone including the 1883 Keidel Memorial hospital now the Der Kuchen Laden Kitchen Shop, an interesting transition of use. In the center of town lies the Pioneer Museum Park where the round Kammlah House, was built in 1849 by German resident Henry Kammlah. A general store was operated in the front room of this house from 1875-1924. Three bronze statues, one of a Fredericksburg town resident and two Native Americans representing several tribes in the area, stood in a lovely garden in the park to commemorate the only lasting peace treaty, (signed by the town’s residents), that was never broken by either the US or the American Indians.

Kerrville was next on our stop but the Memorial Day flea market was over and our GPS had us so turned around we decided to head straight to Bandera, the Cowboy Capital of the World. On the way to Bandera we stopped at Camp Verde’s old General Store and post office on the bank of Verde Creek. Although closed, it provided a nice little rest stop on the way.

The legendary friendliness of Texans was never more evident than in the little cowboy town of Bandera, TX. Driving into this tiny town of 970 residents was like stepping back in time without the usual kitsch. Somehow this town has managed to maintain its rural charm and simple pleasures without a chain store or fast food place in sight. Pickup trucks, Harleys and horses are “parked” in front of the many bars and restaurants lining the main street. After we cruised the length of Main Street we followed the signs to the historic St Stanislaus church, one of the oldest Polish parishes in the US. While walking we heard some wonderful country western music in the distance. Intrigued, we hopped in our car and followed the sounds until we ended up at the 11th Street Cowboy Bar where the locally renowned Jake Hooker and the Outsiders, and Justin Trevino were whooping it up for Memorial Day. Cowboy revelers spilled out onto the street and one such cowboy climbed on his horse drinking a bottle of Bud. As he rode out of town I thought at least the only danger with his drinking and driving was that he might fall off his horse.

We asked some women in the street where they would recommend we eat and they enthusiastically recommended OST’s (Old Spanish Trail) as the must-do-before-you-leave restaurant in town. OST’s had been recommended by friends from home and I also had read about it in Texas magazines during the research for our trip but if I hadn’t known about its claim to fame and judged it only by looks we would have passed it by. We were seated at long bench tables in the John Wayne room opposite the famous bar where large leather saddles were mounted with a sign: Straddle a Saddle, Eat at This Old Bar. Dave ate some excellent cheese enchiladas and I ordered a not so wonderful chicken fried steak. Okay, I am not into thick white sauce on pounded steak that has been deep fried in batter, but now I can say I have tried it.

We struck up a conversation with the women seated next to us who were most impressive in their sparkling rhinestone jewelry and belts and their colorful cowboy (girl?) hats. These women pointed out the famous musicians and local town notables dining around us. These men were among the many cowboys chowing down before the big Memorial Day dance at the 11th Street Cowboy Bar. We asked them about the music and the rodeo, they said the bands that were playing were the best around adding that we shouldn’t miss this event. I wanted to see a rodeo and since the music started at 9 and the rodeo began at 8 we decided to stay in town for both. They also told me not to miss the famous bar across the street so after dinner I walked over to Arkey Blue’s Silver Dollar, an iconic cowboy bar featuring more live music with local bands, a pool table and bar. It was dark inside and it took some time to get acclimated to the light. There was a rag tag band in cowboy gear and their lead singer was a woman in her 70s; men played pool, groups of people sat around tables with their beers and I got a taste of the cowboy life. I left the bar, collected Dave and headed out to the rodeo to watch some cowboys in action. We soon decided that we should have spent the weekend here for there was so much that this little town had to offer including dude ranches, tubing, kayaking, horseback riding and camping on the river road just out of town. The rodeo was as classic as I had imagined it to be. It was my first but it was everything “cowboy” I had read about and more. Cowboy hats, blue jeans, and cowboy boots were the requisite attire including hats that seemed to walk with little 5 year old legs attached to them. Impassioned patriotic speeches were given before raising the half-mast flag honoring all the war dead and their families. The speeches were followed by Tom Petty’s “Learning to Fly” dramatically playing as five sleek cowgirls rode like the wind around the arena with flags full out behind them advertising everything from Joe’s Plumbing to Bandera’s local bank.

Doors were flung open and broncos charged out with cowboy’s bodies contorted in various shapes as they tried to stay on these bucking broncos. Clowns avoided the mad bulls, riders lassoed and roped calves, but the best entertainment was when the gates opened at half time and about thirty sheep ran across the field with little riders in helmets astride their backs as the youngest cowboys desperately clung to their wool. A little boy of about 5 and girl about 7 were pronounced the winners (for wool clinging the longest) to a cheering crowd as 4-H girls sold ice cream, pink cotton candy, corn dogs and fried dough. When the next group of riders roped a cow, it looked to me like it broke the poor calf’s neck. I decided it was time to leave for the dance.

