After another day on the road, bucking 30 mph. winds nearly the whole way (so much for good gas mileage), we arrived at Kerrville, TX. We are staying in a great park with lots of grass, open space, lakes, and friendly people. This is the heart of the famous Texas hill country, birthplace of Lyndon Johnson and Admiral Nimitz. The area was settled by emigrants from Germany around 1840, who built the nearby town of Fredericksburg to resemble their homeland. Their original rustic stone houses are still scattered about the countryside. The place still maintains a distinct Germanic atmosphere, with restaurants featuring bratwurst, sauerkraut and German beers. It has great bakeries with authentic European goodies. German was spoken in the schools here until the outbreak of World War I.
An old guy at the town's museum - older than me that is, told of how the residents of Fredericksburg were opposed to slavery and sided with the Union during the civil war. The Confederates demanded they sign a loyalty oath or leave for Mexico. About 60 men left, but were ambushed and killed by the Confederates anyway and left as food for the buzzards. Their bones were later recovered and transported back to town for burial.
The Texas hill country looks very familiar as it consists of oak woodland reminiscent of Shasta County. The 2 lane roads here have a 70 mph speed limit! You can legally drive 80 mph on I-10 - wow.
We climbed a 450 foot tall pink granite dome known as Enchanted Rock this afternoon - the second largest granite mass in the country. The wind was blasting more than 40 mph on top, but the view was magnificent. Cooper climbed it with no difficulty.
Just noticed we have put 2,100 miles on the truck since we left Redding.
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