June 1 - 16, 2002

Saturday, June 1, 2002                                                               Vicksburg, MS

We left Baton Rouge and made our way north along the mighty Mississippi River along US Rte 61 past several antebellum homes preceded by avenues lined with live oak trees.  The groves of live oaks in this area are very pleasing to behold.  We continued on up to Natchez, Mississippi and stopped for an hour to walk around and then take a driving tour of the town.  This sleepy river town is in the height of restoration.  There are dozens of antebellum period homes here that have been lovingly restored and preserved.  Natchez is small enough to attract very little new development, leaving the historical charm of the town unadulterated.

We left Natchez and picked up the southern terminus of the Natchez Trace Parkway.  Like the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Natchez Trace is managed by the National Park System.  It is a lovely ribbon of road that travels northeast all the way to Nashville, TN.  We kick back and listen to a Dianna Krull CD as we lazily drift along the parkway.  Later we exit the parkway at Jackson, MS, the state capital city.  We stop at a Flying J Travel Plaza so Christine can get a couple hours of internet work in.

We drove into downtown Jackson to visit the Capitol building, but were limited to enjoying it from the outside since it was closed for the weekend.  The entire Capitol block is congested with massive oak trees.  The trees add to the southern charm, but made it difficult to get a good photograph of the building.

We learned in Jackson that this was poor timing for a visit to friends in Memphis, TN, so we turned west toward Vicksburg, MS where we camped for the night.  We squeezed in a walk before Christine cooked up the last of our shrimp.  She made shrimp scampi accompanied with a fine Italian pinot griggio.  It had been another great day of exploring the south.

 1)This antebellum home is called Rosalie.  It was built in 1820 and it was the headquarters of the Union Army during the War between the States.  2) Stanton Hall was built in 1857.  3) This is the Mississippi State Capital in Jackson, MS.

Sunday, June 2, 2002                                                                        Jasper, AR

We crossed over the Mississippi River back into Louisiana and then made our way north along the west shore of the river on US Rte 65 passing large groves of pecan trees.  We pulled into Little Rock and visited the Arkansas State Capitol building, which to our surprise was open.  It is the only state capitol that is built as an exact replica of the US Capitol, though a bit smaller.  Little Rock was dead for a Sunday.  We stopped by the Visitor Bureau before heading northwest into the Ozarks. 

The Ozarks aren’t really mountains, but they are impressive hills.  We were slowed by the twisty curves, and the ups and downs.  We checked into a campground along the Buffalo National River for the next few nights.

The Arkansas State Capital in Little Rock, AR.

Monday, June 3, 2002                                                                        Jasper, AR

Today we explored the Ozarks by motorcycle.  It was a clear day and perfect for a bike ride.  We totaled about 200 miles of back road motorcycling before we returned to camp.  The roads in the Ozarks are more conducive for cruising and touring, as opposed to the sportier twisty roads of the Smokies in NC/TN/GA.  We searched out and found some pretty twisty roads, but most of the curves today were pretty gentle.  There is much less elevation change here as well.  The high points don’t get much above 2200’ and the valleys don’t drop much below 1000’ in elevation.  This limited the vistas to occasional views of the valleys, but it is still a very green and pretty area with lush vegetation.

Christine and I rode up to Eureka Springs, the touristy town in the northeast corner of Arkansas.  We walked around for a little while, but the town was too touristy to hold our interest.  It was getting hot by mid-day, so we longed to be on our bikes where the cooling breeze was our only relief.  We got back to the campground around 5:30 and took a refreshing dip in the swimming pool.  It had been a very good day.  Christine road cautiously today, well within her comfort zone, and achieved her goal of just enjoying herself.  Her riding will improve over time.  The important thing for her right now is to find joy in the experience.

Christine cooked me a meatloaf for dinner tonight with the last of her parents’ venison that we bought in early April.  It was a great meal and a great day.

