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.
