We have arrived in Cowboy Capital
This morning finally dawned DRY!!! First dry day in forEVER, seems like. Yesterday, we were scheduled to leave the rally campground and move over to Bandera, where we could find accommodations for only $10 a night....that automatically makes them "better." The rally camp was nice and all, and it was in a real cute little quaint town, and not but about 20 miles from San Antonio, but the pool was NOT heated in any way (not that it was good enough weather to go in it, but...just the same...), but there was no hot tub (again, not that we could have gone in it, but...just the same..), but it was $26.40 a night - plus tax! That's really quite steep - that's the most we've paid for a spot since we've been on the road!! And that was even including the rally discount!! So, to have had to pay more than that for the next 3 weeks, while we wait for parts to be fabricated was just gonna be out of the question.
That meant we had to do some diggin' and find us a better spot. We came up with the town of Bandera, about 46 miles away and a Coast to Coast park, about 10 miles outside Bandera. It LOOKED like an easy ride over, but, the morning of our planned departure, Saturday, it was still pouring rain, so we decided to call the campground & check things out....see, we'd heard there had been some flooding in the area. Oh, yeah, flooding was right. The campground lady said she'd had someone try to leave & they had to turn around & return to the park, so we should call the sheriff to see if the roads were clear enough to come. OK, after some prodding, she was able to provide me the sheriff's number (like I had that in my back pocket, geez, lady, what were you thinkin?!!), and when I called, they really didn't know. At least they admitted it. We decided to take the word of the lady with the personal experience & guest that returned to camp, and we extended another day where we were. At $26.40 a night. Plus tax.
So you can see why we were so excited this morning when it was dry & skies were blue. Called up the new park, and yup, the road in had only about an inch of water on it about a half mile out from the camp. OK, we could do that. As long as we didn't take the shortcut, we'd be ok. The shortcut had been closed already for about 2 days, due to flooding. Dude told me it was a good 2 lane road all the way over to Bandera, then we may have to slow down a bit.
Dude did NOT exaggerate. When I suggested it would take maybe an hour, he told me, uhhhh, better make it hour & fifteen. OK, that's not so bad, right? Oh, geez, lemme go change my pants. What a harrowing ride it was! Actually, the first part really wasn't so bad. Little curvy, little hilly, couple of really sharp turns, couple of really steep hills (up AND down). We found the turnoffs without any problem - the landmarks were just as the dude told me - a big "Flying L" ranch sign, then the road curves to the left, but we go straight - you know, typical country directions. What he did NOT tell me, and probably a good thing, since we probably would have cancelled our reservations, hot tub be damned, was the last hill, after the water on the road, was JUST ABOUT STRAIGHT UP!!! Oh my gosh. STRAIGHT UP, I tell ya. This after a really, really, really bumpy & pot-holed one and a half-laned road, with really, really raggedy shoulders. And a one-lane bridge. Seemed that we always met someone in a curve, too....wondered where all these people were going! So, we got to the crick that was at the bottom of a hill and immediately had to pull out & UP. Did I mention, STRAIGHT up? Geez. Poor ole truck was straining and missed a bit, but, she got her done, and we eventually hit the top of the hill. Only to find yet ANOTHER hill. Well, now, this must be why they call it Hill Country, TX. Duh.
After settling in & unloading the truck (grill, ladder, plants, power washer, coolers, etc) we decided we'd see about going back into town & stocking up on some grub, since it was such a HARD trip back out, and we didn't really want to repeat it often if we didn't have to. Well, what a cute little town it was, too! We went up to the Super S (oh, yeah, no HEB up here!) & parked, then walked back a bit just to check things out. Perused the menu of the local steak house (not bad, not bad), and $6, 20 oz "pain killers." On the way back up to the grocery store, along comes a group of about 6 horses & riders....just walkin' down the "sidewalk" (where one would have been, had there been one) next to traffic. Everyone was in full Western regalia, and they all looked really nice. Of course, just like the tourist I am, I whipped out my camera & took pictures. Tacky, tacky, tacky. They must have gotten a kick outta that, 'cuz they stopped & talked to us a moment - to tell us about a band (we think THEY were the band) and free chili & chips, just up the road, we really oughtta go. yeah, ok, but, no thanks, we had grocery shopping to do instead. Much more fun.
So we go & do our shopping - meat here was actually much better looking & more reasonably priced than anywhere we'd seen yet. Produce was pretty fresh (surprisingly) and also reasonably priced. Finished up and on our way back out to the truck, the sirens went nutso. All the emergency services here are volunteers, so you shoulda seen the pickups flying by with the little dashboard/windshield lights just a blinkin, and the boys on their walkee-talkees. They all went UP the hill, except this one guy, went down the hill. A few moments later, the boy that had gone the other way turned around & came screamin' back UP the hill. I thought maybe he was going to pick up his friend, but, nope, he was still all alone in the truck. Silly boy.
