Twisty, Curvy Roads

The Plaza in Downtown Round Rock After riding around on the scooter Sunday, Max and I decided to take a walk around downtown Round Rock. Round Rock dates back to 1851. What I call "downtown" is actually "New Town". Originally, Round Rock was about a half-mile away. When the railroad came in 1876, the town moved closer to the tracks. After that, the original location became known as "Old Town", and the new location was called, appropriately enough, "New Town".  Most of the buildings are single story and were built of limestone in the late 1800's. Main Avenue is only slightly over two blocks.Max and I strolled the length of the street enjoying our Sunday afternoon. There is a lot of history along this street and most of the buildings have a plaque posted that tells when the building was built and what businesses have been located there.  Today almost half of the businesses are bars or restaurants.  There is also a tattoo parlor and a fe...

Today was a beautiful Fall Sunday and Max and I wanted to get out of the house. So we climbed onto the motor scooter for a short tour around Round Rock. Brushy Creek at Memorial Park With no particular destination or route in mine, we soon found ourselves at Memorial Park where we stopped to enjoy a few moments of the perfect day. Luckily I had remembered to bring my phone and was able to snap this photo from the low water crossing where N. Lee Street crosses Brushy Creek.  After leaving the park, we wandered around through one of the older neighborhoods. The neighborhood is primarily Mexican American and many of the homes are a bit ramshackle. But it has always been an interesting neighborhood.  As you drive through you often see entire multi-generational families on their porches or gathered in the yard for a family barbeque. Almost every third or fourth lot now has a commercial "For Sale" sign and within a short time, this neighborhood will not longer exist. It wi...

I spent the night parked in a rest area beside the Rio Grande Gorge, only a few miles from Taos, New Mexico. When I opened the Casita door the next morning, this is what I saw.  The far mountains belong to the Sangre de Cristo range. This was facing east, roughly toward Taos, and you can see the flare from the morning sun along the upper left side of the photograph.  What you cannot see in the photograph is the unbelievable scent of the high desert and how the cool desert air felt upon my face. This was truly one of those transcendental moments where all of the disparate elements of the Universe seem to coalesce into one harmonious and perfect whole. Looking over the edge of the gorge. Rio Grande is far below. Another thing you cannot tell from the photograph is that only a hundred or so yards away, the flat desert terrain is sliced open by a huge gash cut by the Rio Grande on it's way to the Gulf of Mexico.  The day before, I had been driving along...

The My camp on Lake Ouichita Ended up spending two nights in arkansas. Stopped at a camp on Lake Ouichita Friday night. Right on the water but pretty crowded. Got up yesterday morning and drove to Mena, Arkansas. Mena has a population of slightly over 5000. Nice enough little town and seems to have all of the basics. Highlight was a scenic drive along ridge of the mountains that stretch from Mena into Oklahoma. Lots of pull offs with wonderful views. On the way back I took highway 63 which runs along the valley to the south of the skyline drive. Very nice country. I was surprised that there was almost no traffic. I did not see more than a double handful of cars on the entire tour if I exclude those in the towns. I stopped at a Subway back in Mena and decided upon where to head next. Spoke with Julie on the phone and she encouraged me to take an extra day or so before returning to Round Rock. Using my gps on my phone, I spotted a route that headed south throug...

(The day after Thanksgiving, 2014)   Click here to listen to this post Max There are times that the words that I want will not come to me.  Thanksgiving is my favorite day of the year, and this year, in particular, has been filled with people and experiences for which I am especially grateful. This morning I sat down to write exactly why I feel that way..., but the words simply refuse to flow.    Perhaps it is because there is so much for which to be thankful that I can not begin to sort it out. Should I start with the sheer thrill of walking out of the door each morning into another beautiful Texas day? Are there any words that would express the joy of reuniting with my long lost cousins Glenn and Jane, and meeting their families? What about the trips I took with my sons and getting to spend some time with my grandchildren, Alise, Momo, and Zilker? Or do I begin with the excellent Thanksgiving meal that I enjoyed yesterday with dear friends Roger, Carolyn, ...

The star marks our campsite. Wellington Lake shows near the bottom left. Exploring Forest Road 550 Found a great campsite for tonight. We are somewhere off of hwy 67 north of Woodland Park and south of Deckers. I unhitched the Casita and drove off to explore father down the forest road. Lots of snow and ice but I could see that others had passed so was not too worried. Never the less, having four wheel drive was a comfort. Ended up at Wellington Lake, a pretty large body of water that was frozen solid. I would not want to go onto the ice - not that solid! Frozen Wellington Lake Back to camp now and time to let Max out to explore, then feed him and myself. I may practice my ukulele a bit before turning in. It is only 5:53 Texas time. Much too early to hit the sack. I miss having internet big time. The coordinates for this campsite are: N 39.34488 and W 105.27187. I can always get back if I don't loose them! Well just finished a delicious dinner of boiled fra...

(Feb. 2014 - Trip to see Alise) Forest road 550 was where I left hwy 67. Slept well, warmer either because I had the thermostat higher or because t he blanket of snow that fell d uring the night help to insulate the Casita. It we as 3 degrees outside this morning. Beautiful snow covering everything! Sent from my stupid iPad! my iPad