On the Road Again - Part 1 to Glacier National Park

We shared food and beverages in many fun locations throughout the trip.

In September we took another fabulous trip with friends from college – Fred & Vicki and Paul & Leslie. This time a road trip through South Dakota to Montana and Glacier National Park, then north into Canada to Banff National Park. The six of us have been planning the trip for about a year – deciding on the locations, booking accommodations (AirBNB, VRBO and hotels), reserving a large vehicle so we can ride in comfort, and researching attractions to see along the way and at the national parks. The SUV this year was a Jeep Wagoneer we nicknamed Ruby. She was roomy enough for all our luggage and the third seat passengers! We’re getting pretty good at planning the itinerary, so we have plenty to see and do, plus down time as needed!!

We pulled out of Northfield/Dundas on a Monday morning and headed West. We spent a day in western South Dakota which is a destination on its own. Below are the attractions we saw along the way and our day in the Black Hills:

• Drove to the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD. We had places to reach that day, so we didn’t go inside the palace, but we did find a nice city park to eat our packed lunch.
• Stopped at the Chamberlain SD rest area to see the impressive statue of an indigenous woman made of stainless steel, “Dignity of Earth & Sky”. It was a beautiful tribute.
• Drove through Badlands National Park, stopping at overlooks for pictures in the late afternoon. Saw wildlife including prairie dogs (so cute), pronghorn sheep and bison (many were hanging out at the west entrance).
• At Mount Rushmore National Monument we walked the Presidential Trail that went by the sculptor’s studio and under the massive stone presidential heads.
• Drove through Custer State Park, including the Needles Highway. The Needles Eye tunnel is extremely narrow. Steve, our primary driver, inched through it so Ruby didn’t get scratched. On the Wildlife Loop Road we saw pronghorn sheep, bison, and burros. The burros are so tame! One would have poked its nose in the car looking for snacks if Paul hadn’t closed the window.
• Drove by Crazy Horse Monument. Steve and I had been there years ago, and there has been a lot of progress made on it but still a lot to go.
• On our way to Deadwood for the night, we enjoyed wine and beer on the lawn at Firehouse Winery & Brewery. A great way to wind down the day! We stayed in the historic downtown of Deadwood, wandered along the streets for a bit, then had to search for an open restaurant for a late dinner.  

The Corn Palace in Mitchell SD

Dignity of Earth & Sky, a beautiful tribute to indigenous women.

These bison were having a dual in Badlands National Park

Prong horn sheep hanging out in the Badlands at the end of the day

The Presidents at Mount Rushmore are always impressive

Friendly burros in Custer State Park 

A re-enactment on the historic main street of Deadwood

The next day we stopped at Devils Tower National Monument in Montana. After a long wait to get to the parking lot, we walked around the base of the tower – 1.75 miles. Devil’s Tower is so impressive rising up from the flat arid land! 

Devils Tower is amazing from all directions!

One of the things we enjoy is meeting people along the way. While hiking at Devils Tower we passed a woman wearing a Bike Iowa t-shirt. Of course, we said hello and started chatting. Turns out they live by Lake Panorama, Iowa near my hometown and are good friends with one of my high school classmates! That day we had lunch in Broadus, Montana at a café in the cute Powder River Lanes bowling alley (not much in Broadus!). The owner was from Lawrence, Kansas. He had hunted in this area, loved it, and wanted to get away from the city. So, he bought this bowling alley and café.

The Cafe at Powder Lanes in the small town of Broadus MT was a fun lunch spot.

The next day in Seeley Lake, Montana we had lunch at another local café, Pop’s Place, where we had delicious berry pie!  We met the owner, a lovely lady with a black mohawk who was originally from Las Vegas. She told us about Gus, the largest Larch tree. It lived just down the road, so after lunch we took a detour to see Gus in a grove of trees.

Waiting on our pie and lunches at Pop's Place in Seeley Lake MT

Gus, the largest larch tree was a bit hard to find in this grove of trees

While visiting Glacier we stayed at a VRBO house just outside Martin City, Montana. It was close to the west entrance of Glacier, had a large kitchen and deck, surrounded by woods. But no TV, so we chatted and played cards in the evening.

