NOLA! (3-27-11)



Alane enjoying the serenade at brunch



   NOLA is one of the local nicknames for New Orleans (LouisianA). It's our second time visiting this city, and I can already say I am sure we'll be back again.   This time around has been made more fun by the fact that our friends drove up from Florida to spend a few days here with us.  Neither of them have been here before, so we're having them do more of the "steering" and decision making on what to see.  We have actually managed to cram a lot in during the last few days, and tonight we finally started dragging a bit, so we broke off the sight seeing and we all spent this evening relaxing at our house, eating Paul's Jambalaya.

Steamboat Natchez

     A lot of what we've been doing is related to food, of course.  On their first day here we got reservations at Arnaud's Restaurant for their Jazz Brunch.  The food was great and we enjoyed a relaxing 4 course meal while listening to a "jazz" trio ( it sounded more like Ragtime).  Last night dinner was at Brennan's, one of the premiere restaurants in the city.  There are so many choices of places to eat here, its difficult to decide where to go. Part of the decision is a wallet one though.  Many of the restaurants are quite pricey, but the food  and the ambiance make it worth it.  

strolling through Audubon Park



At midnight last night we headed to Cafe Du Monde to get some beignets, which are French doughnuts.  None of us is used to staying up until 1 AM any more, so I'm pretty sure that's why we were all dragging today!   This afternoon we had Po Boy sandwiches  at Johnny's (like a sub/hero etc).  Paul and Les split a Muffaleta sandwich, one of the popular New Orleans concoctions that includes cold cuts, cheeses, and an olive based salad.  Quite unique. 

Between bouts of eating, we have managed to see a fair amount of the city as well. We took a two hour ride on the steamboat Natchez down the Mississippi River on a day that the weather was perfect for relaxing aboard ship while having the highlights of what we were seeing pointed out to us along the way. We took the trolley (after figuring out how it works) down Canal Street and along St. Charles Avenue, admiring the beautiful homes and gorgeous oak trees of the Garden District. We stopped at Audubon Park near Tulane and Loyola Universities and strolled through the park for a while.



Jackson Sq. street performers



      Of course we have spent some time wandering up and down Bourbon Street and Jackson Square. There are so many street musicians and performers that entertain passersby day and night, it would be difficult to get bored.

Today Alane finally ordered a "walking" drink- a Daiquiri in a plastic cup that she could drink while meandering down the street- just because she could.

    The last time Paul and I were here I debated whether I wanted to go on a "Katrina" tour or not. We decided then not to do the tour, and repeated that decision this time around, but we did go to a museum that houses a Katrina  exhibit as well as a terrific Mardi Gras display.  It was really very chilling to hear the first hand stories from people who lived through the storm, but also incredible to hear the tales of rescue and survival.  The boat on display is one that was used by locals to rescue over 400 people from their homes. At one point there were 39 people in this small boat.

  Right now I am not sure exactly how Paul is managing to sleep.  It's very stormy tonight- in fact there's been a tornado watch most of the evening.  Right now the rain is pelting down creating quite a racket, and the sky is continually lit up with (usually) distant lightning.  Me, I have my camera ready, looking out the back window, just in case I might be able to get a shot of a bolt coming down from the sky.

A little of this, a little of that- Cajun country, LA (3-23-11)









The other day I wrote a post talking about all the "stuff" we did while in Abbeville. It took me hours to write and I was completely dissatisfied with the result. Everytime I read it all I could think of was how disjointed it all sounded. Sometimes a post flows easily, sometimes it doesn't. I guess it proves that I'm certainly not a writer by occupation!! Anyway, after holding it back for two days to see if I like it any better, I am doing the electronic equivalent of shredding it. I pressed Delete.
       Our visit to Abbeville was a little disjointed. There was no Great Adventure, no Wow Outing, just several little side trips that were interesting and informative, but not awesome! So, here's what we did, and what my impressions were.

