“Earth and Sky, Woods and Fields, Lakes and Rivers, the Mountain and the Sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books.”
-Sir John Lubbock, 1st Baron Avebury, 4th Baronet, English banker, politician, philanthropist, scientist, polymath, naturalist, archeologist, and author
Leaving the squally weather in our rear view mirror, blue skies and sunshine materialized for our travels to Canyon Lake, just 30 minutes north of New Braunfels. Thankfully, setup went smooth which meant we could turn our attention to our ramp door that had developed a soft spot. Speaking with the manufacturer MORryde, revealed that the weight limitations of the ramp were developed for a dispersed load, while a 1,200 pound trike generates more of a three-point, point load, especially when we use a winch to slowly (and safely) load and unload (otherwise, believe me! It can be terrifying to gun a motorcycle headlong, straight toward the wall in the toy hauler). With the setting sun painting the clouds above in spectacular colors, we finished gluing and screwing a sheet of aluminum diamond plate to the ramp, hoping it would remedy the issue, allowing us to be able to get back to some fun!
“The world reveals itself to those who travel on foot.”
-Werner Herzog, A German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director.
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Rio Guadalupe Resort sits only a few miles southeast of the Canyon Lake dam, and it was time to go exploring! We crossed our fingers as we unloaded the trike successfully and scooted on up to the Guadalupe Park South Trail, a hike that essentially, begins at the base of the dam and meanders along the bank of the Guadalupe River. In our search, it is listed as being “moderately challenging” so we geared up accordingly, even though the encircling “Hill Country” appeared only to be gentle rolling hills; one just never knows. Instead, this “hike” ended up being what we would call, “a walk in the park”. The disparity of this rating left us wondering just what an “easy” hike in this area would be…possibly a pub crawl in town?!
Primed from the warm up hike, and as luck would have it, we zipped across the street on the trike, climbing the dam to the Overlook Park trail. It starts along the top of the ridge line near the dam spillway, and ambles along to the southern end of the Canyon Lake dam. Several park benches provide a place to stop and take in the spectacle of Canyon Lake. Naturally, for truly unobstructed views, you can continue walking along the top of the dam like we did. Perfect for soaking in the sunshine.
But what about the water recreation, you ask?! Well, it just didn’t happen this time, unless you count Curtis dusting off his fly rod, testing his luck in the Guadalupe as it mildly flowed past our campground. Without waders, let’s just say that it was more like practice for him to not “catch” one of the bushes lining the banks. At least there was some peace and quiet back at the homesite for Laura, that’s all she can say! *wink*
Walking Down Memory Lane for Laura, Making New Memories with Curtis
There was a cool bite in the air as we drove our trike into New Braunfels, reminding us that it was, after all, December. Despite that, the sun shone brightly with promises of clear skies, ideal for us to check out the Gruene Historic District, made up of the remnants of the small town of Gruene (pronounced Green), Texas! Founded in 1840 by Henry Gruene, the son of German immigrants who settled in the area along the Guadalupe River, Henry started a number of businesses which eventually grew into the small thriving community of his namesake.
Several years back, I had taken a girls trip to this unique area, and it’s quaintness, hospitality and setting still spoke to me. I definitely wanted to visit again to share it with Curtis. And even though it meant doing a little window shopping, the eclectic shops were unique enough to hold his interest.
For lunch, I knew that we needed to get into the Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar which perches above the Guadalupe River. I was worried, though, because the line never seemed to dissipate. Turns out, I never knew just how big it is, nor did I fully realize that it’s origins was as the three-story brick boiler room of the 1878 Gruene cotton gin whose wood envelope burned to the ground in 1922. What I did remember, however, was the vast outdoor patio seating area that seemed to be held aloft by the trees clinging to the river bank. With such a beautiful day, I knew that we had to sit outside to enjoy our meal! We decided to start out by ordering the Gruene Bros ‘Best’ Wurst, which is a Falls City,Texas Polish Wedding sausage. Little did we know that this appetizer was going to be enough for the whole wedding party!! Suffice it to say, it’s generous portion size was enough to make up our entire meal. Not a scrap was left because it was incredibly tasty, and it fueled our energy to continue hunting the district for…dessert!
Wouldn’t you know it?! “The Great Texas Pecan Candy Company” hit the nail on the head! (Another candy store? One might begin to think we have a sweet tooth…hehe). As soon as we entered, we knew we would be in trouble, especially since we have a soft spot for pecans! It didn’t help that the owner hands out bite sized “samples” and then proceeds to give you even more in case the first one or two “bites” didn’t convince you! Yes, we walked out with a shopping bag full of treats swearing that they would actually make it into the trike.
Nearing the end of our walking and shopping tour we had yet to locate the Winery on the Gruene. After all, following food and dessert, it was time to indulge in local wine tasting. Fortuitously, we needed to put our goods in our trike (remember the need to preserve our treats?!), and what did we catch sight of from the parking lot? Yep, y’all guessed it! We made a beeline to their outdoor picnic tables to get down to business! Ok, it was more like serious relaxation sampling their different offerings, watching the deer roam around in the adjoining field. It was hard, but we finally narrowed our choices down to five of their varietals to savor as we continued our southern journey.
BEEP…BA’BEEP…BEEP…BREAKING NEWS!
You’ll remember in our post about the Amistad National Recreation Area, we mentioned that a lost dog found us at our campsite and we just couldn’t let her remain outside on her own as the evening temperatures plummeted into the 30’s. What’s more, we were going to be driving to a new location in a few days, so we had to take this scared, yet extremely well behaved little dog to the local pound since Del Rio doesn’t have an actual Humane Shelter. Heartbroken with the prospect of her being put down soon, we had driven to a local veterinary office to enlist their help and they stated they would reach out to a local individual that tries to save animals. In addition, Curtis did more research online, discovering a local nonprofit animal shelter that rescues lost and abandoned animals in the area, however they only communicated via email. It was distressing over the next couple of days as Curtis franticly kept emailing this organization while the clock was ticking. Finally, he received a response that they would try to assist with saving this precious little dog!
The news?! We recently received notification, that the Animal Advocacy Rescue Coalition (AARC) of Del Rio was indeed successful in saving this little dog! She was recently adopted and transported to her new home! Who says Christmas can’t come early?!
English 
Gruene is picturesque and fun. What a nice choice for a visit / revisit! Cute outfit, too, Laura. Curtis, plaid suits you. And what wonderful news about the little rescue dog! I’m glad she had you two to be her champions.
Thanks a bunch Susan! We’re definitely relieved that the dog has a new home. Curtis was a big ole softie with that little dog; melted the heart!!