Our Full-Timing Adventure – Page 10 – Casa de Ziegler II

Cripple Creek, Co.

Our first stop was the Heritage Center to get ideas about what to visit

the view down the main drag- obviously rush hour doesn't exist here! — The view down the main drag- obviously rush hour doesn’t exist here (I stood in the middle of the street to get this shot!)!

BFZ_0900 BFZ_0904

We rode the narrow gauge train; really a blast! A real steam engine, you could probably walk faster!

BFZ_0948

Lots of coal smoke and steam; loved it!

BFZ_0983 BFZ_0971 BFZ_0970 BFZ_0999

we visited the Cripple CreekJail Museum; it was an operating jail until 1992! — We visited the Cripple CreekJail Museum; it was an operating jail until 1992!

The plush accommodations; one bathroom per floor!

BFZ_0911 — The opulent bathroom facility!

BFZ_0917

Some interesting past guests too!

BFZ_0915

There's also a small heard of resident donkeys in town who have free reign wherever they want to wander; good beggars too but we had no carrots or apples. — There’s also a small herd of resident donkeys in town who have free reign wherever they want to wander; good beggars too but we had no carrots or apples.

BFZ_0937

house for sale; fixer-upper, cheap! — House for sale; fixer-upper, cheap!

BFZ_0930 — Colorful motel in town.

BFZ_0931

BFZ_1007 — The Mollie Kathleen Mining Museum in town.

BFZ_1016 BFZ_1014 BFZ_1008

Colorado Springs

We unfortunately could not fit our rig on Vice and Kristin's property so we stayed overnight at the Walmart- interesting experience! — We unfortunately could not fit our rig on Vince and Kristin’s property so we stayed overnight at the Walmart until we figured out what to do- interesting experience!

The Goodwill outlet next door took some of our un-needed items; that was convenient!

Mary and Russel convinced us our rig wold fit nicely in their driveway so we stayed with them (in the house) for our time in the Springs. Thanks so much Mary & Russel! — Mary and Russell convinced us our rig wold fit nicely in their driveway, so we stayed with them (in the house) for our time in the Springs. Thanks so much Mary & Russell, we had a blast (even though I never got to drive your tractor)!

Aneka Horse Event- Day 1

Our first experience watching Aneka's horse events; day 1 of 2! — Our first experience watching Aneka’s horse events; day 1 of 2; Aneka, Dolly and Rich!

One of many awards she's won! — One of the many previous awards she’s won!

In competition!

Aneka, Vince and Dolly. — Aneka, Kristin, Vince and Dolly.

Kristin and Aneka during a break in the action.

Proud parents!

This dog LOVES his butt scratches!

Vince and Kristin’s Petting Farm

Vince new "Bull" grill/smoker — Vince new “Bull” grill/smoker

Do cowgirls live here?!?

Titan

Sheba is still kicking too!

A couple of the goats

Reeve loved the animals!!! — Reeve loved the animals!!! His words when we ran out of treats, “I’m SORRY Goats!”

BFZ_0753 BFZ_0752 BFZ_0747

and, of course, a mini-cow named Norman!

Reeve found the slide!

BFZ_0751

Aneka Horse Event- Day 2

Day 2 of horse events; looking sharp!! — Day 2 of horse events; looking sharp!

Studying her next event intently! — Studying for her written test which was part of the events!

Ready! — Aneka and Stitch; Ready!

BFZ_0569

Reeve was mesmerized! — Reeve was mesmerized with his cousin and her horse (of course)!

And he even got a ride (although according to him, not fast enough!)

BFZ_0726

He even rode a stage coach (until the quarters ran out!)

BFZ_0863 — Laurie(Grandma), Kristin, the support crew , Stitch and Aneka; beautiful family!

Our Day Out with aneka

Breakfast with fancy coffee and cocoa!

Next up- Miniature golf!

A cruise through Garden of the Gods

BFZ_0408 BFZ_0402 BFZ_0401 BFZ_0399

Then (of course) ICE CREAM!