By the time we arrived at the 11th Street Cowboy Bar the dance was in full swing. The music was classic country western and we watched dancers sashay in their cowboy finery on the saw-dusted dance floor under the sparkling night‘s magic of the Texas stars. It took us awhile to get the swing of things but we finally entered the dance floor and after a few bumps and nudges we got the hang of it and did the cowboy stroll clockwise around the dance floor. I can really see the advantage of the sawdust as it made the cowboy slide a great deal easier and it did make a lot of sense to dance in a clockwise motion around the floor. Shortly before 11pm the manager stepped onto the stage and told us how lucky we all were to be honored by the attendance of so many top country western stars. He proceeded to invite all of the performers on stage. We were surprised to see one of the women who had given us advice about where to eat and what to see in town wave to us as she stepped up to the microphone! The time that we spent in Bandera was worth the two and a half hour drive back to Lago Vista at 11pm and if given half a chance I would have returned for more.

Monday, May 26. It was Memorial Day and we were not early risers since we had driven late at night in the dark winding hill country roads for 2 ½ hours worrying about whether the deer we saw on the side of the road would jump in front of the car. After a cup of strong coffee and a call to our friend Kaity who recently moved to Austin, we arranged to see the Zilker Botanical Gardens and meet for lunch at Chuy’s, a funky popular Tex-Mex chain near the gardens where I had a panko-fried and stuffed avocado. Dave had cheese enchiladas (again) and Kaity had a spicy special of the day. Kait had lived in Taos so we were glad for her suggestions adding stops to our itinerary for our visit to that part of New Mexico.

The three of us left Chuy’s for the Umlof Sculpture Garden in Zilker Park only to find it closed on Memorial Day. In a quick change of plans, we all headed out to find the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center south of Austin. Easier said than done. Texas, we are finding, is notoriously bad about signage. Even with the GPS it took us several tries and many wrong turns before we eventually found the center with no help from the Texas road signs. The Wildlife Center turned out to be a treasure not to be missed. The Zilker Botanical Gardens with their Japanese garden, pond gardens and charming walks through cool wooded areas, were informative but small and my vote is definitely cast upon the elusive Wildlife Center. Both gardens employed the use of cisterns and aqueducts for their water but the stone work and architectural elements along with the well thought out gardens at the Wildlife Center were a real treat to behold. The Center was definitely hotter because of the time of day and limited shade, but in my mind, well worth the “Texas glow”.

The Whole Food’s flagship store is in Austin and we couldn’t resist a stop to check it out so on our way home to Lago Vista we paid a visit to the store that started it all. It was massive inside and there were far more creative and better tasting prepared foods selections here than our little store in Sarasota. Tempting as it was we decided to hold out for the BBQ restaurant back in Lago Vista for our evening meal. Alas, after driving an hour with the anticipated taste of BBQ on our lips we arrived in the small rural town we called home to find everything closed up tight, however the town had the last laugh. The banner over the road into Lago Vista read: Holy Cow BBQ at St Peter’s Church, May 25, (of course I was reading it on May 26). Fortunately we had some bread and peanut butter but I kept lamenting the food selections I passed up at Whole Foods.

Tuesday, May 27, destination: San Antonio. We headed out early for the two hour drive to San Antonio stopping first at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. This was a much larger garden than Austin’s with beautiful native areas representing the various ecosystems throughout Texas. I bought my first cowboy hat in the gardens and upon inspection found that it was made in Mexico but the label was from Austin. Go figure. After a long walk in the gardens we headed for downtown San Antonio’s famous River Walk. We were surprised to learn that this city has the 7th largest population in the US. It is a large city but has a wonderful small town feel to it. Hungry, we headed right for the river and I had a tasty crawfish etoufee at Landry’s on the River (but it didn’t hold a candle to my cousin Tim’s). Dave had fried oysters and onion rings. The view could not be beat. We watched the river boats glide lazily along the river as we dined on our tasty treats. Later we took a tour of the city on one of those river boats and I saw Tony Roma’s where Kate and I had eaten when we were there around Christmas in 1997. Nothing had changed much, the Peruvian musicians were still making their hollow and hauntingly melodic sounds but of course we did not see the beautiful Christmas decorations nor hear the carolers that Kate and I enjoyed so long ago.

