Lockhart, TX and Lake Corpus Christi State Park

Lake Falling Star RV Resort, Dale, TX

Dale is located in the Prairies and Lakes region. Lake Falling Star RV Resort is a commercial RV park near Lockhart, TX. The park was quiet and off the beaten path, a good place to relax! We also spent some time getting our propane heater repaired.

We arrived at the Lake Falling Star on January 13, 2015 for two weeks.  Didn’t take long to meet our friendly neighbors. The park hosted a pot luck every Sunday in the club house. The first Sunday everyone was to bring their favorite Cajun covered dish. Sharon made her famous red beans and rice. The dishes were so delicious that we had to exchange recipes.

The next Sunday we were to bring a dish that represented cooking from our home town. Sharon decided on seafood, but since she is allergic to shrimp, crab and lobster, she decided on her scallop recipe, to die for! But as much as she loves to cook for a group of people, she couldn’t stop there. She also made homemade corn muffins with sour cream, our friend Susie’s special black-eyed pea soup recipe. Needless to say, there was nothing left! There was a great assortment of dishes from various regions of the U.S.

Lockhart State Park

We visited Lockhart State Park. The recreation hall and original water cistern were built by the CCC in the 1930s.  The recreation hall was used as the Golf Pro Shop. We hiked the Comanche Loop Trail named for this high vantage point historically used by local Comanche tribes to spot enemies from afar.

 

 

Historic Town of Lockhart

Lockhart is recognized throughout the world for its famous barbequed meats. The Texas Legislature officially named Lockhart “The Barbecue Capital of Texas” in 1999.  It has four unique barbecue meat markets, with dining rooms.

The first meat market was established in Lockhart in 1885 at the site of the Kreuz Brother’s Meat Market Building. The original owner sold the meat market to Charles Kreuz, Sr. in 1900.  By 1924, the barbecue business had grown. The Kreuz Brothers sold one third of the company to their relative Hugo Prove, and all three worked together to construct a new building so folks could dine inside.  Charles’ sons and Prove ran Kreuz Market until 1948, when Edgar Schmidt, a faithful Kreuz employee since 1936, bought it. Edgar closed the grocery story in the sixties, but kept sides like crackers, bread, pickles, onions and cheese that had become crowd favorites. They’re still on the Kreuz Menu.

In 1984, Edgar sold the business to his sons, Rick and Don Schmidt after 2 years-worth of what’s come to be known as a family feud amongst the brothers and their sister Nina Sells of Smitty’s Market. The brothers worked together until Don’s retirement in 1997.

Two years later, Rick moved Kreuz Market to a bigger location down the street from the original one. The building’s new but the brick fire pit is the same one that’s been burnin’ for 100 years. Pit Master Roy Perez and Lehman Schmidt dragged the burning coals a quarter mile from the original location to make sure of it.

Rick sold the family business to his son Keith Schmidt in 2011 when he retired. Keith is keeping his father’s traditions, the same traditions his grandfather Edgar and Charles Kreuz Sr. himself, alive and well in Texas.

Nina Schmidt Sells established Smitty's Market in 1999 in the building that housed her father's Kreuz Market for more than 50 years. The market sits in the same location where barbecue has been sold in Lockhart since the turn of the last century.

In addition to Kreuz Market and Smitty’s Market, Edgar Black, Sr. established Black’s Meat Market on North Main in 1932, which is now the oldest in Texas continuously operated in the same location by the same family. 

There is also Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Que. "Starting a barbecue place here was like putting a ballpark across from Yankee Stadium." These are the words of owner Floyd Wilhelm on his decision to open Chisholm Trail Bar-B-Que in Lockhart, home to the three legendary joints.  Wilhelm worked at Black’s before opening the doors here, and over thirty years later his son Daniel does most of the cooking. We ate at three of the four establishments, missing out on Kreuz’, and have to agree it is some of the best BBQ brisket and sausage we have tasted!

The first Anglo colonist known to have set foot in the area was Byrd Lockhart, a surveyor for the Green DeWitt Colony. During the Texas Revolution, Lockhart went to the aid of the defenders of the Alamo.  He was out gathering supplies for the Alamo garrison and escaped the final deadly assault on March 6, 1836. After helping bury the defenders, he served Texas as a captain of a Ranger unit. 