We took a swamp boat tour with a guy named Bryan Champagne. I love the way he pronounces it -shompowne. He has lived here all his life, and has been giving tours for 18 years, so he really knows the area. Technically it wasn't a swamp tour because by definition, a swamp is not flooded all the time. It dries out periodically, allowing for new trees to start growing. A dam was built here years ago, creating a Lake, so no new trees can pop up here. Also, a bayou is a stream, and is connected to a river, so it isn't a bayou either.

       In our travels, we went to Avery Island, in New Iberia, to the Tabasco Co. factory. The peppers for the sauce are grown both here and in South America, but all Tabasco pepper sauces are made on this island, in this factory. Once the peppers are ripe, they are picked and turned into mash the same day,  and are then stored in oak barrels for 3 years.  They actually get the barrels from Jack Daniels, who, by law, is only allowed to use them once. The insides are removed to remove any tainting from the alcohol. Interesting recycling. It was a very short tour, only about 20 minutes, but they had a store that offered quite a few samples of products, including jalapeno ice cream.  We tried just about everything they offered, but didn't buy anything to bring home.

I've been curious about Cajun (Acadian) history ever since I discovered that my aunt is Acadian.  I've always associated Cajun with lively, fun loving people who love food and music.  I have an aunt who is Acadian, and she is an amazing person.  She always says life should be fun, she treats everyone like a friend, and boy can she cook.  I'd hate to see her food bill because she and my uncle attract so many people to them that they can't remember the last time they didn't have someone show up for dinner.  Seriously, people just show up at their house at all hours of the day. Why? Because they know they'll be welcome, and they know they'll have fun 
       There are several Acadian museums in the Lafayette area so we spent some time checking them out.  The Acadian Cultural Center was really informative about the people, their exile, and their history.  Vermilionville, which is a "living Museum" didn't actually have much life to it and wasn't worth the price of admission, unfortunately. Acadians settled in Louisiana in the mid 1700s after they were forcibly exiled from their home, Acadia, located in present day Nova Scotia. Many were sent to Louisiana, but others were put on ships and sent to Europe, New England, and other parts of Canada.
      I always thought I like Cajun food,  but now I realize I really don't!  I associate Cajun food with spices.  Those I like, but I don't like what they put the spices on.  The menus for local restaurants included things like Shrimp  Etouffee, Crab Au Gratin, alligator (served many ways), Catfish, Crawfish, and oysters.  I tried several different dishes, although I had to finish my Margarita before I could try the Crawfish Etouffee.  There was nothing I would order again.

Betty's RV Park, Abbeville, LA (03-21-11)

    I heard about Betty's RV Park about 2 years ago when we came through Louisiana and didn't have time to stop here. Many people let me know what I missed out on that time, so this time around I made sure we had time to stop by.  Now that I've been here, here's my advice- if you think you want to spend 3 days here, looking around and sightseeing, you better book at least 10 days, because there's so much going on at Betty's that you won't want to miss, that the sightseeing will take a back seat.
     Before we even arrived,  Betty had called me twice.  The first time was a few days before we were due to arrive.  She called to ask me to arrive before 1 pm because everyone had been invited to a party, where there would be live music and free food.  She didn't want to miss out on it and we were invited as well.

The day we were due in, she called early in the day to say there had been a change of plans, and could we arrive by 11 am, because the party had been moved to noon.   We did make it in time to see the Judy Bailey "concert".  Judy was nominated in 1982 for the Country Music Award for New Artist.  She is putting together a new band right now, and wanted an audience for their rehearsing.  She has a phenomenal voice and is a very down to earth person.

