As we travelled down I-35 from Dallas we found ourselves at Waco, Texas. The RV park was OK & we planned about 3 or 4 days here. The only problem with it is that it is literally on the highway and the road noise is 24/7. Nonetheless with the TV on the noise is only a minor issue at night. (Post Script edit: I forgot that this park had free breakfast for short term stayers. Very nice eggs, bacon, snags, hashbrowns and more, all home cooked.)
First thing in the morning we learnt a new word, ‘graupel’. The step of the van, the car and the park itself is covered in graupel. Graupel is soft hail or snow pellets, it is precipitation that forms when supercooled water droplets are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes, forming 2–5 mm (0.08–0.20 in) balls of white ice. It was so cold I even tried on a coonskin cap like Davey Crockett used to wear (NOT as I previously thought, Daniel Boone).
Rugged up we shot off into Waco town ship which isn’t very big. Looking at the tourist brochures we could only see three things worth visiting and the first was the historic suspension bridge in town. You can read about the bridge in the photos. At the town end of the bridge is fantastic set of sculptures depicting a cattle drive across the bridge to head down the Chisolm Trail. Just take a good look at the detail in the statue of the leatherwork on the saddles, stirrups and the cowboys themselves. Outstanding.
The second point of interest will be recognised instantly by fans of the TV show “Fixer Upper”. We couldn’t visit Waco and not visit Joanna and Chip’s Magnolia complex. I must confess both Shane and I enjoy the show immensely but we were a little put off by the level of commercialism that seems to have overtaken this marketing phenomenon. The crowd was humungous and we were told it was quiet season. We couldn’t even get into the bakery part it was so crowded but at least we got to have a look. Sadly (but understandably) Chip & Joanna were nowhere to be seen.
The third thing in Waco was the Texas Ranger Museum. Every boy my age watched the Lone Ranger on TV and when you played cowboys and Indians it was Clay More and the Texas Rangers that saved the day. Even Chuck Norris (I bow my head as I mention the great man) got in on the game as “Walker, Texas Ranger”. In true Texas style one of the most prominent features are the guns. Hundreds of pistols and rifles, handcuffs and knives and badges and medals all over. But this dedication is not a gung ho shoot’em up it is a fair dinkum toast to the most feared (by criminals) law enforcement agencies in the world. Founded in 1823 by Stephen Austin (no coincidence the Texas capital is named after him) the Rangers became a ‘Force’ 13 years later. We were not aware that it was the Rangers who ambushed and killed Bonnie and Clyde and they were also a leading force when JFK was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. There were many Indian and Mexican Rangers and their history is not always honourable though the few dark periods are heavily outweighed by the good.
On display are many unique and historic weapons and there is also a section on the film and TV shows that helped build their modern mystique. In the end Shane and I were truly inspired and in awe of these lawmen and women. It was a day most memorable.
After Waco we moved further south towards (warmer weather and) Austin, the capital of Texas. I must say for a decent size city Austin seems a boring place. We couldn’t find anything worth spending time or money on so the only photo we could show you is the skyline and a neat shot of the sky as we took a day trip to the nearby town of Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg (or Fred as I’ll call it from here) is a town with German roots but its’ main claim to fame is their WWII War in the Pacific Complex. The complex is one of the biggest and best displays of wartime dedication I have ever seen. It is a series of museums, displays and buildings over several blocks spread over the city. Many of the artefacts are genuine and there are numerous surprises throughout. Again I will let you enjoy the photos. Wherever possible I have followed a (series of) pic(s) with a photo describing the prior photos. We actually ran out of time (and stamina) to see it all. We now realise why tickets to these facilities are valid for two days. To do it justice you really need both days. Anyway on the way home to end a tiresome (but extremely enjoyable) day we returned to Austin in time for peak hour and a monstrous line of traffic that stretched as far as we could see.
That is it for this post. After this we’re in the magical San Antonio. Wow, what a place this is but you’ll have to wait for that blog so keep checking back.
Cheers for now
Garry and Shane