Tuesday, June 4, 2002                                                               Jasper, AR

We opted to spend our morning canoeing down the Buffalo River.  We bicycled into town and rented a canoe from one of the outfitters there.  They dropped us into the Buffalo River at Pruitt, and we floated eight miles down to Hasty.  It was a beautiful morning.  The Buffalo River is managed by the National Park Service, so it is kept in pristine condition.  The water is so clear and inviting as the river wound its way below cliffs and bluffs.  We saw many fish and turtles, and even five banded water snakes swimming near us.  The sight of the snakes was enough to keep Christine from jumping in the water, but it didn’t hinder her enjoyment of the outing.

We returned to our campsite where I left Christine to her studies while I took off for another motorcycle ride.  I took Christine’s bike out for another hundred miles of exploring, and found some awesome twisty roads.  Her Kawasaki is so much sportier than my BMW.  I had so much fun winding her bike up through the curves.  I returned to the campground and began putting all our toys back in/on the RV in preparation of our scheduled departure tomorrow.

Wednesday, June 5, 2002                                                               Hot Springs, AR

We awoke to very heavy rain and thunder.  We unhooked the RV and headed south on Arkansas Hwy 7 Scenic Byway all the way to Hot Springs.  We stopped for a couple hours at the halfway point in Russellville to get some internet time at a Flying J travel plaza.  The rain had passed through and the skies steadily cleared as we continued south.

Hot Springs is a dated resort town that is doing its best to remain a vacation destination.  The Hot Springs National Park is doing its part to this end.  The famous Bathhouse Row is being restored and preserved.  Only one of the half dozen or so bathhouses along Bathhouse Row is still functioning as a bathhouse.  The others remain important for their exterior design and historical significance. 

We checked into a campground and got some laundry done before going back into town to walk around and have dinner.  The town was very quiet.  We settled on a German restaurant that served very good food and beer.  Christine had the Sauerbraten and I had the schnitzel.  It was all quite good.

Thursday, June 6, 2002                                                               Sherman, TX

We slept a little later than usual, but made time to stop in Hot Springs on our way out of town.  We took a hike in the National Park for an hour to get some exercise, then made our way out of town.  Hot Springs just doesn’t have enough attraction to hold our interest.  We headed west through the Ouachita National Forest into Oklahoma and continued on the Talimena Scenic Byway through the Winding Stair National Recreation Area.  We pressed on into Texas to find a campground with an internet hookup.

Friday, June 7, 2002                                                                                    Arlington, TX

We enjoyed a short drive into north Dallas where we had arranged to pick up a new battery for Christine’s laptop.  Then we drove through Dallas on into Arlington where we planned to hook up with my cousin later this evening.  We had plenty of time to kill, so we went to a matinee showing of Star Wars: Episode II and put in an hour on line at the Arlington Public Library.

We arrived at my cousin David’s house just before 6:00, and spent the evening with him and his wife, Vikki, and their seven-year-old son, Jonathan.  It was a very nice evening for sitting around the pool enjoying cold beer and burgers on the grill.  It was good to visit with David and his family.  We have seen so little of each other as adults.

Saturday, June 8, 2002                                                               San Antonio, TX

Christine and I enjoyed some coffee and muffins with David and Vikki before we continued south to San Antonio.  We checked into a campground and cleaned up before meeting Scott, a Cincinnati friend working in San Antonio for a week grading High School History AP tests from all across the country.  He is one of 800 History teachers that gather for a week each June to provide standardized grading of these tests.  He was staying on the campus of Trinity University where the grading was being performed.

We drove down into San Antonio with Scott and spent the evening in the River Walk area.  The River Walk is a sunken development of restaurants, clubs, hotel and retail that lines the narrow San Antonio River as it winds through downtown in a network of canals.  The River Walk has been developed with much care, and is an ongoing success as a magnet for tourists and residents.  The area was really jumping this night.

We ate some tolerable Mexican food while enjoying some Shiner Bock beer and then walked around some more before cooling off in a British-themed pub for a couple more rounds of beer.  We ended the evening with two final rounds of beer while laughing with the partiers at Howl at the Moon Saloon.  It was a lot of fun to hang out with Scott, and we were very beat by the end of the evening.

1) Christine and Scott on the River Walk.  2) Joe and Scott relaxing on the River Walk.

