Bastrop is located
in the Hill Country region. We decided to stay in as many state parks as
possible that offered full hook-ups (water, electric and sewer) and that could
accommodate 40’ RV.
We arrived at the Bastrop
State Park on December 16, 2014 and stayed through the end of the year. The park rests on 5,926 acres in the famous
Lost Pines, an isolated region of loblolly pine, cedar and oak trees. The design of the park, which was built in
the 1930s mostly by workers with the Civilian Conservation Corps, served as the
basis of the style of all Texas state parks.
What we didn’t
realize was that the park experienced a devastating wildfire in 2011 that
destroyed 96 percent of its acreage. The
fire was deemed the most destructive fire in Texas history. It began the afternoon of September 4, 2011, and as a result of strong winds and burned 36,000 acres east of Bastrop. Two people were killed by the fire, which
destroyed 1,673 homes and inflicted an estimated $325 million of insured
property damage. The fire was finally
extinguished on October 29.
 |
| Wildfire of September 2011 |
Texas also experienced major flooding throughout the state over Memorial Day this year which collapsed a century-old dam at Bastrop State Park’s lake, causing about $5 million in damage.
During our stay,
the view was that of dead burnt trees and the smell of smoke due to a controlled
burn the week we arrived!
Mice in the RV!
in the bathroom hallway and Mike was in the kitchen. Sharon let out a blood-curdling
 |
| ...mice can cost you money |
as a mouse scurried across the floor from the
kitchen to the bedroom.
It was the speed at which the tiny mouse travelled that really startled Sharon. Mike came running!
Our worst nightmare. Luckily Mike was prepared with two traps that he set that night. One in the kitchen and one beside Sharon’s side of the bed! Needless to say, Sharon wasn’t looking forward to sleeping that night! Sharon went to bed while Mike stayed up a little longer. Well it wasn’t long after Sharon closed her eyes that she heard the snap of the trap! She softly yelled to Mike “I think we got one!”
The night was
without incident, but the next morning when Sharon awoke, she checked the trap
in the kitchen and yes, we got another one! How many more will be catch! We talked to the Park Ranger that morning and
she said since the fire in 2011 there has been a problem with mice. The fire
killed all the snakes so the mice multiplied. Back in 2011 they found mice in
cabinets, cars and RV’s.
We spent the day buying more traps and going to the Tractor Supply store to pick up some “Fresh Cab” ... the farmer's secret to mouse control. It was organic and smelled like pine and Mike would place the bags into the “basement” compartments. Mike also heard that rope lights placed under the RV will keep mice away, so we purchased lights too. We were armed to overcome future mice intrusions!
 |
| Fresh Cab - Farmer's secret |
We spent the day buying
more traps and going to the Tractor Supply store to pick up some “Fresh Cab”
... the farmer secret to mouse control. It was organic and smelled
like pine and Mike would place the bags into the “basement” compartments. Mike also heard that rope lights placed under
the RV will keep mice away, so we purchased lights too. And Mike also stuffed brass wool in every opening he could find. We were armed to overcome future mice
intrusions!
We didn’t catch
any more mice for a few days. But when
Mike went to access the storage area underneath our bed he found a half-eaten
acorn and some nesting materials, pulled from fabric that was wrapped around
some folding chairs. OMG….a nest….mice
reproducing under our bed!!
Mike then pulled
everything out of the storage area to find out where the mice could be entering
and come to find out there was a hole where wires were pulled through that was
not sealed. Mike sealed it up really good.
We caught two more mice. Waited a few more days and since the other mice
weren’t bringing food to the last mouse under the bed, it finally came out and
snap went the trap! No mice since then!
Town of Bastrop
Bastrop is a charming
historic town located in “The Heart of the Lost Pines” of Central Texas. It was
named a Texas Main Street City in 2007 and was named one of the Top 12
Distinctive Destinations in America in 2010.
Recent movies filmed in Bastrop include “Fireflies in the Garden,”
starring Julia Roberts; “Bernie,” starring Shirley Maclaine and Jack Black;
“When Angels Sing,” starring Harry Connick, Jr. and “The Alamo” starring Dennis
Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton.
The Honor Choir was singing Christmas carols as we strolled down the main street.
We went to the local farmer’s market, strolled through historic Bastrop, local galleries and the museum/visitor center. Unfortunately the museum was closed, but the lobby featured a 1915 Brockway, Bastrop’s first motorized fire truck!
Our favorite
gallery was Art on the Colorado, a new contemporary art gallery opened by David
Baker to highlight his large abstract paintings and also to feature other
artists of contemporary sculptures and glass.
We drove a little further and found a collection of old buildings with various merchants.
Later we ate dinner
at The Grace Miller that served up some home cookin’ for Mike’s 60th birthday on December 22. It’s
known by the locals as the place to go and is known for the best chicken fried
steak in the county.
Visit to Smithville
Smithville, a
short drive from Bastrop, is best known as the home of “Hope Floats,” the 1998
movie starring Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick, Jr. and Gene Rowlands. It was also the location for “Tree of Life,”
starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, filmed in 2008. Smithville is also known as
“The Heart of the Megalopolis” due to its centrality to Austin, Houston, San
Antonio and Bryan/College Station.