Creede, Colorado and the Surrounding Area

Downtown Creede. The main street leads right up to the Bulldog Mine and the Bachelors Loop (later in this Blog)

Many old buildings are still being used, very well preserved (probably the freezing cold winters!)

BFZ_9768

The visitors got two new chainsaw sculptures just before we arrived. — The Visitor’s Information Center got two new chainsaw sculptures just before we arrived.

BFZ_9761

The Hagerty Silver Summit Classic Car Event came through town that day; cool cars! — The Hagerty Silver Summit Classic Car Adventure came through town that day; cool cars!

BFZ_9765 BFZ_9764

The Museum in town — The town center park display; an old mine engine from the Bulldog Mine.

One of the local business owners was a dog friend with a sense of humor!

Kip's Bar and Grill and Laundromat! Great Elk Burger and other yummy dishes too! — Kip’s Bar and Grill and Laundromat! Great Elk Burger and other yummy dishes too!

Laundromat behind the bar.

Flying Pigs are real!

our “home”; mountain views resort & rv park

The grand entrance

Our spot. early in the season so very empty. Week before Memorial Day weekend.

BFZ_0131

Some great landscaping and beautiful sculptures throughout!

day trips from creede

North Clear Creek Falls. A short walk from the parking lot; beautiful falls!

BFZ_9991

Lake City

Beautiful drive towards Lake City

BFZ_0058 BFZ_0050

The lake at Lake City

BFZ_0039

Locals!

Another local!

Lunch at the Cannibal Bar & Grill — Lunch at the Packer Saloon and Cannibal Grill; named after Alfred Packer who supposedly ate his crew on a wilderness expedition.

BFZ_0049 BFZ_0047 BFZ_0048 BFZ_0045

Pagosa Springs

Treasure Falls, on the way there

BFZ_9881 BFZ_9879 BFZ_9860 BFZ_9853 BFZ_9852

The Springs Spa (one of many)

BFZ_9838 BFZ_9833

Our month in Albuquerque (sort of) sorry for the lengthy post; we had almost nonexistent WiFi for the month!

our”home” for the month; enchanted trails rv park & trading post

In case you're lost! — In case you’re lost!

Their maintenance building

They even have a few vintage RV's you can rent — They even have a few vintage RV’s you can rent

BFZ_9557 BFZ_9554 BFZ_9563 BFZ_9560

The interior of the office/trading post is pretty nostalgic as well!

BFZ_9574 — We’re not sure if this really works but it’s pretty cool anyway!

BFZ_9582 BFZ_9579 BFZ_9578 BFZ_9577 BFZ_9576

Our spot for the month; we even got our own little tree!

There was another Grand Design family member next door in a Reflection!

first stop(s), the weddings!

First we flew out for the the San Diego wedding; Danielle and Christian.

Flew to San Diego to attend Danielle and Christian's beautiful wedding. Had a great time at the event and reconnecting with our many friends there. Had to support my "brother" Tom! — They had a beautiful wedding at Christian’s parents home in Crest. We had a great time at the event and reconnecting with our many friends and family over the 5 days we were there. After all, I had to support my “brother” Tom with his youngest daughter getting hitched!

Flew home, then 2 days later drove to Colorado.

First stop Thursday was Colorado Springs where we stayed overnight with Rich and Aneka. Friday morning we woke up to this! — First stop Thursday was Colorado Springs where we stayed overnight with Rich and Aneka. Friday morning (April 22nd!!) we woke up to this! I realized this was the first time my truck has ever had snow on it since we bought it in 2003!

Rich's back porch — Rich’s back porch

Love the t-shirt!

Look at that gorgeous smile!

Reeve hard at work sporting his new miners hardhat we got him in Bisbee at the copper mine.

Reeve multi-tasking as usual!

next, Bruce and Ellen’s beautiful wedding!

Ellen and Bruce, the lovely couple at their wedding in downtown Denver.

then Drove back to Albuquerque to continue our journey.

First was our tour of the TURQUOISE trail

Front Entrance to Tinkertown, the most "Unique" Museum you'll ever encounter! — First stop; TINKERTOWN MUSEUM! This is the front entrance to Tinkertown, the most “Unique” Museum you’ll ever encounter!

