Thursday is my Friday

I think we can all agree that there's magic in the air when you know you have a three day weekend coming up.  It's even better when I know that Thursday is my Friday because I'm taking an extra day off so we can go camping.  Oh! And add in that it's a camping weekend? Absolutely. The. Best!

We left out Thursday after work with the plan to get part way over to Kerrville for the Memorial Day Weekend, so we stopped at the Austin East Holiday KOA again.  This was the one with the really big Kamp K9 and, needless to say, Diesel was happy with the stopover, too.

We were pretty happy with it because it was close enough to leave the truck and camper hooked up and Uber over to Colleen's Kitchen for dinner.  Y'all, wow. The roasted squash and grits I had was DEVINE. It's like, if comfort had a taste? That would be it. I added two over-medium eggs to the dish and it was a perfect choice; a bit more protein and the runny yolk added a great richness that the pickled red onion cuts right through.

A quick tip: after the last trip (High Heat in the Hills) we picked up vehicle window shades and vent covers to help keep things cool and they made a HUGE difference this weekend; we could tell almost immediately when I put them up in the east facing windows as the sun set. Doubt that it'll extend our camping much into the summer (this is traditionally our last weekend camping) but at least we know it helps!

Friday morning we made the rest of the drive across to Kerrville, enjoying the changing terrain and hilly roads with their rocky walls and short, scraggly mesquite trees.  As we settled into site 210 on the riverside, I noticed another short, scraggly plant along the tree line: poison ivy.  A little creative placement of Diesel's dog run and we were good. (This wasn't anywhere near as bad as the poison ivy in our site at Caddo Lake SP; that still gives me the shivers!)

We set up camp, then went just a block into town for an early dinner, stopping in at Brew Dawgs and then making our way to Gibsons for a few random supplies and over to the HEB for groceries.  You'll remember Gibson's from our last visit to Kerrville this is the old-school general store where "If they don't have it, you don't need" applies. I picked up a new placemat for the camper table, along with a pink bandana for a craft I'm working on this weekend (more on that later), and a few other items. 

I had bought tickets ahead of time for us to go over to Old Tunnel State Park Friday evening. It's the smallest state park in the Texas parks system (only one staffer, everyone else is volunteers) and it's only staffed in the evenings from May thru October in order to facilitate people coming to watch the bats emerge. 

Just the view alone from the upper viewing area is breathtaking (yes, I want the vacation house that you can see above the tree line there!), but it's worth getting on site a while before the anticipated 'bat show' to enjoy the trails and have a chance to walk down and see the 920ft long abandoned train tunnel that the Mexican Free-Tailed bats have made their home. 

About an hour before the previous night's emergence (they keep track and list it on their FaceBook page) the volunteers being an educational program to introduce us to how the state park came to be and the bats who live there.  Bob was our guide and he did an awesome job of 'edutainment' for the evening!

But honestly? As neat as Bob's information was (did you know: the way they determine how many bats are in a colony is by bats/square footage? In this colony, there are about 3M bats at peak during the summer, that's 200 bats/sq ft!) truth was, we were all there for the emergence (did you know: that several of the bats colonies in south Texas can actual been seen on weather radar as 'clouds' during their emergence?) 

About 4 minutes after last nights' emergence (did you know: the time that bats emerge from their roost is heavily dependent on the weather and heat? The wetter it is, the later they emerge.) there was a sudden flutter and an audible gasp from those gathered in the viewing area as the bats came soaring out, spiraling in front of the tunnel to gain altitude, and then making their way off thru the trees to find the first of their evening meals.

In only about 5 minutes, they had all left the tunnel and were on their way and so were we, heading back towards our campsite in Kerrville in awe of the wildlife we share this amazing planet with.

Saturday morning we got up and I took Diesel for a walk while RDB showered - we were heading over to Fredericksburg for the day to visit the National Museum of the Pacific War and enjoy some of the fun that downtown had to offer. 

The Museum was nearly overwhelming with the amount of information and the depth of detail taken to document such a historic - and horrific - time in our world.  RDB and I walked thru the main exhibits (the museum has three parts) and spent over an hour and a half just in that section alone.

I couldn't help but grab a photo of the wall commemorating the USS Batfish, seeing that we had just visited the bat colony over in Comfort. 

The museum did an incredible job of varying the types of displays - from interactive tabletops and wall mounted screens, to timed short movies and audio sequences, and panels upon panels of information to read as you wandered thru the almost maze-like rooms.  Remnants of social distancing and safety measures could still be seen throughout the place.

It was an overwhelming amount of information, and before the section celebrating the surrender of Japan in 1945 marking the end of the war, the displays culminated with a replica of the Atomic bomb casing (on loan from the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History) that was dropped over Japan. 

