Moonset
Flying West BOS->DFW at dawn on Nov 4, 2017
In odd numbered years we have timeshare points to use. This year we went to Newport, RI in January, and National Harbor in May for 3 days each.
We decided to try an 'experimental' two week vacation, combining 1-2 night hotel stays with longer(3-4 night) timeshare stays to use the remaining points. Sort of a test run for our longer cross country trip which we're planning to start in late 2019. By then we hope to be camping in the van most of the time and staying in hotels occasionally.
We decided to fly to Dallas, TX using Frequent Flier miles, and use the timeshare in San Antonio that we knew we liked(Wyndham La Cascada) and another in Fairfield Bay, AR that we had not been to but had been thinking about trying for a while.
We also used this as a chance to get used to using a smart phone. I finally got one the week before we left. It was very useful getting us from place to place and finding restaurants. Very different from having a map. Better in some ways, not as good in others.
Fri. Nov , 2017
Our flight was early, 6:30AM, so we wanted to stay near the airport, and we'd previously used the Park-Sleep-Fly at the Quincy Adams Inn which is a shorter drive than going all the way past the airport to Revere.
We left Falmouth around 3PM and ate at Bertucci's in Brockton along the way so we got to sleep early.
Sat. Nov 4, 2017
Up early and to the airport without incident. flight was on time and uneventful.
We landed in Dallas at 12:30PM Local time and quickly got our bags and the rental car(a black Ford Escape with Mass. plates!) and headed away from the DFW Citi-plex and into the dry flatness of Texas.
We headed for Lockhart, TX. Famous for Barbecue. We had been to Smitty's before, and headed straight back there. It was all as simple and wonderful as we remembered. More crowded than last time. So hot while waiting in line near the fire, which is burning on the floor next to the door.
Here's the wood pile they had out back:
We had 2 'hot rings':
and a pound of pork ribs; they just put it on brown paper and then crumple it so you can carry it to the table. With a couple of Lone Star beers, a side of cole slaw and another of beans. Everything was as amazing as we remembered. We couldn't even finish it! We took it with us and eventually ate every bite.
When planning our first two nights, before we checked into the timeshare in San Antonio, we decided to book a Holiday Inn Express in New Braunfels, TX. We figured if we used Holiday Inn Express for the whole trip, we'd accumulate points for a free stay. We picked New Braunfels because it was in Texas Hill Country and we'd been there before in 2015 and enjoyed it very much.
After I booked the hotel, we found out it was the first weekend of Wurstfest!
It looked like good food, good music and good beer so was decided to embrace it!
Saturday evening we checked into the hotel, put on summer clothes as it was very hot, and headed to the parking lot to meet the 'Wurstwagon', a bus ride to the festival.
The entire festival is very well organized. The bus drops off at the place where one can buy a ride home, and a ticket to get in, and beer tickets using a credit card. There are many places to get beer tickets inside but they only take cash.
You get a colored wrist band which signifies the hotel you're going back to.
Inside, there were five stages all with bands playing all the time. In most places people were dancing. A few of the stages were inside. Tons of tables full of people with plastic beer pitchers stacked high.
We stayed pretty late and took the Wurstwagon back to the hotel (as mentioned above, they give you a wristband color-coded to your hotel - Smart!)
Sunday Nov 5
We slept late and ate breakfast from the lobby in our room.
Around noontime we decided to go back to the festival to look at the booths and eat something... the night before we were too full from the barbecue to think about eating any food.
Turns out the Wurstwagon runs only on Friday and Saturday.
So we called Uber! Another new and wonderful thing the phone can do. I still haven't used it much as a phone. Hardly anyone has the number yet.
Anyway, Uber turned out to be great!
We enjoyed a much less crowded day although it was still very hot.
The photo above of the stage is from Sunday. Notice the people are sitting in the shade but not in the sun. On Sat night there were no seats available and the pitchers were stacked 10+ high.
We ended up splitting a Reuben which was really good, but our appetites were low so we never got to try the sausage on a stick wrapped in a spiral potato:
We shopped a bit but didn't buy anything. I was surprised at how much they were asking for the dirndl outfits. Some of them $250. which makes me think about a costuming career. There is a market for quality costumes here and there.
The previous evening, this was a solid crowd of people!
