Family, Food, Favorites and Fun

(2024 Heartland Ep 4)

Our journey shifted to the five weeks between the Texas and Ohio Cedarbrook camps. We traveled through the American heartland and took time to do important things close to our hearts.

Visiting Family in Boerne

We headed west to Boerne, a small town about 30 minutes from San Antonio. There, we would visit Jim and Bobbi, my brother and his wife, and Dawn, our niece. 

It was good to catch up on life since our last visit two years ago.

We camped nearby at Guadalupe River State Park.  The river snakes 230 miles from the Texas Hill Country near Boerne to the Gulf of Mexico.  In the park, there are swift flowing rapids and calm water stretches surrounded by steep limestone bluffs. 

^{_{Images from Guadalupe River State Park}}

Seeking relief from the relentless Texas heat, people waded and swam in the cool water. Nearby, twisted cypress trees grew along both sides of the river.

Revisiting Favorites

My brother and wife used to own a B&B and wine tour business in nearby Fredericksburg, so we’ve visited the area numerous times.  We returned to some of our favorite places:

Old Tunnel State Park – millions of Mexican freetail bats live in an abandoned railroad tunnel between Fredericksburg and Comfort. They exit each summer evening to consume millions of insects.   From a viewing area at the top of a hill, we hiked down to see the tunnel. Inside, there were hundreds of bats flying about in the tunnel, presumably getting ready for their evening flight.

Alamo Springs Cafe – we were disappointed the restaurant adjacent to the tunnel was closed that day. We were craving the best jalapeno burgers in Texas (so we think). We considered driving to Llano, north of Fredericksburg, for amazing Texas BBQ at Cooper’s Old-Time Pit Bar-B-Que, but the round trip was more than 100 miles and our time was short.

So, at the enthusiastic recommendation of a friend, we tried Mary’s Tacos in Boerne. Mary’s street tacos are amazingly fresh and delicious.

We now have a new restaurant to revisit on our next Texas visit.

Rustlin’ Robs – a visit to Fredericksburg wouldn’t be complete without grazing RR’s free samples of jellies, salsas and sauces spooned on little crackers.

There’s lots more to see and do in the area, but this is all we had time for this time around.

More Family Visits

Our next stop would be near Tulsa, Oklahoma for a visit with Pat’s cousins and their families. We haven’t seen them for more than 20 years,

We continued north to the Kansas City area to visit Pat’s aunt and uncle, whom we saw last year on our trip to Alaska.  Married more than 71 years, they have an enduring testimony.

_{Visits with Pat’s cousins and families in Claremore, OK and Pat’s Aunt and Uncle in Shawnee, Kansas}

We try to make reconnecting with family a priority.  Each visit has proven to be an incredible blessing to us both!

Harvest Hosts – Camping in the Heartland  

We often stop at Harvest Hosts locations during our travels.  Hosts are homeowners, farms, vineyards, churches, museums and more that make their properties available for travelers to camp overnight, often free or for a small fee. 

_{Various Harvest Hosts we have stopped at during our Heartland travels}

We’ve stayed on dairy farms, vineyards, several museums and even a flower farm!  Gracious homeowners have allowed us to stay on their properties, where we enjoyed getting to know each other.

A couple hours north of Kansas City, we stopped at one HH location in Missouri, where we visited with hosts Ken and Robin for nearly two hours.  We learned we have much in common as Christ-followers and RVers, and enjoyed Robin’s fresh cookies as we learned about interesting things to do in the area.

Mail Delivery Across the West

At their suggestion, we detoured the next morning to St Joseph, MO, location of the Pony Express Museum and starting point of the Pony Express.   Starting in April 1860, Pony Express riders carried mail nearly 2000 miles from St Joseph to Sacramento, California.  They exchanged horses at relay stations every 10-15 miles and new riders took over every 75-100 miles.    Mail could be delivered in 10 days for $5, a considerable price at that time.

A bold and storied part of the American past, the Pony Express existed for only 18 months – it was replaced by the telegraph.

Quick RabbiTRAILS

As we drove America’s heartland, there were plenty of interesting stops.  Here are a few:     

Next Week

We visit Des Moines, Iowa, in the heart of the heartland.