To be honest, RDB and I were a little disturbed by the mom who posed her young daughter in front of it, smiling for a picture; we were humbled to be so visually reminded of the kind of destructive power that is still at our fingertips and as the fighting in Ukraine continues today, we can only hope that those entrusted with the power of massive death and destruction will wield it with the same respect and caution shown by those who fought our last world war.

We left the museum and strolled down Main Street in Fredericksburg, enjoying the sights and sounds and smells of the various stores, wineries, and restaurants, finding our way over to El Milagro 2020 for lunch. It was hidden back off the main street, down an alleyway, and thanks to the cool sounds of The Night Owls playing live music from the 70's, we decided that was the place to hang out, enjoy a few beers, and enjoy a bite to eat.

We made our way back to the camper, took Diesel for a few walks, and hung out the rest of the evening with no plans to set an alarm on Sunday - which was good, because I slept in way longer than I thought I would! 

Saturday and Sunday evenings I spent time working on the slow-stitch craft kit I had bought from Wattle and Loop.  I had been looking for something crafty that I could work on sitting on the couch in the evenings and I've recently developed a love for cherry blossoms, so this kit was a great fit.  

This is where that pink bandana from Gibson's was put to use - I cut small pieces of it to include as a reminder of this trip. I appreciated how the instructions in the kit emphasized the value of using the vintage cloth pieces, giving them second life, and that this was a piece of art that focused on the imperfections and uniqueness of the process.  Things that I can really relate to and am working on in myself right now, too. 

Monday morning we set an alarm so that we could go downtown to the Kerr County courthouse for a wreath laying ceremony commemorating Memorial Day.  The weather was windy, and cloudy, and honestly, just perfect for an outdoor ceremony on the courthouse grounds. 

The program included a reading of "In Flander's Field," a speech from a local veteran, the reading of the names on the citizens from Kerrville who had lost their lives in prior wars, and the presentation of a few dozen wreaths from various civic, community, and veterans organizations.  

Capping it off was a state trooper playing "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes, a bugle blowing taps, and a three-volley gun salute.  It was moving to see how this small community was memorializing those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. 

After heading back to the campsite to check on Diesel, RDB and I went over to Save Inn for a late lunch (it was not as good as we remembered), then drove up to Ingram to check out Stonehenge II and the replica Easter Island statues.

The Hill Country Arts Museum was closed for the Memorial Day holiday but we still spent a few minutes wandering around the grounds and looking at the various art installations. 

The weather was absolutely perfect for an extra day away from work and stress; back at the campsite, we let Diesel out on his lead and set up the hammock and camping chairs to hang out and enjoy the shade, the breeze, and the last bit of the time away from the worries of the world.

Goofball always seems to get himself tired around everything and anything in his path.  Silly Dobie!

We were hanging out a bit later than usual, even with the 4 hour drive ahead of us, because the beautiful cloudy day we were enjoying also meant a fair bit of wind blowing thru.  I've said it before, you pay attention to things like that when you're hauling a 38' billboard behind you on the road.  

This is also why I buy the 'extra' night - so that we can stay late in the day and not have to pack up before noon and rush out of here, but also if we decide tonight that it's unsafe to drive because of the winds, we have a place to stay over; anything I have work-wise tomorrow can be moved from a Zoom video conference to a phone call from the truck.  (I _do_ love my job as the Director of _Virtual_ Education and Advice.) ;-)

We were at Kerrville-Schreiner City Park, Riverside, Site #210 with full hooks ups. The site was two legos un-level side-to-side and strangely, had the power pole and water on the door side of the site rather than the back side.

We really loved this location as a jumping off point to so much to do here in the Hill Country.  We definitely could see ourselves coming back again for another long weekend, or maybe even a full week in the winter.  This spot had great side shade, and the covered picnic table was much appreciated.  Only two downsides, though: there is poison ivy along the tree line and a significant amount of road noise throughout the day.

Park n' Drive: Inks Lake State Park

 Know before your go - a park drive thru video. 

Inks Lake State Park

We were in site #212, 50a/W

High Heat in the Hills; Going Underground

High Heat in the Hills; Going Underground

It's Saturday evening, around 6pm, and we're hanging out in the camper.... I'm not saying we wouldn't have come over to the Hill Country if we'd have known it was going to be a scorcher, but y'all, it's HAWT. (RDB says: the humidity is less, which helps, but it's still F#$%ing HOT.) 

Hayley Cakes and Cookies in Austin - she gets it!

We left out Thursday after work, and drove right into a pretty intense spring storm.  We even stopped off at the Buc-cees for a while to wait out the wind as it roared thru.

