Austin, Texas

Austin is a a high-tech city, with an economy based on computer related industries and state government. It is Texas' answer to Silicon Valley. The population of 1.45 million in the metro area includes 50,000 Texas Longhorns, students at the university. A cold front came through in the night and we nearly froze walking up Congress to take a self-guided tour of the capitol, a handsome pink-granite building which is the tallest state capitol. We made sure we walked all the steps from the basement to the top floor! I think Leon wanted a closer look at the inside of the dome. His new knee passed the test.

We strolled back down Congress past a sculpture of the woman who kept Sam Houston's army from moving the capitol from Austin.

Under the Congress Street bridge that crosses the Colorado River lives the largest urban colony of Mexican free-tailed bats which at sunset make their exodus in search of supper, but not in January.

Decorated guitars dotted the streets in keeping with the "live music capital of the world" nickname due to the large number of live music venues. We spotted quite a few of them on Sixth Street, the heart of Austin's nightlife. "Keep Austin Weird" is the well-known logo atop this guitar.

We spent the afternoon enjoying a great visit with my niece Kelly and her fiance Sean who recently moved his game company, Twisted Pixel, to the area. We stopped back in New Braunfels at Camping World for another camping part that didn't survive the freeze (a shower hose). Other people go to New Braunfels for apple strudel and German food!

Canyon Lake, Texas

We arose at 5 and went to a restaurant for breakfast. When we got on the road at 7 we were wondering when the sun might come up! We spent a while in the parking lot of the San Marcos libary. We arrived at Canyon Lake and have a nice view of the lake while parked under the live oaks.

We soon realized there was a water leak due to a filter gadget freezing and went to Camping World at New Braunfels. Leon got a hose and bypassed the filter since they didn't have a replacement part.


We were pleased with spot 13 at Potter's Creek. After a 30 minute walk around the park we watched the sun set across the lake.

At dark thirty we heard a rustle in the leaves outside and saw the deer eating corn some people had left scattered about 15 feet from our door.

Jefferson, Texas

We left home at 8 and drove on the not so straight and narrow roads once we got off I-3 in Texarkana. It took us two hours to get to Texas and then we spent two hours touring Jefferson, such a cute old town in my opinion; full of antique shops and old buildings and homes.

Jefferson was a busy port town in it's heyday but it's decline started in 1873. It was the second largest city in the state before the river traffic stopped. Big Cypress Bayou opened navigation to Jefferson just before the Civil War. Thousand of bales of cotton were shipped from Jefferson to Louisiana.

Our first stop was the clock shop. I can't resist that little junk place with all the clocks and bathtubs. All the clocks seemed to be working and there was a lot of tick-tocking going on.

Hot Springs may bathe the world but Jefferson has their share of bath tubs!

The Excelsior was built in 1832 and is the oldest home in east Texas. We looked in the display cases where they had old registers with various guests names: U.S. Grant, Rutherford B.Hayes, Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson to name a few.

We did not visit the museum but I have in the past and it is worth the time. It was originally a federal courthouse and post office built in 1888.

We discovered a great little place to eat at Auntie Skinners and also learned that they celebrate Mardi Gras in that little town.

Speaking of "Hook 'em Horns!" I surely enjoyed the Razorback basketball game Saturday night where we beat 7th ranked Texas. And that was only a few days after beating 4th ranked Oklahoma. Arkansas was picked to finish last in the SEC but I think we might now make the top 25. Basketball is exciting to watch again in Arkansas as it used to be.

At 2 pm it was 76 degrees in the Piney Woods area of Texas as we rolled along on 79 with the windows down. Bugs would have hit our teeth if there had been any (bugs..not teeth) because we were grinning big! We were on the road again!

At 5:30 we decided to stop at the Walmart in Rockdale for the night. We were only 110 miles from our destination but that provided us an opportunity to grab the groceries we needed and avoid the setting sun in our eyes. We have seen lots of cows, ranches, and metal stars. A great first day!