The bottle wall! They had the entire town bringing their recycled bottles to them for years to build this feature!

Our first taste for what awaited us inside!

The inside of the front bottle wall.

BFZ_9160 BFZ_9161

Old west scene; check out all the amazing detail!

BFZ_9164 BFZ_9166 BFZ_9170 BFZ_9172 BFZ_9174 BFZ_9173 BFZ_9178 BFZ_9184 BFZ_9190

Unique use for old license plates and metal signs don't you think? — Unique use for old license plates and metal signs don’t you think?

Our new motto to live by!

The coolest thing here; a working one-man-band machine!

BFZ_9196

Even an outdoor fireplace made from bottles!

And, of course, a full size 1936 sail boat!

BFZ_9204 BFZ_9206 BFZ_9207 BFZ_9209 BFZ_9211 BFZ_9212 BFZ_9213 BFZ_9214

Next was the Mine Shaft Tavern and Museum for lunch. (Coal miners in this case.)

BFZ_9257 — The front entrance; notice the huge gear inset into the steps!

One of the locals I'm guessing! — One of the locals I’m guessing! all the waitresses came over and hugged him and he never ordered; they already knew what he wanted (besides the hugs of young women that is!)

The "not so locals"! — The “not so locals”!

BFZ_9231 — Too funny!

BFZ_9230

BFZ_9229 — Unique use for heavy chain!

I'm thinking her right boob is much bigger than the left; but a donkey with boobs is kinda creepy anyway1 — I’m thinking her right boob is much bigger than the left; but a donkey with boobs is kinda creepy anyway!

Entrance to the museum; you go in, across the engine stage and through a green curtain, stage right! — Entrance to the museum; you go into the theater, across the engine stage and through a green curtain, stage right!

BFZ_9235 — They have live music and shows here during the summer.

The rest of the engine outside; weird!

A few old rusting antique cars and trucks. — A few old rusting antique cars, trucks and tractors.

BFZ_9243 BFZ_9246 BFZ_9250 BFZ_9253

Couldn't resist taking a picture of this real street sign; gave me a chuckle! — Couldn’t resist taking a picture of this real street sign; gave me a chuckle! DON’T go to the OLD Hospital!

Colors galore!

Soda Dam; a natural rock formation "dam". you could smell the suphur in the water! — Soda Dam; a natural rock formation “dam”. you could smell the suphur in the water!

BFZ_9277

A close-up view of the interesting rock formations.

A picture Jan took with her iPhone shows how huge these rock formations are compared to me!

BFZ_9280

Our short 1/4 mile hike to Jemez Falls.

BFZ_9298 BFZ_9299

A closer view, but not as good. I wasn't willing to go any further out on the ledge for the shot! — A closer view, but not as good. I wasn’t willing to go any further out on the ledge for the shot!

On down the road to find the — On down the road to find the Gilman Tunnels. The girl who owned the local general store told us about them.

The road to the tunnels. Narrow and eventually is dirt!

First view; they were blasted out in the 1920's for access while building a logging railroad. — First view; they were blasted out in the 1920’s for access while building a logging railroad.

BFZ_9336 BFZ_9338 BFZ_9339 BFZ_9341

On our way, Jan spotted this interesting large pine tree; growing right out of the cliff ahead!

BFZ_9346 — It’s at least a 40-50 feet tall tree and the same distance above the road!!

BFZ_9353 — It’s at least a 40-50 feet tall tree and the same distance above the road!!

BFZ_9365

sandia crest and sandia peak tramway ride (yes she talked me into riding the tram!)

Views were spectacular as you could imagine.

Vast array of microwave and other antennas up there.

BFZ_9219 — YES, that is snow; 40 degrees cooler than down below.

BFZ_9217 BFZ_9218
BFZ_9222 BFZ_9223

sandia peak tram ride (the highest one in the country)

BFZ_9436

They just replaced the gondolas last week; these are the old ones. — They just replaced the gondolas last week; these on the ground are the old ones.

BFZ_9439

Our chariot arrives.

