You may have been
wondering where we have been since our last blog post in Medina Lake,
Texas. Our next stop was Kerrville which
is located in the Hill Country region just northwest of Medina Lake.
We arrived at the
Guadalupe River RV Resort on November 18, 2014. It was one of the nicer RV
parks we have been to. We overlooked a huge oak tree and just beyond was a
hammock of trees in spectacular fall colors and a small pond with a wooden
walking bridge to the grassland and river below.
One of the first
things Mike did after setting up the RV was to hang Sharon’s bird feeder and by
the end of the day birds flew back and forth from the feeder to the surrounding
trees to crack their seeds.
Kerrville, which we had never heard of before was recommended by our RV friends, Roz and Doug from St. Augustine who we met at the visitor center to Palo Duro Canyon in Amarillo, TX. While in Santa Fe, our RV neighbors, Mike and Marilyn, come to find out lived in Kerrville, so we called them when we arrived.
Museum of Western Art
Marilyn suggested
we head over to The Museum of Western Art where Mike was a docent and he could
tour us around.
It was a rainy day
so it was a good time to tour the museum.
The museum showcases rotating collections of the nation’s most
distinguished western artists, celebrating the memories of the Old West,
including fine art, old saddles, and bronze sculptures. The museum even had a Western
Research Library housing over 5,000 volumes of books, telling the story of the
American West and the artists who depict our Western Heritage in fine art. Mike also told us a story about the museum
architecture which was a story in itself! The museum is an architectural work
of art and was the last project of renowned Texas architect, O’Neil Ford.
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| Our friend, Mike - Docent at Museum of Western Art |
After our tour
Mike and Marilyn invited us to their home to share a glass of wine and
appetizers before heading out to dinner at a local place called Billy Gene’s
Restaurant…the best chicken fried steak anywhere! It was a delightful evening
and the beginning of a new friendship.
We actually
returned to the museum as we didn’t get to finish the earlier tour before it
closed. During our second visit we met board members, Andy and Gladys Simon who
gave us a tour of the museum’s vault holding all of the bronze sculptures that
are part of the museum’s permanent collection. It was only by chance that we
were able to view such an extraordinary collection.
Touring with Mike & Marilyn
We got settled in
the RV and before we knew it we were on Mike and Marilyn’s social calendar!
A few days later, Marilyn
picked Sharon up in a yellow convertible Chrysler Crossfire and headed to the Y.O.
Ranch Hotel to meet Marilyn’s friends, Ellen, Judy, Janet, Laura and Ann for the
Annual Sleigh Bell Boutique. The hotel
was beautifully decorated for Christmas amongst a large variety of game animals
displayed on the walls. The owner of the hotel was also the owner of the Y.O.
Ranch, a local game ranch that features native and exotic game.
Sharon picked up a few gifts for herself,
little things she could tuck easily away in the RV! Marilyn and friends then
headed to a little café called Cartwheels for lunch where we talked and laughed
and shared stories. It was a great day!
Mike and Mike
stopped for lunch at the Guadalupe River Club for a burger and headed downtown
to a woodworking art show at the Kerr Arts & Cultural Center (housed in the
old post office building) featuring the masterful work of local and national
artists.
From there, they took a scenic drive along the hill country and ended
up at the Mo-Ranch, an elaborate retreat on the Guadalupe River. Along the way they crossed the river numerous
times and each crossing revealed a different stunning vista. They also passed by several exotic game
ranches with animals from Africa, Asia and Indonesia. This drive was a definite
do-over with Sharon!
Christmas Parade in Kerrville
That Saturday, we
got together with Mike and Marilyn and their friends to watch the Kerrville
Christmas parade. All the locals came
out for this annual event. We enjoyed
the show as we sat all bundled up to keep warm!
Marilyn, our tour
guide, scheduled reservations at the local Mexican restaurant named Mamacita’s,
but come to find out when we arrived, the reservation was for another city….we
all laughed. It wasn’t long though
before we were seated. It was fun
getting to know everyone and the food was great too!
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| Mike & Marilyn at Mamacita's |
Enjoying some Quiet Time
The next day, Mike
and I decided to take a rest and we went to the local cinema for a matinee of
the Hunger Games and later that evening Mike made a fire outside and we roasted
marshmallows and made s’mores and if that wasn’t enough, we also made cherry
pies in our pie iron with ice cream! It was cold!!
