2025 Airstream Travels

This morning we packed up to head out to west Texas enroute to Big Bend National Park. The Park is located in a remote area of the State with the best route heading directly west before going south to its location.

It was warm and a bit humid when packing up and storms were in the forecast just east of San Antonio. We took the outer loop of the city heading west and north to Interstate 10 to begin our journey west.

This part of the drive took us again through the hill country of Texas before spreading out to the buttes and valleys of its western region. It’s a unique landscape, very rocky and sparsely populated but beautiful as well. It looks like old Westerns we watched as kids where Native Americans rode horses across these plains and sent smoke signals from top of the buttes.

Gas stations are few and far between in this area and we were glad to come to a Love’s Truck Stop – us and about a couple hundred other vehicles. Just kidding but it was packed! After fueling up, we continued heading west in the gusty wind conditions. Airstreams are fairly aerodynamic and with the Hensley hitch, they pull well but today’s winds were pulling at the camper and making it difficult to drive.

Texas is making good use of the winds in this area. The state’s High Plains region is home to over 11,000 wind turbines – the most in any state and can generate enough wind energy to power at least 9 million homes.

At some point Ron noticed that the front rock guard on the camper came loose at the top. Possibly the wind played a role, but we had a problem with this bolt previously coming loose and thought we had it fixed. It was causing the panel to shake, and we were worried that it would pull the bottom bolt loose too which could be a major problem for us. A rest area was coming up and we decided to stop and attempt to fix the loose bolt.

Ron had brought with us an arsenal of spare parts, bolts, washers, etc. and we dug into the bag to find the special bolt and a washer to fit. We found a washer, but it wasn’t quite big enough to fit over the special bolt for the rock guard. Ron took a drill bit working it back and forth to ream out the hole till it was just right to fit. He then fit the washer under a lip on the rock guard before inserting the screw and tightening it. Worked like a charm!

We originally planned to drive until Ron was tired and stop at a rest area or truck stop for an overnight stay. Although it was going to take 6 hours, he decided that he could make it to Fort Stockton and an RV park for the night. We arrived at 3:30pm and were able to secure a pull-through site at WesTex Living RV campgrounds just outside the town. Fort Stockton was a military outpost in the mid1850s and was home to Comanche’s then who used a local spring as a water source. This water source made it an ideal location to establish the Fort and protect travelers along the area trails including the Comanche Trail, San Antonio-El Paso Road, the Butterfield Overland Mail Route, and the San Antonio-Chihuahua freight-wagon road.

We are here overnight before heading south to Big Bend.

Happy 2023 Everyone! In San Antonio they celebrate bringing in the New Year with fireworks – and I mean a lot of fireworks. If you combined all the fireworks I’ve heard in my lifetime, they might equal about 10% of what we heard in San Antonio. A neighbor warned us that we would not get much sleep and she was right.

Happy Birthday to Domenic who turned 12 years old on December 27 and Happy Birthday to Zach on his 31st birthday, January 1!

We kept getting air quality alerts overnight and into the morning. I think it may be from the fireworks, but not entirely sure. But it was hazy in the morning, and we opted out of our walk on the River Walk and took Justice for a long walk in the campgrounds before getting ready to visit the Historic Market Square in downtown San Antonio.

There are over 100 locally owned businesses in this location with authentic Mexican artifacts, leather, and cultural apparel. It is filled with live entertainment, delicious food, and events. We spent a couple hours here and purchased a really nice Mexican blanket for $10! We were looking for a blanket to cover picnic tables and this is a perfect fit.

Our next stop was at the La Margarita Restaurant for an authentic Mexican meal. This is a historic structure built in 1881 and what caught my eye, was the plaque honoring the Henry Guerra Family who built it. It was an hour wait but well worth it. We were seated at an outside table with inlaid vintage Mexican tiles, very similar to those we have at home that we made into coasters. It was an umbrella table and there were also Live Oak trees along the outside providing welcoming shade. Ron chose the Deluxe Mexican dinner with Beef Fajitas al Carbon served with grilled onions, a cheese enchilada, tamale, crispy taco, Spanish rice, refried beans, and guacamole salad. I had the Flautas de Pollo which includes 2 flute-like rolled corn tortillas filled with seasoned chicken, grilled and topped with Guacamole and sour cream, served with Spanish rice and refried beans. We both had a frozen margarita, too – everything was delicious, and the service was impeccable!

Overnight it dipped down to the upper 40s and we both pulled out the down and wool blankets during the night. But blue skies and warm temperatures were in the forecast, promising a beautiful day and we decided a walk would be the perfect start for the day.