You really start to pay attention to weather in a different way when you're hauling a '38 billboard behind you.  Slow and steady, RDB drives us with great care - and it's like I've said before: if you wait for weekends when there's perfect weather, you won't be camping all that often.  Besides, the sunset we drove into was totally worth the storm we drove thru to get on the other side.

We made it over to the Austin East KOA Holiday after dark, just a stop over so that we didn't have to drive the full 3+ hrs in one evening after a long day at work.  I really appreciated the late night check in 'hut' at this KOA and Diesel loved the extra large Kamp K9 (no kidding, it was bigger than our backyard at home!). We were in site #146, easy pull thru as we got there in the evening and simple enough to leave Friday morning.

We took our time heading over to Inks Lake State Park early Friday afternoon, passing the miles talking about recent news and how sad we are to see freedoms being taken away. I've said before that camping is our way to get away from everything that overwhelms us, but sometimes life intrudes and some issues are too big to not be concerned about.  Throughout the weekend, several of the women's Facebook groups I'm a member of began to post updates of support, and I feel 100% the same as them. 

From my RV Chicks Chat group

We arrive early afternoon, set ourselves up in our site, and went into town to grab a bite to eat.  Being that it's Cinco de Mayo weekend we decided to stick with a Mexican food theme (who am I kidding, we'd eat Mexican every night of the week if we could!) and we Yelp'd over to one of the two restaurants in town with decent reviews.  The food at El Rancho was ok, but the service was certainly lacking. 

Since we were already in town, we drove over to the Burnet County courthouse. 

When it was built in the late 1930s it was considered an "ultra modern" design; the front facades and clean line showcasing the Art Deco style just becoming popular at the time.  Like many of the courthouses we've visited in our camping travels, the buildings prior to the one standing here now had been destroyed by fire (some by arson) and rebuilt along with war memorials or other statuary in the surrounding grounds.  Though I liked this one for its obvious art-deco styling, the courthouse and town square we visited over Thanksgiving in Hopkins County is still my favorite so far. 

Back at the camper, we spent some time avoiding the heat and listening to our mix tapes - I mean Spotify playlists - with Diesel.  

Traveling back and forth into town, we had noticed a winery along the way.  Checked their hours and decided that could be a fun little add-on to our adventure this weekend, so we drove back over to Torr Na Lochs (roughly translated to Hill over the Lakes) for a wine tasting.  It did not disappoint!  If for nothing other than the view, it was well worth the stop!

We bought a bottle of their 2019 Fion Gael (white) to enjoy with our lox for brunch on Sunday and made our way back to the camper again in time to enjoy a walk (trying to keep getting my steps in thanks to our team Step Challenge at work this past month!) and a beautiful sunset over the lake. 

Saturday morning we made our way over to Longhorn Caverns State Park - just a short 15 minute drive south - to visit the cave, one of our favorite pastimes. I told Grandma G that every time we go spelunking, it reminds me of Grandpa because I can remember him taking my brothers and me cave exploring near their property in Indiana when we were little kids,  sparking a lifelong love of caves and the adventures they represent. 

This was a really interesting cave, as it was formed by an underground river running thru the limestone vs the usual dripping and seeping of water that creates lots of rock formations like stalagmites and stalactites.  The ceilings in the majority of the cave are smooth and rounded - so different! 

Our tour guide, Jordan, did a great job of walking us thru the history of the caverns, including lots of interesting information and cool facts about the cave and the CCC men who worked to excavate the rock debris and build the walking paths that are still used today.

Cool fact: in competition with Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico (they installed an elevator), the parks installed a dance floor in one of the larger rooms, the Sub Terrain Ballroom, and played live music as a 'night club' to attract tourists in the early '30s! Jordan played a small sampling of the Harris Brothers Band, to give us an idea of what that would have sounded like.  

Not unlike other caves, there are bats in Longhorn Caverns as well.  Interesting info: the bats here are tricolored bats, and unlike the more commonly known Mexican freetail bats (think: Congress Street colony in Austin), these bats are more solitary, so you'll only see one or two at a time rather than huddled masses of them all together.

Those two little brown dots? Chicken Nugget Bats. ;-)

Jordan referred to them as "chicken nugget bats" - because that's about how big they are.  This time of year, those we saw in the cave would all be male; the females would have been nesting with their young in the nearby trees and may return to the cave after the young had grown and flown. 

I couldn't help but laugh when Jordan instructed us, as is usual in a cave, not to touch the walls or formations, but also "please don't put the bats in your pocket and take them home; no bats should leave the cave during this tour; chicken nugget bats should remain in the cave at all times." 

Cool fact: a lot of the walls in this cavern are calcite crystals, which early explorers thought were diamonds. Lucky for us, when they realized it wasn't a precious stone, they left it intact, and there were rooms filled with the sparkly crystals that we could walk thru and explore.