Mirror Lake, Ar

What a great day! It started with the WINs hugs'n mugs and then I meandered down to the Sylamore Creek and cast a line a few times to no avail. I then went to the Ozark National Forest and took a beautiful, peaceful walk along the stream to Blanchard Springs. The springs flow from the mountainside and make their way through the forest to nearby Mirror Lake after flowing from the nearby caverns.

On the way back I stopped at Mirror Lake. This is a beautiful little lake that is stocked with trout. Everyone lines up on a dock and fishes most often with power bait. There were only 2 of us there and each caught the limit of 5. (Well I presume he caught one more after I left.)

After 4pm circle we had a pot luck. Guy barbequed a brisket, ribs, chicken - the works, which was the main course for a potluck. I am attempting to fix a peach dump cake in the dutch oven. Later: Well, I hope it was good cause I did have an empty pot. Thursday morning I drove south and was home by noon!

More photos.

Mtn. View, Ar

At 8:15 on Tuesday morning I decided to catch up with the WINs at Mountain View for a few days and at 10:15 I was on the road again! As I traveled north I was shocked at the repeated devastation I saw from the early 2008 tornadoes. The recent one at Damascus crossed the highway and left total destruction in its path. Shown is the feed store where people actually survived! Next I witnessed the results of the earlier one in Clinton, about 10 miles north, and another in Mountain View as I drove in on highway 9.
Then when I reached Sylamore Creek Campground I was surprised at how much damage the recent flooding of the White River had done to the campground. I was too late to help the WINs spend a workday helping Guy to clean up and work on repairs but not too late for supper with a group at Anglers.

Being in Mountain View is music to my heart and for good reason. It is in the air no matter where you are. After supper a group of us went to the Ozark Folk Center to hear a free concert by the area students in the ROOTS program. This is a program taught in the schools and designed to teach youngsters about their music heritage. Lessons are taught in autoharp, banjo, guitar, fiddle, etc. We were even delighted by a young group of square dancers as the music played. I first ran into Odell and told him how much we enjoy his CDs we bought last year. I can't remember his last name but I sure don't forget his music.

DeGray Lake, Bismarck, Arkansas

At last we left the dead end to drive about 20 miles south and spend a week camping with the WINs on DeGray Lake. The WINs are a singles RVing group that I have belonged to for many years and Leon for three weeks. Site 77 suited our needs where Leon began each day with a pot of coffee and fire for the group. At night we only needed a fire for atmosphere and marshmallows as we had a warm spell with temps reaching 80. We ran into former friends and met new ones while attempting to share a little about the area with the visitors. The floodwaters receded from the Shouse Ford campground and entry road only two days before the people arrived and one day later the Corps of Engineers got the electricity restored. One week before the gathering the normal 408' level of the lake was at a high of 417', the highest since 1982.


Day 1
We began the week with a drive into Hot Springs to acquaint everyone with the national park and the 143 degree waters that once flowed down the side of the mountain and allowed the spa city to "bathe the world" for many decades. The eight bathhouses still exist, one as a visitor's center and one that still provides bathing as was popular up to the 1950s. The introduction of new medicines, especially for arthritis, caused the federal government to close the remainder of the bathhouses.


We toured the lobby of the historic Arlington Hotel, host to the famous and infamous including Al Capone, where Ellie and Peggy are found in front of the bandstand . One block north we toured the Mountain Valley Water company headquarters building. The company was formed in 1871 and named for the community where the spring and bottling company are located. Nobody realized that the local folks were selling bottled water nationwide so long ago.

We had an Ecuadorian lunch at Rolando's in another historic building next to the parking lot that was once our Opera House. We strolled back down to bathhouse row and stopped in Arlington Park to feel the 143 degree water that flows down the mountain from the only open spring. The remainder were capped by the government. We toured the Fordyce Bathhouse, now the national park visitor's center. Few made it to the top floor to see the Hubbard tub where bathers were brought in on a rail attached to the ceiling and lowed into a mercury filled tub.