Although the area surrounding Travelers World RV Park is less than desirable, its location next to the River Walk on the San Antonio River, makes up for it. We walked about 3 miles today on it, enjoying the sunshine and wildlife that inhabit this area. This is a paved walkway that travels from the downtown area to the southern areas. Many people bike and walk it and certainly it is a tremendous asset for the Urban community and tourists who visit the area.

The walkway follows the river on both sides with various parking lots adjacent to it along with various tourist attractions, including the 5 UNESCO World Heritage Missions. These include Mission San Jose, Mission Concepion, Mission San Juan, Mission San Francisco De La Espada and the Alamo.

Wildlife includes many migratory birds, hawks, owls, ducks, cranes, and more. It is also on the Monarch butterfly’s migration route. It’s truly a unique area and we enjoyed our walk so much we plan to walk again tomorrow morning.

We fixed pork chops, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes for lunch. We had brought some frozen apple pie filling with us that we made earlier this year and I mixed that with the kraut – delicious! The mashed potatoes were courtesy of Bob Evans but easy to fix and taste good.

There are a lot of fireworks going off tonight – I think everyone is celebrating Michigan’s loss to TCU – just kidding :). We are watching the OSU game and so far, so good but lot of game left!

It was an overcast day again with showers in the area but didn’t rain here at the campground. We spent the morning planning a grocery list for when we go into Big Bend. There are no Walmart stores and what groceries are available, are expensive in comparison. It took a lot of thought and planning – especially since we do not have a refrigerator currently, but we got through it and had a cartful when we were finished.

Justice stayed at the camper when we went to the store and doesn’t seem to mind at all. Airstreams have fantastic fans in the ceiling, and they really cool down the camper when you open the windows and have the awning out. They will keep up with outside temperatures in the 70s and possibly 80s, especially if the humidity is low but above that, we need to turn on the a/c. We got a new a/c when the Airstream was at Jackson Center, and it works well but only have used it once so far on the trip. I think Justice prefers the fresh air over the a/c, I know I do.

We went for a short walk towards evening and ran into a neighbor who was walking her dog ‘Maggie May’. She was a rescue dog who was found abandoned on the River Walk and our neighbor worked with a local Humane Society to first foster her, then adopt her. She is a little sweetheart – Justice will give her a quick sniff but that’s about it. Somehow in our conversation, our neighbor suggested a local brewed beer we should try. Pecan Porter is brewed by the 512 Brewery Company, located in Austin, Texas. It is brewed with organic pecans grown here in Texas.

As soon as we got back to the camper, we were off to a local market where she said we can find it. First taste, Ron said it reminded him of Guiness Beer, it’s a stout beer with a nutty taste. He said it may be an acquired taste but by the 3rd beer – I think he acquired the taste.

It’s overcast today but warm with a bit of humidity in the air. The campground has a laundromat and today that was our destination. It feels great to get everything washed up and put away. We also ran the vac, straightened up, and re-organized a bit. We do that on occasion, finding better spots for things we use a lot and those we don’t use as much.

‘When it rains, it pours’ was our theme today!

Our surge protector we plug into the outlet before plugging in our camper failed. We think it got moisture inside it and possibly froze when we were in Fredericksburg, then thawed here in San Antonio, and subsequently, failed. Surge protectors are very important to have because if there is a power surge, it can fry the entire electric system of the camper. They have a lifetime warranty, and they were going to send us one, but being on the road and with the Holidays, it was tricky to coordinate where they could ship it to us. We opted to buy a less expensive one and then at a later date, send in for the replacement.

We drove to New Braunfels which is about 25 minutes north of us where there is a Camping World and Dick’s Sporting Goods to buy a surge protector and also decided to get a cooler, to get us by until we talk with Airstream in Jackson Center on repairing the refrigerator. We found a Yeti at Dick’s that was 20% off and I don’t think purple coolers were selling well, since they were the only color that was marked down. We decided that purple coolers are cool :)! Camping World had a surge protector which we purchased.

I also woke up with a bladder infection – another issue that needed fixed today! I sent a text to my family doctor in Ohio and asked if they could send a prescription to a Walmart in Texas close to our campgrounds. She responded within a couple hours, and I was able to pick it up. So grateful for their quick response and help!

All fixed and nothing major – the adventure continues!

Remember the Alamo! We actually visited the famous Alamo today – it was on both of our bucket lists and so glad we were able to make it here. This world-renowned site is the site of a famous battle when Texas was fighting for its independence from Mexico.