   After our afternoon concert, we had a only a short break before the next party.  Judy's aunt had invited everyone at the RV Park (its small- only 17 spots or so) over to her riverside home for a "Big Moon" party.  The moon was closer to the earth than it has been in 35 years, and 17% brighter.  We had a great time at Irene's beautiful home, and it gave us a chance to spend time with the other  people staying at Betty's. Oh, and Judy Bailey was there, so I got to chat with her for a bit.
    Betty is very well connected in this area and there is something going on almost every day.  Yesterday Paul and I went on a swamp tour (more on that another time) and before we left, Betty told us the tour operator would be sending back some alligator meat with us to give to her.  She is cooking it for everyone on Friday at a pot luck dinner.   Sadly, we'll be gone by then.  Today everyone is at a free party at the local Casino- free drinks, lunch, music and dancing.  Paul and I opted out so that we could go exploring on our own.

Lake Charles, LA

Our next stop on our way to New Orleans is Lake Charles, near the Texas border in southern Louisiana. We're staying in the nearby town of Westlake for a few days while we explore the area.
 We would have like to have stayed in Sam Houston Jones State Park but this is the time of year when making reservations becomes more and more necessary, and they had nothing available. We did make a day trip there to hike several trails, for a total of 6 miles.The scenery was impressive- trees, with the spanish moss hanging from them and the tree trunks sitting in several feet of muddy swamp water. We didn't see any alligators that day, but we did see our first live armadillo. I was surprised that there weren't more bugs along the trails because it sure was warm enough, and the humidity here is about 60-70%, quite a difference from the 8% humidity in western Texas.


911 Memorial

 The next day we checked out downtown Lake Charles which has a nice, newly  rebuilt Promendade along the waterfront. There are several beautiful memorials, one of which is dedicated to the local residents lost in the Trade Center buildings on 9/11.


As we drive through the towns and countryside, what really hits us is all the property damage in the area. There are still boats and parts of buildings strewn across fields and bayous. A lot has been done to clean up, but there are many skeletal remains of buildings that may never be rebuilt. When we talk to the locals, they tell stories of the hurricane. But the one they talk about here is Rita. A month after Katrina, Rita ripped through Lake Charles causing over 11 Billion dollars in damage. Street after street we see the empty spots where houses used to stand, with only the concrete slab left behind.

remains of a business destroyed by Rita

Some houses have been replaced already, some are still in the process, and have RVs parked in the driveway as construction continues on the home. We saw one newly constructed home, with a 5th wheel parked in the driveway, sporting a For Sale sign on it. Apparently the house is done, and the RV is no longer needed.

There's a "scenic drive" named Creole Nature Trail that I wanted to check out. Usually when I hear nature trail, I think hiking, but this is a nature trail on steroids- its 180 mile long and passes through at least 3 national wildlife refuges. We packed up the truck with food and fuel, and headed out early in the morning. We didn't drive the whole 180 miles, but we did pass through several of the wildlife refuges, where we could get out and walk some trails. A lot of them were on boardwalks above the bayou, and looking into the water we could see fish, turtles and alligators. On one of our stops, we did a small 3 mile driving loop, which has a requirement that you stay in your vehicle. We started counting alligators and when we got to about 25 or so, we started to understand why we had to stay in the truck! Great photo opportunities though, and really neat to see them in their own "home".

Galveston and Houston, TX (03-13-11)

    Sometimes I really wish I had a video of what I do every day, so I could watch it (on fast forward) when it's time to write  my blog.  There are many times that I think to myself that I should remember something, but the odds of me actually remembering when it's time to write aren't so good.  I do rely a lot on my pictures and actually take some pictures of signs or other things just to trigger a memory.
   As we head across Texas towards Louisiana, we've stopped for a few days in a place called League City.  It's about halfway between Galveston and Houston, which gives us the opportunity to head either way.


