Texas, Take Two

We began our route up towards the Texas hill country. We got a space in a park in Austin, and things were starting to become more clear that keeping a safe space from others was going to be a good idea. People in Austin hadn’t really got the message yet, because aside from SXSW canceling it’s 10+ day music and technology event (this is huge- and this was the first event of its size to absolutely shut down due to concerns over the virus), they were out and about as if nothing could touch them in their beautiful city. We tried to practice our social distancing and sanitizing, but crowds (like in line at restaurants) were oblivious. (I have to say that my observation was that it was mostly young people that weren’t practicing what we have come to know as social distancing – like standing 6 ft away from others, and not clustering together).

In the morning, we packed up and traveled west of the city to a suburb called Dripping Springs, where my mom & dad’s former neighbors have relocated. They also weren’t worried about us bringing anything with us, so we cleaned up, parked the RV in their cul de sac and enjoyed their hospitality taking us around Austin and outskirts, showing us lots of interesting things.

We did eat out (BBQ not to be missed, S. Congress St. tacos), but we tried to avoid crowded areas and when we went to a local brewery, we kept our distance in line and were able to sit outdoors away from folks. This was prior to the alarms that merely touching contaminated surfaces should be avoided at all costs.

Needless to say, I believe we were ahead of the critical time and we have since survived the 14 day period where we should see symptoms or be able to transmit the virus. And in that period, we’ve been extra careful to avoid contact with others so that we may not be passing anything along. UGH.

Our friends drove us around the city of Austin, and shared its history. We’ve really found the cities in Texas that we’ve visited to be quite interesting, more than we’d expected, and have been pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed the state. When we parted ways, we were given a few ideas of things and places to see on our way out of town, right through the gorgeous hill country of Texas.

We stopped at a little wine tasting place, with an Airstream as a tasting room, as well as the LBJ Ranch, aka known as the Texas White House.

We stopped in Luckenbach, because of course. You know, Waylon & Willie & the boys had been there, and there were some great musicians playing in the dance hall there while we visited, and it was free, and there was a cold beer at the bar. Luckily, there was enough space for social distancing….

We visited Fredericksburg, an old town in the hill country, which was heavily influenced by Germans and still has many remnants of its German heritage. However, due to you-know-what, we opted to stay out of the restaurants (which at this time were still open), and stick to outdoor activities.

One of which was climbing the Enchanted Rock, a huge geologic feature about 20 miles out of town. Another aspect of you-know-what is that since all the schools are closed, and all the kids are home with their parents who are working remotely or have been told to stay away from work, they’re all going stir crazy and need to get out and run around. So, we were surrounded by lots and lots of kids. Lots of them.

Another activity we did was a drive in the country, on a road called Willow City Loop, which is known for its wildflower display in the spring. Kind of like Table Mountain back home in Butte County, California. We were just at the beginning, and mostly we saw a million bluebonnets (which I swear are lupines, but the Texans swear they’re a different plant – I need one of my plant biologist friends to straighten this out for me!!).

The rolling countryside was so incredibly gorgeous, everything was GREEN, there were ranches and woodlands, and it was a perfect way to see a bit of the hill country, and not have to worry about your proximity to humans.

Before we left Fredericksburg, we wanted to resupply, so we went to a grocery store, which was so jammed, that we opted to find a butcher shop instead, which we did, with only a few folks inside. Then we found a natural foods store, which had everything we wanted, with many less people, and then, voila! We found a liquor store, which provided the last of our required supplies. We were very happy with how it turned out, and grateful to avoid the madness at the larger store.

As we left this area, we decided to opt for the road less traveled, State Highway 190, and while it took a bit longer than the interstate, it was quiet, peaceful, and pretty. It was nice to be free of the tractor/trailer trucks, and the monotony of I-10. Folks did the steering wheel wave (you know, when you lift a couple fingers but don’t completely lift your hand off the wheel – it’s a rural thing, we do it on our road at home). And before you know it, we were more than half way across the great State of Texas, with an overnight in Fort Stockton (which appeared to be mainly there to support oil field workers in the area). Oh, and we celebrated St. Patty’s with a party of two!