A stunning wildflower meadow on our summit hike at Mt. Revelstoke, B.C. - Friday, August 2, 2024

A stunning wildflower meadow on our summit hike at Mt. Revelstoke, B.C. - Friday, August 2, 2024
A stunning wildflower meadow on our summit hike at Mt. Revelstoke, B.C. - Friday, August 2, 2024

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The Great State of Texas -- Wed., Jan. 9

While reading John "HeyDuke" and Sharon's blog -- On the Road of Retirement -- this morning, one of the comments got me to thinking about the great state of Texas. The commenter from RV Travels with Karen and Al didn't know if they would like Texas, but they've never been here.

Bob and I grew up on the West Coast of the U.S.: California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. We didn't know if we would like Texas either. Pre-conceived notions led us to think of Texas as hot and desert-like with poisonous snakes, javelinas and nasty spiders. I guess it depends what part of Texas you go to. It's a huge state.

In April of 2012, we went to an RV-Dreams rally in Kerrville (Texas Hill Country), then worked as gate guards in the oil fields for two months. We traveled hither and yon, and we came back.

The Texas Hill Country is lovely. There are fresh water springs, historic small towns, breath-takingly beautiful wildflowers in the spring, rolling hills, waterfalls, lots of state and COE parks, world-class birdwatching, butterflies, hiking and biking trails galore, good food and friendly people. I could go on and on. We decided we do like it here and are currently in San Antonio for a while.

 We have discovered H-E-B grocery/department stores, beautiful neighborhoods, good bakeries, quaint towns, history of the Texas Rangers, museums, RiverWalk, and much more. 

 We also spent two days in Big Bend National Park and enjoyed that too.

Pictorial of the portions of Texas we've seen (some favorite photos)...

 Big Bend National Park in April 2012. Some cacti were still blooming!




Hot springs pool next to the Rio Grande.


Waterfall in Big Bend N.P.
Texas Hill Country and San Antonio:

Wildseed Farms near Fredericksburg.
South Llano River State Park

South Llano River State Park
South Llano River State Park
Longhorns at YO Ranch
Dama gazelle at YO Ranch
Dancers, Fiesta celebration, Riverwalk in San Antonio
Pedernales Falls at state park of the same name.
Tranquility Island, Louise Hays Park, Guadalupe River, Kerrville
Tower of the Americas, San Antonio
Hemisphere Park, San Antonio
Riverwalk North, art under bridge, San Antonio River

Riverwalk  North

Riverwalk North, Pearl Brewery Complex

Heron, Riverwalk north
Crownridge Canyon trail.
Brackenridge Park, San Antonio.
Mission Concepcion, San Antonio
Japanese Garden, San Antonio Botanic Garden
San Antonio Botanic Garden
Boerne, Texas
Mission San Jose
Mission San Jose
Mission San Jose.
Landa Park, Headwaters of the Comal River, New Braunfels
New Braunfels, Landa Park
Corpus Christi and Padre Island:


Singer Selma's memorial.
Padre Island

Padre Island

Padre Island, Gulf of Mexico
Welcome to FOUR new subscribers:
  1. John and Sharon at Caravan Camper RV -- Please take the time to read his current blog about three Americans traveling through South America. I was mortified to hear what happened to them. Click this link to read the story of Jed, Meaghan and Jenny on the Adventure Americas blog and share if you agree this story needs to be made public.
  2. One Fly -- lots of great photos.
  3. Tracie at Crack you Whip, who might just crack you up.
  4. Encourage One Another.
Wow, I find it interesting that there were no new subscribers to my blog for weeks and then four new people signed up. Thanks for reading! I appreciate the support.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

TravelBug out.






Posted by at
San Antonio, TX San Antonio, TX, USA

25 comments:

  1. Mike MillsJanuary 10, 2013 at 1:04 AM

    Always love a nod to my home state; nicely done! If I didn't live here, I surely would want to move here after reading this!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TravelBug-SusanJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:25 PM

      Thank you very much. We are enjoying Texas. Today is gorgeous and 60 degrees.

      Delete
  2. heyduke50January 10, 2013 at 5:43 AM

    no doubt that Texas is a huge state and has something for just about everyone from the Texas Hill Country, west Texas Mountains, long stretches of coastal beaches, the pineywoods and big thicket of east Texas, visit the state but as the slogan says keep your litter with you and "Don't mess with Texas!"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TravelBug-SusanJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:27 PM

      That's another thing we like about Texas...the attitude. I think it's great having their anti-litter signs say, "Don't mess with Texas!" Kind of sums it all up: humorous, straight-forward and authoritative.

      Delete
  3. ErinJanuary 10, 2013 at 6:36 AM

    Thanks for the tour of Texas ... we will definitely explore this big ole state someday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TravelBug-SusanJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:27 PM

      Reading your blog and the things you like to do, I believe you will find a lot to like here.