Throughout the 1830’s, Comanche Indians roamed the state raiding, killing and kidnapping settlers. Byrd Lockhart’s niece, Matilda Lockhart was kidnapped in 1838. In early 1840, a large delegation of Comanche leaders arrived in San Antonio to negotiate a peace agreement with the Texas Government. By prior arrangement they had agreed to return all of their white captives. They returned only one, Matilda Lockhart.

The Caldwell County Courthouse is the third courthouse built in the center of Lockhart. The cornerstone for the present Courthouse was laid on August 15, 1893 and the building was completed on March 19, 1894 at a cost of $54,950.  The structure features mansard roofs and a high central tower with a four-way Seth Thomas clock. The three-story edifice is built of Muldoon limestone with red Pecos sandstone trim. The Courthouse has been fully restored to its original grandeur, while meeting modern code requirements. It is a Texas Landmark, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is the most photographed courthouse in Texas.

Fire Station

The following two houses represent some of the old architecture in Lockhart.

Culture finally got a foothold in Lockhart with the construction of the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in 1900. Named in memory of its benefactor, it is the oldest continually operating public library in Texas and first public library built by a city in Texas.  Dr. Clark was a native of New Orleans.  Orphaned at three, he graduated from Tulane Medical School and came to Lockhart in 1883 to practice.  The bequeathed $10,000 to the citizens of Lockhart to build a world class public library and lyceum.  

The restored structure is an outstanding example of the French Renaissance style, and is recognized as unique among libraries in the country. The new library became the cultural center of the region. The library-lyceum stage has seen many famous Americans, noted orators and performers including President William Howard Taft and Dorothy Sarnoff.  Unfortunately, the library was closed when we arrived. Sharon especially wanted to see the light as it passed through the arched stained glass windows.

The fourth Caldwell County Jail was built in 1909 and used continuously until the mid-1980s. It represents a rare example of the Norman castellated style of architecture.  Located on the site of the county’s first log jail (1855-1858), this four-story red-brick structure contains nine main cells, each divided into small compartments on the upper three floors. 

 



The ground floor was the residence for the County Sheriff.  James H. Franks became the first sheriff to serve in the new Caldwell County Jail in 1908. Sheriff Franks and his family lived on the first floor of this building, a tradition that continued into the 1980s for the sheriffs that followed him.  A Texas Historical Landmark and listed on the National Register, the jail now serves as a County Tourist Center and Museum.

Texas Hatters – Custom Made Hats

We stopped in at the Texas Hatters, a unique store with an interesting history.  Hats of all kinds hung everywhere with specially made hat boxes.  Hats were made on-site in the backroom. We met a fellow RVer named Tim from Arkansas who was picking up his custom made hat. He is an artist and made his own hat band. His wife recently passed away and they were unable to make their first RV adventure together. He invited us to stay on his property whenever we pass through Arkansas. We recently heard from Tim as he has been following our blog. He met a nice woman and she wants to travel, so the future looks bright for our friend Tim!

Lake Corpus Christi State Park, Mathis, TX

Lake Corpus Christi State Park is located in the Gulf Coast region of Texas. The park is located on the shores of its 21,000-acre namesake reservoir. We arrived at the Lake Corpus Christi State Park on January 27, 2015 for two weeks. Another place where we relaxed and enjoyed the natural beauty of the park. And the coyotes were howling in the night!

Our RV Site up on the hill overlooking Lake Corpus Christi

The brush-covered slopes, open waters, and quiet, sometimes marshy margins of Lake Corpus Christi form a localized area whose birdlife is rich and diverse. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the park. Typically state parks do not allow you to hang bird feeders, but they allowed us to hang them here.  

We had an abundance of birds feed outside our window, especially the Titmouse, Savannah Sparrows and Cardinals. 

The most beautiful birds were the Green Jays whose colors shimmered in the sunlight. 

And Mr. Squirrel tested his ability to feed too!  He didn't make it!

 

We also saw Meadowlarks that would feed in the grass, Swainson’s Hawk, Woodpeckers and White Pelicans in the lake!

The neighbors were all friendly and so Sharon made up a Pre-Superbowl flyer to invite three couples over for Kahlua cake, coffee or blackberry mojito punch with optional Moonshine. It was a great way to get to know everyone.

Fish Fry with Neighbors

We especially hit it off with our neighbors, Larry and Marion, who were from Illinois, Mike’s home state. Larry was a retired firefighter who had lots of stories to keep Mike entertained.  Their golden retriever named “Rooster” always came to Mike for his daily petting.