You can't see the river, but the path in the background is on the far side of it. There was an occasional breeze in this area so it was very popular Saturday night.
We were pretty wiped out as it continued to be hot so we Uber'ed back to the hotel. This driver told us about a great restaurant in San Antonio, La Gloria. We put it on our list which seemed already too full to manage eating at all of our favorite places there.
We laid low for the night.
Monday Nov 6
Another lazy morning. Or goal today was to keep occupied until it was time to check into the condo in San Antonio, only an hour away. Checked out of the hotel and drove to downtown New Braunfels. Walked around looking at the old buildings and the local DPW setting up Christmas decorations!
Tried the strudel at Naegelin's Bakery and it was delicious. We'd seen them at the festival but weren't hungry enough at the time.
Wandered through an antiques market which is half museum and half nostalgia, and a little bit of 'gee, this is where all of my stuff will end up'.
This piece of art caught my attention:
idea for future project: denim and lace oceanscape!
Will found this 'Sellers' cabinet/hoosier:
We walked around waiting for the Railroad Museum to open. It was small but very nice. A dining car that can be rented for functions and a caboose. And a couple of really nice model train exhibits.
We headed west out of New Braunfels, on a back road, and roamed through Hill Country on our way to La Gloria. We got there around 2:00 and sat outside under the trees, sipping Bohemia and splitting a few small plates:
It was still very warm and the shade was welcome, as was the breeze.
It is right by the river, near the Pearl Brewery. We saw some people pull up on a water taxi. We definitely planned to come back!
The phone helped us find our way across town to the Central Market where we stocked up on smoothie supplies and then it was time to check into the condo.
We had a two bedroom unit with a full kitchen, 2 baths, 3 TV's and a jacuzzi.
We relaxed and laid low again.
Tuesday Nov 7, 2017
It was much cooler and we walked to Mi Tierra for breakfast. It was amazing as always!
Will particularly liked the pork in red sauce he had and my breakfast enchiladas were also delicious.
We walked back through the park by the market and through the square by the cathedral.
Went back to the condo and did laundry etc.
In the early evening we walked south along the Riverwalk to the Blue Star Brewery, another of our favorite places from a previous visit.
The same delicious beer and great food but this time there was an added surprise; Tuesday is Jazz night and there was a 17 piece band playing from 8-10PM.
They were just great!
We enjoyed the walk back along the river. The full moon was barely visible, glowing through the clouds,
Wed. Nov 8, 2017
Today we walked north on the Riverwalk, all the way to the Pearl Brewery. Over 2 miles.
We visited 2 bars that we didn't realize connected through the lobby of The Hotel Emma, until we walked out the back of one place and into the lobby, then into the other bar where we had been much earlier. It is a large complex.
The more interesting of the two bars was
Interesting combination of industrial and old-world oak and leather.
We would have eaten here except we wanted to save our appetite for La Gloria.
And it was worth it.
It was much colder than the first time so we ate inside. Just as delicious. Can't wait to go back!
We Uber'ed home since it was dark out and 2.5 miles back in the cold. Wow, the phone is really handy!
Thurs. Nov. 9
Time to hit the road. Headed out of town East on Rt. 40 toward Houston.
We ended up finding a hike at Lake Livingston State Park.
It was an easy hike mostly through the woods. We also looked at the camping areas.
We stopped for Mexican food along the road. A sleepy little place, the food was good but unremarkable.
We stopped in Lufkin, TX at a Holiday Inn Express.
There was a restaurant in the parking lot, but we weren't hungry.
Fri. Nov 10
Up and out with breakfast from the lobby. After driving for a while we were a little hungry so we stopped for a What-a-burger. It was ok but had mustard and no ketchup... different. I guess we don't know what to ask for. It gave us the energy for a walk so we stopped at Piney Point Park for a walk through the woods. It was actually the path between this park and the park next door. Both are on the Wright Patman Lake. More features than Lake Livingston. And nice camping right by the lake.
Continued driving to Hot Springs, Arkansas and arrived at the Holiday Inn Express around 5PM. Along the way passed a lot of older development along Lake Hamilton but the road was being widened and a new road with Big Box stores, restaurants, and hotels had recently been developed. Our hotel was on this new road. We were tired and didn't want to explore in the dark and ended up going to the Longhorn Steakhouse. It was ok but a little salty. The atmosphere was nice and the bar was not crowded.