      Delete
  4. Texas Yellow RoseJanuary 10, 2013 at 6:51 AM

    Okay, you're making me homesick! ;) While the Hill Country is lovely, check out the area around Brenham (between Austin and Houston), especially during Spring when the Bluebonnets are blooming. That area is much more pastoral and I really prefer it over the Hill Country scrubiness. Brenham, Chappell Hill, Bellville, and Fayetteville are all quaint smaller towns that attract folks from all over, even internationally. Of course, I'm a bit prejudiced, as Brenham was my physical home for many years and still my "heart" home. Glad you like my Lone Star State!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TravelBug-SusanJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:29 PM

      I'm putting Brenham area on my must see list per your recommendation. Maybe when my mom and sister visit at the end of March we can take an exploratory day trip and wend our way around to those little towns.

      Delete
  5. Susan and BobJanuary 10, 2013 at 7:07 AM

    I agree wholeheartedly about Texas. We spent last winter in the hill country which I absolutely love. This winter we chose the Ocala National Forest which is warmer however does not hold the same appeal to me. Great pictures

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    Replies
    1. TravelBug-SusanJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:31 PM

      I see Texas in your future winter plans. LOL. Even though it can be colder here, there are still enough warm, sunny days interspersed to keep it beautiful. Having grown up in Oregon, the rain and cold just reminds me of home.

      Delete
  6. CperzJanuary 10, 2013 at 7:42 AM

    I would expect that many people have preconceived ideas about Texas but it is SSSOOOO big and varied that there isn't a typical description that would cover it all. I don't know if people can appreciate how big it is until they drive through it a few times.

    Love your pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TravelBug-SusanJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:32 PM

      You got that right. We had no idea until we started exploring and spending time getting to know Texas.

      Delete
  7. Wanderin'January 10, 2013 at 9:14 AM

    Yes. Love, love parts of Texas. Even though I grew up in Washington my father was from Kerrville, Texas. As a kid we made numerous visits and eventually moved to Texas. We love the Hill Country and still have cousins by the dozen there. During the spring the flowers are amazing. Small little towns throw on rodeos and roundups during the summer like only small-town Texas can. Some of the towns still have the old drug stores where everyone meets. If you happen to come in to town on your horse, you'll find many places to tie that horse up.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TravelBug-SusanJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:34 PM

      We have lots more exploring to do, that's for sure.

      Delete
  8. Kevin and Tracy (a.k.a. kcgaz)January 10, 2013 at 9:18 AM

    Great pictures...Tracy's Uncle lives in Corpus Christi, we have never gone there, but it is on our list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TravelBug-SusanJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:39 PM

      Corpus Christi downtown is such a pleasant place. I was totally taken by the waterfront area and all the art.

      Delete
  9. Sue MaloneJanuary 10, 2013 at 9:42 AM

    I loved this post, Susan. My oldest daughter is a convert. She moved to San Antonio last year and sees lathe beauty in Texas that you showed in your photos. She was a north westerner as well and moved from Portland. An aside... I haven't had any new followers in a very long time. I assumed it might be because we aren't full time and no one is interested. Or I am an erratic blogger. Or who knows. I write it for myself anyway.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TravelBug-SusanJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:40 PM

      Thank you. When you come to visit your daughter, let's plan on meeting (if we're not on the road, that is).

      Delete
  10. RickJanuary 10, 2013 at 9:46 AM

    I've only passed through a small part of Texas. We drove through El Paso on our way to Carlsbad, New Mexico.

    Great photos of all the Texas attractions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TravelBug-SusanJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:38 PM

      Of all the places we've been in Texas I can say El Paso traffic is the worse we have seen anywhere. It goes on and on for miles and miles. It's the one place on our drive to Kerrville where Bob came within inches off an accident with our 5er. The semi in front of him slammed on his brakes and so did Bob. I heard about it later as I was driving the Escape pod. I hated the traffic too.

      So far we haven't stopped in El Paso for any reason so I can't attest to what the city proper is like. But beware the traffic!

      Delete
  11. Cheshire Cats CapersJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:26 PM

    We're English 'Escapees' and therefore 'paper' Texans. Some of the friendliest people we meet on our travels are Texans, Escapees or both!

    ReplyDelete
  12. One FlyJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:28 PM

    As great as your pictures are they are nothing compared to the story from Peru. You should consider posting just on that with a link to it. People should read this and I have put their story up at my places. Talk about scary!!

    Thank you for the mention. I am happy for my safety here in Atenas,Costa Rica after reading the other.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Mike and TerriJanuary 10, 2013 at 3:56 PM

    We were in Texas Hill Country last spring and absolutely loved it! Had planned to tour San Antonio as well but had to cut our visit short. We'll definitely be back some day.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Tricia@GeekyExplorersJanuary 10, 2013 at 8:13 PM

    Funny you mention that someone wasn't really sure if they would like Texas. My only experience of Texas was Amarillo for a long time, and I wasn't too impressed. My husband lived in Austin & was raving about the area - after many, many return trips including Austin, Kerrville, Galveston, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Fort Stockton & many points in between - I really do love Texas. It's such a beautiful state! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that is where we eventually will hang our hat!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Jim and GayleJanuary 11, 2013 at 11:01 AM

    Agree with you about Texas. We love the Hill country, Big Bend, Austin and San Antonio, and HEB, but this will probably be our second and last winter in the Rio Grande Valley. It is our least favorite part of Texas.

    ReplyDelete

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