Our next stop was the top of the mountain for a look over the city and a ride up the mountain tower for some to get a better view. From this point some took the Goat Rock Trail while Carol, Allie, and Ralph hiked down Dogwood Trail from the top of the mountain to the spring at the base. More photos.

Day 2
The Caddo River provided the backdrop for two days of floating on this small serene class 1 stream. Our first float was 7.2 miles from the Arrowhead campground to the Glenwood bridge which took 18 of us over four hours! The beginning was a little slow as kayaks slithered over large smooth stones that were barely covered by the water. Later a creek flowing into the river created a better current for us. Afterwards we couldn't pass an opportunity for ice cream in Amity. Some of the group later went to the DeGray Lake State Park lodge for dinner. The float also provided an opportunity for the WINs dump hat to be passed on. More photos.

Day 3
At Garvan Woodland Gardens we enjoyed a myriad of azaleas in bloom. We had missed the vibrant display of tulips in every imaginable color by perhaps one week but a few still showed their stuff. The winding trails through the 210 acre botanical gardens provided for a nice hike and everyone delighted by the stonework and architectural design of the bridges, especially the Full Moon Bridge. More photos. That night we had a burn your own back at the campground. More photos.

Day 4
A rainy weather forecast interfered with our plans for the day. We decided to network among ourselves so some could go golfing, hiking, geocaching, get a Wal-mart fix, or just relax in the campground. For supper we went down to the Lakeside Grocery/gas station/laundromat for supper. It was a treat to only have to drive 7 miles to eat. Afterwards we roasted marshamallows for dessert. More photos.

Day 5
Before the second float on Friday we had a pancake breakfast. We then put in at the Glenwood Bridge and 12 of us paddled the meandering lazy stream on a cloudy 80 degree day for 9.4 miles to the Hwy 182 takeout near Amity. This time it only took 3 hours. There were enough rapids to provide plenty of action. Ten of the group almost missed the takeout point due to a diversion in the river. A ride in the back of Leon's truck got us 2 miles back up the road to enjoy ice cream on the sidewalks of Amity, population 762. After circle 12 of us drove to town and had a German dinner at the Brau Haus. The after dinner plan was to stroll the streets of downtown Hot Springs visiting some of the music venues or dancing at the Arlington Hotel, but the rains greeted us as we left the restaurant and we all ventured back to Point Cedar, Arkansas. More photos.


Day 6
Many left to meet other WINs coming in from the dance rally at the national park campground in town while others went on to Tyler Bend on the Buffalo River. John and Nick took a fishing break so the rest of us could enjoy a barge ride on DeGray Lake. Three of us even got to try a little fishing, but we had no luck catching crappie. Saturday night two of attended the Garrison Keillor live radio show broadcast in Hot Springs. More photos.

The comraderie with the 22 other WINs could not be surpassed. We made many new friends and enjoyed visiting with those we already knew. If only we could travel north with them to float the Buffalo and tour Mtn. View, but Leon is shopping for a new knee.

Oklahoma

We made a trip to Tuttle, Oklahoma, five hours away, a 3 day trip. We first got off route to travel along highway 88 and took the back roads among beautiful pastoral land and old farms. We stopped in Pine Ridge, Arkansas at the Jot 'Em Down Store made famous by Lum and Abner, local boys from Mena, who were so popular on radio in the 1930s.

Then when we arrived in Mena we stopped to check out the campground at Queen Wilhelmina State Park, but decided we would keep traveling west. We went into the lodge for a cup of coffee and a little desert not knowing about the desert buffet!!! From there we took the Talimena scenic drive across Rich Mountain. It is a designated as a scenic byway. We were surprised to find that some of the trees had already begun to show their fall colors.

