Fredericksburg, Texas

It was SPRING TIME and both of us had a week off of work! We loaded up the trailer and traveled south through the beautiful Texas Hill Country to Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park, outside of Fredericksburg, Texas. 

Plenty of unique shopping in downtown Fredericksburg

St. Mary's Catholic Church

This truck is parked outside an art gallery.  Only in Texas is this advertising!

Biergarten at at the Auslander

The old hospital of Fredericksburg now houses a kitchen shop

Fredericksburg is a city in central Texas, known for its wineries. The city's German heritage is on display throughout the town and especially at the Pioneer Museum, which features settlers' homesteads and artifacts. We really enjoyed visiting this living history museum talking with the volunteers dressed in period clothing.

German kitchen or kuchen

Oma forgot her bonnet

Recreated bath house

Blacksmith

Character from the past playing a wash tub

Oma showed us how to knit with three needles

This trapper was skinning a real raccoon

In the nearby town square, Marktplatz, the Vereins Kirche is a replica of a 19th-century German church that once stood in the city. The vast National Museum of the Pacific War features WWII exhibits, including a recreated combat zone.

Vereins Kirche - replica of a German church

National Museum of the Pacific War

The crown jewel of Fredericksburg’s recreational parks is the 150 acre Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park. Rolling hills and rambling Live Oak Creek set the stage for a beautiful day. It is a place to rest, relax and enjoy nature. Five pavilions serve as the spot for birthday parties, class and family reunions, school field trips, weddings and more. Baseball/softball fields are available for a casual game or can be reserved. A sand volleyball court and outdoor basketball courts are available. The park offers a beautiful setting for large and small groups no matter the occasion. Located 3 miles south of downtown off of Hwy. 16 S. 

Our homestead for the next few days was the Lady Bird Johnson RV Park which sits adjacent to the Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park.  This RV park features 98 RV spaces with 30 and 50 amp electrical hook-ups, water, sewer and cable TV.  Although the sites were very close together (actually back to back) the park was clean and family oriented.

Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park Sign

Fishing along Live Oak Creek near Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park

Nestled along Baron's Creek at the eastern edge of Fredericksburg is Fort Martin Scott.  This fort was the first U.S. military post be established on the western frontier of Texas.  Today is is an historical treasure listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Visitors are allowed to roam around the fort, free of charge, and reflect upon the importance that the fort played in the development of the great State of Texas.

Fort Martin Scott entrance

Rebuilt areas and remnants of the old fort

Limestone kitchen/storage area of the fort

A trip to the Texas Hill Country is not complete without a stop at Luckenbach, Texas. Luchenbach began as a trading post in 1849, making it one of the oldest settlements in Gillespie County. 

Proudly flown over the post office at Luckenbach

Inside the general store/beer joint hang a memorial to Hondo, Luckenbach's most famous citizen

Outdoor access to the important stuff - beer!

The post office and general store/beer joint was opened in 1886 by August Engel.  Today the tiny hamlet boasts that "everybody is somebody" in Luchenbach, and under its it is the perfect escape for road weary travelers who want to escape the Texas heat under a shady canopy of live oak trees while listening to a variety of Hill Country musicians.

Plenty of shade, character's and music under the live oak trees

We're not sure if the population of Luckenbach includes these chickens

In case you get lost, look for the signs

L.E.A.F - Llano Earth Art Fest, Llano, Texas

For the past five years the Llano Earth Art Fest or LEAF, has been held on the banks of the Llano River- one block from Llano's historic downtown.  

LEAF is an interactive experience for young and old alike.  You can watch internationally renowned artists defy gravity with amazingly balanced rock sculptures and listen to great musicians fill the park with song. 

For kids there are plenty of activities, including a climbing wall, face painting, and more.  Adults can enjoy a cold beer while taking part in workshops, viewing and creating art, or just relaxing in the sun. 

This year the LEAF Festival will be held March 15th - 18th, 2018.

On our way to Fredericksburg, Texas, we drove through Llano and stumbled upon this festival.  With our trailer in tow it was impossible to find a spot to park and view the spectacle.  When we left Fredericksburg and headed back to through Llano the festival was complete so it was easy to find a parking space and then roam up and down the banks of the Llano River marveling at the stacked rock sculptures that seemed to defy gravity.

After taking in the sites we headed to our FAVORITE BBQ joint, Cooper's Old Time Pit BBQ, to enjoy a slab of brisket and their amazing beans.  Fortunately, we got there early enough that we did not have to stand in line, like so many are willing to do, to enjoy a good meat coma!