The other gondola returning as we went up. — The view back as we went up. Boy does that building look tiny!

The middle tower to take us over the first smaller peak. The entire trip is 2.7 miles one way!

BFZ_9447

They said you can see 11000 square miles of New Mexico from the top! — They said you can see 11,000 square miles of New Mexico from the top!

Made it to the top; here are a few views from there. Spectacular!

The ski run on the other side of the peak.

BFZ_9463

Good advice!

BFZ_9480

These hoses are used to add or remove water used as ballast when needed.

Seems you can see forever!

BFZ_9465 BFZ_9471 BFZ_9474

Views on our return trip down.

BFZ_9490 BFZ_9498 BFZ_9502 BFZ_9509 BFZ_9514 BFZ_9517 BFZ_9518 BFZ_9522

Almost there!

Safe landing!

Would NOT want to do this in winter. This thing runs year round though!

When we left the tram we had to drive by this; recognize it Breaking Bad fans? It's the car wash Walt and his wife owned. Was Octopus Car Wash but bought out by Mr. Car Wash, a huge chain. — When we left the tram we had to drive by this; recognize it Breaking Bad fans? It’s the car wash Walt and his wife owned. Was Octopus Car Wash but bought out by Mr. Car Wash, a huge chain.

We also had lunch at Blake's Lotaburger because they're everywhere in NM; wasn't really impressed with the burgers, one step up from McDonalds I guess! — We also had lunch at Blake’s Lotaburger because they’re everywhere in NM; wasn’t really impressed with the burgers, one step up from McDonalds I guess!

my highlight of the albuquerque trip- the unser racing museum!

BFZ_9370

for my harley friends!

BFZ_9379

Al Unser Senior's personal Cobra. — Al Unser Senior’s personal Cobra.

Rear view; notice the hitch receiver? Al said "I need to get my ski mobiles to the mountain somehow!" — Rear view; notice the hitch receiver? Al said “I need to get my ski mobiles to the mountain somehow!”

Robby Unser's dirt racers he used on the Pike Peak race — Unser’s dirt racers he used on the Pike Peak Hillclimb race.

BFZ_9393 — Bobby Unser’s hillclimb race car.

BFZ_9391 — One of Al Sr.’s race cars for Indy.

Where it all began!

BFZ_9402

al Jr.'s custom motorcycle gifted to himself for a win at Indy. — Al Jr.’s custom motorcycle gifted to himself for a win at Indy.

A custom rifle given to Al Sr. for an Indy win; check out the etchings; beautiful gun!

BFZ_9415 BFZ_9416

Al Senior was there that day and agreed to a photo Opp! — Al Senior was there that day and agreed to a photo Opp! Very nice down to earth man!

shirts that Al Unser Senior's parents had made when they watched Al Sr. and Al Jr. race against each other at Indy. One was sponsored by Goodyear and the other by Firestone! — Shirts that Al Unser Senior’s parents had made when they watched Al Sr. and Al Jr. race against each other at Indy. One was sponsored by Goodyear and the other by Firestone!

They had a driving simulator too! You start out dead last in 10th and have to work your way through the pack in 5 laps.

My results: I came in FIRST by nearly 2 seconds!

A Leroy Neiman painting they had there of Indy. — A Leroy Neiman painting of Al Sr. at his Indy win.

the nuclear science & history museum

BFZ_9424

A race car sponsored by Nuclear Clean air & Energy; part of the Paul Neuman team.

The Delores from Back to the Future

BFZ_9428 — The Flux Capacitor 🙂

BFZ_9429

One of their hands on exhibits; very interesting. It separates the hydrogen from the water by a hand cranked electrical generator to make a small explosion to shoot the ping pong ball up the tube.

BFZ_9430

Butter casing of the Fat Boy bomb dropped in Japan.

The main lobby has the Periodic Table embedded as part of the floor.

Outside they had some historic planes including a similar plane the the one that dropped the bomb in Hiroshima (the original one is in the Smithsonian in D.C.)

Silver City and Surrounding Area

Our Home for the time there; Manzano's RV Park — Our Home for the time there; Manzano’s RV Park

Flurry Lane, yes ist's a dirt road! — Flurry Lane, yes ist’s a dirt road!

