Adventure 96: Fredericksburg RV Park/Post B

Population: 3

When I pass through Coolin, Idaho and roll around the bottom of Priest Lake near Cavanaugh  Bay, there is a moment right at the top of the hill when the expanse of Priest Lake comes into view. That view, EVERY TIME, is at the top of my list of lifetime thrills. Sitting in the bar tonight in Luchenbach, Texas next to my Hunny Bunny listening to the Thursday evening picking circle has squeezed itself right into second place. I'm simply awestruck by the experience. This bar, reminiscent of the bar in Nordman, Idaho before the remodel and Kelly's bar in Newport, Washington when it was still dark, smoky, and had a floor covered with crushed peanut shells, literally drips with an aura I've never felt before. If you add quite a bit more dust, quite a bit more memorabilia, a great big touch of Central Texas charm, and flat out incredible live music, you could have thought you were a toothless Idahoan. We arrived at five, which is good because the bar itself is smaller than a fireworks stand on the Coeur D 'Alene Indian reservation. By the time we left, nine pickers were taking turns playing songs. We squeezed out of the place and floated back the short ten miles to Fredericksburg. Wow!. Our day started on a much less surreal plane. Judy fixed AbeK French Toast; I had my usual cup of Costa Rican style coffee; Judy pulled some new Wiebe Jeebie maneuvers to win the first game in the Frdericksburg Open; we did the form; and then we rode the tandem around Fredericksburg looking at the cool houses. We couldn't have imagined we'd have a life changing experience in the evening. Fredericksburg, a pretty cool place itself, was settled around 1846 by German immigrants. They were farmers who managed to live peacefully with the Comanche Indians, scratch out a living in the Texas Hill country, and pass on traditions that still thrive today. Since the ranchers lived out of town a piece, they built what thy call Sunday houses in Fredericksburg. They would come to town on Saturday to trade, replenish stock, guzzle some beer, and generally blow off steam from a long hard work week. They would then stay in their "Sunday" houses overnight, go to church Sunday morning and return to the ranch for the week. These houses have been preserved in Fredericksburg, and they line both sides of main street quite naturally close to the big Lutheran and Catholic Churches. Nowadays, Fredericksburg is a lively tourist town. It sits smack dab in the middle of Texas wine country and the area also grows forty percent of the peaches Texas produces. Needless to say, the early Germans chose a good place to build a life. Though difficult, I suppose life was good for them, as it is for us-especially today.

A peek at one of the rich cups of coffee my Hunny Bunny makes for me each morning. 

Some thin gruel we call AbeK French toast.

Art shot: One of the Sunday houses.

Another Sunday house. 

A final look at one of the Sunday houses.

The inside of St. Mary's Catholic Church. Judy and I will return to my roots this Sunday.

We cruised through the campus of Fredericksburg Middle School right as classes changed. The Texan Bozonians looked much like the Washington Bozonians I'm used to. Check out the gate!

An old photo of the ranchers sidling up to a keg of good old fashioned German beer. Probably taken after church on Sunday.

Art shot outside of the Pioneer Museum.

A typical store front in downtown, which is about a mile long lined on both sides with structures much like this one.

Even inside the old tin ceilings have been preserved.

Luchenbach's boot hill.

Are you serious? The motto is: "Everybody is somebody in Luchenbach."

I've been looking at a lot of boots lately. The men's boots are usually scuffed working boots, but the women, like Annie's here, wear ornate and often multicolored boots.

I think this guy's name is John. I do know that he claimed to be an ice trucker from Canada.

From left to right: ShAnnie, Mark Stephens. I couldn't find anything on Mark Stephens (I could have his name wrong; he said he played with Jay and the Americans), but you can find ShAnnie on I-tunes. 

On warm days, the music moves outside behind the bar.

One of my favorite characters in the bar.

And then the stand up bass arrived.

And then John Lee showed up. Boy can he play.

And finally, Melissa Weatherly and Bryan Maldonado came. They have produced some music under a band name of Sol Patch.Sol Patch "Lazy Moon"