Trekkin’ in Texas
A long planned tour through the Lone Star State….visiting relatives at College Station and Austin….a 39 year tradition (The Copperhead Classic!!)….touring the hill country to see old friends….history and wine at Fredericksburg…… and much more….enjoy this Trek across Texas…
COLLEGE STATION..
My aunt lives there, one cousin nearby in Shertz and other in League City….they are all Aggies so we had to head over to Kyle Field to see this monstrous structure! Cuz Clark was the tour guide and Aunt Marcia came along in the 30 mph biting winds….a trooper was she…only thing missing was Cuz Kit….but she had a good reason as both of her sons were playing soccer (football to the purists) for different schools against each other….understandable, but she was missed.
They took us to dinner at Harvey Washbangers….you can wash your clothes, have supper….and watch the board to see when your wash and drying is done!!
Our family is small, and it was so good to see them after many years…let’s hope it’s not as long next time.
LAGRANGE..
The next day was our 3 hour trek to the Windy Hill Ranch where we were to meet longtime Texas friend Jeff Steen (more on the history later), his wife Barbara and very active son, Fletcher. On the way we decided to stop and see LaGrange, Texas….made famous by ZZ Top and infamous by the Chicken Ranch (Best Little Whorehouse in Texas!)….. and they had some really interesting history from Czech immigrants in the area that was special to TC and I, having spent some time in Prague…
First, the Czech bakery which was fabulous…
Pix from the Czech museum….
A little ‘LaGrange’ for you from Tres Hombres…….
WINDY HILL RANCH..
Having just completed Yellowstone and 1883….we were fired up to meet Jeff and Barbara at their ranch in Westhoff, Texas, about halfway between Houston and San Antonio….and what a wonderful surprise waiting on us…two days of rest, fun, hospitality and open air Texas….
The brand…9H6..
After settling in, the Steens and the Dudley’s headed out on a pasture tour with the goal of a fire pit and a Texas sunset….
Quite a rig to head out in…..
Checking out the cattle
Crossing the creek…
Fire pit getting ready for the sunset…
It was told that when the sun touches the horizon, it takes 78 seconds to fully set…how lucky we were to get a beautiful day for a sunset….
Trip back in the dark…..heres’s a video of creek crossing at night!
A dinner of braised beef short ribs topped off a great day….time to crash and prepare for the “Copperhead Classic” NCAA tournament bracket challenge on Sunday…..
MORE RANCH TIME…
Daybreak pretty good too…
Jeff and I headed out to check the livestock….
Live oak trees grow into the ground and come back out….really unusual to see…
Oil rig next door…..oil storage and ‘flares’….from my view, lots of work on oil production still going on in Texas….good to see….oil and cattle rule the day…this rig will drill about 13,000 feet down, then 8,000 horizontally.
Another great sunset….
THE COPPERHEAD CLASSIC…..
This will take some explanation, so will try the Cliff Notes version…
In 1984, John Glenn was running for President. He was a classmate of Jack Stephens at the US Naval Academy. TC was working for Stephens at the time, and she was loaned to the Glenn campaign for a few months….
A young Aggie political operative named Jeff Steen was sent to Little Rock to run the campaign….we all quickly became friends….would go out after work a lot….Jeff was a lot of fun, and had this habit of popping pennies in TC’s drink….hence the name ‘Copperhead’…..silly right?! Of course….we were young and full of ourselves.
One night at the Capital Hotel, Jeff and I decided to do a bracket for the NCAA tournament that year. We did it completely different….each picking 2 teams in a region for a total of 8….we then would see how far one’s teams advanced to be the winner. $20 was the wager….We called this bit of silliness “The Copperhead Classic” for obvious reasons!!
Well…….TA won the first year….and a few more later on….each year we would call each other and try the competition again….never for more than $20 until one year we added a $10 ‘Wild Card’…which was a long shot seeded 10th and higher….so then we had 10 teams each.
We have continued this tradition now for 39 straight years….and we thought it was a good idea to do the 39th at the Windy Hill Ranch…so that has lead us to here….in recent years, the Steener has gotten the best of TA….so it’s imperative that the outcome be reversed….here are the pix of the combatants in serious study for the bracket selection with young Fletch announcing the event for the world!!
Ladies and gents………our announcer……..
Monday, we took our leave of the Steens to head to Wimberley and then to Fredericksburg. The Steens were on Spring break and heading on a trip. Thanks so much for a wonderful time. Great friends….great hosts and a trip for a lifetime. We hope to replicate the scene and return the favor for the 40th Copperhead Classic in Hot Springs next year. Hopefully, TA will be on the winning side!! Until next time amigos,…..Adios!!
