2021-05-21 Ingram TRR Rally Day 2

 Friday was a day for site seeing. Several groups went to the many resale shops in Kerrville about 15 minutes away. Polly, Teri, and I opted to check out Ingram and take a drive further up the Guadalupe River towards Hunt. Our first stop was at the Hill Country Arts Foundation.

We were there to see Stonehenge II. It all started with an extra limestone slab from a patio in Hunt. The owner, Doug Hill, got together with his artistic friend, Al Sheppard, and Stonehenge II came to life in the pasture at Al's ranch. It took 9 months to build the steel, metal lathe, and plaster pillars. People were able to drive by and see it. After Al Sheppard died, his family donated Stonehenge II to the Hill Country Arts Foundation and it was moved there in 2012 where anyone can easily visit.

Stonehenge Ii is 90% as wide as the original Stonehenge and 60% as high so not exactly the same proportions but it is a very interesting site.

Al Sheppard visited the Easter Islands and also recreated the famous statues there.

There is a restaurant with music onsite at the foundation and classes are held there as well.

There is both an outdoor and indoor theater with productions put on regularly.

This is the outdoor theater behind the visitor's center.

We all met up at Billy Gene's Restaurant in Kerrville at 1:00PM. It was nice to have a private room because this is a very popular restaurant. 

We had a male and a female waiter who did a phenominal job of taking all our orders, getting the food out quickly, and checking us out as well. The food was really good too.

Later that afternoon, a few in the group went swimming. The pool isn't open yet but the Johnson Creek is always open.

We met at 6 for snacks or leftovers.

And then the movie was on....."The Long, Long Trailer" an oldy but goody.

Stonehenge II, Ingram, TX

Today was a great day for a road trip.  It started out with me driving out to Potter's Creek on Canyon Lake to meet up with my friend Birdie.  It's about a 45 minute trip out to the lake but a nice drive.  Once I met up with Birdie, we headed across country on our way to Kerrville to pick up another RVing friend, Shirley.  Both Birdie and Shirley are full-timers that like this area.  I met Shirley out at Birdie's last week so this was the first chance to see her rig.  She has a great Class A motorhome.  We arrived to find her relaxing outside at the KOA where she is staying.  A short time later we were on our way to Ingram to see "Stonehenge II".

Stonehenge II was originally located on a ranch in the rural Hunt area.  It all started in 1989 when Doug Hill tipped a huge limestone block up on it's end in a field on Al Sheppard's ranch.  After looking at it for a while, they decided to add another couple blocks to make an arch so it would be more noticeable.  Once the arch was complete, it reminded Al of the original Stonehenge in England and he commissioned Doug Hill to build a Texas Stonehenge.  It is not an exact replica as it is much smaller and all the arches are still standing.  It took nine months to build the Stonehenge which is cement over a wire frame.  After a trip Al took to the Easter Islands, replicas of the statues located there were added to the group.  Al also planned to add a replica Alaskan totem pole to the tableaux, but died in 1994 in his seventies before realizing that portion of his dream. His nephew, also named Al Shepperd, now owns the ranch.

In June 2011, Stonehenge II and the Easter Island monuments were moved to the Hill Country Arts Foundation in Ingram.

An interesting and unusual sight right here in Texas.

Stonehenge II and Easter Island Heads

Address:

120 Point Theatre Rd S., Ingram, TX

Directions:

Relocated to the grounds of the Hill Country Arts Foundation. I-10 exit south into Kerrville. Turn right when you get to Hwy 27/Main St. Take Hwy 27 to Ingram (about 5 miles). At the second light in Ingram go straight through the intersection toward Hunt, which will put you on Hwy 39 (Hwy 27 will angle off to the right toward Mountain Home). After the light, watch for the Johnson Creek Bridge; immediately after the bridge you will see the sign for the Hill Country Arts Foundation on the left.

Phone:

830-367-5120