Then, on our way out of town, I saw a sign (horrors!) to the "historic district" so off we went - exploring. Around the block, and what did we find, but the Cowboy Bar, where the rally people had gone & had a great time. You cook your own meat out on their grill & for $5, they give you a salad bar & potato, then there's dancing & music. I'm sure we'll find our way out there again. Sometime. In the meantime, the hot tub here is calling. Loudly. Dinner here was nice & quiet, and very simple - with SALAD, just the way we like it. I mean, pot-lucks are great, but there's just so little I care to eat, or can eat, so often, I go away hungry.
Oh, lemme tell you about the Cave Without a Name expedition. Lora drove John, Dick & me all over Boerne, looking for this hole in the ground. We bushwacked to find a cache that was really in the backyard of the cavern (ok, so maybe we did trespass a bit, but it was fun), and the cave wasn't cheap to enter, but it was really very nice. Kinda like Luray Caverns, in Shenandoah Valley, VA, because it's a live cave, in that it's still growing due to the water dripping inside. We have posted pictures on photoshop.com, so enjoy! http://www.photoshop.com/user/thecallanders/?wf=shareslideshow&trackingid=BTAGC&rlang=en_US&galleryid=50e45759e0bb42c9b348a53f1ff97112
And before we left Boerne, we toured the SAS shoe factory. For those that don't know (and I was one of those up till last week), SAS stands for San Antonio Shoes, and each one is made by hands. Lotsa hands. The company is family owned still, and apparently, the little cobblers are all very happy. There were signs everywhere thanking them for making the best shoes in the country. OK, maybe they are comfortable, but they are simply BUTT-UGLY. Anyway, we had a blast seeing how the shoes are made, checking out all the old cars and eating ICE CREAM & filling our little baggies with old-fashioned candy. Here's the picture show of all that:
http://www.photoshop.com/user/thecallanders/?wf=shareslideshow&trackingid=BTAGC&rlang=en_US&galleryid=c573b952a9a74a5fbe3ef2f3b02f6b6d
And, for those of you that have been under a rock for the last couple of days, I have finally opened up a shop on Etsy.com!!! Granted, there are only 4 little dinky products out there, but it's a start. Bookmark http://sewwritecreations.etsy.com in your favorites, and COME BACK OFTEN. And BRING MONEY!
OK, my fingers are gettin' tired of typing (never thought I'd say THAT). Y'all stay safe & healthy and know we think of you often. Much love to all! Oh, wait - one more thing!! MiFi card is working just FINE, even way out here in Egypt!! Dick & I are both using it, WIRELESSLY, as designed. Oh, what a relief! OK, bye for now, for real!
That meant we had to do some diggin' and find us a better spot. We came up with the town of Bandera, about 46 miles away and a Coast to Coast park, about 10 miles outside Bandera. It LOOKED like an easy ride over, but, the morning of our planned departure, Saturday, it was still pouring rain, so we decided to call the campground & check things out....see, we'd heard there had been some flooding in the area. Oh, yeah, flooding was right. The campground lady said she'd had someone try to leave & they had to turn around & return to the park, so we should call the sheriff to see if the roads were clear enough to come. OK, after some prodding, she was able to provide me the sheriff's number (like I had that in my back pocket, geez, lady, what were you thinkin?!!), and when I called, they really didn't know. At least they admitted it. We decided to take the word of the lady with the personal experience & guest that returned to camp, and we extended another day where we were. At $26.40 a night. Plus tax.
So you can see why we were so excited this morning when it was dry & skies were blue. Called up the new park, and yup, the road in had only about an inch of water on it about a half mile out from the camp. OK, we could do that. As long as we didn't take the shortcut, we'd be ok. The shortcut had been closed already for about 2 days, due to flooding. Dude told me it was a good 2 lane road all the way over to Bandera, then we may have to slow down a bit.
Dude did NOT exaggerate. When I suggested it would take maybe an hour, he told me, uhhhh, better make it hour & fifteen. OK, that's not so bad, right? Oh, geez, lemme go change my pants. What a harrowing ride it was! Actually, the first part really wasn't so bad. Little curvy, little hilly, couple of really sharp turns, couple of really steep hills (up AND down). We found the turnoffs without any problem - the landmarks were just as the dude told me - a big "Flying L" ranch sign, then the road curves to the left, but we go straight - you know, typical country directions. What he did NOT tell me, and probably a good thing, since we probably would have cancelled our reservations, hot tub be damned, was the last hill, after the water on the road, was JUST ABOUT STRAIGHT UP!!! Oh my gosh. STRAIGHT UP, I tell ya. This after a really, really, really bumpy & pot-holed one and a half-laned road, with really, really raggedy shoulders. And a one-lane bridge. Seemed that we always met someone in a curve, too....wondered where all these people were going! So, we got to the crick that was at the bottom of a hill and immediately had to pull out & UP. Did I mention, STRAIGHT up? Geez. Poor ole truck was straining and missed a bit, but, she got her done, and we eventually hit the top of the hill. Only to find yet ANOTHER hill. Well, now, this must be why they call it Hill Country, TX. Duh.
