Austin - Van Horn, Texas
I hear there's a lot of traffic in Austin, and we drive through several miles of it when we arrive at Austin Lone Pine RV Park on Thursday. The park is well maintained with some of the friendliest staff we've met. It is a great location for our needs at a reasonable price, although the sites don't have much space. Hedges in between make it feel more private, and other than some noise from the Interstate, it is nice and quiet.
Piper is filthy from driving on rain-wet roads and I really need a haircut - so I run out to take care of both things in the afternoon. The streets are so busy!
We only have one full day here, wanting to visit with a friend I worked with in Sacramento. Friday we pick a couple things to check out downtown.
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| Austin, Texas |
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| HOPE Outdoor Gallery - buy paint on-site and add your own art |
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| Layers of vivid color |
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| The "pieces" change regularly |
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| Can't go to Austin without enjoying one of the many food trucks! |
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| So much to watch in the SoCo neighborhood |
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| Gourmet grilled cheese - most excellent! |
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| The beautiful capitol is one of the largest we've seen, but the color makes it look like primer waiting for the white paint. |
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| Un-named piece by Constance Whitney Warren presented to Texas as a tribute to the rough and romantic riders of the range on January 17, 1925 |
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| The capitol grounds have several beautiful statues, this amazing memorial is my favorite. |
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| Wonderful detail |
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| A diverse history |
Fortunately the place we're meeting Kelli and her family is only two miles from our park. It takes 20 minutes to get there.
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| Even the telephone lines are congested with birds |
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| So cute! |
Our initial plan was to stop in San Antonio for a couple nights, but with high winds expected and the NFL playoffs on Sunday we decide to just move west to Junction.
The drive through the hill country and the cute German town of Fredericksburg on Saturday morning is so pretty!! More goats than cows, and dozens of vineyards, it is very different than any area we've seen in Texas.
The wind is already blowing when we pull into the Junction North Llano RV Park. We have a level site with a paver patio and two large Adirondack chairs, a rock fire pit and BBQ. Numerous trees throughout the park are bare and the river access is through thick rocks, but it still "feels" very nice here. The staff are fun and the grounds well maintained.
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| Nice sites, too windy to enjoy |
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| Rocky shores of the low Llano River |
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| Thanks Baby :-)))) |
We pull into Mountain View RV Park along the Interstate about 4:30. All large pull-throughs with direct access to open desert, we stay hooked-up and enjoy our view of real mountains!! Being back in the Creosote-filled desert makes me soooo happy - feels like home :-)))
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| Just what we need in Van Horn, Texas |
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| Mountains! |
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| Eye-stretching views |
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| Ahhhh - the smell of Creosote :-) |
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| If my legs were this long I could actually reach all the shelves in the motorhome |
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| So happy to stretch out after 320 miles! |
Tuesday morning we pull out as the sun rises.
Great minds think alike...excited to see the mountains, wide open views, and creosote! So glad you made it to Las Cruces safely with all this wind:)
ReplyDeleteGreat minds indeed - not everyone appreciates the unique beauty of the desert. If there not so much wind it would be near perfect :-)))
DeleteWell, Austin sure knows how to commemorate its heros...beautiful.
ReplyDeleteDesert views bring me a smile and pleasant reminders.
I agree, that is an incredible memorial. The plaques on the front have a lot of information about the scenes depicted on the piece.
DeleteReally sorry to hear about Austin. I'd always wanted to go. Not so much now. Why do they do that, ruin a sweet place by overbuilding? Really want to see Fredericksburg and the spring flowers. I do those dreaming if long legs pictures too. One in my last post actually. They say the landscape you imprint on is the one you love. I cried when I got back to the blue Ridge and so much green I'd been longing for when returning from living some years in California.
ReplyDeleteMakes sense that we imprint our roots - it is a wonderful feeling to come home. I laughed when I saw your long leg post just after I had taken the pic :-)))) Austin can't even widen their highways because they built right to the edge of the current ones. It's going to get worse as building continues :-(
DeleteAustin is one busy town. We avoid it when we can but it's where my grandparents lived and now it's just cousins. It's way too busy for us. We did stay at the same park in Junction. It's in a great location for travels to and from.
ReplyDeleteI was disappointed, expecting to love it. That little park is a sweet stop for sure.
DeleteLooks crazy in Austin. We will be staying at McKinney State Park when we go thru. Hopefully, it will be easier to get around on the bike trails.
ReplyDeleteBikes would definitely be preferable to cars, although it's so busy I'd be worried beyond the trails. I think if we had some specific events to attend we'd love the vibe of the place (doesn't feel at all like Texas), but this time it was just congested.
DeleteAustin always sounded like a fun stop, but now I'm thinking not! Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteThe desert has become home for Joe and I. I will never forget the first time I saw this beautiful part of our country for the first time....so different from Georgia!
I really wanted to love it, was looking forward to the stop, but doubt we'll make an effort next time. Which is sad, because I know there is a lot to see and do that we just couldn't get to.
DeleteI'm always surprised and delighted when "non-desert-dwellers" love it just as much :-))
Whenever I was in Austin it was always for something to do with my conversion van so I never saw anything outside food stops I wish I had seen that memorial but by the time whatever was happening with my van was done, I was ready to get out of town. Like you, I wanted to like it, we even have friends who live there, but getting out of town always became critical.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad that such a vibrant place is one most of us want to leave :-(
DeleteWe lived in Austin in the early 80's, Jodee. When we returned last year, we were amazed at how much it had grown! The Capitol is actually pink granite. Guess we don't agree on the look...it's one of my favorites (although California's is outstanding!). 😉 Did you go inside? We did...and we made sure to get a photo of Ann Richards. 👍
ReplyDeletePink? Really? On the day we were there it was mud brown. Just so odd to see a capitol not white :-))) Didn't make it inside. Got side-tracked as we often do :-)
DeleteThe African American sculpture is amazing. I've heard a lot of people brag on Austin but it sounds too citish to me. Kind of interesting how TX is so BIG with diverse landscapes, and yet too many people. I stayed at Mt View in Van Horn long ago and liked it.
ReplyDeleteNot unlike California with it's miles and miles of unpopulated areas and then millions of people in big cities. But even L.A. doesn't have the crazy congestion of Austin. Just poorly planned I'm afraid.
DeleteWe've really enjoyed our visits to Austin, and would happily return. I think it makes a big difference that we stay in town at Pecan Grove RV Park. We just park for a week and walk and bike everywhere. It's really fun, and a great location next to the city parks, wonderful bike path, and just a few blocks from downtown. We also love Fredericksburg, and it's much more peaceful, as you said. So sorry the weather wasn't cooperating while you were there. Fredericksburg is a place you would really enjoy exploring, and the wildflowers in the spring are amazing!
ReplyDeleteThat would definitely be the better way to see it. I looked at that park but it looked too tight. Not sure I'd brave the congestion on a bike, but I probably missed the bike lanes. We definitely want to see the flowers in the hill country - love that area of the state!
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