Sunday, June 9, 2002                                    Padre Island National Seashore, TX

We moved slowly this morning as we slept off the excesses from last night.  Christine and I drove back into town and visited The Alamo.  The Alamo now sits in the middle of downtown San Antonio with only portions of the original structures still in tact.  The attraction was very crowded with visitors.  We tolerated the crowds and acquainted ourselves with the historical significance of the place.

The Alamo had been a Spanish mission in the 1700’s, but the Catholic Church abandoned it in 1793.  It served various purposes for many different parties thereafter.  It’s fame came in 1836 when it served as a fort for independence-minded Texans who were finally tired of being deceived by General Santa Anna, ruling dictator of Mexico at the time.  This culminated in a showdown between 200 Texan and Tejano volunteers against Santa Anna’s army of thousands.  The siege on the Alamo lasted for thirteen days before Santa Anna’s men overran the complex and defeated the Texas volunteers on March 6, 1836.  Over half the men died in the battle, and the remaining fighters were executed shortly afterward.  Among those that died in The Alamo were Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie.

The siege on The Alamo was followed by a massacre of 300 Texans at Goliad by Santa Anna’s men, but an inferior force led by Sam Houston on April 22, 1836 finally defeated Santa Anna.  This marked the true beginning of the independent Republic of Texas.

Christine and I then drove on down past Corpus Christi to the Padre Island National Seashore.  This area accounts for over 65 miles of undeveloped beach.  We arrived late enough in the day that the park offices were closed, so we camped at a no-hookup site on the beach in a partially developed area.  There was a constant steady breeze out of the southeast that made the heat very tolerable.  We grilled out some chicken and sweet potatoes and settled in for the evening.

The Alamo

Monday, June 10, 2002                                  Padre Island National Seashore, TX

We both slept great last night with a constant breeze washing over our bodies.  It was so refreshing.  We got up and went for an hour-long walk on the beach for some exercise.  We then checked with the park office, and bought a fishing license before driving down the beach for some primitive camping.  There is a 60-mile section of the beach that can be driven on and camped on, the first 5 of those miles are open to RV’s, thereafter requires 4-wheel-drive.  We drove a couple miles on the beach before pulling over and setting up camp.  It was like our own private paradise.

We pulled out our chairs and unrolled our awning and prepared for a peaceful day on the beach.  The seaweed was pretty heavy along the beach at this time, but otherwise the sand was very fine and soft.  I spent a couple hours fishing in the surf with dead shrimp as bait, and caught two fish, but they weren’t keepers.  The seaweed kept fouling my line, but I was enjoying myself, fully.  The water in the Gulf was 84 degrees—not so refreshing.

Christine and I spent time reading in the shade and relaxing throughout the afternoon.  I went back into the water and spent another hour of surf fishing (caught one more fish) before coming in for dinner.  Christine had whipped up a tasty pesto pasta with chicken for dinner.  After dinner we went for a long walk along the beach at sunset, holding hands (we occasionally have to live the cliché).

Padre Island National Seashore

Tuesday, June 11, 2002                                                             Austin, TX

We packed up our beach stuff and made our way back to pavement this morning.  We stopped right away at a carwash to wash all the sea salt residue off the RV.  We then enjoyed a relaxing drive (with a tail wind) up toward Austin on secondary roads.  We drove through some very attractive agricultural areas along the way.  We checked into a campground outside of Austin and spoiled ourselves with a telephone hookup at our campsite.

After dinner we drove into Austin to watch the nightly bat flight from under the Congress Avenue Bridge.  This bridge was reinforced in 1980, coincidentally leaving it with small slits in the understructure that are perfectly suitable for nesting bats.  Each spring about 750,000 pregnant bats return from wintering in Mexico.  They nest in the bridge and give birth in June.  By August all 1.5 million bats are taking flight each evening in search of food.  They prey on insects that fly at night, especially mosquitoes.  It is unfortunate though, that we are here in June when they don’t tend to depart the bridge until well after sunset.  We waited over an hour with hundreds of other onlookers, only to have it be too dark to really see them when they began their flights.  According to posted information, the best viewing times are in August when they swarm out of the bridge in the lighter part of dusk.