Larry fished in the lake almost daily. One day Larry came back from fishing and said he hit the jackpot and caught a lot of fish for a fish fry! When he opened his bucket, it was empty!  Funny!  But he did fry up some delicious Crappie.  Marion’s baked beans and Sharon's angel hair pasta with chicken, walnuts, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes  complemented the fish fry!

Hiked Choke Canyon State Park

Larry and Marion joined us for a drive to Choke Canyon State Park. Two units, Calliham and South Shore, lie on the shores of Choke Canyon Lake, a massive 26,000 acre reservoir. We hiked the Calliham Unit. The lake even had alligators and reminded us of the lakes at home. And the fishermen dragged x-mas trees behind their boats to attract fish. These private honey holes would become home to Bass, Crappie and other targets.

Fisherman towing Christmas Tree

Alligator across the lake

Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History

We always pick rainy days for museums. The exhibits at this museum were so interesting, we spent hours there. There were exhibits on the history of the 1554 Padre Island Shipwreck and La Salle’s ship La Belle that wrecked in 1686, a reproduction of Columbus’ ship Pinta – built to honor the 500^th anniversary of his journey to the New World, the colorful 150-year history of Corpus Christi, dinosaurs, bones and prehistoric fossils, gems and minerals, shells from around the world, and guns and ammo too. 

Sharon searched to find a Texas Topaz, the State Gem of Texas - no luck!

California Redwood - 898 years old

Art Museum of South Texas

Before touring the Art Museum, we got a bite to eat the Hester’s Café & Coffee Bar inside the Art Museum and bagged up a homemade dessert for later! The Art Museum overlooks the ship channel.  The exhibits were fabulous.

Recycled Materials

Sharon was taking photos inside the museum until a security guard caught her just as she was going to take a photo of her favorite exhibit, that of a hand-made wooden Sampan and Sailing Scow by Roy Fridge (1927-2007). Since he was a boy living on a waterless caliche hill in South Texas, Fridge has been building boats and sailing them on mythical quests, searching for some essential truth about himself. In 1963, after a successful career and busy life in Dallas, Fridge eschewed city life and moved to the beach in order to be a hermit. In 1982 he decided that Port Aransas was no longer a proper place to be a hermit, so he built the sampan and sailed it up to Coleto Creek, to a wooded area near Victoria, the property of a friend and fellow artist Madeline O’Connor. There he lived and built a tree-house and shaman shrine that he would ultimately leave for the woods to reclaim over time. The voyage was a personal recreation of primitive mythic rituals of death and rebirth.

Do a search of Sampan and Sailing Scow by Roy Fridge and click on Texas Monthly – Nov 1982 – Page 250 – Google Books Result and scroll down to page 250 to see the interesting article by Michael Ennis called “The Shrine of the Beached Skull” that tells the story of Roy Fridge and shows a photo of his sailing scow.

Texas State Aquarium

It was cold and rainy the day we toured the aquarium, but we huddled to see some of the outdoor shows. The aquarium featured dolphins, turtles, otters and birds, sea urchins and sharks and stingray lagoon.

Tour of USS Lexington

A National Historic Landmark, the aircraft carrier USS Lexington is mammoth in size. It is as tall as a 19 story building and as long as three New York City blocks. As a former U.S. Navy vessel it sits at 910 feet, 33,000 tons and has 16 decks. The minute you board the ship, it takes you back in a time where heroes lived, bombs exploded, kamikazes crashed and history was made. Around every corner, up every ladder and down every passageway, a story unfolds. The deck has over 20 planes, from WWII Warbirds to Blue Angels. And the ship has its own post office, barbershop, dentist and hospital.

 

 

Day Trip to Port Aransas

We visited some RV friends, Donnie and Connie, in Port Aransas on the Gulf Coast. We first met them while we were in Albuquerque, NM. They had been coming to the same RV Park in Port Aransas for many years. Connie had hors d’ourves ready for us when we arrived and then they were our gracious tour guides for the day and if that wasn’t enough, they made us a delicious dinner in their RV before we headed back to Lake Corpus Christi!  It was a fun day!

A fisherman's best friend

We stopped at the pier and watched the huge ship called “Pelican State” go thru the channel with a dolphin jumping at the bow of ship.

We drove along the beach and then had a delicious seafood lunch at Virginia’s on the Bay.

 

Donnie and Connie drove their vehicle onto the ferry for a ride to Mustang Island. The ferry connects Mustang Island and Port Aransas with the mainland via Aransas Pass. There are six operational ferries in Port Aransas, each carrying 20 regular passenger vehicles on each trip.