Once we were in Oklahoma we changed our plans again and connected with I 40 to stop in Okemah for a little Oklahoma family history research. The Franks had moved from Arkansas to Oklahoma in the early part of the 20th century. We spent the night at a restaurant alongside I40. It would have been a great choice had the noisy 18 wheeler not parked right beside us.

After visiting the cemetery the next morning we drove into Oklahoma City. We planned to stop at Bass Pro but instead found ourselves at the health department gathering death certificates for the Bowcocks. Then we had two more cemeteries to visit as well as old neighborhoods. We were in a revitalized area of OKC known as Bricktown, also the area where the family had lived and worked. One family member worked at the Oklahoma Paper Company which was replaced by this ball stadium.

We also spent a few hours in the fabulous new Oklahoma History Center before driving south to Tuttle. We had a great visit with Josh and Kala and spent the night at their place. We drove back into Oklahoma City for dinner and where did they want to eat? Bricktown!

The next day we drove home, making a few stops in both Oklahoma City and Okemah which left no time to do research in Sallisaw. But that is only 3 hours away. We should be able to make that only a 2 day trip!

Mtn. View, AR

We have recently become excited about Leon's family history and have learned he is partly a hillbilly from the Ozarks, which we think is a good thing! His grandmother was born in Timbo, Arkansas, the 3rd generation of the Franks family to live there. So off to the Ozarks we went to meet three of his 3rd cousins, to share photos and stories, learn more about the family, and to wander the backroads of Stone County. The photo is on the front porch of a Ramsey relative's old house in Flag. Pictured are A.J., Carolyn, Leon, and Wendell. We camped at the Coast to Coast campground, Holiday Mountain Resort, alongside Sylamore Creek for 4 nights.

The annual beanfest was taking place during the weekend. Large crowds gather around the courthouse square to listen to music or join in if you are musically talented. We listened! While the music plays, pots of beans are simmering nearby. Everyone is offered free beans and cornbread and the lines are long! The annual beanfest is no longer a well-kept local secret.

After the beans are served the outhouse races take place one block away! Many entries vie for first place in the one block long race. Some are more serious than others obviously. There are many more photos.

We learned from the announcer during the race that to the locals if you are not from Mt. View then you are from "off." After the races we visited the historical society and museum and conversed with some of the women working there. One volunteered, "I did not grow up in Mt. View. I am from Off." So now we at least know where we are from!

Ridin' in the Rockies

We spent a fabulous week with our friends, Greg and Elaine in Cortez, Colorado. They thought it was hot but we were delighted with highs in the low 90s and lows in the upper 40s. They took us to lots of tourist sites including the Crow Canyon Archeological Center, Dove Creek where the famous Anasazi beans are packaged, the Methodist Thrift shop, and the Indian Pow Wow (photos) at the Ute Mountain Casino. There were many dancers in fine native dress and plenty of vendors and Indian Fry Bread to make a fine day. But no Indian taco could match Greg and Elaine's cooking!
Our favorite excursions were those we spent riding our quads in the San Juan Mountains. Our first ride was Willow Divide (photos). The temperatures at 10,000 feet were even chilly. On the Roaring Forks (photos) ride we were delighted to see Elk in the forest as we rode among the spruce, firs and aspens. We were pleased that Cecil and Linda accompanied us in the forest.
We finally headed east and after two days and 1100 miles we arrived back at the dead end where everything appears to be dead due to the dry, hot August weather. But those that stayed home and watered didn't seem to fair much better.

Moab, Ut

The Smothers Brothers were great; just like in the 60s but very gray. We left Tahoe with new tires and a new battery. In Carson City we turned the heater off - a chilly morning in the low 40s. We drove across Nevada and spent the night in Delta, Utah. An early start led us to Moab by noon.
We seized the opportunity to drive out to a couple of viewpoints in Canyonlands National Park. The views of the canyons from atop the large mesa are amazing. My favorite is the view from Mesa Arch.
Then we drove down the road and visited Arches National Park. We passed Balanced Rock and viewed some of the arches but due to the warm temperatures we did not make any hikes. More photos.
From here we drove on to Cortez, Colorado to visit our friends.

