Bandera Tx…Cowboy Country
County Courthouse, Bandera Tx
Our plan was to spend the night in Bandera…claimed by the locals to be the “Cowboy Capital of the World”…well, at least Texas….Home to the culture of Cowboys…and Cowgirls….real Cowboys, doing real work…herding cattle…History runs deep in this land…from a story of Charles Lindbergh, who crash landed a plane three years before his Atlantic crossing to Vice President John Garner saying the VP position “is not worth a bucket of Piss”…if nothing else, Texas is a colorful State!
No explanation required….
We started off taking the most direct route to Bandera, but after a few miles my nomadic gypsy personality came to the forefront and we took the road less traveled…on a road... chasing Texas history ….and what a ride…the road starts to gain elevation and the vegetation changes to typical Hill Country terrain of low-lying brush, oaks , mesquite, Ashe Juniper, and grasslands, Gnarled limestone…..then you start reflecting back to the 1800’s and the conflict with the Apaches and Comanche's over …their patch of land, game, and water …and before that the Mexicans….
St. Stanislaus Catholic Church…dates to 1876
…is The second oldest Polish Catholic parish is the USA
Got to Bandera and drove around, found a place to bed down…then did a walking tour of Bandera…..what a neat Cowboy town it was…but more. It was also a mini Sturgis…Bikers galore..plus you also got the route 66 feel…especially the OST diner….it was born in the 1940’s and hasn’t changed…on any given day you’ll find ranchers, business folks, hunters, and “us tourists”…enjoying hot coffee, with over easy eggs, crisp bacon, biscuit's and sausage gravy…by the way the latest census indicates 972 population….
OST Diner at 0700 Saturday morning
During the summer they have a rodeo every weekend…I will be back….after walking for several hours…and buying stuff….I thought we where “downsizing”…we where back to our cabin for the evening….cooked a meal…kinda like camping and sat watching the sun set…well it was overcast…so it wasn’t a “Kodak moment” …still a GREAT Day…
Even have a herd of Buffalo..and they use to have Camels
We where up about 0630 …the weather was not conducive to sight seeing…we decided to head home…but decided to stop at several points of interest….first was Comfort, Texas… Comfort was built on the site of a Native American Village….established 1852 by middle-class Germans….most of the current buildings are listed in the National Register…spent an hour or more looking, taking photo’s and talking to folks…my favorite place…the Barbershop…see photo…also walked around Center Point and tried to visit Camp Verde(Fort that was established in 1856), but it sits on private land….
Barbershop Comfort Tx
Another unique old structure in Comfort Tx.
Next was a country road( FM1621...FM stands for Farm to Market) behind a hay truck to Waring, Texas…..population 73….the main point of interest is the Waring General Store…another one of those Rt. 66 type structures....spent about 45 minutes…tempted to have the “Waring Burger”…but opted for one of our Egg Sandwiches…….
Last it was off to Boerne…the mist was turning into rain so we decided to confine our sightseeing to the St. Peters Catholic Church….
It was a fast trip but one we enjoyed very much….wish the weather had been better…we do need all the rain we can get…..now looking at another Day Trip or over nighter….Texas does have an abundance of great places to visit…..Happy Trails to All…and a belated Happy Easter!…Horst
There is a really fun golf course just south of Bandera at the Flying L resort. The course is public.
ReplyDeleteHighs Café in Comfort has some really good sandwiches.
The Buckhorn Golf Course at Comfort is my favorite course in the USA.
I've played the Buckhorn several times and like you its one of my favorites...though it has a habit of beating me to submission....need to check out Highs Cafe...thanks for stopping by...catch some more good eating fish!..Horst
DeleteLooks like you had a great roadtrip. I had the best chicken fried steak of my life at the OST diner a few years ago. Hope to make it back to Bandera one of these days.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great trip...and in my opinion the best time of year to travel to the Hill Country ....I now have a valid reason to go back to Bandera...Chicken Fried Steak at OST....My problem when I go to one of those places I always take a "sucker punch"....the country breakfast....I just can't help myself...but man its always good! hope to see you two down the road this year...Horst
DeleteLoved the inside picture of the old parish church..glad to see you are getting out there and having fun.
ReplyDeleteFUN is what it's all about!
It was a great trip and that church was magnificent.....the murals had such a great history and we lucked out...when we entered the church a fella came over and started talking to us and 45 minutes later we had received an in-depth history of the founders of the church, history on Bandera, and much more...he was a treasure trove of information...you're so on target...Fun is what its all about....looking forward to your Guys next adventure....Happy Trails Horst
DeleteIts feels great to get out and explore...even if its without the Casita....though I would have enjoyed taking her...numerous campsites in the area......You Guys need to stop in Bandera.....its friendly, doesn't have the feel of a tourist trap and has history....
ReplyDeleteLooks like you two are moving right along to a final countdown to launch...I'm excited for you both!!! Also a great tutorial on your solar setup....take care...Horst
Horst, looks like a great road trip for you. Great pictures and commentary as always. Texas has so many great places to visit!
ReplyDeleteThanks Rob...Your so right about Texas having numerous outstanding vistas that one could spend a lifetime revisiting...like Big Bend....hope all is going well with you...catch you later...Horst
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