Sat. Nov 11
Had breakfast in the room. Will got some stuff from the lobby.
Drove into Hot Springs Park which is a main street with bathhouses on one side, backing up to the hill where the hot springs emerge; and shops and restaurants on the other side. There is a big parking garage one block back from the shops.
One bath house is the Visitor's Center and Museum.
The ceiling in the men's changing room:
Then we walked around the springs. There are paths behind the bathhouses and a path to the very top. Abut a 1/2 mile almost straight up. We decided to save that for next time.
We took a break for some good beer and a meat and cheese plate at the Superior Bathhouse Brewery which is in one of the old bathhouses.
Some of the seating is at a counter facing out the window.
Here's a view of the buildings and hillside across the street:
Under the street is the river bed. There used to be a series of bridges but they covered it over many years ago.
View from the parking garage, one block back from the main street:
Went to the Back Porch Grill at the Sun Bay Resort for dinner. It is right on the lake but it was dark so we couldn't see if the view is nice, but the steak was wonderful, with a nice glass of wine and salad.
It is in an RCI resort, so it might be a future destination.
Sunday Nov 12
Left Hot Springs and stopped at Little Rock on the way to Fairfield Bay.
Walked along the Arkansas River by the Bill Clinton Library and Museum.
which was in front of this market:
which was closed on Sunday. The street behind it had a streetcar going down the center and lovely old-time buildings(a lot like Hot Springs) housing interesting restaurants.
I'd previously scoped out the Flying Saucer Bar with 200 taps! Amazing place!
This is the largest space without any saucers or other picture:
We had a meat and cheese plate, which is fast becoming one of our favorite ways to keep it small and eat more often.
We learned a while ago that we can't eat in restaurants three meals per day. Breakfast is almost always a non-restaurant meal. Either Shredded Wheat and a smoothie if we're in a condo, or occasionally bacon and eggs(but still with a smoothie), or a hotel breakfast which is less than ideal. We try to have our own cereal also and avoid the white-flour-rich components.
By having an appetizer for lunch we can then enjoy a dinner out later. That one day we had a Whataburger but otherwise successfully avoided Fast Food for the entire trip, except in the airport where it is usually the most economical option and sometimes the only option early in the AM.
Other times we eat a big lunch and only nibble on leftovers and snacks at dinnertime.
We walked back to the car along the river.
We saw this plant:
We have this same type of bush in our yard. Here the purple berries are about 1/4"+, ours are less than 1/8".... must be the climate.
Here is a plaque on the actual 'Little Rock':
We saw these kids sliding down the man-made hill on cardboard.
Stopped in Clinton, AR at Walmart for groceries on the way to the condo at
Fairfield Bay, Arkansas. The roads leading to the resort and through it were very narrow and often steep; sometimes with deep gullies on either side. Pretty harrowing at times when you're not used to it but it must indicate how much water gets flowing when it rains.
We arrived around 4PM. Our condo was in the Mountain Meadows section over by one of the golf courses. It was nice and big. 2BR, 2BA, Full kitchen with table and big living room. Fireplace, hot tub and loft with 2 more beds. 3 decks with 6 sliders.
On a pedestal so no common walls with another unit. Here's another unit across the street from ours:
Golf course view, and short walk to the clubhouse.
Again, when warmer, it would be lovely there. It was still nice, and VERY quiet.
A little water view across the driveway, beyond other units which would have an unobstructed water view.
Restaurant schedule is strange. Everything is closed by 8 or 9. On Sunday only one or two places were open. Most places are closed at least 2 days per week.
Went to go out to the Mexican restaurant at 7. Was supposed to be open until 8 but they were closed although still cleaning up inside. Next door was a pizza place that had lights on but looked very quiet.
They had a bar but no drinkable beer and no red wine at all. Their excuse was that is is Sunday, so I guess they were expecting a delivery at some point?
Even their menu was restricted to pizza. And it was not like any pizza from the Northeast. An odd crust and the toppings under the cheese. We got it to go and they didn't even have a large box, they had to put it in three small boxes... really weird.
It didn't taste bad though so we ate enough to be full.
We didn't have any logs for the fireplace but listened to music for a while.