In an area named the "Hollow Diamond" Jordan turned out the room lights and then placed his flashlight against the crystal, in turn lighting the entire room around us because of the refractory properties of the calcite.  

Cool fact: Pareidolia is a term for seeing meaning or significance in shapes that aren't there - think of it like seeing shapes in the clouds floating along in the sky.  Jordan taught us this term as we toured the Moon Room, above.  Historical maps called it that but there is no record as to _why_ it was named the Moon Room.  Jordan then proceeded to point out various shapes and facades that guests had told him looked like one thing or another.

It doesn't take a case of pareidolia to see the feature above looks like dog - it was found in the back of the cavern by the CCC in one solid piece. They wheelbarrowed it to the Queens Throne Room, unfortunately breaking it in two along the journey (wheelbarrows in the 1930s had steel, not rubber, wheels so the dog got the full brunt of the bumps along the way).  A repair was made to 'cement' it back together and now it stands in the cave as the Queen's Guard Dog. 

Interesting info: in the late '60s, during the height of the Cold War, the Department of Defense sanctioned the cavern as a dedicated nuclear fall out shelter with capacity for ~2000 people. They sent 5 gallon bucket-sized containers that included shelf stable foods and instructions for surviving a nuclear attack.  (Glad they had those written out, cause you're not getting cell service 120' below the earth!)

We made our way back out of the caverns, a full mile round trip, and returned to the HOT earth above.  Since the cavern was created by an underground river, there isn't much elevation change - it varies from about 50' below surface level at the entrance to 120' below at its deepest. (In comparison: Carlsbad is 1,027' at its deepest).  No kidding here, the hardest part of the entire tour was climbing the stairs back out of the entrance (in the heat) and to the visitor center above. 

After stopping back by the camper to check on Diesel, we went into town again for a late lunch; yes, we could have cooked at the campsite, but the temps outside were 104* and inside was 84*, so we really didn't want to heat up the place when the AC was already having a hard time keeping everything cool.  Rosita's was definitely worth the trip back into town; it was delicious and the service was great! 

Thinking of Diesel and camping - my Facebook memories brought this little treasure up today: goofball's first camping trip ten years ago this weekend.  My goodness, how time flies!

I was looking forward to being at Inks Lake SP because I knew they had great hiking trails, but with the heat index having us well above 100*,  it really put a damper on those plans.  I was able to get out late in the evening, in that golden hour before the sun sets, and get up to the top of the Valley Spring Creek Trail.  Y'all, it was worth it: 

The picture doesn't do this one justice - my tracker showed I climbed five flights of stairs (in 100* heat!) for this photo op! 

Sunday morning we slept in, inviting Diesel up onto the bed with us to get just a few more hours (he's an early riser/whiner, regardless of the occasion).  RDB wished me a happy fur-baby Mother's Day first thing.  Love these little munchkins of ours.  Lunch was one of our favorite 'no cooking' meals - lox and deviled eggs (ok, yes, technically the eggs have to be cooked, but when you steam them in your rice cooker it's practically not cooking).  And I was right - the white wine from Torr Na Lochs pared nicely with the meal.

We spent about an hour driving around the park for our Park n' Drive video (lots of loops and one ways in this park so it took more time than you'd expect). It wasn't nearly as hot on Sunday as it was Saturday afternoon - which was nice, since we needed to break camp and start the 3.5 hour drive home... eventually.  Every time we'd pass a certain tree on the way into the park, I'd have a small case of pareidolia - I kid you not, I kept seeing a teddy bear in the cut trunk of this tree; what do you think?

We will eventually pack up and head home, but right now, I'm finishing up this blog post while enjoying a cranberry mimosa, listening to Van Halen "Why Can't This Be Love," and thinking back on the amazing 13 years I've had with RDB and all the adventures we've had along the way.  Babe, there's no one else I'd want to suffer thru the heat and go underground with than you. <3

Facebook memory from 5 years ago. 5 + 8 = 13 wonderful years!

We were in Site #212 at Inks Lake State Park, just a short drive outside of Burnet, TX (which several friends wanted to rename "Burnt" or "Burn It" Texas when I posted about the heat this weekend. Ha!).  This is an ADA site (only site available when I booked months ago) and so it has a paved walkway to the picnic table and extra wide paved pad for the camper and truck; it's also very level, which made for a quick set-up.  RDB was able to back us in without me even having to get out of the truck since there were no obstructions - and no trees, which is part of why it was so incredible hard for our AC's to keep up with the 100* heat this weekend.  The bath house is just on the other side of the camper and there's a great view as you're kind of at the top of the hill. 

Coming soon!
For more camping photos, go here.

For a drive thru video of the park, go here.