Alamo Springs & Luckenbach, Texas

Ten miles south of Fredericksburg on old San Antonio Road, 
we headed to  Alamo Springs, TX.

 Met up with old Fred who was making a practice run hauling Santa's sleigh.

Passed Grapetown, TX where German immigrants first settled in
1847 and established a general store and stagecoach stop. 

  Later in 1880 a school was built to avoid taking the children 10 miles to school in Fredericksburg.

German Homestead of Ferdinand Hohenberger built in 1885.

It took his family 73 days to cross the ocean from Germany.

 We were hungry to share a popular half a pound jucy hamburger at Alamo Springs Cafe.

 

It was off season, so the cafe was quiet with just a few local customers.

Imagine this outdoor stage with live music on the weekends. It would take at least 1 1/2 hour to get your burger.  Very popular with tourists and motorcycle riders.

The Old Tunnel State Park is close by.  The center of attraction is the abandoned railroad tunnel which now houses 3 million Mexican free-tailed bats. The cook at the Cafe said when bats leave the cave it looks likes a big black billowing cloud.

  

Burned out limestone structure and longhorn looking on.

Luckenbach, Texas was founded in 1850 by German pioneer Albert Luckenbach as an Indian Trading Post.  

It became an entertainment center in the 1970's when purchased by Hondo Crouch. He staged many live country music festivals. Later Waylon Jennings had a hit song "Luckenbach, TX".

 The old Post Office is now a general store.

  

Dance Hall is busy most every weekend with live music.  Big New Year's Eve party planned.

 Barn like structure is the Dance Hall.

Outdoor music area in the complex.

Need cash to buy a beer?

Just visit the Outhouse which houses a real ATM.

North to Marble Falls, Texas

North into the heart of Hill Country, we found Santa temporarily grounded due to mechanical problems.





In Johnson City we visited the boyhood home of President Lyndon B. Johnson
where he lived for 10 years and attended public school.

Downtown Johnson City.



The city was named for the pioneer Johnson family who were ancestors

of the President.  The family ranch lands surround the area.

Lunch at the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls.  We got there in time for the
"Pie Happy Hour" which starts at 3 pm.



President George & Laura Bush enjoy eating here.



Pies are one of their specialties.

How about a plate of Texas style chicken fried steak, fried okra, homemade biscuits, cornbread and healthy salad?

 Lemon cream pie was our choice to share.

The sign confirms we are in oil country with gasoline under $3.00.

Marble Falls was named for the Colorado River waterfalls which flows over marble outcroppings. 

Texas pink granite mined from the nearby Granite Mountain was used to construct the State Capitol in Austin, TX.  A special railroad spur was constructed for this project.  These panels show all the different colors of
granite sliced from this mountain.

Granite is still quarried and shipped all over the world.

Last stop is the town of Llano which became the county seat in 1856.  The town was settled in 1842 by 600 families from Europe.

Courthouse is constructed of marble, granite and sandstone and built in 1892.

The state of Texas was orginally under Spanish & Mexican Rule.  In 1836, it became independent and formed 23 municipalities.  The state now has 254 counties which is more than any other state. 

Llano County shown in red has the 34th oldest historical courthouse.

As you might recall, in past posts we have shared many courthouse photos because we are intrigued by their architecture. 

Bandara, Texas

Bandera bills itself as the "Cowboy Capital of the World". Rodeos are held twice a week during the summer.

The town was founded in 1852 as a workcamp to make cypress wood shingles. The original jail and courthouse are some of the oldest buildings in Bandera County. The Main Street has the feel of a frontier town with cowboys and horses.



The General Store sell merchandise which attracts tourists and dude ranch visitors.

                                                              

An old fashion soda fountain greets you when you enter the store.

Cowboy rubber boots covered with wild prints might be popular with the tourists.



This sign above the soda fountain always makes us
chuckle.

Headed to the Old Spanish Trail Restaurant for lunch.

The sign said "Straddle a saddle, eat at this old bar".



 

The  dinning area with tin ceiling is decorated for Christmas.

Note the lights on the deer antlers.



One block off Main Street the local bars are waiting for weekend motorcycle riders.  A hitching post is made available for cowboys.

        

 
City park is decorated with Christmas lights and displays sponsored by local business groups.

The river provides a nice scenic background for the park.

Heading home we passed through the tiny village of Medina, the Apple Capital of Texas.  The main attraction is the Love Creek Orchards store, bakery & restaurant.

Fresh apple pies right out of the oven.  The apple nut bread was our choice to take home.

Meeting the Fenwicks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During the holiday season, beginning with Thanksgiving we
met several new neighbors in the park. 



Our first neighbor arrived the same day. Larry came over to say hi and welcome us to Texas.

We became friends with Larry & Lyn an intreresting and accomplished couple from the northern part of Texas. 


After retiring, Larry obtained his pilot's license and bought this nice toy. The Fenwicks use the plane to fly to their second home, a family residence they saved and restored to life.





Lyn is an award winning author with two published books.  She has established a blog about her writing career.  Meet Lyn at www.lynfenwick.blogspot.com