We were ready for a beer by the time we left the Congress Avenue Bridge.  We walked into the Warehouse District of bars and restaurants and stopped at the Bitter End Brewery and Pub for some cold pints of their finest.  What luck—it was $2 Pint Night.  We enjoyed a lively conversation with Travis, an off duty manager there and picked up some tidbits about the city.  We then took a brief walk through the area before driving back to our campground.

Wednesday, June 12, 2002                                                             Buchanan Dam, TX

We started out the day with a brisk 3-mile walk and then drove in to visit Texas’ State Capitol Building.  Sitting on a 22-acre spread of hilltop overlooking Austin, the Capitol complex is massive in every way.  Don’t heed what others may have you believe, the Texas State Capitol Building is neither the tallest state capitol building (Louisiana holds that record), nor the tallest domed capitol building (Illinois holds that record), nonetheless it is very large.

We arrived in time for a guided tour and were immediately impressed with how many visitors were there today.  Usually we find ourselves taking self-guided tours of other state capitol buildings in near solitude.  As most things are in Texas, the Capitol is large.  Nothing is done subtly in this building, though it all comes together to be an attractive impressive building.  We both enjoyed our tour.

After eating some lunch we drove around Austin visiting a couple specialty food stores to buy exotic meats.  Christine had read about the proliferation of exotic ranches in Texas and the resulting availability of the products in retail.  She bought some venison, buffalo, and ostrich.  Exotic food products have been designated that way by the US FDA.  The FDA strictly considers meat to be from one of the following: beef, pork or chicken.  Any other ‘meat’ sold for consumption is considered an exotic food product.  All the meat that Christine bought today is superior to beef, pork or chicken with respect to health considerations.

We finally left Austin traveling west into the Hill Country of central Texas.  We passed many ranches during the afternoon; cattle, goats and ostrich were all visible from the road.  We found a campground near the town of Buchanan Dam that sits at the base of Lake Buchanan, and just above Inks Lake.  We actually camped on Lake LBJ, just below Inks Lake.  It was a very hot day, but the dry breeze near the lake was actually pretty comfortable.  We checked in for two nights and prepared to do some lake fishing. 

Buchanan Dam generates electricity, and the water reached operating level last week for the generators.  They run the generators during the day, which creates considerable current in the lakes below the hydro dam.  This creates good conditions for catching white bass (aka sand perch).  I fished from a dock for a couple hours after dinner as the generators shut down.  I caught a small blue gill that I threw back, but quit when it finally got too dark.

I almost forgot to mention the fine meal Christine cooked for me tonight.  She had bought some VERY fresh fish today along with the exotic meats.  We had a great section of salmon filet accompanied by a fresh mozzarella and tomato salad.  It was so yummy.

By Christine:  I enjoyed my shopping for exotic meats today.  They are so much healthier in fat and cholesterol than beef or even chicken and I always feel like if I can support the industry anywhere it is good for my parents business.

The Texas State Capital building and grounds.

Thursday, June 13, 2002                                                             Buchanan Dam, TX

I woke up at the crack of dawn and was out fishing on the lake by 6:30.  It was so peaceful to be there alone in the cool still morning and watch the sun rise across the Texas hills.  I caught one white bass that didn’t quite meet the 12” minimum to keep.

After breakfast and coffee I rolled the motorcycles off the back of the RV and we set out for a day of exploring the Hill Country.  We had a very scenic morning ride down to Fredericksburg, the peach center of Texas.  Fredericksburg is a jumpin’ little city with lots of fun shops and places to eat.  It has a very German theme to its establishments.  We had a great lunch of sandwiches at T.J.’s Deli and then walked over to the Fredericksburg Winery to sample their offerings.  Later we rode over to the Herb Farm, an intense little cottage industry capitalizing on peripheral benefits of herbs.  It included a B&B, gardens, herb shop, restaurant and day spa.  It was well done—if you’re into that kind of stuff.

We drove east from Fredericksburg and visited Wildseed Farms.  This large spread is in the business of growing countless varieties of wildflowers for the purpose of marketing the seeds.  The entire facility is nearly new with a very impressive cedar log timber frame structure.  Christine and I might have explored their gardens further if it hadn’t become such a hot afternoon.  We made one more stop at the Grape Creek Vineyard before heading back to the campground.  Our loop back took us through Johnson City, home of the late president, and named in his honor.