Our campsite, nice trees! — Our campsite, nice trees, although if you’ll notice the layout is backwards; the table and chair area is on the service side! No matter, it’s still a beautiful spot!

View from our dining room window — View from our dining room window.

downtown silver city

Entrance to Main Street in "Old" Silver City — Entrance to Main Street in “Old” Silver City

Anita Scott Coleman’s house

Jan's cousin Harry's house. He's in the process of building the wall of bottles; pretty cool! — Jan’s cousin Harry’s house. He’s in the process of building the wall of bottles; pretty cool! The house is a historical landmark in the area.

Family in Spain — Harry’s wife Chris, Harry, Avery and Willy(Sp?)

Jan, Aunt Fran and Harry when they visited our home. — Jan with Aunt Fran and Harry when they visited our home.

I even found a really good Bloody Mary at Toad Creek Bar & Grill

City of Rocks State Park & Campground

Many interesting rock formations. Very massive as you can see in the following pictures!

Cactus Flowers were in bloom too

gila cliff dwellings national monument

Jan on the first of many bridges along the trail leading to the Cliff Dwellings

The "Official" greeter? — The “Official” greeter?

First view of the caves.

Steps up to the caves

GOOD ADVICE!

Our new friend!

Notice the black ceiling from the fires they built for warmth and cooking.

Jan in there to give it some scale and quiet those who complain we’re not in the pictures!

Our only exit (Not really, but we took it anyway; shorter distance)

Local Residents.

So sad (and stupid); this fire was caused by careless campers who left their campfire unattended according to the Rangers.

pino altos, right next to silver city

The Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House. It looks abandoned, doesn’t it?

Front of the Opera House, it also looks abandoned!

Las Cruces Area of New Mexico (return trip)

Leasburg Dam State Park — Nice spots but a little tricky getting out though; had to back all the way out!

The first fire we’ve had in the entire adventure! Nice!

Nice clear warm weather!

I actually got up early enough to get a sunrise picture!

The End of Our Time in Texas (for now)

spring flowers blooming everywhere!

Blue Bonnets Everywhere in Texas

Blue Bonnets and other colorful flowers on the roadside

And in front of Palmetto National Park

japanese botanical gardens-san antonio

The entrance, as you'll notice it says "Chinese". This was changed during WWII but was later, after the war, reverted back. Only this sign remains. — The entrance, as you’ll notice, says “Chinese”. This was changed during WWII but was later, after the war, reverted back. Only this sign remains.

Building at the entrance

The main building with wonderful stone work.

View over the ponds from the main building.

Pond residents, along with Koi fish of course.

Beautiful Stone Bridge.

Gorgeous lush waterfall.

Beautiful Stonework Throughout.

Resident Squirrel posing for his picture!

Kiln from the quarry that was on this site.

History of the site and the kiln.

our return to san antonio botanical gardens to see the new blooms

Entrance to the gardens looking much more lush!

I didn't bother taking a picture of this Wisteria arbor before; it was bare! — I didn’t bother taking a picture of this Wisteria arbor before; it was bare!

Bird mansion!

Vegetable Garden, can't get chard this nice at the grocery! — Vegetable Garden, can’t get chard this nice at the grocery!

The blooming Rose garden.

palmetto state park near austin

The scenic road into the park — The scenic road into the park.

View just inside the park of the valley below.

Stone event center built by the CCC in the 1930's, beautiful! — Stone event center built by the CCC in the 1930’s, beautiful!

One of the many beautiful trail walks.

VERY lush and green!

Very deep grass and nice flowers too!

This winters damage along the river. I discovered after I too this I was standing over a deep undercut!! — This winters damage along the river. I discovered after I took this photo that I was standing over a deep undercut!

caverns of sonora texas (this time i was allowed to take my camera:-)

Caverns of Sonora is a privately owned working ranch that just happens to have these amazing caverns under it. Family owned and operated for generations.

SAM the greeter! A very large, slightly dirty (ranch dog) Pyrenees Mountain dog. What a lover!