Mission Control

 Our first outing was to Johnson Space Center in Houston.   We started the day with a tram ride to the building that contains the "Mission Control" room. Security for that tour was really tight.  Our bags were searched (for the second time) and we were issued "passes" that we had to show and after leaving the building they were collected, to make sure everyone was accounted for.  No one was allowed to wander off anywhere. There was an observation room  that we sat in while the guide explained the Control Room and how it was set up.  On one wall were a bunch of plaques, each one unique, representing individual completed missions.  On the opposite wall are the plaques that represent current missions-right now, the plaque for the shuttle Discovery, which is still considered to be an active mission.  Once that mission is finished, whoever in the control room gets voted "MVP"  will move the plaque over to the "finished" side in a small ceremony.  Also on the "ongoing/active mission" side are the plaques for Challenger, Columbia, and Apollo 13.  They will always stay on the "ongoing" side.



       The next building contained a Saturn V rocket.  That thing was Huge!  It was hard to fit it into a picture!  The different stages of the rocket were separated by a few feet so you could stand between them and check it all out.  

Saturn V rocket

   Once back in the main building we looked at the exhibits, a good portion of which were interactive and many of them were aimed at kids. We skipped the simulators and watched a live presentation showing how astronauts handle everyday tasks on the space station.
   I enjoyed the presentation about the Apollo missions, especially, of course, Apollo 11.  I think that day is one of those occasions where everyone remembers where they were. So, on July 20, 1969, at the age of 10, I was standing in the livingroom of my parent's house, with all the furniture piled in the middle of the room, because we were re-wallpapering the walls.  We all took a break and watched on our small black and white TV as Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon.

    The next day we headed in the other direction, down to Galveston Island.  We had no specific idea of what we were actually going  do, we just wanted to check out the area, so we meandered around the island and went for a long walk on the beach.  I saw a blueish jelly fish- the first one I've ever seen that wasn't clear or white.  All of the houses anywhere near the beach are built on very tall stilts.  Its very odd looking.  Some people have closed in the bottom floor, and others have left it wide open.      We had thought we would stop at the Kemah Boardwalk, an amusement park with a boardwalk like Universal Studios Citywalk, but it's spring break and the line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot made us change our mind.

Goose Island State Park (03-10-11)

Paul and I are not the only ones enjoying the fact that we have a waterfront campsite.  Dozer definitely got as close to the water as he could without actually getting his toes wet.  There are a lot of birds in this area as well, so he runs from window to window trying to keep them in sight. We discovered that if we have him outside with us while we eat our snacks, the pesky sea gulls tend to stay away.  Without him, we can't walk away from  our plate, or our food will be gone.  Fishing is the past time of choice in this park and everywhere you look, people have rods in the water.  The park actually lends out fishing tackle, so we could fish if we want to, and Paul says he willing to try as long as I am willing to clean the fish.  We won't be fishing. I used to fish with my dad a lot, but I haven't done it in a long time.
      We've been taking in the sights over the last couple of days, and doing some more planning.  I know it seems like we are doing a lot of planning, but usually what happens is we pull out the maps and calendar, start making plans, and then get distracted and completely off track.  Then the next day we realize that although we discussed our options, we never actually planned anything.  We repeat this process often.  This time however, we did follow through, and made reservations for New Orleans.  We have friends meeting us there so we needed concrete decisions (very difficult for us).
   We planned our trip to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge two days in advance, and then invited Marilyn and Brad, fellow travelers we met in AZ, to join us.  Originally they were going to, but then decided it didn't fit with their plans.  That happens often  along the way.  Its almost like having neighbors that you casually spend time with, if you both happen to be home at the same time.  Its great when it works out, but if it doesn't, you always figure you'll see them some other time.   Since they are headed in the same direction as us, we'll try to catch up with them later.   Making plans with "non-travelers" is more difficult because it usually means whoever they are will have to fly to meet up with us, and that can't usually be done at the spur of the moment.  I've been trying to get my brother and his wife to meet up with us for a while now, but it's not as easy as it seems.