We spent three beautiful days in Glacier, sunny with temperatures in the 60’s and lower 70’s. Highlights included:

• Driving Going to the Sun Road with stops and overlooks along the way. Near Logan Pass, the road has steep drop offs so those with height fears may not enjoy that section of road. The views are amazing! Several miles of the road near the west entrance are under construction which made for slow going in that section.
• At Logan Pass we hiked the Hidden Lake trail to the overlook of the lake. A lot of uphill hiking on the way up, but so beautiful! We saw a white mountain goat mama and her kid near the top of the trail.
• Day 2 we drove around the south end of the park and back north to the Many Glaciers area on the east side. The Many Glaciers Hotel was closed for the season, but we hiked part of the Swiftcurrent Lake Trail along the lake.
• Day 3 we hiked 1.1 miles (one way) to St Mary’s Falls. The trees and foliage were turning a gorgeous gold and yellow. The hike was both beautiful and surreal with the fall colors, and many dead trees from a past fire.
• We stopped at many of the overlooks for beautiful views of the mountains and lakes. St Mary’s Lake was a gorgeous blue nestled in the valley.
• At the West Entrance we stopped to see McDonalds Lodge, an old wooden hotel with massive wooden beams, wildlife heads mounted on the walls and located beside the lake. It would be a wonderful setting to stay in when visiting Glacier.

Steve and I with the mountains in the background.

At Logan Pass, hiking up the many stairs on the Hidden Lakes Trail.

Vicki and I made it to the top at the Hidden Lake Overlook.

Beautiful St. Mary's Lake with the fall foliage turning yellow and gold.

The hikers made it to St. Mary's Falls.

Swiftcurrent Lake with The Many Glaciers Hotel in the distance.

Glacier National Park is a must see, and September was a good time to visit. The temperatures were still fairly warm, and the crowds were less. In the summer from late May until September 10 reservations were required to drive into the park. We visited after September 10, so no reservations needed. Parking lots were full at some overlooks, and we had to wait to find a spot at Logan Pass, but I’m sure it was much easier than in the summer. By mid-September the lodges are closing, so be aware of this if you visit later.

Cocktails at the end of the day at the Stonefly Lounge near our VRBO

After three days at Glacier, we headed north into Canada and Banff. Look for my next blog soon on Banff National Park and our trip home. . .

Leslie also blogs and has written two great blogs on our trip, so check out her perspective at Ponderings of a Small Town GIrl in the City - Cyclones Westward Ho!

 

Vacations Through the Years

 

Alyssa, Steve and me at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Steve, Alyssa, and I recently went on a road trip to southwestern Colorado. It started me thinking of the many vacations we have taken over the years with family and friends. Growing up on a farm in Iowa, we didn’t go on “vacation”. Dad couldn’t be away from the farm and its chores, and there probably wasn’t extra money to spend on traveling. We spent Sundays, holidays and birthdays with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In the summer we had picnics at the lake – starting with breakfast cooked by all the dads, burgers and hotdogs for lunch, lots of swimming and playing by the lake. We did take a trip to Okoboji Lake in northern Iowa one year. I don't remember it but have pictures of our family fishing (which I haven’t found yet after our move).

Dad passed away in 1971 when I was 14. Mom remarried and we became a family of 8. I was in high school, and the entire family took a trip to Indiana when my mom’s youngest sister, Loretta, got married. What stands out in my memory is sewing a long dress of pretty yellow seersucker-like fabric to wear to the wedding! At the time it was so fancy getting to wear a floor length dress!!

Fast forward to the years after college when I started dating Steve. His family vacations were trips to Wisconsin to see his grandmother. He started going on ski trips with friends during college, and traveled with Vicki and her husband, Fred. Not wanting him to be the third wheel any longer, I invited myself on a camping trip with them to Colorado and the Rockies! The rest is history. The four of us have been vacationing together for about 40 years. Kids joined the group when Kelli was born in 1985 (to Vicki and Fred), the year Steve and I were married. Then Lauren joined their family. The following year in 1990 Jaime was born and three and a half years later Alyssa. Travel slowed down a bit those first years and when the kids were busy in high school, but there were plenty of vacations and road trips while they were growing up.

Wilt and Behr families at Niagra Falls in 1997 or 1998

Since neither Steve or I traveled much as kids, we wanted our daughters to experience the beauty and wonder in all parts of the country. We’ve been to many states and national parks, as well as beaches in Florida and South Carolina. Most were road trips, driving in one of the many Dodge minivans we owned over the years.

