New Friends, New Experiences and a New Year

Giving mom a break, we wandered over to Texas Hill Country to hang out with about sixty other RVers at the Escapees New Year Hangout. (No, as far as we know no one had been in prison, just escapees from ho-hum, no fun lifestyles.)

Based in Fredericksburg, we explored nearby attractions; our favorite was the Garrison Bros. Distillery tour in the little town of Hye.

We are not bourbon drinkers, but seeing how the spirit is made and bottled was very interesting and the distillery staff 

Scooter, one of our guides.

was quite entertaining with the dispositions you would expect in a Texan.

From the parking lot we cozied up in wagons with folks we did not yet know for the ride to where the action takes place.

Corn, barley and wheat, the only other ingredient is rain water

The cookers

The mash

Yep, Captain stuck his finger in the bubbling mash for a little taste. (Actually we were told we could do this as the high alcohol will take care of any type of contamination.)

In case you are wondering, we do not have any intention of developing a taste for bourbon.

Down the road from Fredericksburg is the little town of Luckenbach, (think Waylon, Willie and the boys.)

Unfortunately, they were not there but a nice little band was performing in the dance hall

and the town says Texas.

The event wasn’t all about dance halls and libation, we did get a little history review. As most of us in the group remembered the President Lyndon B. Johnson era, we appreciated seeing his ranch, 

the Texas White House (from the outside, as it is not open at the present) 

and his eclectic collection of cars.

The amphibian

Hunting car equipped with a bar and a gun rack.

With other history buffs in our group, Captain explored the very detailed National Museum of the Pacific War. 

(ABN hit the highlights and headed downtown Fredericksburg to do a bit of shopping.)

On this escapade with rigs of every style, a diverse group of travelers, and well planned activities, we explored the Fredericksburg area, celebrated the New Year with new friends, and

(Yep we stayed up past midnight!)

and made a Tipsy Tuesday introduction.

Now it’s back to College Station to spend a bit more time with mom and catch up with Aggieland friends before we turn The Wanderer westward.

But first, one more stop, there happened to be a brewery in Fredericksburg; we had passed it several times and it called to us. 

Yep, it was the 290 Jitters (Pecan Coffee Imperial Stout.) 

Awesome!

Happy New Year to all of you; if you are in the path of this year’s adventure, we are looking forward to seeing you!

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