Cowboy Capital of the World

We went to Bandera, TX today, the Cowboy Capital of the World!  What an interesting town.  .
 
They put on a show at the town square, across from the courthouse, reenacting life in the 1800’s

A Shoot Out!....

                        
Fixing a toothache with dynamite?…     Friends, Frank & Ruth, “horsing” around. .
                     
Bandera County Courthouse           Historic Downtown Bandera

We then headed north out of Bandera on 173, and made a stop at Camp Verde.  Prior to the Civil War, under the direction of then U.S. Secretary Of War, Jefferson Davis (later president of the Confederate States), the U.S. Army began training camels for use as pack animals and cavalry units for use in the southwest.  Hmmmm… maybe this was not a new idea that General Patton came up with for desert warfare in north Africa during WWII after all.  It now seems to us to be a really nice tourist trap and high priced restaurant.  If you have any interest, you can go to www.campverdegeneralstore.com.  So, back on the road up to 2771, south on 16, back to Bandera.  Beautiful drive through the Texas hill country!
 
While we were at Camp Verde, we received a text picture from our niece of their back yard in central Ohio covered in fresh fallen snow with  the caption “really?!?!?”.  We just had to take this picture and respond with, “yes, really!”
                             
We stopped for an early dinner at Old Spanish Trail Restaurant in Bandera.  Great food at great prices.  This gives a real visual of the saying “saddle up to the bar”. . .
                      
All in all, another great day of sightseeing with great friends.  Life is suite!

Our Trip to Medina Lake

 

We left the Colorado River campground in Columbus, TX and headed to our next destination:  Medina Lake Thousand Trails, just east of San Antonio.  We stopped at a Buc-ee’s along the way.  Buc-ee’s is a fuel station/convenient store, but OMG. We have never experienced at convenience store like that!  They have EVERYTHING!  It’s a gift shop/clothing store/deli/candy shop/etc. . . .  

The bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush were absolutely beautiful!!

We missed one very important turn on our journey.  Ended up on a road with a sign “state maintenance ends”, 30 mph, road continues to narrow. . .  uh, this isn’t looking good.  So, Rick pulls over and I called the campground.  The lady was very nice, but of course, she didn’t know where we were anymore than we did!  So, we finally found a place to get a 34’ fifth wheel turned around and got back on the right track!  I guess that’s just part of the adventure. . .  yeah, we’re gonna say that. . . .

We found a nice site, got backed in, plugged in, and. . . no power!  Our power management system had an error code that the post had been wired backwards.  So, we called the office and a maintenance guy showed up & switched the wires.  All is good! 

We hope to get out and explore the park and take pictures.  However, Rick has twisted his knee, and is trying to rest it as much as possible.  As soon as he’s “up and moving” again, we’ll post more pics. 

Cowboy Shootin’

 

The Texas Historical Shootist’s Society held their annual “gathering” at the Brune Ranch, right next to the campground.  So. . . we went with friends, Ed & Debi, to check it out.  They were dressed in period costumes and were shooting black powder guns from the mid to late 1800’s.  Here are some pics:

They had a line you couldn’t pass unless you had protective eyeware and ear plugs.  When we first got there, walking near the line, Debi and I both felt something hit us – little pieces of shrapnel???  Anyway, we decided we didn’t need to get that close!  All in all, a fun way to spend a couple of hours. 

Blue Bell & Bluebonnets

Another great day with great friends!  We started off with breakfast at Becky’s Café, a little diner in Columbus, TX.  On our way to the Blue Bell ice cream factory, we stopped at a hardware/general store.  While looking around, I realized how new this all still is. . . .
                                       
I saw this really neat Texas star, and the first thought that popped into my head was “this would look really good on the end of our barn”.  Ok, #1 – we don’t have a barn anymore and #2 – our barn was in central Ohio!  We got a little chuckle out of that.
After we left the store we had to stop at a patch of bluebonnets.  Apparently, this is a “Texas thing” that you have your picture taken in a field of bluebonnets.  Thanks to Janice Evans, here it is!!

Then we were off to the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory.  The employees’ motto is “eat what you can and sell the rest”.  They have freezers in the break room full of their products, and the employees can eat all they want.  Hmm. . . that almost makes me want to go back to work! 

                   
Great pics of Janice & David and Ed & Debi.  We have really enjoyed our time with them, but all good things must come to an end.  Janice & David are pulling out today and Ed & Debi are leaving on Sunday.  But. . . we know we’ll meet up again somewhere along the way!