OCTOBER 23, 2014: “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”
Enlarge the map for better detail. Kerrville is at “9 o’clock” and downtown San Antonio is at the lower right corner, about 60 miles distant.
WE MADE IT! We’ve finally arrived in the San Antonio area, our home for the winter. The Lone Star State…the great state of Texas. We’re smack dab in the middle of the Texas Hill Country, at a beautiful RV Resort in the town of Kerrville. This is a milestone…the first real “travel-break” in our Great American Adventure, which began almost 18 months ago in San Diego. Our plan is to stay here three or four months and then travel to one of the beaches along the Gulf Coast for another month or two. After our stay at the beach, where I fully intend to go deep sea fishing and catch a huge sailfish, we’ll head up the Eastern seaboard to New England and surrounding areas. Next…who knows?
MILESTONES. As you can see by clicking on the Travel Map on this website and from the the US map displayed below, we’ve now explored almost half of the United States. We’ve driven about 10,000 miles, burned about 1,500 gallons of diesel fuel, explored 12 of the largest states of the Union, and had a great time meeting some interesting Americans. Thanks to you guys, my travel blog has become popular. A sizable number of you are subscribers. The site had almost 22,000 visitors during the last 12 months! When I began blogging about a year ago in San Diego I never dreamed that so many of you would be vicariously traveling with us on our Journey across America. It’s been fun having you aboard. Stay with us. The best is yet to come.
Pasture near Buckhorn Lake Resort in Kerrville, Texas, our winter home this year.
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY. We’re excited to be spending the winter here. We considered several different states and regions before deciding that the Texas Hill Country would be our choice. We already know that our choice was a good one. Fellow travelers along the way told us on several occasions how much we’d like this area. They observed that the folks who live here are among the friendliest around. How true. We’ve already been treated to some genuine Texas hospitality.
Not only is the Hill Country central to Texas and home of the state’s capital city, but many consider this area the heart and soul of the Lone Star State. An array of cultural and natural features come together here to create a uniquely charming region. The land’s beautiful rolling hills, sparkling rivers and bold display of bluebonnets every Spring are matched by the independent spirit of the people and a level of cultural diversity which makes Texans proud. Don’t be shocked, but the Hill Country is rather hilly, from lush rolling green hills to dramatic, craggy landscapes populated by cacti and scrub trees. Lakes abound and spring-fed rivers flow through bluff-filled greenbelts. The area is home to several spectacular underground caves and caverns, as well. Texas wildflowers are legendary.
Entrance to Buckhorn Lake Resort.
The “most rustic and refined” that Texas has to offer not only coexist here, but they somehow make perfect sense: High tech and hippie. Cowboy and cosmopolitan. Even the State Capitol Building in Austin is just blocks from 50,000+ students at the University of Texas. And two minutes spent in any colorful Hill Country town will put a smile on your face as you see what spirited, independent-minded folks you’ll encounter. All of these sights will become subjects of future blog posts as our stay unfolds.
THE TOWN OF KERRVILLE. This resort is really special. Our initial plan had been to stay at an RV park right in San Antonio. Little did we know and appreciate what a huge, hustle-bustle city it is. About a million and a half residents make it the seventh most populated city in the United States. Within two days of our arrival, we knew that although we’ll want to see all that the big city has to offer, we want to live a bit more in the country during our stay. The little town of Kerrville is the answer. With a population of about 20,000, it’s much more our style. All the stores and conveniences we need are right here, but we have the small town feeling we’ve come to appreciate as our Journey across America has progressed. As with many of the little Hill Country towns, Kerrville has a German heritage and is chock full of interesting things to see and do. You’ll learn about them as we do. Click on the “Our Current Location” button on the sidebar to see lots more pictures of this little town.
Our site is beautifully landscaped.
BUCKHORN LAKE RESORT…WOW! By far the nicest we’ve ever seen. We’ve rented a space in the Club area, a private section reserved to those who’ve purchased their sites and constructed small “casitas” or “coach-houses” on them, right next to their Class A motorhome spot. I’ll post lots of photos and perhaps a video, as even well-chosen words seem inadequate to describe how beautiful this place really is. We’ve already kicked around the idea of buying one of the sites so we’d have a “home base” during our travels. We’ll see. And you’ll see what I mean as I show you around the grounds and facilities here.
Here’s the “official” description: “Perfectly located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, you’ll find everything you would expect from a premier RV Resort. All sites features complete landscaping, full hookups and concrete pads. Designed with large rigs and rallies in mind, guests will appreciate the wide paved roads and ease of access. The 8,000 square foot, fully air conditioned event center, ‘The Red Barn’ features a full catering kitchen, seating for over 300 guests, a separate 35 seat big screen movie theater, a huge walk-in fireplace, restroom facilities and an outdoor covered patio. Two additional facilities are available for smaller groups.” DSL internet connections and land line phones are provided at each site, as is cable TV. The Resort has its own private TV channel with ’round the clock resort information available. A fully equipped gym and exercise room await those who’ve run out of excuses, like me. Country club-type landscaping and water features abound. Horses graze in a pasture across the road. Flowers bloom, particularly around the office and the Country store. Serenity.
We’ve explored almost half the country so far.
The entire park is perfectly maintained
The patio next to our coach is big and beautiful.
I’VE POSTED LOTS MORE PICTURE OF OUR WINTER HOME AT BUCKHORN LAKE RESORT IN MY GALLERY. AT THE BUTTON BAR MENU, GO TO GALLERIES: SOUTHWEST: TEXAS: KERRVILLE.
Go to the Menu Bar at the top of the blog roll. Follow the drop-down menu: Gallery – Southwest – Texas – Buckhorn Lake Resort. There’s much more to see: the barbeque and get-together areas, other neat facilities and more beautiful landscaping and water features. We’re fortunate to have found such a beautiful place to make new friends and spend the Winter. We’re hoping that Earl and Diane, Therese and others will be able to come visit us here.
The Fitness Center is spacious and well-equipped. I have no excuse for not exercising while we’re here.
This is the adults-only swimming pool. There is also a family pool. And, of course, each has a large jacuzzi and locker room.
The street leading to our site is wide enough for even the largest motorhomes to maneuver easily. That’s good, because there are lots of them here!
It’s special to have a private lake right in our back yard.
We drive across this bridge to get to our section of the park.
Florence waving from our driveway.
Our casita in the background. We’ll have a place for a Christmas tree this year.
The Coach House next to our Motorhome parking spot.
Preparing a whole pig in the BBQ area at Buckhorn.
The outdoor patio where the huge BBQ’s are located.
A visitor in our back yard.
This water feature is right in our back yard.