Monday Nov 13
Healthy breakfast in the condo then drove around the resort. It is a huge place with lots of hills and hollers. one place is so steep it has gates so you don't get stuck at the bottom in the ice.... or flood. Drove around by the Marina and the camping area.
Ended up at the museum on the other side of the resort and walked to
Indian Rock.
As we walked along the scarp to we noticed many other caves but none as large as this one.
Next we drove to the market for fire logs and cold cuts. A very well equipped grocery and a 'dollar store' which was more like a Job Lot, not just stuff costing a dollar.
Went to the Mexican place for lunch. It was quite good and they had Bohemia.
Tues Nov 14
We signed up for a boat ride on the Greers Ferry Lake that started at 9:30 AM. It seemed really early! We've been pretty lazy. The boat trip really didn't get going until 10 or so... at least it seemed we waited around for a long time. There weren't very many of us. Mostly people from Oklahoma. Maybe 10 of us in all.
The driver and guide runs the Marina. He's a local guy. He and his wife are both from the area and moved back after college. He described how all of the floating docks must be hand cranked when the water level changes. If it rains 1inch the lake will rise 1 foot! This explains the roadside gullies.
We found out the lake was made to help control the flooding in the area. One can only imagine what it was like for folks living in this craggy and wrinkled area.
Here is a view from inside the boat. On the right is our guide. The others are getting coffee and donuts. In the background you can see the rock scarp rising from the water and some houses at the top. There were lots of houses on the lake but it wasn't really crowded.
Above is Sugarloaf Mountain from inside the boat with a reflection of our guide in the window.
The lake is huge. We only covered a small portion of it in 2 hours.
Mexican lunch again. It was so good and other places seemed sketchy.
We spent the rest of the day at the condo.
Wednesday Nov 15
Our last day in the condo. A rainy day so we didn't do much. We finished up laundry, used the hot tub, and had a fire. We ate leftovers for lunch and went to dinner at the Little Red Restaurant. It was ok. Nice, friendly people as we found everywhere but the food was nothing inspired.Thursday Nov 16
Got up and had a huge breakfast. Packed up and headed west. We arrived in Texarkana in the late morning/early afternoon. We visited the small but nice museum in the center but were stunned by how abandoned everything was.
Some lovely looking buildings but all closed up. Very sad.
I'd looked up the Perot Theater before we got there and hoped we could get a tour of it.
We went into the Box Office and lo and behold a lovely woman named Deb gave us a fabulous tour. So much history. Beautifully restored by Ross Perot's parents.
And had lunch at another Brewery restaurant right near the theater and where we'd parked in downtown Texarkana.
From the window of the brewpub we could see the art center across the street and the sign for the old Hotel Grim in the background. There are plans to renovate it and hopefully the rest of this downtown area will begin to rise again.
Friday Nov 17
Texarkana, TX to Holiday Inn Express, Grapevine, TX(near the airport)
Almost ran out of gas on the highway! Of course just when we needed it it was 15 miles away, but we made it.
Traffic on the way through Dallas was busy! Got to the airport and dropped off the car, then waited for the shuttle and got to the hotel in the mid-late afternoon.
Great dinner at the bar at Mi Dia in Grapevine. We were able to walk to it over the highway due to great sidewalks and pedestrian lights. There are a couple of restaurants grouped together here.
This interesting statue was outside:
It was pretty empty when we arrived and we got a good seat at the bar.
By the time we finished it was really hopping. Nice seating outside
but we were fine at the bar... it was actually rather warm outside.
Got back to the hotel in time for sunset.
Saturday Nov 18
Time to fly home.
To the airport, DFW->PHL, I had a nice conversation with the guy next to me. From PHL->BOS where we were in a smaller plane with only a seat A on the left and 2 seats on the other side.
Home before dark. Uneventful travel, best kind.
What a fun trip!
Comments about timeshare:
Although the timeshare purchase isn't an ideal fit for us, I think we've done a good job of making it work for us. It was great for relaxing when we both spent a lot of time at sea. It has brought us to places we probably wouldn't have visited. It will serve us well when we're touring the country.
We don't golf or ski or have kids. If you do, a timeshare might make some sense, but it doesn't seem particularly cost effective. I've found we can often rent the same unit we get with the timeshare exchange. It might be slightly more expensive, but considering the upfront purchase price, it is many years before it pays for itself. We are currently $X ahead/behind -*** calculate this!)
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