​

Fouke, Arkansas

On a three day weekend in October of 2017, we found ourselves in Arkansas, once again, in search of beautiful fall landscapes.  We left the Dallas-Fort Worth on a Friday night and spent the night in Texarkana.   The next morning we decided to drive fifteen miles south to pay homage to Fouke, Arkansas, home of the Legend of Boggy Creek.

When in Fouke visit Monster Mart

Inside Monster Mart is a museum/tribute to the hairy creature

You can see Bigfoot foot casts and pick up your souvenir.  Don't forget to sign the guestbook!

Fouke is a quiet little town that is best known as being the locale for the Fouke monster legend, one of the most popular legends in the state. The town attracted attention in the early 1970s when a resident of Texarkana reported seeing a mysterious creature there. A reporter for the Texarkana Gazette wrote an article about it and a legend was born. Fouke and its monster became famous and were featured in the 1973 movie The Legend of Boggy Creek. The Fouke monster has been described as something of a Southern Sasquatch- a “big-foot-type monster.” The documentary style film on the creature was made by South Arkansas native Charles Pierce in the early 1970s. The film assured a place in folklore history for the Bigfoot look-a-like, which has allegedly been seen in and around Fouke since the 1940s. The low budget, campy movie earned cult status and the familiarity of this tale and the regular resurgence in the media of yeti, Bigfoot, and caveman-like characters keep the legend alive.

Sadly disappointed we did not see the Fouke monster we headed northeast to the Ouachita Mountains and the town of Hot Springs, Arkansas. For centuries, Native Americans, early European explorers, and visitors from around the world have flocked to the natural hot springs to bathe in the healing waters.  Today, the rich history of the hot springs has been preserved, and the bathing rituals continue to be popular among travelers.

Gulpha Creek runs through The Gorge in Hot Springs National Park

We had to go all the way to Hot Springs National Park to see the first sign of fall

Many buildings in Hot Springs are from the Art Deco time period

Ouapaw Bathhouse

This bathhouse window had a Gothic look

Shady character on the streets of Hot Springs, Arkansas

Stained glass ceiling of a bathhouse

Statue inside bathhouse honoring explorers and Native American's that visited the springs

Rows and rows of mailboxes at the Oupaw Bathhouse

Fordyce Bath House is now a cafe & brewery

Statue honoring in square of Hot Springs

After spending the afternoon touring the bath houses at Hot Springs we headed back west to where our cabin awaited us at the Mena Mountain Top Cabins in Mena, Arkansas.  We stayed in this location once before and enjoyed it so much we were back for another visit. The small cabins at Mena Mountain Top are clad in pine and rustically decorated each with a theme (our cabin had a fishing theme).  Each cabin has a screened in porch that over looks the mountainside and is a great place to sip your morning coffee.  

View from the road near our cabin

Squirrel!

View from our road near our cabin.  You can see Rich Mountain in the distance.

 The next day we took a scenic drive from Mena, Arkansas, up northwest to Heavener, Oklahoma, where we made a short hike to view the Heavener Runestone. Some believe that Vikings stopped in Heavener more than 1,000 years ago and left a sign of their passing carved on the face of a massive boulder.  The huge rock, now called the Heavener Runestone, is the centerpiece of a park within the city.

Interesting hike to Heavener Runestone

The Heavener Runestone....what does it say?  "Glome Dal" or "Glome's Valley"

Rural Heavener, Oklahoma

After leaving Heavener we drove the back roads south to Queen Wilhelmina State Park to take in the scenery. Queen Wilhelmina State Park is located atop Rich Mountain which is the second highest peak in Arkansas.  Some of the most breathtaking views can be seen from the Queen Wilhelmina's newly renovated lodge.  We stopped here hoping to have lunch in the Queen's Restaurant, however, it was a long wait to sample their delicious southern cuisine.  We decided to head back to Mena and enjoy the rest of the day touring the town before we said our goodbyes to the Natural State.

Mountain views from Queen Wilhelmina State Park

And more mountain views from Queen Wilhelmina State Park

And even more mountain views from Queen Wilhelmina State Park

Old Mountain Creek Bridge outside of Mena, Arkansas

Mountain Creek near Mena, Arkansas

Old post office/general store of Whitetown, Arkansas

Could not resist photographing these beauties although I disturbed their dinner

Sundown at our cabin.  Goodbye day, goodbye Natural State