Fulton House

     Our neighbors are familiar with this area of TX and made a couple of recommendations for things to do.  One was to go see the Fulton House.  It was built by George Fulton in the 1870s, made mostly of wood, (enough to build a small subdivision of houses) which all had to be imported.  What made the house unique is the design and use of materials. Apparently it was quite clever but it pretty much went over my head.  Paul enjoyed it and asked a bunch of questions.  Down the street was the local oddity- a tree with the top of a windmill stuck in it.  A hurricane blew the windmill top into the tree and the tree grew around it.





"Windmill tree"

  Our trip to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge was uneventful. This area has some of the best birding in the country.  Most people we see walking around have binoculars around their neck. This refuge is home to the endangered Whooping Crane, of  which there are only about 550 in the world. I'm glad we brought the bikes, for two reasons.  Our truck is too wide for the scenic road, and at least we got some exercise, since the wildlife seemed to be busy elsewhere, and weren't visible to visitors.  We did see an alligator from a distance, and several birds.  To be fair, we were there at the wrong time of day.  We should have been there either early or late, not mid-day.  We knew that, but didn't want to wait till that late in the day to drive over there.
Tomorrow we leave here and head towards Galveston for a few days before heading to Louisiana.  I better find some hiking, because I'm pretty sure we'll be doing some serious eating in Louisiana!

Corpus Christi, TX (3-5-11)

Well, since Saturday's weather was not supposed to be the best, we felt justified in lazing around all morning.  I should have been doing laundry, but, I didn't.  By afternoon at least the rain and thunder had stopped, so we managed to get ourselves out the door to go check out the USS Lexington, a WWII vintage aircraft carrier.  We were not alone.  There were hundreds of cub scouts swarming the ship.  It turns out that  thousands of kids spend a night on board every year. You could see how excited these kids were, bringing in their sleeping bags and gear and in general running around the ship. What a great thing for them, such a unique way of learning and yet having a lot of fun.
    In retrospect we should have gone earlier in the day, because we didn't really get a chance to see everything we would have liked.  We wandered the flight deck and some of the other decks and we watched a movie (Fighter Pilot- Operation Red Flag) that was really awesome, and had nothing to do with the USS Lexington. The USS Lexington got her name when the original USS Lexington was sunk during World War II.  This ship was in the process of being built, so the  name was changed midstream.


Carriage house at King Ranch

       Sunday was King Ranch day.  Captain Richard King settled here in the mid 1800s and started what was  then called the Santa Gertrudis Ranch, with two land grants, when he was very young. Over the years it grew to encompass over 800,000 acres and was eventually renamed The King Ranch.  He raised Quarter horses and cattle, and  King Ranch is considered to be the birthplace of ranching.  Richard continually bred the cattle in order  to create a breed better able to withstand the Texas heat and dry climate.  Eventually the Santa Gertrudis breed was recognized as the first breed of cattle to be created in the United States.  After his death his widow and his son-in-law took over the running of the ranch, which is still a family owned business today.





brand new babies

       Our tour was a bus ride along pastures and fields as our guide explained the history of the area and also discussed current operation of the ranch.  He explained how the hundreds of horses that are born on the ranch each year, are raised and trained.  They don't "break" horses at the King Ranch.  Breaking a horse is a faster way to get it to do what you want, but training a horse is more humane and respectful.  The cowboys spend hours working with the young horses over the course of a year.






Quarter Horse at King Ranch

 

   Well, this morning we got up and moved the trailer to Goose Island State Park.  When we got there the volunteer told us which sites were open and let us go choose the one we want.  We chose site #1, which is about 15 feet from the water.  Because we got there so early, the site was still occupied- by a woman who really didn't want to leave and was at the ranger station trying to see if there was a cancelation.  We told her there was no rush to leave (check out time isn't until 2 pm anyway) because we could just park in front of her until she was ready to go.  Once we did that, we went for a walk out on the huge pier, and ate some lunch.  Later on we rode our bikes to see the "Big Tree" a 1000 year old oak tree.  It was huge.  While we were there we ran into Marilyn and Brad, a couple we had met in Quartzsite.  We knew they were following behind us traveling across Texas,  and we were trying to make plans to get together.  Hopefully we'll get a chance to get together again before we both move on.

