After a scenic drive down one of the farm roads near the RV park Joan
finished her Christmas baking by making some shortbread and baking it in the frying
pan. This was an unsuccessful experiment, so next year we will try a different
method. Our walk was again along the river to view the geese and swans.
When we got back to the trailer we set up our little Christmas tree, in preparation for
Dec 25.
Saturday morning we were awoken about 5:00 A.M. by a thunderstorm. It
continued off and on until almost 10:00 A.M. The sun then came out and the
temperature rose and we enjoyed another warm day. We walked around the municipal
park and campground, admiring the streams. The previously dry creek beds all of
a sudden where flowing rivers. The afternoon was spent played Wii.
Sunday morning we went to Cross Mountain. The hike to the top was not very
long, but steep. At the top the significance of the cross at the top was
explained. As it is the highest point in the area, the hill was used for signal fires
by the natives to warn of the advance of white settlers. One of the German settlers discovered a cross on the hill that had been erected by the Spanish when they first came through Texas. A new cross has been erected to commemorate this, and for many years Easter bonfires were lit on the top of the hill.
Monday we said goodbye to Fredericksburg, a place to which we would happily return.
Our next stop was Canyon Trail RV park in San Marcos. It is perfectly located
half way between Austin and San Antonio, as well as about a mile from two
Outlet malls. We booked one week, but will likely stay 2 weeks here, as the park
has everything we need. After getting set up we headed to the grocery store to
pick up a last few items before Christmas. Note to self, never go grocery
shopping on Dec 23.
Tuesday we decided that Camping World would be a quiet place to shop on Dec 24.
We were right, very quiet. They did not have everything we needed, but they did
have the weather station John wanted. He will put one sensor in the area where the water pump and lines run under the floor to keep on eye on how cold they get when the weather drops below freezing. On our way back to the RV park we stopped at Buc-ee's to fill the truck
up with diesel. What an operation they have, with about 60 pumps, all with diesel. The price is the cheapest we've seen
since we've been in the States. Joan went in to pre-pay and look around the in-station store. We came to the conclusion we could do much of our grocery
shopping there as they have fresh fruit and veg, and an amazing array of
groceries for sale.
After having a Christmas day Skype visit with Trev, Sue and kids we headed into
Austin to walk along Shoal Creek. We have been warned about the traffic on the freeways going into Austin, so figured Christmas Day would be quieter than most. Along the creek, we read about the history of Robert E. Lee having a troop here after the Mexican-American War, well before the civil war. After the war, Custer had an group here to control a ruffian element of ex-soldiers. Many of his soldiers died of cholera and
were buried in the flats by the river. Eventually the bodies where moved to a
army cemetery. The walk along the creek was very pleasant and we admired the
old architecture.
What a contrast to the buildings only a few blocks away in
downtown Austin. For example the Frost Bank Tower, the first sky scraper to be
built in the US after the 911.
On our way back to the RV park we drove by Hope
Outdoor Gallery, an amazing gallery of graffiti, done in an organized fashion.
After our Christmas dinner of stuffed Cornish game hen we had our Christmas
visit with Karen and Dominique via Skype.
On Thursday, we braved the Tangier Outlet Mall, to see what deals we could find, and after a couple of hours of wondering through stores, came home with several pairs of socks.
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