So. Lake Tahoe, Ca

The temperatures and ambiance of south shore Tahoe seemed to call us back so we returned to large weekend crowds and plenty of traffic. We settled into a fine spot at Fallen Leaf campground where we parked amid pines, cedars, manzanita, stellar jays, and ground squirrels. We spent a couple of days exploring the area on the western side of the lake doing some biking, hiking, and geocaching. We even found time for a couple of yard sales and people keep asking why we have snow skis on the back of the van. I think they will be nice out in the yard. I didn't expect them to be a conversation piece so soon.

Then we managed to obtain a spot in the Nevada Beach campground just across the Nevada border for four days. At night we listen to owls and coyotes and yet we are one mile from the hustle and bustle of Stateside, Nv. While back in Tahoe we of course have revisited the buffet but have spent more time just relaxing. After all when we leave here we expect to drive more than 60 miles in a day. We are camped on the south shore and have a beautiful view of the sun setting across the lake. I guess it is time for the sun to set on our visit to California also. We will laugh at the Smothers Brothers at Harrah's on the 17th and then cross Nevada the next day. More photos.

Gold Country, CA

From Tahoe we took the scenic 50 mile route through the Sierra Nevada mountains on Highway 50 to Leon's old stomping grounds, Pollock Pines, Ca. Highway 50 was first opened in 1852 and was the Pony Express route in 1860. We settled in at Ghost Mountain Ranch, an rv park in need of a little spiffing up.
We spent a delightful day exploring Coloma, (photos) an historical state park, where gold was discovered by James Marshall in 1848. Marshall and John Sutter were building a sawmill when the gold flakes were discovered in the south fork of the American River. It became a sizable town of 10,000 during the gold rush that followed before the town was mined out and many of the old landmarks still exist.

Placerville is another old gold town, 10 miles from Coloma, named after the placer gold found in the streams. It is in the center of the Gold Country. It served as a supply town for the surrounding gold towns during the heyday. We toured old "Hangtown," as Placerville was also called for the people that died by the rope. (Photos) There are many other gold towns along highway 49 that we would like to visit but we are not well adjusted to these August temperatures in the low 80s, (VBG) and most of the towns are along very slow winding roads.


After a visit to the Boeger Winery to pick up a bottle of wine, the day ended with a delightful visit and dinner with Inge and Don, Leon's former neighbors. Of course we had to sample a few wines to know which to buy. I especially enjoyed seeing Inge's creativity displayed throughout the house and yard. We could hardly see Leon's former home across the steet for the many pine trees growing tall on the front slope.

The hillside between Placerville and Pollock Pines is known as Apple Hill and there are numerous fruit orchards, berry farms, Christmas tree farms, and vineyards covering the hillside. Their busy time is October due to the apple harvest but we enjoyed roaming on a warm summer afternoon before meeting Bud and Sandy for dinner. It is a little warm in Pollock Pines, perhaps mid 80s, so we think we will head back over to south shore Tahoe.