Breckinridge in 2017 – the Behrs and the Wilts after a hike in the mountains

To keep the girls entertained when they were little Steve created the first of many systems to play movies. He built a small wooden bookshelf that held a small TV hooked up to a VHS player. Next was a combo Sylvania 9” TV and VHS player. I remember the specifics because I sold it last year before we moved to Minnesota. Yes, someone bought it! Of course, there were portable DVD players once they came out. I also packed activity bags with foil for making tin foil figures, car bingo, coloring books and other car games and activities. And lots of snacks!

Our trip to Colorado this summer included national parks and monuments as well as other more obscure sites. When planning the route, we look at smaller attractions along the way – me on Google Maps and Steve using the atlas. On this trip we drove a lot of state and county highways, with fewer interstate miles, so the scenery and unexpected sites were great! We drove a loop down through Kansas into Colorado then up into Nebraska and South Dakota before heading home to Minnesota.

In eastern Colorado we visited my brother, Brian, and his wife Nicci. It was great to catch up with them! Then we were off to the sites of southwestern Colorado. Highlights included Great Sand Dunes National Park, Chimney Rock National Monument, Mesa Verde, Canyon of the Ancients National Monument, the Million Dollar Highway between Durango and Silverton, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Colorado National Monument. We stopped at other points of interest along the way like the geographic center of the 48 states in Kansas, Scottsbluff National Monument, Chimney Rock in Nebraska and a late afternoon/evening drive through the Badlands.

Alyssa at Monument Rocks National Natural Landmark – located on a private ranch

Cliff Palace at Mesa Verde National Park

Hiking (or trudging) through the sand at Great Sand Dunes National Park

We had one unexpected surprise when we drove by Carhenge on County Road 59 near Alliance, Nebraska. Of course, we had to stop and walk through this unique art installation of wrecked cars arranged like England’s Stonehenge. 

 

Carhenge in the middle of nowhere in Nebraska!

Another unexpected find - an almost ghost town with cool brick buildings in Edmond Kansas

We look forward to many more years of vacations and trips with family and friends. Our next trip is coming up soon – to Glacier National Park and Canada’s Banff National Park with friends. Stay tuned for more on that trip. 

What are some of your favorite vacation memories?

Our final stop – Bison in the sunset at Badlands National Park

Friendships

 

Recently I hosted three friends from high school at my home here in Dundas, Minnesota. It has been several years since this group has gotten together for a girls’ weekend, so we had lots to catch up on! When I thought about when I had met these ladies, I was shocked to find that it had been over 50 and 60 years! One of my friends (Kathy J) I have known all my life. We had mutual aunt, uncle and cousins which involved going to birthday parties together since we were born! I have known Alice most of that time as well since we both attended the same Lutheran church including Sunday School, confirmation, and Luther League. When us country kids came into town for junior high school, I met Kathy S. Let’s say we’ve had a bit of history together and have stayed friends over the years as we spread throughout the Midwest. We had fun catching up on each other’s lives, talking about where other classmates are now (living and deceased unfortunately), and reminiscing about growing up in small town Iowa and our school memories.

My dad was a farmer, so I attended Viola Elementary School out in the country up through sixth grade. Other friends attended school in Gray, Iowa and we were all bused into the Audubon schools when we were in seventh grade. We went to junior high in an old brick building that was once the high school. There we met new friends and learned to go to different rooms and teachers for each class.

We moved onto high school which was a newer school with catwalks between two sections of the building where we hung out in between classes. Starting as Freshman was a bit scary with all those older kids who weren’t necessarily nice to us gawky young kids. We survived, and as seniors ruled the school. I remember getting passes to go to the guidance office to discuss our college futures and ended up chatting with friends and the guidance counselors about all sorts of topics. I was in the middle of the social hierarchy - getting decent grades, involved in activities, not causing problems. If we were in the hallway during class, no questions asked.

Alice and me rehearsing a skit as two British ladies having tea and discussing a murder. 

I was involved in girls basketball for a couple years, but dropped that to focus on drama. I was on stage occasionally, but my main focus was costumes since I had been sewing my own clothes for years. I was also in marching and concert bands playing the baritone, as well as the pep club. 

Posing with the band director, Mr. Bourne, for a picture before a band trip to Canada. Gotta love those wide pant legs! 