I watched the ambient temperature gauge on my bike as we finished our ride today.  It sat in the 100-104 degree range all afternoon, and even spike to 106 degrees just before we finished our 140-mile ride.  We were wiped out.  That’s a whole lot of heat coming at you when you’re out in it all day.  We cranked up the RV’s A/C and spent the next couple hours cooling down and cleaning up.  Christine outdid herself again with a dinner that even topped last night.  She whipped up a very tasty cold cucumber soup as a first course (No, it wasn’t boring at all.  It had a lot of zest and flavor.).  She followed that with an outstanding piece of grilled halibut with a simple spinach salad and couscous.  She must really love me.

By Christine:  Joe was kind to visit the Herb and Wildseed Farm with me today in this hot weather.  He patiently waited in the shade while I wondered the rows of herbs and wildflowers.  All the rows were well marked and I found it interesting.

1 and 2) Both of these were taken at the Herb Farm.  3) The Wildseed Farm.

Friday, June 14, 2002                                                                      San Angelo, TX

We continued west today and stopped in the town of Eden to visit Venison World.  This is a retail cooperative of 13 Texas venison ranchers.  We continued our market research for Christine’s parents and purchased some more venison.  I was impressed to learn that nearly all the meat sold from this cooperative is marketed through their website and shipped across the country.  It is expensive meat, and it is expensive to ship it in cooler boxers.

We arrived in San Angelo, Texas and checked into a campground for the next three nights.  There is nothing noteworthy about this town, but Christine found an opening here in a motorcycle riding class that she’s wanted to take.  The class will be held Sunday at the Goodfellow AFB here.  We took in a movie: “Spiderman” before coming home for dinner of buffalo steak salad.

1) The Venison World store, unlike my parents who raise Fallow Deer.  All of the deer sold in this store was Axis deer.  They are a similar size to fallow deer.

Saturday, June 15, 2002                                                             San Angelo, TX

We awoke to a very hard rainstorm that even included some pea-sized hail.  I learned from the campground host that there was a hailstorm here two weeks ago that dropped tennis ball-sized hailstones in the campground.  A whole lot of vehicle damage was done, as you can imagine.  I’m glad we missed that storm.  The storm moved out by late morning and we set out to do some shopping and run some errands.

By Christine: I spent this afternoon after we returned from our errands washing my motorcycle and getting it ready for tomorrow.

Sunday, June 16, 2002                                                                      San Angelo, TX

Christine woke early and left for her class by 7:15AM.  It was a wonderfully cool and breezy day, which made the conditions perfect for her riding class.  The class she took today is the MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) ERC (Experienced Riders Course).  The MSF is a national non-profit organization funded by the state motorcycle registration fees.  Each state operates their MSF courses a  bit differently, but the goal is the same—to educate and train riders on how to ride safely.

At my urging, Christine took the MSF beginner course five years ago when she first expressed an interest in riding.  I have recommended this for any inexperienced person with a serious interest in riding a motorcycle.  The beginner course provides the motorcycles and helmets.  Many people take the course only to realize that motorcycling isn’t what they thought it was, and choose not to pursue it.  The ERC picks up where the beginner course leaves off.  The ERC is done on your own motorcycle and it builds on your street riding experiences.  This ERC that Christine took today was squeezed into one day, a morning of classroom instruction and an afternoon of practical drills in a parking lot.  She was lucky to only have three other students in her class.

She was very pleased with the class, and I think it achieved the desired goal of rebuilding some of her confidence.  Little by little she is getting back to where she was before her accident.  We celebrated by going out for some great Texas barbeque and some cold beer.  The barbeque was tender sliced beef brisket with a very tangy sauce.  It was a good cap on our day.

By Christine:  Well, as you've been reading I've been slowly getting back on the motorcycle.  The class today was a positive because it allows one to practice cornering, stopping, and swerving techniques in a safe area without having to worry about other drivers.  I'm not making any promises but I think I'm doing pretty well and I'm on my way back to enjoying the sport of motorcycling.  

Continue onto June 17, 2002...