After settling in & unloading the truck (grill, ladder, plants, power washer, coolers, etc) we decided we'd see about going back into town & stocking up on some grub, since it was such a HARD trip back out, and we didn't really want to repeat it often if we didn't have to. Well, what a cute little town it was, too! We went up to the Super S (oh, yeah, no HEB up here!) & parked, then walked back a bit just to check things out. Perused the menu of the local steak house (not bad, not bad), and $6, 20 oz "pain killers." On the way back up to the grocery store, along comes a group of about 6 horses & riders....just walkin' down the "sidewalk" (where one would have been, had there been one) next to traffic. Everyone was in full Western regalia, and they all looked really nice. Of course, just like the tourist I am, I whipped out my camera & took pictures. Tacky, tacky, tacky. They must have gotten a kick outta that, 'cuz they stopped & talked to us a moment - to tell us about a band (we think THEY were the band) and free chili & chips, just up the road, we really oughtta go. yeah, ok, but, no thanks, we had grocery shopping to do instead. Much more fun.
So we go & do our shopping - meat here was actually much better looking & more reasonably priced than anywhere we'd seen yet. Produce was pretty fresh (surprisingly) and also reasonably priced. Finished up and on our way back out to the truck, the sirens went nutso. All the emergency services here are volunteers, so you shoulda seen the pickups flying by with the little dashboard/windshield lights just a blinkin, and the boys on their walkee-talkees. They all went UP the hill, except this one guy, went down the hill. A few moments later, the boy that had gone the other way turned around & came screamin' back UP the hill. I thought maybe he was going to pick up his friend, but, nope, he was still all alone in the truck. Silly boy.
Then, on our way out of town, I saw a sign (horrors!) to the "historic district" so off we went - exploring. Around the block, and what did we find, but the Cowboy Bar, where the rally people had gone & had a great time. You cook your own meat out on their grill & for $5, they give you a salad bar & potato, then there's dancing & music. I'm sure we'll find our way out there again. Sometime. In the meantime, the hot tub here is calling. Loudly. Dinner here was nice & quiet, and very simple - with SALAD, just the way we like it. I mean, pot-lucks are great, but there's just so little I care to eat, or can eat, so often, I go away hungry.
Oh, lemme tell you about the Cave Without a Name expedition. Lora drove John, Dick & me all over Boerne, looking for this hole in the ground. We bushwacked to find a cache that was really in the backyard of the cavern (ok, so maybe we did trespass a bit, but it was fun), and the cave wasn't cheap to enter, but it was really very nice. Kinda like Luray Caverns, in Shenandoah Valley, VA, because it's a live cave, in that it's still growing due to the water dripping inside. We have posted pictures on photoshop.com, so enjoy! http://www.photoshop.com/user/thecallanders/?wf=shareslideshow&trackingid=BTAGC&rlang=en_US&galleryid=50e45759e0bb42c9b348a53f1ff97112
And before we left Boerne, we toured the SAS shoe factory. For those that don't know (and I was one of those up till last week), SAS stands for San Antonio Shoes, and each one is made by hands. Lotsa hands. The company is family owned still, and apparently, the little cobblers are all very happy. There were signs everywhere thanking them for making the best shoes in the country. OK, maybe they are comfortable, but they are simply BUTT-UGLY. Anyway, we had a blast seeing how the shoes are made, checking out all the old cars and eating ICE CREAM & filling our little baggies with old-fashioned candy. Here's the picture show of all that:
http://www.photoshop.com/user/thecallanders/?wf=shareslideshow&trackingid=BTAGC&rlang=en_US&galleryid=c573b952a9a74a5fbe3ef2f3b02f6b6d
And, for those of you that have been under a rock for the last couple of days, I have finally opened up a shop on Etsy.com!!! Granted, there are only 4 little dinky products out there, but it's a start. Bookmark http://sewwritecreations.etsy.com in your favorites, and COME BACK OFTEN. And BRING MONEY!
OK, my fingers are gettin' tired of typing (never thought I'd say THAT). Y'all stay safe & healthy and know we think of you often. Much love to all! Oh, wait - one more thing!! MiFi card is working just FINE, even way out here in Egypt!! Dick & I are both using it, WIRELESSLY, as designed. Oh, what a relief! OK, bye for now, for real!
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