The road was calling and we needed to chase some sunshine, so we headed for the Texas Hill Country. Our destination was Inks Lake State Park in Burnet. When we arrived at the camp, we learned that Texas State Parks require daily pass fees in addition to camping fees, along with extra vehicle fees for each motorcycle. Had we known about the extra fees before we arrived, we might have found a different campground. While these added fees aren’t much individually, they greatly increase the cost of camping in a Texas State Park. In fact, the fees doubled the nightly rate of our campsite. Oh well. We kept this lesson in mind when we planned our next stop in Texas.
In spite of the fees, Inks Lake was a great spot to camp. During the days, we explored the surrounding countryside, sometimes on our motorcycles and sometimes in the truck.
We rode around Lake Buchanan and to the nearby Longhorn Cavern State Park. In the 1930’s, the Civilian Conservation Corps developed this park, crafting unique limestone buildings and structures over the cave’s entrance. We just missed the last cave tour of the day but we enjoyed exploring the grounds.
When we were riding, we did a double take as a castle rose above the scrubby Texas countryside. Castle Falkenstein, as we learned later, was built by a local Burnet businessman and his wife following a trip to Germany. The castle is available for weddings and special events and for nightly rentals through Airbnb.
We took the truck to Fredericksburg as we planned to stay for the Christmas lighting ceremony in Marktplatz (Market Square) which occurs every night during the Christmas season. The star of the show is a 26 foot tall German Christmas pyramid that features carved wooden figures illustrating the story of Jesus Christ’s birth. The pyramid is a nod to Fredericksburg’s German heritage. In addition to the Christmas pyramid, Fredericksburg’s German roots are evident in the many German restaurants, breweries, and wineries that dot the city’s main street.
Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, a native of Fredericksburg, commanded the Pacific Fleet in World War II. The town wanted to honor its noble son with a museum of his military accomplishments but he refused the offer. He later agreed to a museum that honored all of the servicemen and women in the Pacific War. Thus the National Museum of the Pacific War came to be in Fredericksburg. Unfortunately, we were in town on the one day of the week the museum is closed, Tuesday.
Many of the little towns near Inks Lake have lovely Christmas light displays. We visited Llano and Marble Falls. It was refreshing to walk through the twinkling lights and not be freezing cold. We also appreciated that the lights presented the true meaning of Christmas along with the whimsical Santa, reindeer, and elves.
After Inks Lake, we moved northeast to Lofers Bend on Whitney Lake. Lofers Bend is an Army Corps of Engineers campground so we did not have any extra fees this time. Abundant deer roamed the campground. We saw them several times throughout our stay and our presence did not faze them, although they startled us a few times.
Waco is not far from Whitney Lake so we headed there to see the sights. We visited the Waco Mammoth National Monument. In 1978, wooly mammoth bones were found at the site. Since then, several fossils have been uncovered including multiple mammoths, a mammoth nursery, a dwarf antelope, an alligator, a giant tortoise, a saber-toothed tiger tooth, and a camel. Scientists believe these animals died in a flood or a series of floods. Hmm, perhaps they died in a world-wide flood? We found it interesting that a camel was discovered along with the now extinct creatures.
We also visited the Dr. Pepper museum. Originally, the soda was sold as a health drink. “For health-energy and fun-in one”, Dr. Pepper was prescribed three times a day: at 10:00 am, 2:00 pm, and 4:00 pm. That seemed like a lot of soda to us!
Can one visit Waco without stopping at Magnolia, Chip and Joanna Gaines’s shopping mecca? To be honest, we spent about 15 minutes there and that was enough. The turf lawn in front of the repurposed silos was dotted with families and Jo want-to-be’s. The few items we looked at in the crowded shops were, wait for it, made in China. We are sure there were better quality American-made items available but we didn’t stick around long enough to discover them.
We did discover a small family owned shop a few blocks from Magnolia. Iron Willow specializes in metal art and signs. The dad and son cut the projects; the mother and daughter paint the items. We were happy to find some Christmas gifts at this unique small business.
In addition to some delicious Guess Family Barbecue, we tried some pho at Clay Pot. Since the day was chilly, the flavorful, warm soup was a satisfying lunch.
We left Texas and headed to Kansas. On our way, we stopped in Fort Worth to eat our favorite fried chicken at Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. On our travels, we have eaten at Gus’s in Memphis, St. Louis, Southaven, MS, and (our favorite location) Kansas City, KS. As they say at Gus’s, “If you haven’t eaten at Gus’s, you haven’t eaten fried chicken.”
At the time, we didn’t realize this would be our last camping adventure for a while. We have continued to travel sporadically but that’s for the next blog post. We praise God for the opportunity we had to travel and experience our nation in ways we never imagined. Everywhere we went, we found interesting people, historic sights, and beautiful scenery. For now, we are still Chasing Sonshine but in a less nomadic way!
Lesson Learned: Research can be valuable. Had we read more, we would have known about the extra state park fees. We could have traveled to Fredericksburg on a different day in order to visit the National Museum of the Pacific War. Now we will have to return someday!