 

My pep club beanie (we actually wore those??) and letter

On the weekends we often hung out with friends on Saturday nights. Sleepovers, movies, parties in the country as we got older. Once we got our drivers licenses, we scooped the loop around the town square, and down main street on Saturday nights. Occasionally someone turned a corner a bit too tight and lost a hub cap. So, I’ve hunted in the dark in back yards for lost hubcaps!

I am fortunate to have many circles of friends in my life. My college roommates are planning a weekend in October, and I am looking forward to seeing these ladies who live in several states. This past weekend we went to Iowa to bike the High Trestle Bridge trail with college friends. We had a great weekend in Des Moines going to the Des Moines Farmers Market, drinks at Iowa Distilling Company in Cumming, wonderful food and great company as we caught up with each other and discussed upcoming trips. The past few years we have been going on awesome trips to places like Alaska and the national parks in Utah. And we try to make one Iowa State football game each fall.

Through the years, we have developed friends through our children’s activities, especially sports when you spend a lot of time watching practices and games. Some of those friends come and go as your kids get older and move on to other activities and head off to college. Then there are the people who you meet as neighbors, attend the same church, and work with who stick and remain friends even though you move a couple states away.  Now we are meeting new friends here in Minnesota, and we’ll see where those friendships lead.

I feel fortunate to have such good friends over so many years who I have met in different ways. I look forward to connecting with many of those friends as we travel in retirement. 

Working Our Way Across the South

French Quarter Balconies

Our first long winter trip was a sampler, giving us a taste of seeing different locations and being gone for five weeks. After spending two weeks in Texas our southern swing took us through New Orleans to Clearwater Florida, then a stop in Nashville before heading home. We spent two days in New Orleans, staying just a couple blocks off Bourbon Street so we could easily explore the French Quarter. New Orleans has great southern food, live music, beautiful historic architecture, and of course, quite the nightlife! We enjoyed scrumptious beignets and chicory coffee at both Café Du Monde and Café Beignet. Other food highlights were the shrimp po’boys and jambalaya which were delicious. The weather was beautiful as we strolled through the French Quarter and Jackson Square with the amazing St. Louis Cathedral, street artists and musicians, and shopping at the French Market. Bourbon Street at night is quite the experience with crowds of people walking down the street, vendors urging you to come into their drinking and dining establishments, jazz and rock music coming from all the bars, and of course, basic and fancy beverages galore!

Laurel Mercantile Home Goods Store

We took an unplanned but fun side trip to Laurel Mississippi, just two hours north of New Orleans. Laurel is the home of the HGTV show “Hometown”. Ben and Erin Napier renovate homes and businesses in this small town, making it a tourist destination for all of us HGTV lovers! We shopped at the Scotsman General Store which also has Ben’s workshop, where we met the store manager, Mike. We later discovered that he and his wife were featured on the next Hometown episode! We also visited Laurel Mercantile with a variety of home goods and the new Scent Library, a candle store housed in a beautiful old building set up like a library. Lunch at Pearl’s Diner featured delicious southern fried chicken with various sides including candied yams, cornbread, purple hulled pees and more. After a drive through town to see a few buildings that had been renovated on the show and the many murals, we were back on the road to Florida.

A "Shell" tree on the beach at Honeymoon Island

In Clearwater we rented a house for the week, which was in a nice neighborhood, but was a drive to the beach. Staying right at the beach is our ideal, but not always possible or in the budget! Clearwater Beach seems to be always busy, with parking impossible to find. However, we found parking at Sand Key and Honeymoon Island State Parks and had a couple great beach days. The beaches are beautiful with fine white sand and a gentle slope into the water. A highlight when we are in Florida is to buy fresh shrimp and boil it at home for delicious dinners. The shrimp we found in Clearwater did not disappoint.