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| Cherry Pie Ala Mode |
Visit to Austin & Fredericksburg
We had ordered
tickets for a Christmas show in Austin for the Trans Siberian Orchestra, a show
that Sharon’s brother Danny recommended. We always attended a holiday Jazz concert back
home during the holidays, so we wanted to do something to mark our first
Christmas on the road. So we took an
hour and a half drive to Austin to pick up our tickets for the show. While in
Austin, Sharon had made an appointment at a local salon to get her haircut, so
Mike took a nap in the Jeep! We don’t really like big cities, so on the way
home, we stopped in Fredericksburg and enjoyed dinner at the Fredericksburg
Brewing Company, a local brew pub and restaurant. Our friend Mike makes his own
beer, so we purchased a Growler of the local beer for Mike so he could re-use
the bottle!
We strolled the
German town which was decorated for Christmas and all of the gaily decorated
shops twinkled against the night sky. And the Marktplatz with its hand-carved
26-foot tall Christmas pyramid was beautiful. We also stopped at a local wine
tasting bar and purchased a bottle for Marilyn.
We will have to
return another time as Fredericksburg has so much to offer. We missed Trade
Days, where over 350 vendors offer antiques, collectibles, tools, crafts, ranch
furniture, clothing, jewelry and much more…a huge flea market not to be missed!
Kayaking on the Guadalupe River
We hadn’t done much kayaking due to the drought;
but the tree-lined Guadalupe River ran through
Kerrville and so we headed out for the day and put
in at the Kerrville-Schreiner Park. The river was
calm and controlled by dams.
As we paddled down river we enjoyed the scenery and birds along the way.
Kerrville is a
bird watcher’s paradise, with rare and endangered species such as the
Golden-cheeked Warbler, the Black-capped Vireo, the Green Kingfisher and the
Zone-tailed Hawk. 
The homes along the river were just as beautiful. People were walking their dogs along the river bank or enjoying a picnic. Some folks buzzed by us in their motor boats. It was a nice day to be on the water. Then we heard the noise of falling water, so Meriwether hung on to a tree along the bank while Clark scouted out the river ahead to find a dam. While Clark was near the dam he looked up and saw two bald eagles mating in the sky above! It was the highlight of the day! We turned around and headed back up river.
Historic Kerrville
The next day we
toured downtown historic Kerrville and we enjoyed a delicious meal at a local restaurant
called Francisco’s recommended by one of Marilyn’s friends. The town is full of
galleries and shops. We even enjoyed dessert at a local bakery – Cakes by
Sharon!
Schreiner Mansion
We also toured the
Schreiner Mansion, originally the home of Captain Charles Schreiner, a former
Texas Ranger. The museum portrays affluent life in Kerrville’s early days. Schreiner University owns, operates and
preserves the mansion. The mansion was built in 1879 with later additions. It
was designed by Alfred Giles. Expert
masons and stone carvers were brought from Germany to do the intricate design
work on the exterior.
The parquet floor is made of eight different hardwoods.
After Capt. Charles Schreiner died in 1927 it housed a public library from
1941-1958, and later operated as the Hill Country Museum. The mansion was
donated to Schreiner University in 2009 and now serves as an education center.
James Avery Craftsman Tour
Sharon took a
drive to the James Avery Craftsman headquarters to an opening event Marilyn
told her about that featured the nationally acclaimed craftsman of gold and
silver jewelry. She toured the new section displaying the steps for
silversmithing and after much consternation, purchased a silver ring!
Lost Maples State Natural Area
One day we took a scenic drive one and a half hours southwest of Kerrville to see the last of the fall colors at the Lost Maples State Natural Area. Hidden deep in a remote Hill Country canyon lies a fall color display that rivals any found in New England. We hiked one of the more colorful trails in the 2,174 acre park.
Each November bigtooth maple trees transform into a spectacular blaze of red, yellow and orange hues.
Scenic Drive
Kerrville has a
lot of scenic drives and since Sharon missed out on Mike and Mike’s tour of the
Hill Country, Mike took Sharon on the scenic Sunday drive. The Texas Hill Country Trail continues west
of Ingram on Texas 39 and follows the Guadalupe River to Hunt. We stopped at
the little art community in Ingram and found only a few shops open. One studio
was that of Tom Moss, a local bronze artist whose story we enjoyed listening
to. He was in the middle of creating a piece and so he allowed Sharon to
photograph him with his work. His website is www.tommossstudio.com.
