Travels Home April 2016

We left Mission TX on April 5 and arrived in Kerrville TX (Buckhorn Lake RV Park) in the hill country mid-afternoon.   This is such a nice campground, except for the location next to Hwy 10.  They have a fishing lake, two outdoor pools/hot tubs, no gravel or dirt anywhere, and lots of big rigs.

We were about 30 minutes south of Fredericksburg which meant more driving but we really liked this park.  First day here we went to the German bakery for some treats, then went to the Pioneer Museum.  Kirk and Bill had some fun with the "games" man playing with primitive games. He thought they were hilarious! We are holding lucky seeds he gave us, can't remember what tree they were from.

We had lunch at Altdorf's German Biergarten- awesome sandwiches and beer! We stopped at a winery to taste some wine, but did not buy any. The next day we went to the Texas White House (LBJ Ranch).  Enjoyed the tour, although it was a bit faster than the one we took last year since there were several tour buses there at the same time. We stopped at Wild Seed Farms and enjoyed the acres of flowers, then we went to Luckenbach for a beer.  

Deb and Bill flew to Chicago Friday for the weekend for a family baptism. Kirk and I discovered that Fredericksburg on the weekends is crazy with tourists so we took some driving tours instead- going down to Bandera and seeing some huge ranches with exotic animals. We went to church in Kerrville Sunday and were amazed at how many people welcomed us.  We went to Hondo's in downtown Fredericksburg for their "Gospel Lunch" which was mostly attended by locals. Good food, and a local band that we enjoyed listening to on the outdoor patio.

When Bill and Deb got back he had a bad foot so we didn't get to go to the Pacific War Museum in F-Burg. Instead we drove to Enchanted Rock north of town and took the Willow City loop- very hilly narrow winding road!  We planned to eat dinner at Friedhelm's but they were closed so we went to Der Linden Baum instead. Cute place  but the German food wasn't the best we've had and it was pretty pricey.  Desserts were awesome though!

We drove to Chickasha OK where we stayed the night at Pecan Grove RV Park.  It's mainly inhabited by locals but it was clean and neat. The owner was very nice.  Good stop for one night.

Next day we drove to Branson, Could not believe the expensive toll roads in Oklahoma! We stayed at Musicland Campground in Branson- very hilly but right in the main theater district.

Dogwoods were blooming in Branson

 The first night we went to the Clay Cooper show- very good entertainment, including Kirk and Deb in the pre-show! The second day we did some shopping downtown, then had a nice dinner at Buckingham's Steak House and went to the Pierce Arrow show (good but not as good as Cooper's).

On Friday we left Branson and drove 600 miles to Oregon, WI where we spent the weekend with Kelly Billy and Anna.  It was beautiful Saturday so we went to the zoo in Madison along with zillions of other families.  Headed home to Tomahawk on Sunday and the cleanup begins! Thanks for following me on our trip, hope you enjoyed it!!

Last two weeks in Mission, TX

The last few weeks have been spent playing pickleball, swimming in the pools (outdoor and indoor), visiting the restaurants that friends have recommended, making some new friends, and saying goodbye to many who had to leave already.  We'll be leaving on April 5 and heading to the Texas hill country for a week before coming home. We've been watching the weather up north and decided that it's best to stay away a while longer so we don't have to winterize the RV when we get home!
We made one more trip to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico so Bill could get his dental work done. We park on the US side and walk over the Rio Grande River bridge. Painless process and much safer than driving over! We only have about 4 blocks of shops to visit on both sides of the main street. We've been told that this town is the only one that is safe to visit in the area.   They do have armed guards patrolling the streets and we feel safe during the day.

Rio Grande River from the Int'l Bridge

We went to lunch one day at Bill and Deb's favorite fish taco restaurant Mariscos de 7 Mares (Seafood of the 7 Seas).  No English spoken there (maybe just a little) but we got by and really enjoyed the food. For $7.99 we got four tacos, chips and salsas, soup, lettuce salad and rice.

We went on a Segway tour of the nearby Bentsen Rio Grande state park with four other couples from the park. It was a hot day but we made our own breeze and had a great time. This is a world birding park and even though it was afternoon we did see some green jays from one of the blinds.

On Deb's birthday we all went to 492 BBQ for the best BBQ around. This was our 102 degree day so it was a good day to eat out.  Everyone had the ribs except me, I had brisket and pulled pork.  Deb got a free piece of pecan pie and a Mexican serenade of Happy Birthday from the staff!

The park activities are pretty much done now- they hosted a free "last" dance with an old rock and roll band.  Good music and fun, lots of people attended and most danced! We sat with our new Canadian friends.

On Saturday we all went to the McAllen Chamber's BBQ Cookoff. They had 35 competitors! For $15 each we got way too much to eat along with free Buds and sodas. Most of the booths gave us chicken, pulled pork, brisket and ribs!  We stayed all afternoon and listened to the music, a Tejano band and a C/W band. Kirk was called on stage by Sergio, the lead singer in the one band who had been visiting with us earlier in the beer tent. He got a free autographed hat.  Apparently the band is big here- there were a ton of people watching them. We are wearing cloth bags we got for "bibs". Dorky but it worked!

On Sunday we finally got to The Riverside Club which is on the Rio Grande- a huge dance hall, outdoor and indoor dining, and a tour boat that wasn't running.  We had a great lunch outdoors and then went in to watch all the old people dancing.  It was quite entertaining to see the outfits they were wearing and the styles of Texas two step.  I guess this is THE place to be on Sunday afternoons!  Monday we will pack and Tuesday we leave Mission.  It's been a fun two months here and we can't wait to get home and play pickleball in Tomahawk (when my back gets better, that is!)