The interior of the Ryman Auditorium

On the way back to Minnesota we had a fun two day stay in Nashville although the weather decided to turn COLD! The first night there it was 32-degrees, so it was quite a shock after our 70- and 80-degree days the past few weeks. We stayed at a downtown hotel only four blocks from Broadway, but it was a chilly walk. We enjoyed strolling through many of the famous singers’ bars and listening to the live music. Kid Rock, Luke Bryant, Blake Shelton’s Ole Red, Miranda Lamberts’s Casa Rosa, and Jason Aldeen to name a few. More expensive drinks, but the food was good including Hattie B’s Hot Chicken and breakfast at the Sun Diner, an old diner. A highlight was a tour of the Ryman Auditorium which contains so much music history. On the way out of town we drove down Music Row with all the production companies and studios, and made stop at the life size Parthenon in Centennial Park. Who knew Nashville had a Parthenon reproduction!! Another area we had not heard of was Printers Alley which is a couple blocks north of Broadway. It was once home to 20^th century printing companies but now has dark and mysterious looking bars and live music venues. We were there on a Monday night, so there weren’t many people and we opted not to investigate any of the establishments!

As we headed north to home we had a few fun final stops along the way -

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Wooden pits in Mammoth Cave used to make saltpeter for gun powder

At Mammoth Cave National Park we took the Gothic Avenue tour. This historic cave features names and dates of visitors from the 1800’s and 1900’s that were written on the ceilings with the smoke from tallow candles. It has a rougher stone interior than other caves we have visited, with fewer cave formations but it had large caverns and evidence of visitors since the late 1700’s. 

One of the buildings at Makers Mark Distillery

We enjoyed the drive on narrow, winding roads through the countryside of Kentucky to arrive at Makers Mark Distillery. The grounds were beautiful with dark buildings, red shutters, horse statues scattered about, and lovely landscaping. Our tour guide was terrific at telling us the history of Makers Mark and the distilling process. And we came home with a few bottles of bourbon!

The Lego Dinasaur at Toppling Goliath Brewing

Our last hurrah was a stop at Toppling Goliath Brewing Company. We drove the scenic route through eastern Iowa to Decorah with a stop for lunch and a beer at Toppling Goliath. 

It was great to get out of the winter weather, but we were glad to get back home. We enjoyed exploring new destinations in warm weather with great friends! Now to plan for next winter’s trip!

Touring the Towns of Texas

 

The Hill Country of Texas has so many small (and large) towns within an hour or two that are worth a visit. Below I have highlighted some of the towns we visited on our swing south and what makes each one interesting.

Steve and I in front of the floors of archives at the LBJ Presidential Library

The focus of our day trip to Austin was the LBJ Presidential Library which is on the University of Texas campus. We spent four hours there – with exhibits and videos on three floors including the President’s Oval office with the original furniture. I really enjoyed the Lady Bird exhibits with information on her life. Claudia Alta Taylor was nicknamed by her nursemaid, Alice Tittle, who said she was “as pretty as a ladybird”. Claudia later chose to be called by Lady Bird. As First Lady she was also a champion of conservation efforts, and advocated for the creation of Nation Park Service units, as well as other environmental legislation. After the library we enjoyed a late lunch at Terry Black’s Barbecue which we rated the best BBQ we had so far on our trip!

Fredericksburg is a German town with a historic main street filled with shops, restaurants, art galleries and wineries. We did not spend much time there, but we did enjoy a delicious German lunch at Altdorf Restaurant. On the way out of town we also stopped at one of the many wineries, Safari, for a wine tasting.

New Braunfels and Gruene are towns northeast of San Antonio and were a half hour drive from our condo in Canyon Lake. The guys golfed at Landa Park Golf Course twice which gave Vicki and I the opportunity to explore the area. We enjoyed delicious pastries at Naegelin’s German Bakery and shopped in downtown New Braunfels at the antique and gift shops.

The historic bar in the Gurene Dance Hall 

If you are in this area of Texas do not miss the Gruene Historic District. Here you can find shopping, dining, and music events in the original historic buildings. We spent a morning shopping for souvenirs including Christmas ornaments, Texas hot sauce and pecans. We later brought the husbands back for lunch at the Gruene River Grill overlooking the river and a walk through the Gruene Dance Hall, Texas’s oldest continually operating dance hall. Built in 1878, very little has changed since then. It has a tin roof, side flaps to open the hall to the fresh air, a cool old bar in the front and a large outdoor patio area. It hosts concerts throughout the week and many famous artists have performed. A highlight was meeting friends on a Saturday afternoon who were in the area for a girls’ weekend.

