Tee EATS TEXAS....or - the Long and Winding Road Trip

[Keymaster]

Super trip Tee, Thanks for sharing. I'd get a soar neck driving around them parts with the sideways stop lights and all

[teesquare]

I thank every one of you for the kind words! I am glad you like the pics and my goofy commentary ( the story about Cooper's is true tho - I promise )
So...we are going up the toad to the Enchanted Rock - and this fellow was still shaking his tail, tho he had been just grazed by a car-


So - I told you I am using a new camera on this trip - I did not carry a tripod, and I wanted t see how good the zoom/lens/image stabilization  work. This shot is taken at full-wide on the lens which is 25mm - f-stop on this lens is 2.8 for the full range of zoom.

And here it is zoomed in at 600mm

Enchanted Rock is the 2nd largest exposed mass of granite in N. America. It is an interesting color too.

Do you see the rock climbers?

The sun was getting low on the horizon when we left Enchanted Rock. Best time of day to watch for wildlife. Sorry this one is so fuzzy - I barely saw these guys while driving @ about 60 mph. Look closely, and you can see the antlers on the buck. In less than 8 miles we saw 20-30 deer, a chaparral ( road runner ), wild feral hog, rattlesnake quail, dove, and the ubiquitous Texas Longhorn.



Then - Pork Chop here -ambles acros the road as if we were not bearing down on him swiftly.


Guess he was thirsty and headed for the nearest bar creek

Prickly Pears were a favorite treat for me as a kid. If you live where you can get some - you you know what I mean. A little lime juice squeezed on them....

Back to Frediricksburg....


There was this big nite light that kept waking me up...so I went outside, leaned up against a post and took it's picture

Next stop - San Antonio!

[drholly]

Keep 'em coming, T!

[veryolddog]

Those little old Texas towns really have been kept up and look good. They bring back memories of a time gone by.

Ed

[teesquare]

San Antonio! Most noted for the Alamo, and the Riverwalk. And - my wife had not been to San Antone - and it had been so long since I had - we just went "tourist".
So we hit The Market first- The Market is a collection of shops that are owned or run by folks from Mexico ( for the most part - tho I do not know if this is still completely true)






An Onyx floor in this shop that sells..what else - Onyx!


Enough trinkets - I am hungry, and one of the most famous Mexican restaurants in S.A. - Mi Tierra is in The Market



Conchas!!!


Oh man..the pastries!!!



O.K. - time for our lunch!





This restaurant is sort of like a history museum of the Mariachi






Hot...tired...Let's head for the Menger Hotel.

[teesquare]

The Menger opened it's doors to travelers and diners in 1859. (I discovered that  the jokes about the ghosts moaning in the rooms mostly come form the moaning of the plumbing - I think it is original... )
It is a "Grand" hotel in every sense of the word. It is easy to imagine the rich and famous of by gone era such as Theodore Roosevelt, Sam Houston, Babe Ruth - and my favorite...Mae West ... soaking up the luxury that the Menger offered them. Surprising ly - the hotel restaurant was top notch. Most are not, but the food at the Menger was not over the top in price - tho it was in quality!


The courtyard view from our room.
The rooms were on the small side - but, well kept. And - you only sleep in your room after all. So, let's explore the hotel...
















Ever see the movie - "Giant" ( 1956) w/ Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean?
This painting was featured in a major scene of the movie -

***THIS is for The Turtle....This is the bar in the Menger. It is where Teddy Roosevelt held court, and recruited the Rough Riders.

Where to have dinner? Well - we tried the restaurant. And what a lucky choice it was! Beautiful architecture throughout the hotel and restaurant too.


Well...she looks happy - and tired
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The shrimp and crag cocktail was so incredible - I had to give it 2 shots. without flash - and with flash


Got to go to bed...had some good Texas wine with dinner - and lots of walking tomorrow!

[Scallywag]

Great post Tee! Thanks for sharing!

[Ka Honu]

Thanks.  The bar at the Menger is one of my favorites in the world and lunch at Mi Tierra is always fun.

[sliding_billy]

You had me at "pastries."    Did I ver mention I have a really long sweet tooth (actually a whole mouth full of them)?

[teesquare]

So... the Mrs. drags me out of bed  - Anxious to see the Alamo . It is nice that the Menger is about 100 yards from it. THen across the street from Alamo Plaza, you can enter the Riverwalk.
The real historical significance of the Alamo surpasses any movie made in Hollywood ( tho you can't beat John Wayne's movie about it ) so we went to the I-Max theater which is located immediately out the back door of the Menger lobby. I mean less than 50 paces! They show a documentary style film about the Alamo that was originally a PBS broadcast I think. A great primer...Then-




This plan view of the entire compound shows you the extent of what "The Alamo" was when the battle took place. Notice the small bog in the upper right corner? THAT is the the building that we associate with the Battle of the the Alamo. It is the Mission.