WIMBERLEY, TEXAS
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Wimberley is a small burg, somewhat similar to Eureka Springs in Arkansas. Located in the foothills of the Texas Hill Country, it’s situated along a creek which is where we had lunch with long time friends from Memphis, Joe and Kathy Overstreet….Joe and I worked together at Mother Merrill Lynch in Memphis in 1978, and then I did business with him for years at 1st Tennessee….another long term friendship. They moved to Wimberley to be near their son and grandson, and built a cabin above the canyon with a view. It was Kathy’s birthday, so we celebrated!!
Waylon, Wille and the boys were not seen…..
FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS
This burg had been on the list for a long time. The city was founded and settled by German immigrants and has long history. Now it’s overrun with tourists…..wineries and breweries….my immediate goal was to tour the National Museum of the Pacific War. It’s located at the Nimitz Hotel, with Admiral Chester Nimitz being from here.
I had to beg my way in, but with Sales 101, I got in….TC toured the main drag whilst I immersed myself in history.
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE PACIFIC WAR
The Sullivan Brothers…
Above is a panel about flying “The Hump”…..which was a way for the Americans to get supplies in. Flying over the Himalayan mountains was not for the faint of heart. Many a brave American boy met his end in the fight for freedom over these mountains. I want to honor my late friend RC Conley, father of long time friend Mike Conley, who flew The Hump in WWII. For many years we all sat together at Razorback Stadium…thank you RC for what you did.
BATTLE FOR LEYTE GULF AND SAMAR
The battle for Leyte Gulf and Samar….this is where it got real for me…My Grandad, David Gray, was the powder man in one of the turrets on the USS Iowa (BB-61), the first of the masterclass battleships after Pearl Harbor….and one of my best friends, Dr Mark Duncan’s Dad, Dr Doy Duncan was a fighter pilot on the carrier Kadashan Bay (CVE-76) at the same time. Both men meant a lot to me…my GD loved his service in the Navy…..Dr Doy was shot down over Samar protecting the landing. He was rescued by the Samarans and protected from the Japanese…a true war hero….
Interesting, my GD thought that Admiral Bull Halsey hung the moon and defended him to his dying day. Dr Doy wrote a book, ‘Abandoned at Leyte’….and believed that Halsey abandoned his post and threatened the landing. Two men, different beliefs. Fortunate to have known both.
Here are exhibits from Samar and Leyte.
Link to ‘Abandoned at Leyte’…
Propaganda….President Bush……..and the B-29…
Nimitz personal skiff….
Iwo Jima…..the loss of the USS Indianpolis….the atomic bomb…
The celebration of the end of the war in Tokyo Bay….my GD was there on the Iowa, Admiral Halsey’s flagship…
Outside, was a plaza with memorials to ships, units and individuals. I was able to find the Iowa, the Kadashan Bay, and Lt Doy Duncan…I must tell you it was very emotional, and still is to this day to see these memorials….
Admiral Nimitz…..5 star Admiral….
TC and I got together and decided to try a winery….we found a place called The Edge with views and great service for our wine tasting….
Finding a dinner place was next to impossible….90 minute waits everywhere….Texas spring break they said….
So we found the Fredericksburg Brewery with a Biergarten….not bad, at least we found a place we could get in!!
Tuesday dawned and we headed to Driftwood to the famous Salt Lick BBQ….it’s a huge place….probably more touristy these days….but we still enjoyed it.
Across the street was a winery we wanted to check out called Falls Creek…we found a gem, with some really good tastes….
We headed to Buda, Texas to meet TC’s brother, Tommy for a couple of hours, and long time friend Holly Blagg Matheny….good to catch up…Holly hung around and we made a trip to Cabellas!!
It was time to do the long pull from Austin to Hot Springs…..a stop at Buc-ees was required in Temple….these are the biggest stops in the world!!
At Kilgore was an East Texas Roadhouse called Country Tavern….written up in Texas Monthly and recommended…however….no menu, no prices….just meat and sides…little surprised when the bill came!! But for a one off, really good brisket…..
One last stop at a dairy bar in Texarkana!! The Dugout was on the list, and a quick stop to mark it off……
Finally home….tired but fulfilled……
Great to see friends and family……see new places, have new adventures….
We’ll see how the Copperhead bracket works out……just contact me after April 4th and I’ll let you now.
A full moon to welcome us home….
How does one do something for 39 years? I’m guessing it’s friendship and the willingness to stay in touch. It’s hard to do, but it shouldn’t be. Our 39 year competition culminated in this Trek across Texas….we are glad we did……
Adios Amigos!!
Until next time….
Travelin’ Arkansan