The store and offices for the caverns.

The resident male Peacock.

And his Herem.

They had an automatic deer feeder. We saw deer late one night but during the day the birds and squirrels make use of the corn too.

They treat to local birds pretty well I'd say; a massive bird condo complex made of gourds and a self filling watering trough. — They treat the local birds pretty well I’d say; a massive bird condo complex and a self filling watering trough.

Our pull-thru camp spot; pretty straight shot I'd say! — Our pull-thru camp spot; pretty straight shot I’d say! It wasn’t so spacious once the sites filled up later though. Still a nice spot.

Our guide Bill took us into the caverns. The tour required doing 360+ steps plus steep inclines so Jan decided to just enjoy the pictures I took.

a few pictures inside the caverns of sonora, breathtaking!

Tossing money into the natural pools is forbidden, but they installed this cement bottomed one for that purpose. All the money collected is given to local charities.

GOODBYE FOR NOW TEXAS……

Adventures going south to the Gulf coast of Texas

wilderness rv park in mathis

Saint Patricks Day celebration picnic hosted by the park. Food, live music and fun!

St. Patrick's Day park celebration with a band — St. Patrick’s Day park celebration with a band

One of the many "characters" — One of the many “characters”

Participants plus the EZ Go parking lot

mustang island state park

Our one picture of Mustang Island State Park- Closed due to the previous night's storm, BUMMER! — Our one picture of Mustang Island State Park- Closed due to the previous night’s storm, BUMMER!

GOOSE ISLAND state park

One night in overflow parking before the beach spot

Our spot on the beach, nice!

Up the beach view.

View from the beach. Nice shelter!

View down the beach. (No pics of the storm surge coming over the wall; before we left.

Oyster House Happy Hour oyster plate; $7.50/dozen! YUM!!

Oyster House "after" picture! — Oyster House “after” picture, about 5 minutes later!

Sunset over the bay.

Our very noisy neighbors! (mine,mine,mine)

Egret in front of our camp spot!

HUGE Egret! Over 4 feet tall!

Ferry terminal to Port Aransas where we took the Dolphin tour.

Artsy planter

A boat for our real estate friends!

HUGE oil drilling rig. For sale, only $1.1B!!

Massive cargo ship; aka dolphin surfing partner!

Last of our time in the New Braunfels Area

new braunfels train museum

Front end of oil fueled steam engine

Caboose operator's perch. — Caboose operator’s perch.

Massive!

Dining car used for social events.

I'm sorry, in case of derailment I'm getting the hell out! The tanks will empty themselves! — I’m sorry, in case of derailment I’m getting the hell out! The tanks will empty themselves!

The model trains were awesome! So much intricate detail!

VERY detailed train setup. These old guys have LOTS of time on their hands!

Control central!

sophienburg museum of new braunfels

The Sophienburg Museum, a museum of the original settlers from Braunfels, Germany of New Braunfels in Texas

Well done museum

Model of the first RV!

The first Prius!

Guns of the era

And more! — And more guns!

The all important saloon (they were German after all!)

And drugs of course.

New Braunfels currency.

Sample of the home furnishings and personal effects from the time.

Traveling essentials (2 bottles of booze!)

Progression of Rving I think.

pedernales falls in johnson city near austin

Lush path up to the parking lot.

Blue Bonnets

The River below the Pedernales Falls. Notice the light green? That's how high the river was a few moths ago during the flooding! — The River below the Pedernales Falls. Notice the light green? That’s how high the river was a few months ago during the flooding!

Very lush after the flood!

Walkway down to the river.

Rock art

That tree was completely submerged!

Jules

Spring breaker's enjoying the water. — Spring breaker’s enjoying the water.

More of New Braunfels Area of Texas

san antonio botanical gardens

We made a day of visiting this beautiful garden.

Floral succulents (not cabbages:-) )

Serene lily pond

Rain Forest Mural

From behind the waterfall.

Children's vegetable gardens. — Children’s vegetable gardens.

Turtlefest! Count 'em, 17! — Turtlefest! Count ’em, 17!

More turtles!

