As we sit in the RV this afternoon, listening to the rainfall on the RV roof this rainy weekend, it’s time to reflect on the past couple of weeks in the Texas Hill Country. What a wonderful time we’ve had!
It started with a trip to the State Capitol of Texas in Austin, one of my favorite places to visit when in the city. While all the photos below weren’t taken this week, I’ve included some of my favorites. From the Capitol grounds to the beautiful rotunda, the Texas State Capitol building is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever visited and it certainly showcases the spirit of Texas.
Austin has so much to see, I couldn’t include it all in this writing. Historic Sixth Street and South Congress Avenue provide for the best in people watching and offer the Keep Austin Weird environment for which the city is known. Of course, Austin is also the Live Music Capitol of the World. Even when walking down the sidewalks, the sounds of music can be heard coming out of many establishments, with musicians performing various genres around every corner.
A few other favorite places to visit in Austin include trying delicious delicacies from the numerous food trucks around the community. Dan especially likes Hey, Cupcake, as he loves their 24 Carrot cupcake, while I’m a big fan of the John Lemon. Great barbecue is everywhere in Austin, as are tacos. Torchy’s Taco, which started in Austin and has now expanded to other states, offers some of the best, in our opinion, but we mostly like to go there for their Green Chile Queso and Chips.
If you’re interested in the history of the lone star state, the Bullock Texas State History Museum is definitely worth a visit. In the summer months, visitors and residents alike line up on the Congress Avenue Bridge and wait for the world’s largest urban bat colony to make their appearance at dusk. And though the bats are fascinating, the viewing provides for another great people-watching opportunity.
Spring is just around the corner and the wildflowers are slowly arriving. We have a few bluebonnets, the Texas state flower, growing right outside our RV door. But to see the finest collection of Texas wildflowers, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center offers some of the best chances to see the incredible color palette the former First Lady’s beautification campaign put into place. To see more natural beauty in Austin, we would also suggest visiting McKinney Falls State Park and Zilker Botanical Garden.
Our last place of permanent residence was in Buda, Texas. Dan’s a huge fan of Cabela’s so no trip to Buda would be complete without a stop there. While he was shopping for all things for the outdoor sporting enthusiast, I decided to snap some photography and had a little fun with it, too.
One of Dan’s friends who lives near Buda invited him to return to Cabela’s a few days later to attend the Capitol of Texas Police Chute Out. These respected officers from all over the country have mad skills on motorcycles. Dan did some volunteering and shot a few photos from his cell phone I thought I would share.
And since we were right down the road from the legendary Salt Lick BBQ, we had to make the short drive to snap yet another photo of the infamous pit and enjoy a wonderful lunch. The flowers were blooming around the buildings and added to the already fabulous culinary experience. The restaurant is south of Austin and is located in the tiny town of Driftwood, Texas. While it may be a small place, it doesn’t lack in character and charm. Look carefully and you might just see boot fences, rustic buildings, and unapologetic U.S.A. pride. With the ever popular South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festival right around the corner, you can count on a line of people from around the world waiting to enjoy the scene and the food.
When we first decided to sell our home and go on our year-long RV journey, we stayed in the city of San Marcos, located about 30 miles south of Austin. Today, we are staying at another park (Longhorn RV Resort) in Niederwald, Texas. Since San Marcos is only a few miles away, we took a day trip and visited Dick’s Classic Garage. We’ve been there a few times but every time we go, a different collection of cars is displayed. I’m not a big car enthusiast like Dan but I can appreciate the incredible beauty of these restored automobiles from days gone by. It’s definitely worth a stop.
We also paid a visit to Wimberley Glassworks, which is located in San Marcos. It’s also only a short drive to the scenic and visitor-friendly town of Wimberley. Going into the glassworks store, we had no real idea of what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised to find they offered free demonstrations. Since we have very little room for items in the RV and prefer to collect refrigerator magnets as they are small, we purchased a glass magnet from the store as a reminder of the magnificent work they offer. In our next frame home, we can see ourselves purchasing something from this terrific store.
We’re wrapping up our time in the hill country and head out to east Texas in the morning. As you can see, we’ve had a great time. Our favorite part of staying at Longhorn RV Resort are the longhorns and the donkeys. They usually show up in the afternoons by the dog park. Our springer spaniel mix, Sadie, was not a fan. Hannah, our border collie mix, couldn’t have cared less.
Of course, the beautiful sunsets over the pond were right up there, too.
Until next time, safe travels from the Eccentric Nomads!
Eccentric Nomads 