Meeting Up with a New Friend

A few weeks ago, I got a group message from an RVing friend introducing me to another friend of hers who just started full-time RVing. We planned to meet up but she ended up extending her reservation at Inks Lake State Park so we said we would try to hook up in a couple of weeks when she was closer. She ended up getting evacuated from Inks Lake......quite an introduction to the solo RVing life. Fortunately her Casita was spared and she was able to get it out several days later. Moving on, Roxanne and I stayed in touch and we arranged to meet while she was staying at Crane's Mill COE Park. I gave her directions to the Gruene Coffee Haus and we met there on Tuesday morning.

There were going to be a few more of us but only Mary Jane and I were there when Roxanne pulled up.

We had coffee and got to know each other....for a couple of hours, lol.  And then, we took Roxanne on a little tour of Gruene and Gruene Hall, the oldest continuesly operating dance hall in Texas.

We decided to meet again on Wednesday but this time, I drove out to Crane's Mill. Mary Jane wasn't able to make it but Linda and Sage both came so Roxanne got to meet several more RVing women. We all got to see Roxanne's Casita. Unfortunately, I neglected to take picture there. She has decorated it so nicely that it is very homey feeling. We all decided to give the Wildflower Artesan Bakery and Grill in Sattler a try.

We each had something different and it was all good.

We saw a roadrunner on the way into the restaurant but he wasn't real cooperative about posing for a picture.

It is always great meeting a new friend. We hope to meet up again before too long.

Dinosaurs....When San Antonio was Beach Front Property

As I mentioned yesterday, this group of ladies hiked the Canyon Lake Gorge yesterday. You can read about it in Liz's blog. Their guide (you cannot hike without a guide to preserve the area...$10/person) told them that there were other dinosaur tracks nearby so we decided to check that out.

Mary Jane was coming out from town to join us but was a little delayed so we decided to head out and meet her. We were looking for a place for coffee in Sattler.

We found this place and thought that we would have to sit outside but they also have inside seating as we soon discovered.

It turned out to be a great find and we had lunch instead of coffee. We were lured in by their Adult Grilled Cheese Sandwiches among others as well as their burgers. Everything was delicious and reasonable priced. We arrived early and soon found out that they were very popular for good reason.

Next stop....The Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country. In addition to the dinosaur tracks, they have other very interesting items on display inside the museum. You'll find them on FM2673 between Sattler and Startzville. I should have mentioned that we decided to have lunch earlier because we arrived at the museum before the 1:00PM opening. It opens at 10:00AM in the summer.

First we were given an introduction to the museum by the woman on duty. She had lots of information on the history of the area. Did you know that the San Antonio area used to be ocean front property?  Of course that was a really really long time ago when the dinosaurs were around.  Then we toured the rooms inside. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside but they had a lot of historical memorabilia from the area.

Once we headed outside to see the dinosaur tracks, photos were allowed. There were some good informational signs telling more about the dinosaurs that roamed this area. The footprints were preserved because the dinosaurs were walking through a slightly marshy area near the water. The impressions were covered over by different material which hardened into rock.

The tracks were discovered in 1982 when the area was being developed for an RV park. Ironic right? As they landscaped the ground in preparation for the park, they dug down to the rock and found the tracks.

This is a hoola hoop around this track so if you can remember them, you know just how large the track is.

Here you can see them as they walked along.

Most of the tracks are under a very large multi-layered roof.

The main dinosaur tracks were in rows running parallel to the water front. If you look closely, you can see a couple of lines that run perpendicular to the other tracks.  In other words, directly to and from where the water would have been. They look like they were made by some really enormous snail-type creature.

This picture shows the snail trail more clearly.

You can go up a set of stairs to a walkway that allows you to look down at the tracks.

There is also a amphitheater seating area here. They have a lot of Scout groups and school groups that come and they give presentations for the kids. I believe the docent also said the local Scouts have a badge they can earn here.

Directly across the road from the museum, there are some big hills and houses with fantastic views. Canyon Lake is just on the other side of the hills.