The Alamo in San Antonio

San Antonio is about an hour south of Canyon Lake. We visited the Alamo and enjoyed walking through the church which was originally a Spanish mission from 1755 to 1793. It played a vital role in the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, and later became a U.S. Army Quartermaster Depot warehouse. Surrounding the Alamo Church is a Calvary Courtyard with statues of people who played prominent roles in the wars, a large gift shop and beautiful grounds and gardens. We also took the hop-on hop-off bus tour which provided a tour of the areas around the Alamo, as well as a boat tour on the river. The boat guide was great providing us with lots of history and stories about San Antonio and the Riverwalk. He told us about the Esquire bar which opened in 1933 right after prohibition ended. It had the longest continuous wooden bar in the city. Of course, we had to have a drink on the balcony overlooking the river.

At Magnolia - the church and silos

Waco – Of course everything Magnolia was what I was most interested in, but Waco is also the birthplace of Dr. Pepper (with a museum) and is home to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, and the Waco Mammoth National Monument. We wandered through the shops at the Magnolia Market, had coffee and lavender donut holes, hit a few balls at the whiffle ball field, and bought souvenirs. It was totally lovely, other than me swinging too hard at a whiffle ball and landing on my back in pea gravel - ouch!! Just a few scratches and I was fine – LOL! We could not get reservations at Magnolia Table, so mid-afternoon we took a chance and drove to the restaurant, were seated immediately and had a late lunch. The menu is limited, and our food was good, but nothing stellar. It was still fun to eat there! Before leaving town, we bought a variety pack of cupcakes at the Silo Baking Co and enjoyed those!  

Wimberly is a cute small town with shops, breweries, wineries, and restaurants – and lots of people on a weekend day. We found weekdays to be much quieter and more pleasant wherever we went in the Hill Country. Wimberly also has beautiful spring-fed swimming holes in or near town. We had a picnic lunch at Blue Hole Regional Park along Cypress Creek. It is a beautiful park with large bald cypress trees (they can live up to 600 years) lining the river and framed by a rock wall on the other side. In the summer Cypress Creek is a popular swimming location.

The LBJ Texas White House

LBJ National and State Historic Sites – not a town, but I must mention the LBJ parks we visited. We learned more about Lyndon B. Johnson in our time in Texas than we ever imagined! The National Site is in Johnson City and includes the old white house where LBJ lived when he was a child and the Johnson settlement, restored structures from the 1800’s including a cabin and barns. The State Historical Site is in Stonewall, and there you can obtain a permit to drive through the LBJ ranch. It is still a working ranch with cattle, an airstrip where LBJ flew in as President, the hanger which is now the Visitors Center and the Texas White House where LBJ hosted many dignitaries. Unfortunately, we could not enter the house because it is structurally unsound and being renovated. Additions were made over the years, and a hot tub was added to the second floor, but the old house could not support those additions.

We were surprised at the variety of geography, towns, and activities in the Texas Hill Country.  We enjoyed our time and would go back to see other areas of the state in the future. If you have spent time in Texas, what did you enjoy most?

Our Southern Swing – Traveling in Texas

We were a bit late in planning our trip south this winter. The ability to take more than a week or two of vacation is new to us. Steve and I have a timeshare with Holiday Inn Vacation Club, so we looked for places available in the south for a couple weeks. We found availability at Canyon Lakes, in the Texas Hill Country, so we booked it without knowing much about the “Hill Country”. It wasn’t until we started doing more research that we found the Hill Country has a lot to offer – a large man-made lake: many small towns in the area with breweries, wineries, shopping, dining; and state parks with interesting natural features.  Austin, New Braunfels/Gruene and San Antonio were all close enough for day trips.

One of the fun things about traveling is meeting people along the way. We met a lot of Midwesterners, as well as people from other parts of the country. I’ve noted some of those conversations below.

We drove from Minnesota, taking a couple days to reach Texas. We stopped to see friends, Leslie and Paul, in Des Moines then onto Wichita Kansas. There we had our first barbeque of the trip at Bite Me Barbeque in Old Town. It was good, but BBQ in Texas was the best.  Travel day #2 we drove by the Oklahoma City National Memorial which commemorated the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995. We arrived in Fort Worth and spent some time in the stockyard area, watching the Longhorns run (or saunter) down the street. A highlight was meeting my cousin, Sue, and some of her family at Hard Eight Barbecue for dinner. It was great to catch up with Sue, and reminisce about their visits to Iowa and the fun times with the Lauritsen cousins out on the farm.

