Roadtrip – Ingram, Leakey, Castroville and Round Rock

Last day of our mini vacation and we were eating breakfast in our hotel and noticed an unusual site right next to where we were staying and we decided to check it out.  Stonehenge II is a superb example of a folly which was done as something to do rather than a great noble purpose.

Built in the early 90’s they were originally up the road in Hunt, Texas but were moved recently to their current site and reconstructed in 2012 to their current glory.  The site is largely a 2/3 scale model of Stonehenge.  It is not meant as a replica but more of a homage and is not set to the cycles of the sun or anything like that.

Beside the Stonehenge are two Easter Island head or Moai.  The fact that two guys just decided to build something like this is terrific and a real legacy for folks to leave behind.

After that visit we pull out of the car park and decided on a whim to go left instead of right and see where it took us.  It was a stunning drive on that road but we didn’t realise that the next town was a pretty considerable distance away.  We drove through the Texas hills for quite some time and the vistas were incredible.

Along the way we stopped off at a tiny little spot called Mystic Crossing which had an impressive stone boulder which we went and took some pictures of.  The views were superb and it was nice to stop on a whim to see the countryside.  We know very little about this spot but it was gorgeous as a spot to visit and there was no-one else around as we took the pictures.

Carrying on along the road the next town was not for another 48 miles and as our GPS and phones could get no signal we had no idea if we were headed in the direction of home or not (to be clear – we weren’t).  We drove on and came across the town of Leaky which is deep in the Hill country and has a real biker feel to it.  The Lone Star motorcycle museum (which was closed when we were there) is just along the way in Vanderpool so it looks like this is a spot for the bikers.  This was fine and we needed fuel so we stopped in and fuelled the car and ourselves at a biker bar called the Hog Pen.  It was a little rough and ready looking but it was clean and the guys there were very friendly.  It had loads of Biking memorabilia and a fair share of bikes including a Harley in the middle of the bar.

We had  Brisket plate and a Brisket sandwich with drinks and were about $24 with tip so not too bad.  we also got advice on how to get back.  We had a fair journey ahead of us though.  Leaky was a nice little town with a real ye olde feel to some of the buildings as you’ll see in teh gallery below.

Having refueled we headed out south in order to make our way home.  We were 18 miles till the main highway then when we eventually got signal back we were still 74 miles from San Antonio!!  So a detour of almost 150 miles because we decided to turn left instead of right but ultimately worth it as it was a spectacular drive through the Texas Hill Country.

On the way back we stopped off in Castroville which was an interesting change as it was an Alsace town after our German exploits it was a little strange.  We stopped off in a Bakery called Haby’s for some pastries and donuts to take home to the kids.  It was very Alsatian in it’s feel and the food was nice.

Then is was just the small matter of the 100 odd mile journey from San Antonio to Round Rock.  A big round trip (250-275 miles in one day) but great fun and we got to see so much of Texas without our young ones asking – Are we there yet?  Constantly.

We may do more of these trips!

Fredericksburg, Texas

Our second day without the kids and we made the trip from Kerrville up to Fredericksburg.  It was bitterly cold in the morning but the afternoon brought sunshine and a thaw.  It’s about 22 miles from our hotel in Kerrville up to Fredericksburg and it was worth the journey.

The place was beautiful but before we got started going through the shops we wanted some brunch.  We checked yelp again and came across the Sunset Grill.  It is only open till 2pm and serves only breakfast and lunch.  It was highly recommended and we saw why.  Some great food.  I had the Big Ass Sandwich which was a Cheese, Egg and bacon ensemble which is well worth trying.

Fredericksburg is an old German settlement in Texas and still has a very strong Germanic influence.  Lots of German food in the restaurants but the shopping was the big thing for us (well for carol).  Art galleries, gifts, unusual furniture and decor ideas line the whole street and there are many, many of them.  We were looking round for about 4.5 hrs and we didn’t visit everyone.

