As mentioned in my previous post, we arrived in Fredericksburg, Texas on Tuesday, January 25. We stopped here knowing that friends Lynne and Jerry Goebeler would be here.
Dinner with friends Lynne & Jerry Goebeler
For those of you who don’t know, Lynne and Jerry are more moto-blogger buddies of ours who we initially met online. They are both motorcyclists and Lynne is a blogger. We finally met in person in May 2021 when they were passing through Virginia on their way to Acadia National Park. We also met up in late 2021 when we were staying on Dauphin Island in Alabama and they were camped in Orange Beach for a mini vacation on their way to Texas.
The Goebelers have not only been doing the full-time RV thing for much longer than us, they’ve been work-camping, too. Their version of work-camping has been volunteering at various campgrounds, state and national parks, historic sites, etc. in exchange for a free campsite. They are currently volunteering at the nearby Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site.
We walked around town a bit on Day 1 together and then they took us to their favorite local Mexican restaurant, Campo Azul.
We finally got some decent, big-ass margaritas! (Photo by Lynne Goebeler)
The drinks were good and the food was delicious. Win-win!
The next day (Wednesday) we all went to the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area for an easy little hike.
As noted on Wikipedia, Enchanted Rock is a pink granite mountain (part of the Llano Uplift) about 17 miles (27 km) north of Fredericksburg, Texas and 24 miles (39 km) south of Llano, Texas. Enchanted Rock covers roughly 640 acres (260 ha) and rises around 425 feet (130 m) above the surrounding terrain to an elevation of 1,825 feet (556 m) above sea level. It is the largest pink granite hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain in the United States.
Following are quite a few pics I captured during our visit.
Signage near the park entrance. Enchanted Rock is the slope you see in the background.
Belle was excited to be out and about.
These images do not do justice to the scale of Enchanted Rock. It’s much larger than it appears here.
Prickly Pear Cacti in the foreground.
This is the first time on this trip we’ve been exposed to Prickly Pear cacti in large numbers.
L-R, Mike, Belle, Lynne, and Jerry hiking ahead of me.
Jerry was just about to duck under a Live Oak tree that was growing across the path.
Jerry makes an excellent hike leader.
The Goebelers were both very patient and understanding of our need to bring Belle along (she hates being left alone).
General scenery at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
Prickly Pear Cacti (per Lynne, a lot of Prickly Pear across the Hill Country region were damaged during the Texas deep freeze in 2021)
Mike and Belle were bringing up the rear here as Belle kept getting distracted by interesting smells.
Prickly Pear Cacti
General scenery at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
Close-up of a pink granite boulder.
Another large outcrop of pink granite rock. (The trees growing near the top should help provide a sense of scale.)
This is a great example of the colors of the Winter landscape throughout the Texas Hill Country.
Hiking on the Loop Trail at the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
Hiking on the Loop Trail at the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
Hiking on the Loop Trail at the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
Hiking on the Loop Trail at the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
General scenery at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
Prickly Pear cactus growing high up in an oak tree.
Lynne in action capturing pictures to share on social media.
General scenery at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
General scenery at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
Wet spot with a healthy population of small ferns growing around this lichen-covered granite boulder.
Lynne and Jerry admiring the landscape.
Image captured along the Loop Trail at the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
Image captured along the Loop Trail at the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
Close-up of a small portion of Enchanted Rock. The sense of scale is way off here. The boulders in the center of the image are probably at least 50 feet (~15 meters) tall.
The following image, captured by Lynne, sums up the mood of the day well. It was awesome to be out in nature with friends.
Photo by Lynne Goebeler
After our hike, we drove north to Llano, at Lynne’s recommendation, for lunch at Cooper’s. That’s their favorite Hill Country barbecue. It did not disappoint. We’ve eaten some amazing brisket since we’ve been in Texas, but I think Cooper’s may be the best so far. South BBQ in San Antonio was a VERY close second.
That’s a great pic of you and Dad – way to go Lynne!
They were a happy couple of subjects! 😎
Thanks. We always look happiest when chilling with friends and drinking big-ass margaritas.
Amen, sister!
Wow, you did an awesome job capturing part 1! We had a great time, surprisingly good weather, and yummy food…that did not suck! 😁
Now I’m remembering how much great detail you can share on a blog vs social media posts. Hmmm.
Thanks, Lynne. You do a great job getting detail into your IG posts, which probably take lots less time than a blog post. But then I have a lot of free time these days.
That’s a great pic of you and Dad – way to go Lynne!
They were a happy couple of subjects! 😎
Thanks. We always look happiest when chilling with friends and drinking big-ass margaritas.
Amen, sister!
Wow, you did an awesome job capturing part 1! We had a great time, surprisingly good weather, and yummy food…that did not suck! 😁
Now I’m remembering how much great detail you can share on a blog vs social media posts. Hmmm.
Thanks, Lynne. You do a great job getting detail into your IG posts, which probably take lots less time than a blog post. But then I have a lot of free time these days.