Another store we entered was Clint Orms Engravers & Silversmiths where high end hand-made silver and leather goods were made. We spoke in length with Charlie Fricano about our RV adventures and his dream to do the same thing someday. The website is www.clintorms.com.
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| Charlie Fricano |
The scenic route travels by Stonehenge II and the Ingram Lake and a fence decorated with cowboy boots! West of Hunt, the road continues along cypress tree-lined banks of the South Fork of the Guadalupe River.
There were many high fences along the route indicating game ranches. We even caught glimpses of some game animals such as Black Bucks, Rusa and Big Horn Sheep. We also saw a kangaroo which seemed out of place!
We also drove to the Kerr Wildlife Management Area, a driving tour that introduces visitors to what Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists do there. It was an enjoyable drive along a juniper lined road where we saw birds, deer and wild turkey among large Texas Oak and elm trees.
Alamo Springs Café, Luckenbach, Trade Days and Christmas Parade
Near the end of
our stay in Kerrville, Mike and Marilyn, our gracious tour guides, invited us
to spend the day with them.
It was a nice
scenic drive through the Hill Country to eat lunch at the best burger joint
ever at Alamo Springs Café! We would have never found this place if it weren’t
for Mike and Marilyn. We all had burgers, which were the biggest, juiciest and
best burgers we have ever eaten! And
watching the cooks and wait staff was very entertaining too!
From there we head to Luckenbach another place we would not have discovered until now. Conjuring up Waylon Jennings’ version of the hit song “Luckenbach Texas,” this cowboy community is a dancing, singing, all-around entertaining gem. As you stroll through the old post office, saloon and general store, you get a taste of local history. We sipped on a glass of wine and kicked back to watch some local musicians on the outdoor stage.
Luckenbach is a tiny hill country hamlet where “Everybody’s Somebody” was established as a Trading Post in 1849 making it one of the oldest settlements in Gillespie County. The Post Office/General Store/Beer Joint, was first opened in 1886 by August Engel, a preacher from Germany, whose daughter Minna chose the name Luckenbach in honor of her fiancé, Albert Luckenbach. Luckenbach has an interesting history at www.luckenbachtexas.com.
That evening we also joined everyone for a Christmas parade in the nearby historic town of Comfort. Holiday shopping opportunities galore, tree lighting ceremony, parade and fireworks got you in the holiday spirit and it was a nice ending to our stay in Kerrville!
Our First Thanksgiving Dinner on the Road
When we shopped
for our turkey, Sharon measured the inside of the convection oven to be sure we
got a turkey that would fit! It had to
be no larger than 5” tall which ended up being an eight pound turkey. That
didn’t leave much for leftovers! It was
a challenge making everything in one small convection oven, which meant making
the sweet potato casserole and apple pie the day before. It was the first time roasting a turkey and
it took longer than expected since we followed one method which didn’t work too
well, so we roasted it at a normal oven temperature.
When we finally got to eat, the feast was delicious and later the apple pie ala mode was to die for! Plenty of left overs for the next day!
Country Drive while RV in for Repairs
Our RV furnace
needed to be looked at to see why it was not working properly. We wanted to be
sure we had our back-up heat when temperatures fell below freezing. While the
RV was in the shop we took advantage of the time to see some local sites. We
took a scenic drive to a little town called Medina, the Apple Orchard Capital
of Texas. We stopped at The Apple Store at the Love Creek Orchards and picked
up a couple freshly made apple turnovers for later and a fresh loaf of apple
bread! No apples this time of year but lots of award winning apple pies
featured on the Food Network. They were also famous for apple ice cream,
strudels, breads, cookies, turnovers, as well as unique gifts and souvenirs.We also revisited Bandera and toured the Frontier Times Museum. It was an odd collection of items, but interesting nonetheless.
The Kerrville area offered so many things to do, that we will indeed return again, especially to visit our friends Mike and Marilyn who made our visit a memorable one!
Join us for our
next blog on Burnet, TX.
Mike & Sharon
“Take time to dream – It is hitching your wagon to a star.
Take time to love and to be loved – Take time to look around – It is too short
a day to be closed in. Take time to laugh – It is the music of the soul.”
Old English Prayer