There were also many tourist places to visit.  The National Museum of the Pacific War is here and is based in an excellent old house which is shaped like a steam ship.

It was between Christmas and New year so the Christmas decor and feel of the town was still in place and we got to see the fabulous Christmas displayed which also have a strong Germanic appeal.  The Christmas windmill which moves round with the wind was excellent looking as you can see from my big thumbs up.

Lots of excellent things to see and do.  Well worth a visit.

Kerrville, Texas

This was an unusual trip as it did not involve the kiddos. We headed down from Round Rock to Kerrville (about 2hr drive) for a two night stay at the Inn of the Hills resort as we had the mother in law in town to look after Ben and Sophie.

The drive down was pretty uneventful and we arrived in Kerrville about 3pm. We had not eaten lunch and as a lot of places were closed we ended up eating in Popeyes (we’re not proud of it but we were hungry). The place itself was very similar to a lot of smaller towns we’ve come across in Texas thus far – lots of places closed but a plethora of antique malls, art galleries and fancy gift stores. Carol loves those stores so we do well but it’s a concern that the main streets of the smaller towns are dying out.

This town is the former home of Johnny Manziel (the former Aggies QB and the current Cleveland Browns QB) so it had a little claim to fame.

We ended up buying a few items in the antique mall there for sending back to Scotland but it was a quiet day before we checked into the hotel.

The Inn of the hills resort seems to be a pretty decent place in the summer if a little limited in the winter time. There are two pools (one in the resort and the other on the Guadalupe river nearby) and a couple of tennis courts but it was too cold to swim and the tennis courts had the nets removed as it was winter. The place was pretty quiet and the only thing I would properly criticize about the stay was the fact they put us in a room at the back of the hotel facing the glorious site of a flight of stairs…there was not a lot of pretty views but we scored the worst one. Anyway the hotel itself was clean and comfortable. The staff were friendly and helpful. We headed to dinner that night in the restaurant there. There was a Prime Rib buffet on that night but it was pretty pricey at $24.95 (especially as we had eaten our lunch late) so we opted for the a la carte menu. The food was decent and the waitress was very friendly (even if she never did bring us the wine list we asked for).

After dinner (which for the two of us minus wine was only about $35 including tip) we walked through the hotel to the attached pub. This was a highlight as it was a cowboy bar and the hats were everywhere. They had a live band (Felix Truvere) on and they were playing Country covers which was actually quite fun. Interestingly as the night went on the clientele got younger. The older cowboys at the beginning of the night gave way to the younger college students but everyone was very friendly and we even had one cowboy ask me if he could ask ‘my girl’ to dance. Carol was a little lost in the waltzing etc that was taking place (they all seemed to have a grasp of the steps!) but these guys would be lost in a Gay Gordons back home at a ceilidh so I could accept this :-). The band were great and had a good mix of older numbers with contemporary country numbers and Felix himself was very enthusiastic even if he did have a habit of yelling ‘awwright!’ after every song which was kinda funny in a Matthew McConaughey way!

We left the bar around 11pm as it was getting pretty busy and we had had a long day but the atmosphere in there was superb and exactly what I had thought a cowboy bar would be like. recommended for a good night out.

We spent two nights at the hotel and ate out the following night at the Soaring Dragon chinese restaurant which was very reasonable and the food was pretty good.  I’d go there again.  Portions were pretty big (certainly enough for us!) and we came away with a bill of less than $40 including a couple of beers which is very nice.

All in all it was a decent stay in Kerrville and we went for a little time away whilst we could and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Austin’s Park, Austin, tx

My Mother in law just hit town and we were looking for some place to take her for the first day trip.  I’d never been to Austin’s Park but Carol and the kids had been before.  it’s an interesting set up!

It seemed a little pricey at $24.95 per person but when you take into account that includes all you can eat all day and access to the attractions it becomes much nicer as an option.  The 5 of us headed in around 12 and i was expecting a couple of hours then home.  It did not really work out like that.