We ate lunch at the
Olde World Bakery & Café.
After lunch we headed to Bone Spirits Distillery to taste the hand-crafted vodka, moonshine, gin and corn whiskey made using freshly-milled corn sourced from local Texas farmers. After going through a meticulous distillation process the spent grains are then returned to the local farms for feed. After Sharon took a sip of the first “strong” shot, she decided to sip Mike’s tastings!
Christmas Walk along the River of Lights
One evening we
strolled along the June Hill Pape Riverwalk along the Colorado River to see
over 100 holiday displays in the town of Bastrop.
Concert in Austin – Trans-Siberian
Orchestra
Every year we
attended a Christmas Jazz Concert back in Sarasota so we wanted to continue our
tradition. Although there were no jazz
concerts, Sharon remembered her brother, Danny, went to see the Trans-Siberian
Orchestra last year in Wisconsin and raved about it! We found out they were
playing in Austin over the holiday and so we got tickets. After a nice dinner
at the Eastside Cafe in Austin, we attended the concert at the Frank Erwin
Center at the University of Texas.
Johnson City - Most Spectacular Christmas
Light Display
After hearing
about the spectacular Christmas Light Display in Johnson City from a local
merchant in Bastrop, we decided to take a drive. First we toured the visitor
center with exhibits and films depicting the lives of President and Ladybird Johnson and the events of the Johnson Presidency. Lyndon B. Johnson resided in Johnson City from
age 5 until marriage at age 26. The boyhood
home was restored to the 1920s. The
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park is located in the Johnson City
District with tours of the Johnson Settlement.
 |
| Father, Mother & Lyndon at age 4 |
 |
| Restored boyhood home |
 |
| President Johnson |
 |
| LBJ Ranch |
We ate a delicious dinner in town and walked around the square decorated
for the holiday.
When night fell it
was cold, but we headed over to Pedernales Electric Cooperative, the company that
sponsored the spectacular blue and white Christmas light display. It was awesome, like a starry night. We couldn’t believe all the
lights that covered all the branches of all the trees in the area. Santa
arrived, horse and buggies toured guests around, and we enjoyed a hot chocolate
at a volunteer stand.
Pedernales Falls State Park
One cold day, we
decided to take a drive to see the Pedernales Falls State Park located outside
of Johnson City. We took a short
hike to view the dramatic rock scenery that forms the Pedernales Falls. Because of the drought the rocks were more visible.
Christmas Dinner at Blair House Inn, Wimberley,
TX
Wimberley is
located about 40 miles southwest of Austin and 60 miles northeast of San
Antonio. It is nestled in the Blanco River Valley where Cypress Creek flows
into the Blanco River. Extensive deposits of limestone make up white rocks and
white river bottom common in the area and is about 1,000 feet above sea level
on the Edwards Plateau. We ate lunch at The Wimberley Cafe and toured the town.
Since we would not
be home for Christmas we decided to make dinner reservations at the Blair House
Inn, a quaint bed and breakfast in Wimberley that Sharon found on-line. It is
situated on 22 acres and was named one of the “Top 25 Inns in the U.S.” in
Conde’ Nast Traveler. You can find them at www.blairhouseinn.com.
We photographed
one of the lovely guest room that we would have stayed in if we didn’t have to
return to our RV that night!
Chris and Lois
were our gracious hosts and Chef Brian prepared a superb Christmas Dinner.
Wimberley Glassworks
On our way to
Wimberley, we stopped in at the Wimberley Glassworks to watch a glass-blowing
demonstration and admire all of the expensive hand-blown art glass.
Visit to Gruene
Gruene (pronounced
Green) is home of Texas’ oldest continually operated dancehall and saloon (c.
1878). Gruene Hall became the center of
the community’s social life. This authentic Texas town was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
The Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar is the site of a 1870s cotton gin
on the scenic riverbank of the Guadalupe River.
We learned a lot about the area from one of the co-op artists at the
Buck Pottery Fine Crafts Gallery.
We enjoyed lunch
at Mozie’s Bar and Grill and walked around town to the galleries and general
store. We plan to visit Gruene again
someday.
Visit with Firefighter/Paramedic from our Hometown
We got a surprise
phone call from Larry Gibbs, a good friend and recently retired firefighter/paramedic from the Sarasota County
Fire Department. He was in the area with
his family, so we arranged to meet at The Oasis on Lake Travis. As the largest outdoor restaurant in Texas, The Oasis has earned the reputation as the Sunset Capital of Texas. It is located on a cliff 450 feet above Austin's Lake Travis. See oasis-austin.com. The lake view was beautiful, but as with most
Texas lakes, the water was down about 30 feet.
We have truly enjoyed our journey since leaving Sarasota on August 3, 2014. It was a good year!
Stay tuned for our next blog post where we continue our journey through Texas, and start off the New Year in Lake Livingston State Park.
Mike & Sharon
“One today is worth two tomorrows.”
Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790)