After the river tour we took a trolley to the Mercado which was crowded with jewelry, belts, hats, rugs, and assorted plastic trinkets like the many markets I visited while in Mexico. We took another trolley to the Alamo and after exploring the beautiful grounds and learning about the struggles on both sides we walked to the Tower of the Americas which is the second largest building in the US. As the outside elevator sped to the top we watched the buildings and cars quickly take on the appearance of little toys. After we settled our stomachs we enjoyed the circular view of the entire city. Still full from our big lunch, we walked back through the River Walk to our car and drove north hoping to find a restaurant open before we hit Lago Vista. We did. We really lucked out this time because Johnson City has one of the best restaurants I have eaten at in a very long time. We found the Silver K Restaurant just off 281 to be a Zagat rated restaurant with metal crafted cactus chandeliers, wrought iron trees, local paintings and Texas photographs hanging on the wood-paneled walls and a smell that carried the mouth watering promise of a great dinner. And it was a great dinner: apple and rosemary roasted pork loin, corn pudding, balsamic grilled onions and steamed fresh vegetables and it was only $11! We both ended up with the same meal, a rarity but in this case I think an excellent choice. We waddled out after sharing a Bavarian apple torte that was of course to die for. Happily sated we did not mind the remaining hour drive in the dark winding roads except I did wish I had been at the wheel instead of “Mario” (as in Andretti).

Wednesday, May 28 we bade farewell to Lago Vista driven with the promise of breakfast at the Silver K and again it did not disappoint. I had gingerbread pancakes and very fresh eggs with apple smoked bacon, but Dave had the best buttermilk pancakes I have ever eaten…and I was unashamedly stealing bites from his plate right under his nose.

Fully fortified we embarked on our 11 hour journey to El Paso, TX. I had taken this route before in ’97 with Kate but I did not remember much of this leg of our trip in part because it was winter and it had gotten dark early. The last part of the Hill Country from Johnson City through Fredericksburg was beautiful with rolling grassy hills sprinkled with cedar, oak and pine trees, a guard llama, some goats and very few cattle. I only saw one of the famous longhorn Texas cattle in my whole trip to Texas. As we headed west on I 10 we enjoyed a beautiful, more rugged landscape. Strikingly bleached rocky sandstone and limestone cliffs were dotted with dark green pinion pines as the road wound its way from Junction to Ozona. We stopped in Sonora, the Seat of Sutton County, in honor of Dave’s mother’s maiden name. It was a cute little town but miles from nowhere. Irann to Bakersfield grew increasingly bleak and the stark landscape was dotted with small oil rigs while large windmills lined the mesas for miles. A lone sign twisted in the breeze identifying one group of windmills as the Indian Wheel Wind Farm.

Further down the road we made a pit stop for gas in Fort Stockton, “the city of 1,000 rooms” where gas was the highest price so far: from $3.99 to $4.09 a gallon. The town’s mascot is the road runner, proudly displayed at the restored train station and stood as a larger than life statue entering the otherwise desolate and economically challenged town. “Lowes” grocery was next to Miller’s Meats where on its walls the various cuts of beef and deer were carefully drawn. I was surprised when I went in to the local gas station bathroom. The town was hardly sophisticated yet the bathroom had a shiny black high-tech auto-flush toilet and an automatically running water faucet in a matching black sink accented with sparkling silver diamond plate walls. When I asked the woman behind the counter about the walls she said “yeah it kinda makes you feel like you’re in a trucker’s box don’t it?”

As we drove west the winds increased and the vast expanses afforded us a view of the thunderstorm that was brewing ahead. We got our first look at tumbleweeds as they blew across the road but still no roadrunners. Since the landscape unfolds for miles around we had much time to prepare for the storm and when the rains did come, within minutes the outside temperature went from the mid 90s to the mid 70s but as soon as the rains stopped the temperatures climbed back up to the mid 90s and even went to 99 degrees in the early evening near El Paso. Around 8pm we arrived in town and the smog and blowing sand had obscured the views around El Paso. As we opened the car door we were blasted by eye-stinging winds from a sand storm that blew Dave’s hat off his head as we dashed into the Ramada Inn. What we could see of El Paso through the smoggy-dust storm was miles of fast food restaurants, commercial signs and establishments, and lights as far as the eye could see. Our last meal of that day was a hearty brunch back in Johnson City, but that was over 10 hours ago and the snacks in the car were wearing pretty thin so when we saw the Rudy’s BBQ sign (which was a recommended stop for good Texas Barbeque when we were in Austin) we decided to give it a try. I am reluctant to eat at chains but since several sources recommended it we decided to give it a go in El Paso. All I can say is that in my opinion, this restaurant lived up to my dismal expectations of a chain restaurant with soggy corn on the cob, too much butter and less than impressive barbeque sauce. Ah well, another one bites the dust.

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Comments

[dave]

wow!!!
nice job kell. i can't wait to read the subsequent weeks to remember all the fun we had. l, dave