You may know the story but briefly, around 150 men defended this Mission while General Santa Ana with 5,000 troops laid siege. Frontiersmen Davy Crockett, William Travis, and Jim Bowie died during this battle along with many other heroes from Kentucky, Tennessee, England, Ireland, and other locales. Even though they all died, their names and heroics live on.

It was awe-inspiring to be here and gain a better understanding of the battle, those who gave their lives and the reasons that led up to it.

Gorgeous day, with blue skies and moderate temperatures and low humidity. Ron rode the Ebike today on the River Walk while I took care of a few things at work. After I got finished, we decided to visit one of the 5 historic missions located here.

Mission San Jose is about 2.5 miles from our campground. This is a World Heritage site and truly amazing to tour. We spent a couple hours there in awe of the structures and grounds that was built in 1720. The outside perimeter walls had rooms for living, working, and storing food. The church remained the community center long after the walls and other structures were dismantled to build the surrounding community.

Some of the native American’s entered the missions to escape drought, disease, and conflicts with other indigenous groups. They also learned new skills from the Spanish such as managing ranches. From our rough estimations, we think over 1,000 people could easily be housed on these grounds.

Although parts of the church and walls were rebuilt, many are original. It was so interesting to see the hand forged nails, latches, and other fixtures that were made over 300 years ago. The beams used in the ceilings are cedar trees of the same age and the Catholic Church still holds services there in the original church.

We plan to visit The Alamo tomorrow, another of the Historic Missions of San Antonio.

We travelled to San Antonio today to our next campground, Traveler’s World RV campground located close to downtown San Antonio and next to the famous River Walk.

This is a resort type campground with many snowbirds who stay here all winter. Some are in campers, others are in small, tiny homes. Everyone is extremely friendly, but the park could use some improvements in lighting and security but being next to the Riverwalk is a nice amenity.

So proud of Ron today in navigating downtown San Antonio. He was a champ! He sets up camp very quickly now too with little to no problems. Our refrigerator quit running when we were at Fredericksburg, and we were hoping that when we got into warmer temperatures it would start running again but unfortunately it did not. It’s brand new and under warranty and certain we will get it fixed / replaced but Airstream is out of office until next Tuesday and we won’t be able to determine a course of action until we speak with them. We plan to buy a small cooler to get by until we have a solution.

It’s warmer here and today was the first day we were able to eat outside at the picnic table! Ron was lighting the Blackstone and was leaning down in to see if it was lit when it kind of puffed and singed his eyebrows – they were a bit crispy :). But all is well.

Oh, what a lovely day! There was not a cloud in the sky and although chilly, the sun was shining brightly, and the forecast called for low 50s.

We spent a leisurely morning, then for lunch we slapped a couple ribeye’s on the Blackstone griddle, added a kale salad, and orange juice to drink. It was delicious – what a great Christmas day meal.

Our reservations to visit Enchanted Rock is today from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Enchanted Rock is a pink granite mountain located about 17 miles north of Fredericksburg. It’s the largest pink granite monadnock in the US. It’s elevation above sea level is 1,825, it covers 640 acres and rises 425 feet in the Texas Hill Country. It is on the international Dark Sky list, and you can arrange a night hike with a ranger to stargaze.

We took Justice with us since he is allowed to walk on the loop trail and the Interpretive Loop, and I walked with him. Ron opted for the summit trail (oh yeah!) and took some amazing pictures when reaching the summit. It is a beautiful State Park and well worth the visit. It was a busy place with lots of people and dogs enjoying the day. From our perspective, this area of Texas is visited by people of many nationalities.

On the way driving home, Ron spotted a couple unusual animals for Central Texas. Can you identify them?

When we got home our neighbor, Deb & Steve shared 2 pieces of homemade apple pie they made today in the camper. Deb said it was her first pie baking experience in the Airstream and she couldn’t guarantee the results – believe us, the results were delicious!

Merry Christmas to everyone and hope you had a wonderful, happy, and joyful Christmas Day!

We spent today planning our next few locations and making reservations. Ron and Justice visited the dog park too and met a few dogs there.

After a nice dinner, we went downtown Fredericksburg to check out their Christmas decorations and lights. Our campground neighbors said it was really amazing but that’s an understatement. This was a truly unique experience we so enjoyed!