It's raining!!!! (Corpus Christi, TX 03-05-11)



Our King Ranch on the beach



     I know that seems like a strange thing to get excited about, but its been about 5 months since we've seen any real rain,  and it's pouring out!  We've actually seen more snow than rain, sadly. So, anyway, I am not complaining about it, especially since the weather forecasters got it right this time so we had no plans for this morning.  Later today we hope to go check out the WWII vintage aircraft carrier USS Lexington.






free beach camping at the National seashore

        Yesterday  was supposed to be the nicest day so we headed to Padre Island National Seashore.  The weather wasn't all that great, but at least it didn't rain. The Corpus Christi area has barrier islands just offshore, which makes for lots of beaches!   It's a little spooky, but the beaches are considered to be roads, and everyone can drive on them.  There is very little tide here, which plays a role in being able to do that.  There are signs posted near the intersections of "real road" and "beach road" that let people know the condition of the beach roads, some of which are only recommended for 4 wheel drive vehicles (which we are not) but others can be traveled by almost anyone, including motor homes.  You can camp for free on the beach in a lot of areas, you just have to get a permit, and can only stay 2 weeks at a time.  Interesting idea, but not for us this time around.  We don't read many books and there isn't much else to do there, especially since the weather is not very warm. This isn't the place that brings in hoards of spring breakers, it's a remote seashore, with no "amenities".  A lot of birders come here to see the huge variety of birds that migrate through the area.  I was almost quick enough to get a great picture of the pelicans and terns in flight.




 



ferry ride from Mustang Island

 The day we got here it was early enough that we had time to do a quick drive around, so we drove across the bridge to Mustang Island.  There is a state park there with a campground, and several RV parks as well, with lots of beaches and stores-mostly selling souvenirs and beach gear-so we didn't stop.  Apparently there's a constant breeze here, so surfing, windsurfing and kite surfing are all popular sports.  On the calmer, inside bays, kayaking is popular. Mustang Island is connected to the mainland by bridges, but there is also a free automotive ferry that cuts off some of the travel time.  We decided to take the ferry just for the fun of it, and had to wait about 20 minutes, but it was a unique experience.  It was dark by the time we got across the water (about a one mile trip, if that).  We got "spoken to" by the guy who loaded our truck onto the ferry.  While waving us onto the ferry, he was waving his hands around in what seemed to be a random pattern, but apparently it wasn't random, we just didn't speak the language.  Once all the cars were loaded he came over and basically told us we were pretty dumb not to figure out where he wanted us to park (which wasn't where we ended up).  Paul apologized for not understanding, saying it was our first time on the ferry, but he still looked at us dumbfounded.  I guess he wanted us to park in the middle, taking two spots, so no one would park close to our enormous dually truck.    Oh well, we'll know next time!

   Yesterday we had some free time so we did some planning.  We put together a rough idea of where we want to travel this summer because staying in Massachusetts requires making reservations.  Originally we were going to try to be there for July 4th, but now we're going to be there at the end of May, and stay for 2 weeks.  So Ray and Dawn, make sure you have time in your schedule for us!!  We are thinking of getting there by way of Washington D.C. since we haven't been there yet ( Steve, that's your headsup that we'll be calling you).  Once we leave MA, we'll head to Michigan for the Traverse City Cherry Festival.  Paul has always wanted to go, so this is our chance.