Look at the weird crosswalk. It has one "leg" that runs parallel with the street. That is because it is not a crosswalk. It is a marker showing where the southwest corner of the entire Alamo compound walls were. Look across the street at the old knee high rock wall. THAT is the original corner of the wall surrounding the compound. To the right of the rock wall - there are steps leading down to the Riverwalk.

I am standing in that southwest corner of the rock wall - looking back at the Alamo mission building. look at how far it is. It was a significant sized structure - huh?

Monument to the fallen at the Alamo



Peering into the gardens area around the Alamo










No pictures are allowed to be taken inside the Alamo - the artifacts therein are incredible. Jim Bowie's knife...Davy Crockett's rifle and buckskin vest....and many other very significant items.

[teesquare]

The Riverwalk, and boat ride were next on the agenda. If you have not been to San Antonio and enjoyed the Riverwalk area - you are missing out on what maybe America's smaller - but very enjoyable version of Venice. Highly recommended. Very tropical, lots fountains and flowing water, many good places to eat and drink ....




































Okay...hot, tired..THIRSTY.... Where to go? We step off the boat and POW! look at this sign! A siren song, that drug me up some long stators...tot eh FIRST bar to open - the very day that Prohibition ended! And they still make the the same old "speak-easy" cocktails. And...they also have a tequila menu with more than 40 different tequilas on it .






Deep fried pickled beets?? Really?? Gotta try those!

And...the barbacoa nachos....

And the Waygu filet mignon w/pink peppercorn and Texas Cab. Sav. wine reduction sauce....


Apparently - there has been no pressure to redecorate - or even re-paint since opening


Man....those steps again...and I don't even have a crash helmet and floaties in case aI "take the short-cut" - then bounce into the river..

Still a beautiful walk back to the hotel....


Goodbye old friend...I am gonna miss you... :'( :'( :'(


Alright, now hoof it back to the room for a nap


Dog's life...? No - would want this duck's life!






Sleep...then tomorrow - we head for the Holy Grail of BBQ....LOCKHART!

[teesquare]

After a pleasant conversation with the constabulary in the village of Martinale - which ended in a sizable contribution to their policeman's retirement fund.... ...We made it to Lockhart! A town of approx. 12,000 po. - yet home to 4 LARGE and well known (some say the best) BBQ joints in Texas. Smitty's, Blacks, Kreuz', and the Chisolm Trail. We ate at Smitty's, snacked at Kreuz' and stopped in Blacks. I was running late - so missed Chisolm Trail... next time tho...
The old court house is getting a facelift. A beautiful building - even tho the scaffolding is in our way -




Paint...uh no sir that's not paint..that is "seasoning".....those walls are "smoke preserved"

Who is that crazy looking guy..Oh sorry Don...


They gave us the grand tour of the working end of the house-










Oh...you want a fancy platter huh? This is TEXAS - HERE is your platter...







I have no idea...but it is growing on the walls - and I think it is bad juju ( nod to Sparky ) to mess with it.

More ceiling "smoke preservation"


Let's EAT!!!


Oh....their rub? It is an old family secret...called Salt and Pepper!

THe traditional drink with BBQ here...It is a Strawberry -Cream Soda.

So how much wood - would a Pitmaster chuck...if a Pitmaster could chuck wood...about 1 acre's worth...

This is one dedicated pit - for just the sausage



And this fellow is the butcher that makes all of the sausage. Straight brisket and boston butt. 85% beef, 15% pork. and the secret seasonings...




They make a few sausages huh?

Look at this brisket! Man - i wish I could get big, full packers like this out east!

Head for Blacks....they are just a block or two up the street.

[Hub]

What a wonderful set of posts!!!!!    Sure have enjoyed them 

I just gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta get back west of the big river, soon, and see some dead armadillers beside the road 

Hub

[teesquare]

Thanks Hub! More coming...hang on!

[teesquare]

Black's is up here somewhere...










Nice place - great reputation..but I am STUFFED....Let's head over to Kreuz'
But first...a moment in Texas history

Sheez...look at the size of this place!











Now - Kreuz's and Smitty's are the same family - as I understand it, when the "old man" died - the kids split - one kept the old location, but the other got the family name of the business ( Kreuz ) and went across town and built this behemoth of a place. The old location reverted to the name Smitty's.
At Kreuz - they have a larger menu - and they make a kraut that has bits of BBQ meat in it - and it is GREAT!


HEY SMOKE!!! This was a suit worn by Gene Autry. I ope they gave him something else to wear when they stripped the close off his back....
 


A big 'un!



Had to hit the H.E.B. one the way out of town....  BTW - we have a member here whose wife thiks that the store name is "Hebe"...I assure you - it is not HAHAHA!

Yep - you can get ea cheap barrel smoker at H.E.B. for $89!


So - we need to light a shuck for Nacodoches...go thru College Station of course