Mammoth Bones at Waco Mammoth National Site

Day #3 we headed further south, driving through Waco to Canyon Lake. Unfortunately, none of the Magnolia properties are opened on Sundays. We drove through town – saw the Cottonland Castle that Chip and Jo had renovated and met a couple from Edina whose daughter goes to Baylor and their son went to Iowa State. Magnolia and the Silos area was fenced and gated so we had to schedule another day to come back to Waco. We stopped at Waco Mammoth National Site. For $5 ($6 non-seniors) we entered the dig site where you can see the excavation of mammoth bones, as well as a camel and tortoise. We love going to national parks, so it is always a highlight to see a national site on our trips and get another stamp in my passport book!

The next 16 days were spent in Canyon City. The Hill Country of Texas is definitely hilly with winding roads, scrubby trees, large and small houses behind gates and fences, and friendly people everywhere we went.

Some of the highlights from our time in Texas:

Natural Bridge Caverns

Canyon Lake Gorge

State Parks and Natural Gems. Natural Bridge Caverns are north of San Antonio. The Discovery Tour included huge caverns, stalactites, stalagmites, ribbons, soda straws and crystal clear water. The tour guide was over-the-top dramatic, but it was a great tour. We also ran into friends from Gurnee, Mark and Rose, as we headed back to the visitor center after the tour! Jacobs Well Natural Area north of Wimberley features a spring flowing out of the second largest underground cave in Texas into a creek bed. In the summer, you can make an appointment to swim in the well. In Wimberly we hiked up 214 stone steps to the rocky top of Old Mount Baldy. It was a beautiful view of the countryside. We met a couple who had moved here from Denver and had just opened Rustix Ranch cabins. In Canyon Lake we hiked in a few areas – a nature hike along the Guadalupe River, Madrone Trail at Canyon Park (many of the parks were closed for the winter) and Canyon Lake Gorge. In 2022 34 inches of rain fell in the area, causing Canyon Lake to flood over the spillway. The historic flood sliced open the ground, creating the gorge and exposing ancient limestone, fossils and dinosaur footprints. It is a beautiful hike along the gorge.

Kitchen at Salt Lick BBQ

The food. Terry Blacks Barbeque in Austin and Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood were highlights, especially the brisket. The wait for a table at Salt Lick at 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon was 1.5 hours! However, we ordered food To Go and ate it on their large patio while listening to live music. Perfect! The Canyon Lake area had no chain restaurants which was refreshing so we tried the local restaurants. Granny D’s had excellent breakfasts with pancakes the size of a dinner plate. Baja Icehouse and Grill sat beside the lake and was perfect for a drink while watching the boats come in at the end of the day.

Devil's Backbone Tavern, the Oldest Dive Bar

Dive Bars. A couple local bars stood out – the Devils Backbone Tavern that proclaimed itself the “Oldest Dive Bar in Texas”. A flea market was being held the day we stopped for a beer. Another fun place was the Damn Red Bar which offered free spaghetti dinners for their customers the day we were there. We had lunch at Goofy’s Bar and Grill which had decent sandwiches. Looking at their Facebook page as I’m writing this, they have square dancing, cornhole tournaments and dinner specials like pot roast!

Luckenbach TX Post Office & General Store

More than just a dive bar is Luckenbach Texas. Luckily we stopped after our day in Fredericksburg and were so glad we did. Each year this town with a population of 3 (per the website) hosts over 300 music shows and events featuring Honky-Tonk, Rockabilly, Country and Blues. That afternoon a few men were playing on the outdoor stage under the majestic old oak trees. The town has a post office/general store, clothing and hat stores, and a great old dance hall. Here we met an Iowa Stater and his wife who now live in Pennsylvania.

Hill Country Wine Trail. There are more than 50 wineries in the Hill Country. Vicki and I did a tasting at Safari Winery. Texas doesn’t produce a lot of grapes, so Safari’s grapes came from South Africa and South America. We also had a red wine flight at Water 2 Wine in New Braunfels. The Hill Country would be a great girls trip destination to visit the many wineries and shop in cute gift and antique stores.

So many towns to visit in the Hill Country. I’ll touch on some of the towns we visited and what makes each one fun and interesting in my next blog. Until then I’m hoping for warmer spring weather!