We started with lunch which is not exactly superb quality but as a thing to eat it was fine and really just there are fuel for the day.  The unlimited buffet had tacos, pizza, salad and Pasta as well as some desert items such as custard and the interesting chocolate pizza.  Nothing offensive there if it was just standard buffet fayre.

After eating we headed out to the GoKarts which were great fun.  there are a few options with the Gokarts depending on ability and size etc.  They even have 2 person go-karts for the kids who are perhaps a little small for the main ones.  Sophie is 9 and she came on with me in the bigger Go-Karts but they had smaller Karts on another track for the smaller kids.  The rule is not bumping – this is GoKarts not bumper karts…unfortunately as the day went on the number of adults who seemed to miss this became more and more.  During the day it was great but later in the day we encountered a few idiotic yahoos who thought it was perfectly acceptable to crash at 15 mphs into a dad and kid on the track…one particular guy was very lucky he walked away quickly when we finished the gokarts as he got a mouthful from me on the track!  Worst thing was we were not dealing with teenagers but a guy older than me!!  Anyway apart from those guys who appeared late on in the day it was tremendous fun.

After Gokarts we headed to the Bumper boats which were fantastic…each boat has a control (although it’s not the most responsive!) and a gun which shoots out water.  We were pretty much the only ones on the boats at this time and the kids took great delight in soaking their grandmother and dad!

Then Sophie went onto the small rollercoaster whilst Ben and I went and sources putters for the mini golf.  the mini golf was great as each hole had slightly different obstacles and a game spinner which put other items in your way as you went round.  Nice and not just putting which kept everyone involved and excited.

All this excitement meant that we were now getting hungry again and we popped in for more food before heading to the lazer tag.  That was also great fun…we played as a team against a team of cheating 12 year olds and lost…mainly because the boys we were playing against had obviously played before and had put their coats over the sensors!!  😉

After that we were off to the batting cages.  Now you do have to pay more for this ($1 for 12 balls) but that makes sense so that people don’t just stay in there all day.  It was my first attempt at the batting cages and whilst it was on medium speed i was thinking I was Babe Ruth…then I moved to fast ball and realized I was rank rotten!

We had another go on the gokarts later in the day then bought some arcade cards for the kids and they went in and played for another hour or so…8 hours after we arrived we were headed home…exhausted but happy!

It’s not something I would do everyday but as an annual treat it was pretty good fun and the kids loved it.

Elgin Christmas Tree farm, Elgin, Texas

This is our second year for Christmas in the US and we’ve upheld our first tradition by making our second annual pilgrimage to Elgin to get our family Christmas tree!  It’s not a long journey by any stretch of the imagination  but it makes for a nice day out.

It takes about 25-30 minutes to drive from Round rock to Elgin Christmas Tree farm and from there you can choose your own tree.  Prices are reasonable and you get a free hayride to get out to the trees.  Sophie wanted to buy the tiny ‘Charlie Brown’ like tree on the right but we ended up buying one just under 6ft high (priced around $50).  It’s pretty cool because when you buy them they are put in an automatic shaker to make sure any small animals or bugs are out of the tree.  the kids said it was to make sure we did not end up with any talking chipmunks!

Once you pick the nicest tree you are given a saw and you cut it down yourself. The kids took a go each then I finished off.

After we collected the tree and wrapped it all up we paid and then it was time to strap it to the car.  The farm gives you plenty of string and we just lashed it to the rooftop to get it home.  We most likely used way too much string but better that than it flying off on the road home!

This made for such a good day and a good kick off to the Christmas period.  Out other piece of new tradition was grabbing some lunch in Elgin.  We have been to SouthSide BBQ twice now and the food is excellent.  We had the food then headed home.  A nice little day out and a nice new tradition for us as a family.

Now all we had to do was decorate the tree!