The Great State of Texas

Being a proud native Texan, it is only fitting that I visit a few places in my home state first on the trip.  Of course, one corner of Texas is nothing like another (It’s like a whole other country).   So I paused in Central Texas, which remains one of my favorite places on earth, and then went on to visit my family in the Petrolpolis of Midland-Odessa.

Yup, it's Longhorn country!

Central Texas is known for its rolling limestone hills that has been cow country for centuries but is rapidly giving way to the population explosion and the latest use of the land: vineyards.  It’s also known for the natural spring-fed swimming holes that stay clear and cold due to the local geography.  We took full advantage of 2 of them over a long weekend.

Views from the side of the road

More views from the side of the road

I was unfortunately tied up with closing documents for my house most of Saturday morning (and part of Monday and part of Tuesday).  But I still had time to make it out to the Blue Hole in Wimberley with my friend Greg.  The water comes out of the ground at Jacobs Well a few miles upstream and we learned that spot has become so popular that it takes reservations.  The Blue Hole was a low-key place to swim, sunbathe and take advantage of the two rope swings tied up high in the century-old cypress trees.  It was also conveniently close to the Salt Lick, which is some of the best BBQ in the country, second to Franklins.  You easterners can keep your pork BBQ – central TX BBQ is the good stuff!  I was pleasantly surprised that the Salt Lick has grown an appendix that sells alcohol to supplement the BYOB restaurant.  We waited for a table with hundreds of other customers who had made the drive for BBQ, listening to live music, tasting local vintners wares and talking on the huge patio lit up under ancient live oak trees.

A gift of nature maintained by Wimberley

The Blue Hole was full of families on Saturday

Greg and I had a great time

Plenty of spots for sunning

Next stop was Garner State Park, home of the Frio river.  The place was packed, probably from 100 degree heat in the cities and the pent up demand over the last few years of drought.  It’s amazing how good 95 degree weather can feel when you’re sitting/swimming/swinging into cold, clear water.  It also offered some amazing views from the short hikes up the limestone hills.  I was impressed by preparedness of the families with flotillas of tubes that kept the folks in the river supplied with music and beer.  The campsites were also very elaborate!

If you look closely, you'll see the right
side of the Frio River is lined with
rope swings north of the dam

Lunch under some Live Oaks in the park

Views from the Crystal Cave Trail – you can see the Old Baldy trail up the side of the hill in the middle of the picture and the Frio river running below it.

Swinging back through Austin, I got to have dinner with some of my cousins.  We really do have a great family full of smart, strong women and I love them!

Then it was on to West Texas to stay with my grandparents and catch up with my aunt and uncle.  Odessa was a break from everything, including the internet!  It’s been a long time since I haven’t been able to surf the web at a moment’s whim.  I almost didn't know how to function.

My grandparenets with the cake
baked by Opa and the artwork
painted by Grandmother

My WWII veteran grandad baked a beautiful and delicious cake for my birthday – oldfashioned raspberry layer cake.  And my Aunt Jo and Uncle Jeff took me out to a sweet little Italian joint in downtown Midland.   Between dinners, errands and Meals on Wheels tours I got to see the wide, dusty streets of Odessa and Midland.  

It’s clear the boom has come and left again.  New buildings and neighborhoods are everywhere.  But the laydown yards are also full of equipment waiting to be used.   The flat landscape offers full views from the highway of the plentiful pumpjacks sucking the last little bit of oil they can from the ground.  It was a very peaceful few days spent catching up with family, playing cards and eating.  There was even a small home improvement project. 

Pumpjacks as far as the eye can see

Rigs stacked up along the road, just waiting for the next boom

Next stop:  Crested Butte, Colorado!