THE DIVERSITY OF TEXAS

Since entering Texas, we've traveled the Texas Mountain Trail, the Hill Country, and the Texas Tropical Trail.  We joke about how boring it is to drive through Texas for three days, but that's really if you're only travelling the Interstates.  Once you get off onto the blue highways, you see just how diverse this huge state really is.

We continue travelling with Rod and Ellen and met up with Joe and Sue Rokowski in Bandera for a few days.  They've been scoping out the area for two weeks and showed us some of the places they liked best.  Bandera has dubbed itself the Cowboy Capital of the World.  This laid-back town on the Medina River retains the authentic flavor of the Old West by maintaining and repurposing a lot of the old buildings around Main Street.  I was a little disappointed that they've turned so many of them into clothing and jewelry boutiques.   We were there during the week, but we were told that on weekends, Main Street reverts to its Old West roots.  Cowboys ride through the streets, musicians serenade, and storytellers spin their yarns.  Sounds like fun.

Our second day there was cold and windy so we opted for some indoor sightseeing.  The Camp Verde General Store and Post Office was originally built in 1857 to offer goods and services to the soldiers stationed at nearby Fort Verde.  The store is now a 'home and body' boutique but still uses the old store and post office interior furnishings.  Very nice.

An interesting part of its history was the Camel Experiment.  In 1854, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis petitioned Congress to appropriate $30,000 for the Army to experiment with using camels for supply transport and other military purposes.  The bill passed and the first shipment from Egypt arrived at Fort Camp Verde via naval supply ship in April of 1856.  By the time the Civil War had begun, there were over 50 camels at the Fort.  By 1865, there were more than 100 camels.  They passed every test of their ability - carrying heavier loads and traveling longer distances than the mules  and horses used in the area.  However, the War Dept needed funds for reconstruction after the Civil War, and the Fort was deactivated in 1869 ending he experiment.  We were told that there were still some camels in the area.

Before heading back to the campground and some local Bar-B-Q ribs, we stopped at the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville .  While the paintings and bronze sculptures were really good, the architecture of the museum was equally amazing.

Our last day in the Hill Country was spent in Boerne (pronounced "Bernie"), a small town along the Cibolo Creek.  It was founded in the mid-1800's by a group of Germans and their influence remains today.  We strolled down Haupstrasse (Main Street in German) through the town's historic district with its specialty and antique shops.  We took advantage of the warm sunny day by enjoying an outdoor lunch at the Epicure gourmet market and a walk along the Cibolo Creek's river walk.


I think this is Calvin telling us to get on the road!

On Friday, we said good-bye to both couples as we all struck off in different directions for a little more sightseeing before heading home.  Keith and I drove to Corpus Christie along the Gulf of Mexico.  I was anxious to see Padre Island so I was a little disappointed that the paved road ended so soon after entering the National Park.  I convinced Keith to drive onto the beach for a short distance but is was really bumpy so I wasn't upset when we turned around.

We drove to the other end of the island and took the short ferry ride from Port Aransas to Aransas Pass before heading back to the campground.

Sunday's visit to The Texas State Aquarium was more fun; we even petted a stingray (it's kind of like petting a snake...not what you'd expect it to feel like).  We enjoyed the dolphin show and the turtle and otter exhibits.

Around the log...

and back again, and again, and again!

 

Following the coastline north, Jamaica Beach RV Park on Galveston Island was our next stop.  We really liked this park; it was right across the road from the beach.  Unfortunately, the weather was overcast and windy and it was extremely humid. 

Calvin checking out the 'neighbors'

 On Tuesday we took the 'Duck' tour of Galveston and then viewed the film about the hurricane of 1900 that destroyed the town and killed 6000 residents.  But, I think the highlight of the day for Keith was dinner at Zack's Mac Shack.  Mac n' cheese with Lobster!

Another overcast day but that didn't stop us from going back into Galveston for the day.  Today, we went to Moody Gardens.  They have a huge 1.5 million gallon 10-story blue-glass Aquarium Pyramid and they have a Rainforest Pyramid of equal size.  Our decision was which one to see because we found that they were each about $50 for the two of us.  Since we had just gone to the Texas Aquarium, we chose the Rainforest.  It was a good experience but I still think it was a bit pricey. 

Moody Gardens

The illusive Two-towed Sloth

 

Scarlet Macaws
 

Afterward, we went back downtown to walk around the Strand historic district and the wharf.  And, on the way back to the park, we stopped to walk on the beach; I wanted to at least get my feet wet in the Gulf.  I was surprised that the water wasn't very cold, but I guess, location-wise, it would be more comparable to the Florida coast than New Jersey's.

Tomorrow, we leave Texas and stop in Louisiana to spend a couple of days in Lafayette before heading North.