Places Visited:

Texas: Vanderpool, Leaky, Rio Frio

April 20, 2007.

We are staying in Kerrville at Kerrville Schreiner City Park that was formerly Kerrville Schreiner State Park. $15 per-night for FHU plus a $5 per-day entrance fee (but you can purchase an annual pass for $25 which we did). Kerrville Schreiner is located within the city limits on the Guadalupe River and has everything one could want in the way of Hill Country Ambiance. With that said there are probably 12-RV-Parks in Kerrville that are very nice plus they have good location as well. Many of these private parks are located on the Guadalupe River as well.

The Texas Hill Country around Medina, Vanderpool, Tarpley, Bandera, Kerrville, Hunt, Mountain Home etc., is overrun with deer. These are axis deer that have escaped from game ranches in the area. Thousands upon thousands are running wild. This is a herd we saw from the highway a few miles from Medina. This is not uncommon at all. Whitetail deer are thick as flies but we never see this many together. The male axis will have an exceptionally large rack.

These are fallow deer. The males are supposed to have impressive racks and are much sought after by hunters. I am not able to identify a male fallow deer ----- that might be because I have not spotted one. Who knows.

This tom turkey was strutting his stuff through the Texas underbrush in an effort to impress an out of sight female. We watched this time honored ritual for several minutes but never spotted the elusive female. This tom sure put on a show with his flared tail and strutting.

Deer like these whitetail are everywhere. We never seem to get used to how many deer we see in this area especially in broad daylight.

This is a group of bikers on the road from Medina to Vanderpool. Bikers, such as these, are a common sight as they ride through the Hill Country scenic areas . The drive between Medina through Vanderpool and over to Leakey is considered one of the better scenic drives in the Hill Country. I can't disagree. We have friends that live off this road near Vanderpool and we are driving out to their place.

This is what the Hill Country of Texas is all about. This "big-hill" is a few miles east of our friends place on the Medina to Vanderpool road. We are on our way to visit them.

This was taken on the road between Medina and Vanderpool to give you an idea of what the "Hill Country" looks like.

At our friends home we sat on the front porch and watched humming birds. Most of the humming birds in this area are ruby throated, as these are. Unfortunately the sun was not striking these at the right angle to showcase their ruby throat.

As lunch time approached it was time for us to head to the local place which happens to be the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum. It is owned by friends of our friends. The man who owns the museum happens to be from Australia and has a funny accent as you might expect. A real nice chap --- eh!

Ah, but I told you we were going to lunch not a motorcycle museum. Well, it seems that visitors to the museum kept wanting food so the owner's wife started a small restaurant in the back corner of the museum. They do hamburgers and such then throw in some home made soups and Ausie pies. The Ausie pies are something the Aussie gets in on. He makes the dough and she makes the fillings. They have about 6-different kinds of meat fillings. With that dough it probably wouldn't matter what you put in for a filling --------------- on the other hand it might matter. Anyway, the dough is great and the filling is great also. Too bad I only had room for one pie. If you are ever in the Vanderpool area stop in and tell the chap I sent ya. Tell them you want an Aussie meat pie.

The two girls in this picture were trying to pick up one of those burly bikers -------- too bad, they had to settle for me and Al. VBG

Joyce took this picture as some of the bikers left the Motorcycle Museum (and Aussie Restaurant) and continued on their scenic drive through the Hill Country.

We did not tour the Motorcycle Museum but these were part of the display visible from our dining table. The bikers sure like walking through the museum. We heard many exciting comments while we ate.

This is the parking lot at the Motorcycle Museum. Contrary to the impression in this picture all visitors aren't riding bikes.

From Vanderpool we went sightseeing with Al driving us through the scenic backroads of the Hill Country. In Leakey, pronounced Lakey, we pulled into this place -------- no not for deer corn, we were stopping for cold drinks. It is a drive-thru beverage store but the sweet young thing will throw a 50-pound bag of deer corn in the back of your truck. Forget the trunk, not much pulls through that door other than pick up trucks, and most of them are duallies. Real men drive duallys out here. If you gotta ask what a dually is go straight to the back of the line and stand there with your golf club.

My my! Look what is heading to the hog pen!

Sometimes I see humor when I shouldn't. Joyce tells me that even if it is funny I should keep my mouth shut, bite my tongue, and look the other way.

Sometimes, I don't take her advice. VBG

In Rio Frio, a small community 6-miles south of Leakey, we stopped to admire this champion escarpment live oak. It is the champion escarpment live oak in Texas ---- possibly anywhere, but I do not know that. The big oak at Goose Island is a Texas Live Oak and is a bit larger than this one making this oak the 2nd largest live oak in Texas.

This is another picture of that champion escarpment live oak from a different angle. It was on private property and only visible from the road.

Al took a picture of Joyce and me beside this beautiful cypress tree on the Rio Frio River at a river crossing near Concan. You see the river (Rio Frio) flowing across the road/bridge (if you want to call it that) behind us. The river flows over the bridge which as been constructed of concrete and is pretty level going across the river so that only a few inches of water flows across at any one point in the crossing. You don't cross at this spot if the river is up!

Dah! as the teen agers would say.

A good many river crossings are constructed in this manner out here where traffic is scarse and the traditional type of river crossing (as in bridge) would be washed away in one of the flash floods that ravage this region from time to time. With this construction method the dangerous high water just flows over the bridge then everything returns to normal when the water recedes, usually within a few hours.

This is another look at that same river crossing from another angle. During most of the year it looks like this or even has less water flowing across the road. Vehicles slow down and drive across the bridge like it was a mud puddle.

This is a group of kayakers enjoying a day on the Rio Frio River near Concan. Joyce took this picture from one of those river crossings.

This is another river scene from the Hill Country unfortunately I can not remember if this was the Sabanal or the Rio Frio or possibly the Guadalupe. They all look similar, with large cypress trees lining the bank.

You have to drive carefully around here. In the late afternoon and early evening whitetail deer are everywhere, they are dangerous. It looks like all 5 of these are contemplating suicide by automobile. While it looks like we took this picture in the dark is was in the late afternoon and not nearly as dark as this picture makes it look. We had plenty of light to see these deer with our naked eye.

Antelope, probably black buck. Most in this area are black buck because they are the ones with the screw type horns that hunters like. Around here they work at having animals that hunters want to shoot. It is big business in this area.

Until next time remember how good life is.

Mike & Joyce Hendrix