We went to a local dock and had a drink at Charlotte Plummer’s Restaurant to watch the shrimp boats come in as the sun set.

Unlike some other Texas Gulf Coast areas we have seen dotted with oil refineries, one place we did not get to see was Padre Island National Seashore which consists of more than 130,000 acres of undeveloped dunes, grasslands and pristine, natural, sandy beaches. It is the longest stretch of undeveloped barrier island in the entire world! South Padre Island is a primitive Gulf beach over 60 miles long. And back at the mainland is Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge which sounded much like Ding Darling on Sanibel Island in Florida.

Biking, Kayaking and Hiking

Corpus Christi State Park was a great place to bike, kayak and hike. And it was the first place Sharon saw her beloved Road Runner up close and personal!

 

 

View of Old Park Pavilion from the Kayak - Built by CCC 1933

 

 

King Ranch Nature Tour

King Ranch was established in 1853 and has a long history of wildlife management. As early as 1947, famed conservationist Aldo Leopold called King Ranch “one of the best jobs of wildlife restoration on the continent.”  Today, the ranch is a vital part of an incredibly diverse landscape in South Texas dubbed “The Last Great Habitat.” 

Richard King and Gideon K. Lewis began King Ranch in 1852 with a cattle camp on Santa Gertrudis Creek.  After Lewis’s death, King bought out his half of the ranch and began to purchase more land to expand his holdings. By the time of his death, he owned over 600,000 acres. King was one of America’s leading cattle men. His large amounts of land, revolutionary use of the cattle drive, and other ranching technologies, helped to transform the American cattle industry. While King Ranch had a large variety of livestock, it mainly raised cattle. The ranch began with longhorn cattle, but in the 1880s Brahman and shorthorn cattle were cross bred to create the Santa Gertrudis Cattle the ranch is known for today. The ranch also raises thoroughbreds for elite horse racing. Those sired at the ranch include 1946 Triple Crown Winner, Assault.

Since 1994, the nature tour program has allowed visitors to see the benefits of this conservation ethic in the abundance of native wildlife that roams the ranch. Besides rich populations of game species such as northern bobwhite quail, white-tailed deer, and wild turkey, King Ranch is also home to an incredible number of mammals, reptiles, birds and insects. We decided to take a half-day nature tour of the King Ranch.

Not only did we see birds, we also saw a coyote, deer, Santa Gertrudis Cattle, longhorns, and horses.

We joined our guide and six other guests in a van and all were equipped with binoculars or cameras. Sharon got to sit up front as long as she promised to be a good spotter, which she is! We visited habitats from wetland to grassland looking for birds.  We had a Bird Checklist and checked off all of the birds we saw, including the Vesper Sparrow, House Sparrow, Black-crested Titmouse, Loggerhead Shrike, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Curve-billed Thrasher, Orange-crowned Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Scarlet Tanager, Northern Cardinal, Pyrrhuloxia (like Cardinal, but not red), red-winged Blackbird, Eastern and Western Meadowlark, Great-tailed Grackle and the Brown-headed Cowbird.

 

We also spotted Wild Turkey, Least Grebe, Pie-billed Grebe, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Cooper’s Hawk, Harris’s Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Sandhill Crane, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Common Ground-Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Great Horned Owl, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Crested Caracara, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Eastern Phoebe, Say’s Phoebe and the Great Kiskadee! That is a lot of birds! It was the best nature tour we have ever taken and highly recommend seeing King Ranch if you are in the Kingsville, TX area!

In addition to the nature tours, King Ranch also offers daily ranch tours, but we saw glimpses of the ranch throughout our nature tour.

 

One more Stop at Kerrville, TX

From Lake Corpus Christi we returned to Kerrville on February, 2015 for a few days.  Our friends, Mike and Marilyn invited us over for dinner on Valentine’s Day. Marilyn cooked a delicious crawfish pie and crawfish soup. The pie was an old Louisiana family recipe!

Hope you enjoyed this part of Texas as much as we have. One more stop in Davis Mountains State Park near Big Bend. After talking with Mike and Marilyn, we actually changed our reservation so we could experience this magical place ourselves. After Davis Mountains, we will be leaving the Lone Star State of Texas!

On the road again…

Mike & Sharon

“Let go of any feeling of being tied to time. Flow with it and you will be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.”

Eileen Caddy (1917-2006)