There is another area that they are still developing where you can see more tracks.

They had some water in them from dew that really made them stand out.

Out in front of the museum. they had a neat place set up where kids can "discover" fossils and use brushes to expose them.

It is under a cover and there is a large chart showing all the different types of dinosaurs.

This is an antique group of chicken nests.

There is also a path leading from the area that has signs marking various trees and plants.

A rock garden type area is also set up displaying lots of antique farming equipment.

There is a large stone marker dedicating this as the Burney Parker Heritage Site.

 

 

It was a very interesting day. Later on we all got together in Liz's rig for a delicious Cranberry Glazed Chicken dinner that was wonderful. Then we had a "Shinerbock" toast to our good Pink FlaminGoes friend Sharon Souter who passed away this summer and now watches over all of us as we travel in our RVs.

 

Water, Water, Everywhere

Texas, or at least parts of it, have been getting a lot of rain.....a lot. Here in the San Antonio area, we are 10 inches ahead of what we usually have this time of year. North Texas has gotten even more; the lakes up there are pretty much full. Now, we haven't been that lucky here. Our lakes are still very low. In any case, along with that rain comes a lot of dark weather. Again, not something we are used to having here. After a long stream of cloudy, rainy days, I was more than ready to get out of the house. I loaded up the Traveling Longdogs and their buddy Angus and headed out for a little drive.

We stopped at Buckey's in New Braunfels for gas and then headed out to Sattler on FM306. Once in Sattler, we turned onto River Road. River Road is always a lovely drive....it makes you feel like you are in a different place. There are a number of "crossings" back and forth across the Guadalupe River.
The river is quite high right now but not flooded. They were worried a day ago and, if the rain continues, it may get to hat point.

There are a couple of farms along this winding road; however, it is mostly a recreational area with lots of cabins and RV places along the way.

Someone put a flag out across the road. It's not sunny but it isn't raining and the sky is lighter.

Hmmmm.....it says General Store but I'm guessing it provides mostly beer and picnic type items for the vacationers visiting along the road.

Almost every inch along the road is privately owned so access is usually through staying at one of the places along the road or using one of the toobing places that do pick-ups and drop-offs. I'm not sure why I didn't get any photos of toobers but they were out there.

All in all, it was a lovely relaxing afternoon and a great way to get out of the house in between rain showers. Traffic was minimal so I was able to stop and snap some photos along the way.

Some Views of the Park--Lake Pointe RV Resort

I'm pretty happy with the site I picked out.  There is shade quite a bit of the time which is important since the temps are in the mid 90s or higher.  It was pretty nice sitting out under the trees this morning with my coffee because there was a little breeze.  We went for a walk all over the park first thing while it was cool.

I had my coffee and kindle after we got back and the Traveling Longdogs were enjoying their play area.  Fortunately, they are fastinated by the deer and don't bark at them.  It's usually a staring contest on both sides.

This spot has more of a lake view but there is a 3 foot drop right behind him.  I think the park is about half full right now but there isn't anybody home at quite of few of them.  I expect they will show up for the weekend.

But it's not like nobody is around.  I saw one buck with about 9 points on his rack.  They are very tame.  I think that must be some kind of a salt or food block; I've seen several around the park.  I guess you can buy feed at the office too (or bring your own in if you like).  I've heard that dog food is actually more nutritious for them than deer corn.  They won't be getting any of the Traveling Longdogs special food though.

Are you following me lady???  There is a number of paths between the resort developed area and the lake.

The "town" closest to the park is Hancock and there are several restaurants, coffee shops, Dollar Store, etc.  The closest real town is Sattler which is five miles away.  They have real grocery store which used to be a Super S but is now a Lowe's Market.  Prices weren't too bad and they have about anything you could want.  There is also a great Ace Hardware store which is really well stocked.  They even carry quite a few RV items.  I found several items that I haven't been able to find elsewhere.  I also saw an RV repair place, VFW (open to the public sign), several restaurants and a bakery, a feedstore, and numerous other business places that make it a worthwhile trip.