Upon arrival. there were a few lights at 5:45pm but at 6:00pm, the magic started. Carols were playing on the loudspeakers, people were festive, children were playing, and dogs were busy taking it all in. At 6:00pm sharp, the carol was O’ Christmas Tree was played but sang in German and after the carol finished, the town square lite up extraordinaire. Words cannot describe how beautiful and heart-warming the scene was – it was just like the song ‘Silver Bells’.

Silver bells, silver bells
It’s Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them ring
Soon it will be Christmas Day

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style
In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas
Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile
And on every street corner you’ll hear……

It was chilly overnight, dipping into the single digits. Early this morning, Justice decided he would jump into bed with Ron. The Australian Aborigines used to judge how cold the night was based on the number of dogs they needed to sleep beside to stay warm. As big as Justice is, I think last night was a 2-dog night.

The sun shone brightly through the day and Justice and Ron took several walks this morning and Justice got to meet several dogs at the park. He’s really starting to enjoy it and think he’s in better physical condition now with all the walks he is getting. Maybe we are too? We can always hope!

I worked on our connectivity issues today and think we now have a better solution than when we started our trip. Wifi in RV campgrounds is spotty with poor signals but having access to internet is a necessity for me to work and it’s nice for watching TV – especially since we are inside a lot with this weather.

Today we purchased a Wifi booster that will improve the campground Wifi signals for better internet access. This is a less costly access than the two hotspot plans we have. We are hopeful this fixes the issues we’ve been experiencing and so far, it is working well. We’ll know more over the next few days – fingers crossed!

We’ve met so many friendly, kind people here. The camp host at the park is exceptionally friendly and always goes out of his way to talk with us and pet Justice. Today he ran back to his camper to get him a dog treat. In talking with him, when we told him we planned to visit and hike at Enchanted Rock, he shared we needed to make reservations which we did not realize.

When we got back to the camper, we made reservations to Enchanted Rock on Sunday. The views are supposed to be amazing. There is a 4.5-mile loop that Justice and I will walk on and Ron plans to hike the summit of .8 miles to take in the views and some photos, before joining us on the loop. Exciting!

Today we worked preparing for the upcoming freezing temperatures. Ron completely winterized the camper with anti-freeze in the water lines and tanks. We bought gallons of water to use for drinking and cooking, and for Justice. We are a few steps away from heated bathrooms, too that makes it a bit easier for us.

The wind began to pick up around 11:30am and its a strong wind with a definite bite to it. As the day went on, the temperature dropped from 58 to a cold 17 degrees at 8:00pm. We have plenty of heating options in the camper with a forced air furnace, a small electric heater we’ll keep in the bedroom, and Mr. Buddy who can pump out very warm heat if needed. We have no doubt we’ll stay warm overnight, and the camper water lines will not freeze.

There aren’t very many campers here now – surprisingly 🙂 We saw several heading out earlier and certain some cancelled their reservations, too. Earlier today a large limb broke off near our neighbor’s truck. The campgrounds maintenance staff were here immediately and got it cleaned up with short work!

I cooked a small ham yesterday that we plan to reheat and eat over the next day or two, primarily using paper plates to minimize any dishes to be washed. We have some easy side dishes to microwave, along with a salad and some desserts. We definitely won’t go hungry.

Hope everyone stays safe and warm over the next few days!

We were greeted by overcast skies and foggy weather this morning. It dipped into the mid30s overnight, but the forecast is calling for low50s and partly cloudy – which we enjoyed later in the day.

I worked a few hours, then we were itching to do something. There is a nature trail here at the campground and we decided to check it out. So glad we did! It was a lovely hike through a unique semi-arid landscape of prickly pears, Live Oak trees, junipers, and much more we don’t have a name for. We started down the red gravel path that is close to the entrance of the park and into a small valley with a creek running through it. The trail follows the creek off and on but winds through thickets of trees and grassy areas before climbing back up out of the valley and to the paved road. Truly enjoyable!

Our next adventure was to travel about 16 miles to LBJ National Historic Park. The 36th President of the United States was born in 1908 in Stonewall, Texas. The family homestead is still here along with many other buildings, including the ‘Texas White House’. LBJ’s ranch consisted of 2,700 acres and over 400 Polled Hereford cattle while he was living. It is a sprawling complex that includes fields, barns, an airstrip and hanger, and the family cemetery.

We opted for the self-guided driving tour which starts at a working farm on the property. LBJ frequented this farm as a child playing with the children who lived there. It’s like taking a giant step back in time here. There are sheep, turkeys, chickens, a very large hog that Justice was quite startled by, a garden, blacksmith shop, and the homestead. There were 2 park volunteers preparing a meal on a wood burning stove and she explained how she’s learned to cook on the stove. It was so very interesting.