Missions Accomplished! (San Antonio 03-03-11)

 






San Antonio has 5 missions, one of which is the Alamo (Mission San Antonio de Valero).  We didn't go to the Alamo this time around since we went there last time we were in San Antonio.  We walked to Mission San Jose a few days ago, and then on Tuesday we got out the bikes and rode to Mission Conception.  Mission Conception is missing most of the outside walls, but more of what is there, is original, which made it more interesting.  The church has been recently restored and is still in use as an active parish.  It was interesting to see the melding of the old and new.                                                                             

 

Mission Conception

                                                                                            After we left that Mission, we got a little lost.  There was road construction, with signs that said "road closed" but we thought they meant closed for cars.  But nope, they meant closed as in completely impassable, so we had to turn around and figure out another way to get to Mission San Juan.  Eventually we found it, but I am not sure it was worth the effort.   The church at this mission wasn't open, so we just wandered around a little bit and looked at empty buildings.  There had actually been  3 churches on this site, but the third one was never finished due to lack of laborers. From there, it was on to Mission Espada. There wasn't too much to see there, except some empty buildings. All in all, we rode about 20 miles, and had an enjoyable day.  Later on we took two steps backwards however. After our ride, we went out  to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant (Nicha's), so we piled back on the calories, but the food was some of the best we've had in a very long time!  Great enchiladas and sopapillas and the chips and tortillas were freshly made.
  Wednesday was a housekeeping day for the most part.  We rented a carpet cleaner and cleaned the desert out of the carpets and they look so much better!  We gathered up our tax information and realize we are still missing one piece of information, which is very annoying, so we'll have to wait to get our taxes done.



    Later in the day we felt lazy but decided since it was our last night we really should go to the Rivewalk. 

            It turned out that our RV park was in a very convenient location, overall.  Not only could we walk and bike to the missions (and downtown, if we had wanted to) but we are on the bus route.  So, we took the local bus to the Riverwalk- it's the first time either of us have been on a bus in a very long time, but it was fun.  After walking around for a couple of hours, we ate dinner at The Republic of Texas.   We pretty much just stopped at restaurants until we found one that had a table available right outside on the water.  I really love the Riverwalk.  I love all the restaurants, the atmosphere, and also the fact that the locals use the area too.  There are many walkers and joggers along the walkways.



The Riverwalk



     Today we left San Antonio and planned to stay at Lake Corpus Christi State Park, but when we got there, they didn't have a site available that is large enough to fit us, so we kept going and we're staying in an RV park in Corpus Christi.  This afternoon we waded in the Gulf of Mexico!



Mustang Island







San Antonio, TX (3-01-11)



skipping stones on the Guadalupe River



 The last time we were in San Antonio, we totally focused on the "tourist" highlights of the city.  This time, we are doing some touristy things, but we are also trying to branch out and see some other parts of the area.  To this end, we drove over to Government Canyon Natural Area, to do some hiking.  When we arrived, the volunteer was very excited to tell us about the area and which hikes she thought would be the best "first" hike, with the best scenery etc.  We settled on the "Joe Johnston" trail, which was about 6 miles long, and featured a scenic overlook and several ruins. This is where the term "everything is relative" comes to mind.  Relatively speaking, for the San Antonio urban area, this hike is probably a highlight.  Having just come from Big Bend National Park, it was just a stroll in the woods, with a cliff overlooking more trees.  The ruins were mostly fenced, and therefore inaccessible, although one ruin of a farmhouse was accessible but not restored in any way.  Along the path, we did find one geocache, which added a little interest to the day.
        Part of our plan was to slow down a little bit, which we aren't very good at, actually.  We did spend one day here just hanging out, taking care of some paperwork, and in general being lazy.  Saturday night there was a Sock Hop dance at the RV park.  We had a good time although we realized that a lot of early 50s music is too early for us and we don't know it very well.  The "DJ" also didn't seem to understand the difference between listening music and dancing music, so  a lot of what was played wasn't very danceable.  We did have a good time though, and were invited to join a table of regulars. 



    Yesterday we headed up to Guadalupe River State Park.  That's where we were originally going to stay, and its a beautiful river! But, we're glad we didn't stay there because it's pretty far from everything else. In the summer time this place must be packed because there is great tubing down this river.  Right now is off season though, so it was quiet.  We hiked along the river for a couple of miles, and had lunch before heading back home.