S. Lake Tahoe, Ca

What a fun place! The south shore of Lake Tahoe is brimming with people and we are proud to be among them. We took a most scenic route over the mountains coming into town from the south. We have set up housekeeping at Montbleu in the casino row that is only a couple of blocks long. We wasted no time taking a thrilling 2 1/2 mile ride on the Heavenly Valley Ski Resort gondola to over 9,000 feet with a breathtaking view of Lake Tahoe, Carson Valley, and Desolation Wilderness. We studied the map of ski trails and then finished a little shopping frenzy just in time for an early dinner at the Harrah's buffet at the bottom of the mountain. The 18th floor restaurant provided a fine view of the lake. The sky is a bright blue, the lake is brighter shades of blues, and the temperature at the summit was 60 degrees in mid afternoon. Can it get much better?
Tuesday morning we embarked on the 72 mile drive around the lake. Our first stop was an interesting tour of the Tallac Historic Site which includes a cluster of 100 year old summer homes on the edge of the lake. It is a fascinating glimpse into Tahoe’s past. During the August Great Gatsby Festival volunteers dress in period costume and the buildings are all open for touring. Further along the south shore we stopped at Emerald Bay for the most picturesque scene imaginable that looks out across the lake’s emerald green waters across the only island in the lake, Fannette Island. Nearby is the Vikingsholm, a 38 room Scandinavian castle built in 1929. After a nice lunch in the parking lot we took the steep 1 mile walk down to the beach and mansion. We continued driving around the lake stopping at several vistas. There was so much eye candy that I think I gained 5 pounds on the tour. It is amazing how crowded and developed one section can be and not far around the corner you are driving through cedars and pines in the Lake Tahoe Basin National Forest. There are plenty of beaches and forest service campgrounds all around the lake. It must be one of the country's most scenic drives! And then there are the casino buffets! I think it is time to leave.

Mammoth Lakes, Ca

Being in Mammoth Lakes is like going outside for recess. Everyone is playing and the playground is large. Just behind the visitor's center is the New Shady Rest campground, a part of the Inyo National Forest, but in the middle of town. And a shady rest we did need. We did not get much rest but we did get done the laundry, email, shopping, groceries.
This is where Leon skied his first Black Diamond, Dave's Run, on Mammoth Mountain but that was winter and this is summer. We are still at 7,000 feet so August weather is delightful. The first day we missed the bear that wandered through our campground while we were washing clothes but we sure smelled him during the night.
In Mammoth Lakes you can bike, hike, ride dirt bikes, 4 wheel, fish, boat .. it seems endless. I bought a one day fishing license and first dried Hot Creek, one of the nation's top 10, which was teeming with fish rising to I know not what. I did manage to catch one. The stream is in the open in meadows near the fish hatchery. Nearby hot water bubbles up from beneath the surface in an area where a tremendous volcano once spewed ash as far as Nebraska. You can no longer swim in the creek there so we had a picnic.
Then we took the backroads to Owens Creek, a beautiful stream meandering through the meadows. I honed my fishing skills a little and again caught my limit but a much larger fish. We spent the rest of the day exploring Old Mammoth Road and Mary's Lake Road. We hiked to an old stamp mill and stopped by what was once a mining town called Mammoth City. The Lake Mary Road was a scenic drive through the forest that took us to many high mountain lakes. The view of Twin Lakes from the top of the waterfall was breath taking.
Day three was dedicated to the Devil's Postpile. We took the shuttle and rode through the forest to the trailhead for Rainbow Falls. After a 1.3 mile hike downhill we came to an overlook with a fantastic view of the falls that are created by the middle fork of the San Joaquin River. The mist at the edge of the falls creates a rainbow effect. The hike seemed like 3 miles back. We then shuttled over to the National Monument portion of the park and hiked to the 60 foot tall columns of basalt that give the area it's name. We climbed the trail to the top where the glacial action had polished the rock and it looked like octagonal stone laid flooring. After five hours and about 4 miles of hiking we caught the shuttle back to the top. It was amazing to watch the driver maneuver hairpin turns on single lane roads with steep cliffs on one side. We would have to stop for oncoming cars to hug the mountain and manage to pass us.
Recess was over and we headed north towards Tahoe.
We stopped at Mono Inn on the shore of Mono Lake for a delicious dinner. Ansel Adams used to stop here to eat and his grandaughter now owns the restaurant. We tried some Fess Parker (Davy Crockett) wine since we didn't stop at his winery when we were in the Solvang area.
We stopped north of Bridgeport at Chris Flat campground in the Toiyabe National Forest, a nice little spot on the West Walker River, and quiet even though it is on highway 395. People appear to be camping all along highway 395 at fshing pullouts beside the river. More photos.