Chicken N Pickle and Biking in Texas

We decided (largely because of the eclipse) to winter this year in Texas. We left New Mexico just after Thanksgiving with plans to visit the hill country for December then head over to the coast where we spent the rest of the winter… And now we are preparing to head back north to Utah again after the eclipse.. But I’m getting ahead of myself (Easy to do, when I’m so far behind!)

Our first stop on the Texas winter tour was Kerrville, where we stayed (and suffered cedar fever – read that post here) two years ago. But it is a lovely park, with a lovely pickleball group, and with Tim and Paula in the neighborhood we were glad to spend December there again and spend Christmas again with Tim and Paula.

WWII WASP Museum – Sweetwater, Texas

Just a  quick shout out here for the WASP Museum in Sweetwater, Texas, This was a gem!  I had not even been aware of the WASP program in WWII.. In fact the truth had been hidden from all Americans until the Carter administration. Over 1000 women were trained and flew for the US Military, but when the war was over they were denied recognition from the government, and it wasn’t until 1977 that they were given US Military status.   The museum is on the airfield where the Wasps trained and if free admission.  They are now a Harvest Host site, so we stayed there for the night..  Definitely worth the mention.  Now back to the main story.

Pickleball at Buckhorn Lake

In Kerrville, we love the RV park (Buckhorn Lake RV Resort) and that is why we came back.  They have a lot of activities, game nights, trivia nights, potlucks, etc.  Another aspect we love is their Pickleball community.  They have beautiful courts and a great group of people that play.  We were excited to get back there and play with some folks we remember from two years ago.

Chicken N Pickle – San Antonio, Texas

This year we met some new friends, Jon and Laura Zeliff.  Totally appreciate these like minded folks.  She is a game player, they play pickleball, and we share our full-time lifestyle and philosophy.  What a blessing to have met them (as with all the good folks we meet on the road). 

I had been curious to go to a Chicken N Pickle, the pickleball playing, chicken serving, venues that are popping up all over the country.  Jon and Laura asked us (and some other friends LuAnn and Chief) to go with them.  I jumped on it. 

It was super fun.  Two hours, indoor courts with dining service at the court, outdoor firepits, cornhole and other yard games.  Fun place.  We did chose not to eat at the court, but instead went to the restaurant.  Highly recommend the Chicken, even if you don’t play pickleball! 

Bike trails

Kerrville Riverwalk

Kerrville has a beautiful river walk / bike trail which Mike and I hit one day… Thought we’d do it again, but didn’t.  It’s about 6 miles one way and very pleasant.

San Antonio Missions Trail

Another trail I had wanted to ride (when we were here two years ago) is the San Antonio Missions  rails to trails bike and hike trail. 

The Hike & Bike Trail along the San Antonio River connects all five missions in San Antonio: The Alamo, Mission Concepcion, Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan, and Mission Espada. Each mission is about 2.5 miles from the next. This time we got it done.. well at least half of it.. the more interesting half.. The half with the missions. 

The mission trail extends 15 miles along the river from the San Antonio Zoo to Missions National Historic Park on the south.  The mid-point is at Mission Concepcion.  We parked there.  The trails south of there goes by 3 other missions, so we stopped at each one, each with their own style. Very interesting. 

The trail North from Mission Concepcion follows the river through the heart of San Antonio, the riverwalk, and the Alamo.  I didn’t think riding in that mess sounded fun, so I was just as happy to ride the South end and back, and 16 miles round trip was plenty.  Beautiful ride, I highly recommend it!

Christmas, New Years, Caves, and Tim & Paula

Kerrville is also 30 miles from Fredericksburg, Texas, Where Tim and Paula Pugh live. We wasted no time visiting with them and getting our game on.. After all we have to keep playing Hand and Foot non-stop until the Girls soundly beat the boys, enough times that where is no question who are the superior players! Before the month was out we had switched to Mexican Train. They had a Double 15 set of dominos so we ended the month with a marathon double 15 game!

It was great to host our Christmas day and spend New Year’s eve with them at their home. Paula and I even got out with a couple of neighbors to do some caroling!  A rare treat, Thank you, Paula.

Natural Bridge Caverns – Ne Braunfels, Texas

Paula managed to score 4 free tickets off the radio to the Natural Bridge Caverns near us near New Braunfels. Of course we took her up on the offer to go! Similar to Carlsbad or other caves you may know. Touristy, but beautiful. A location we did not know was there, but will not soon forget!

B-AS Cattle Company – Seguin, Texas

We specifically chose NOT to stay in Kerrville the whole winter because of the Cedar Fever.  So New Years Day we pulled out.   Not a minute too early as we were already starting to suffer from the allergy.

In route, we stayed at a Harvest Host Wagyu Beef ranch… mmmm.  Bought a bunch of good beef, wished our freezer was bigger.

We landed in Lake Jackson, Texas, just south of Houston, where Mike had a job at a Bird Sanctuary. Super interesting and perhaps changed my perspective of birds. 😜 Guess that post is coming soon.