Original building from the 1800's — Original building from the 1800’s

Aqueducts similar to what the Spaniards built. — Aqueducts similar to what the Spaniards built in the day.

Palatial grounds

Interesting wood bench

This was a beautiful place, even though we came a bit early so everything wasn’t in bloom yet. We hope to return before we leave the area since things are beginning to bloom now.

Austin texas and ladybird lake park

Dana, Kelly & Mac

Mac loves water (unlike Zoe!) — Mac loves water ( unlike Zoe! )

We met up with Dana Lynch, Mary’s sister in law and Dana’s daughter Kelly and “their” beautiful GSD, Mac.

Beautiful walking/biking path along the river

City "art" — City “art”

Yet another turtle!

What you look’n at?

Hmmm, that engineer's hair matches the train! — Hmmm, that engineer’s hair matches the train!

Kelly & Mac

fredericksburg and the national museum of the pacific war (wwii)

These plaques represent thousands of fallen men and women from the Pacific theater of WWII.

These plaques represent thousands of fallen men and women from WWII.

Prop from an Essex class carrier. — Screw from an Essex class carrier.

I loved the subdued lighting they used on these displays.

What an inspirational thing to come from two Admirals, Nimitz and Togo, who always had the utmost respect for each other, and, of course, the Japanese people. FYI, Admiral Nimitz was born and raised here in Fredericksburg.

Japanese garden donated by the Japanese to this museum.

Great German food for lunch. — Great German food for lunch at Auslander, which in German means “Traveler” or “Tourist”!

THAT's where they buried Granny! — THAT must be where they buried Granny, she always had a green thumb!

Are those John Deere seats!

Cool benches in Fredericksburg downtown — Cool benches in Fredericksburg downtown area

FAT ASS RANCH & WINERY- A cool winery on our way home. Unfortunately they had just closed for the day

FAT ASS RANCH & WINERY (unfortunately they had just closed for the day!

Cool bench!

Old Fordson (I think) tractor at the winery

GUADaLUPE river state park in spring branch, texas

Notice the flotsam left in the trees after the flood a few months ago! — Notice the flotsam left in the trees after the flood a few months ago! And yes, the water did get that high! WOW!

The "rapids" (Notice more flotsam) — The “rapids” (Notice more flotsam above in the trees)

Well rooted trees!

More root patterns but it sure looks like a squirrel or something lurking behind!

interesting root patterns!

The path

ANOTHER TURTLE! And I haven't seen Turtle Soup anywhere! — ANOTHER TURTLE! And I haven’t seen Turtle Soup anywhere on a menu!

Stairs from the river to the picnic areas

That Cyprus tree has more wrinkles than me!

lunch at the famous salt lick BARBECUE restaurant in driftwood, texas

(left to right) Mark, Penny (Denny Hammond's 96 year young sister!), Jan, Jules, Liz and Brandt — (left to right) Mark, Penny (Denny Hammond’s 96 year young sister!), Jan, Jules, Liz and Brandt

Ms. Chang 016

Penny with Jan

Nice ambiance!

Serving up!

HUGE hunk o'meat! — HUGE hunk o’meat! YUM!!

"THE PIT" — “THE PIT”

Huge grounds for picnicking. there's even a dog park too! — Huge grounds for picnicking, there’s even a dog park too!

MCKINnEY falls state park in austin, texas

We met up with Liz for a picnic lunch and sightseeing at McKinney Falls State Park

Now that's the way to RELAX! — Now that’s the way to RELAX!

The infamous Bluebonnets are beginning to bloom!

Beautiful butterfly!

Bluebonnets galore!

Bluebonnets — Bluebonnets and more Bluebonnets!

meanwhile, back at the campground….

Our back window view

Empty campground (temporarily until Spring Break at least)

Zook, our neighborhood watch dog! — Zook, our neighborhood watchdog!

Resident herd of deer. They really like the deer corn I put out every evening! — Representatives from the resident herd of deer. They really like the deer corn
I put out every evening!

The comphosts say there's a herd of about 30 that live in this valley. — The camphosts say there’s a herd of about 30 that live in this valley.