Our next stop was to stop and view the State of Texas Bison herd. It’s the closest I’ve ever been to one and they are massive. We didn’t take Justice up to them, not sure how either they would react.

From here we visited the family cemetery where LBJ and Lady Bird Johnson are buried. It is a beautiful setting surrounded by a stone fence with massive Live Oak trees throughout the grounds. These trees are so unique and impressive – we imagined how as a child; they would be so much fun to climb.

The park trail winds through a series of fields where white-faced Herefords graze and walk freely across the road and fields. From here it brings us to Texas White House grounds and the hanger that houses a jet that LBJ joked was ‘Air Force One-Half’ – since it was a small version of Air Force One. He was the first VP to use a jet.

The Texas White House was closed for renovations but standing in front of the house was awe-inspiring. The home is relatively modest with part of it built in the 1800s and is flanked by 2 massive Live Oak Trees with 360 views of the hill country surrounding it and the Pedernales River that runs in front of it. It is simply spectacular.

Today was one of those days that was filled with enjoyable moments all at a leisurely pace. We started out getting our laundry done – it was 11 days since our last trip to a laundromat, but it doesn’t take long to do and it’s great getting everything cleaned.

We then visited the Pioneer Museum located on Main St. In 1955, the Gillespie Historical Society purchased the Kammlah homestead which includes the original home, a smokehouse, and barn. This is now the Pioneer Museum. Over the years, the Pioneer Museum has grown to over 3 acres and 11 buildings. GHS owns and cares for 50,000 items on the grounds.

The grounds feature historic homesteads and buildings owned by early homesteaders in Gillespie County. Buildings includes a one-room schoolhouse, a log cabin, a Sunday House, blacksmith shop, a bath house, a barn, and a smokehouse. The Fredericksburg Volunteer Department Museum is also on the grounds.

We enjoyed learning the history of this area, touring the stone buildings, and artifacts housed there. It’s right up our alley because we’ve collected some antiques over the years and saw a few of them today.

Getting hungry, we looked up top restaurants in the area and came across a great Italian restaurant, Bella Sera of Fredericksburg. From appearances, you would not guess it was anything special, but looks can be deceiving and that was the case here. I was a bit concerned I would not find gluten free but the waitress confirmed they offered a GF Ziti pasta. Ron ordered the Lasagna, ‘Nick’s Salad’, and homemade garlic rolls. I went with the Baked Ziti, also with ‘Nick’s Salad’. It was some of the best, if not the best, Italian food I have ever had – it was one of those meals that made you feel good all over. Wow – fantastic!

We took Justice for a nice walk to the gigantic dog park where he met another Golden Retriever. He initiated some playtime with him and really enjoyed it! I think he’s getting the hang of these dog parks 🙂

It was a great day all the way around.

It rained early, then drizzled off and on all day with temps in the upper 40s. The forecast calls for partly sunny and mid50s the next three days – until the Polar Express arrives Thursday evening. It is going to be really cold everywhere including here and forecast is calling for 9 degrees overnight and freezing temperatures the next 3 nights.

To prepare for those temps we made a trip to WalMart to buy RV antifreeze to pour in the water lines to prevent them from freezing. We also filled our large propane tank that runs the furnace and bought small cans of propane for the Mr Buddy heater. Our plan is to winterize the camper, run the furnace along with Mr Buddy and the small electric heater. Campers do not have much insulation in the walls or the floors but keeping the water lines from freezing is the most important thing. We have a wool blanket and a down sleeping bag to use along with the cotton quilts and if necessary we’ll put on extra clothes.

To stay another full 7 days, we had to reserve another campsite, which worked out since it’s a pull thru site and a bit easier for unhooking and hooking back up. It so happened that this site is next to the couple from Ohio who owns an Airstream that is the same model as ours. There camper is a 1988 and much longer at 30′ but the outside design looks very similar. They are a very nice couple who are spending a month here before heading south to South Padre Island for the winter.

This is a nice town to spend Christmas in and from all appearances, they really celebrate. We plan to visit the downtown area over the next couple nights to check out their lighting display where there is a town green with lots of decorations and a huge tree. The town is around 11,000 residents but it is a big tourist attraction (reminds us of Berlin) and streets and sidewalks are full every day. Not sure if it’s this busy during other seasons but it certainly is now.

We’ll be here until next Monday – just when the weather is starting to warm back up to more normal temperatures :)!