Our Diverse Interest And Hobbies

[Steven@147]

When Tami and I have time, when she is not putting in countless hours at the hospital and I am not too busy restoring vintage vehicles and we are not off RVing somewhere in Texas, or traveling to up north to visit family, we love country music. Some of our dear friends are involved in the business and we try to meet up with them when we can. They are a great bunch of people!

Some Saturdays you can catch us at Gruene Hall, the oldest continuing dance hall in Texas built in 1878, in New Braunfels on the way to San Antonio. Our dear friend Dallas Wayne plays there with the band Flat Top Jones. Dallas and his wife also have a Mercedes Benz Class C they drive to gigs with Dallas's busy schedule. You can also catch Dallas on Sirius Satellite Radio on Willie's Roadhouse and Outlaw Country. Dallas is also in the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. Another dear friend is Redd Volkaert who has played with Merle Haggard in his band. Both Redd and Dallas are in the band Haybale, along with Earl Ball who played with Johnny Cash in his band, you can catch them at the Continental Club on Sunday late afternoons.

If your passing through Texas and down this way I encourage you to stop in and take a listen. You will not be disappointed. These are some vary talented musicians.

Tami and I have a very diverse group of friends. We like to hang out with the local car clubs Bastrop Area Cruisers and Mopar Muscle Cars of Austin, then at other times meet up with fellow RVers at Grand Design rally's and when schedules permit meet up with our dear friends in country music. Life doesn't get any better when sharing it with dear good friends!

 

[TucsonJim]

Gruene Hall sounds like a perfect stop for us. We're going to the rally in San Antonio in a couple of months, so we'll have to make sure we fit it in.

Jim

 

[LV Naturist]

"Nights I can't remember, with friends I'll never forget" - Toby Keith

John

 

[Steven@147]

The San Antonio rally is Oct 25-28. Here is a link to Gruene Hall Oct schedule. http://gruenehall.com/calendar/?month_id=10.
Dallas and Flat Top Jones will be playing there Oct 27 from 1-5, its a free show. While you are there just down the sidewalk about 50 yards from Gruene Hall is the old gristmill restaurant on the Guadalupe river. Or if you feel like some Texas BBQ, Coopers open pit BBQ is less than 5 miles from the Dance Hall. http://coopersbbqnewbraunfels.com/ you select your meat right out of the pit.

You can google Flat Top Jones and see some YouTube videos of them playing at the Dance Hall. The little town of Gruene and New Braunfels are on Interstate 35 on the way to and from San Antonio just a short distance. Of course you can't pass up the River Walk in downtown San Antonio. Tami and I usually stop in at County Line BBQ right on the river walk. The Alamo is only a stones throw from the river walk downtown.

 

[SouthTX]

Speaking of San Antonio attractions, let me give you some inside information.

Many people are not really disappointed in the Alamo, but it is not what they expect. There are stores across the street and it is difficult to imagine Santa Annas forces scaling the wall. There are plans in the works to restore the area, but that is years away.

While the Alamo is a must see in San Antonio, I always take my guests to the Mission Trail on the South side of town. There are four or five missions similar to the Alamo along the San Antonio river that give a much better picture of why and how San Antonio was founded. Its about a four or five hour diversion that I think you may enjoy. Traffic is generally light on the South side of town and things move a little slower. These missions are World Heritage sites and active Catholic churches that welcome visitors who wish to attend mass.

Do the missions first, then visit the Alamo and you'll have a much better understanding of the Alamo - you'll be able to picture Sam Houston and Davy Crocket on the ramparts. By the time you get through the Alamo, it will be time for Happy Hour and the river walk is right across the street. Nice and cool along the river and a great place to sip a Margarita and watch the tourists.

If you're in to aviation, there is also an aircraft museum at Stinson airport, just off the Mission Trail.

 

[theburgerts]

I've been to San Antonio a few times. We are scheduled to be there for the rally in October. I'm so looking forward to sharing so much with my husband, as he's never been. We've extended our stay to a few weeks, arriving earlier, and staying longer. This is such great info!

Sent from LB's phone using Tapatalk

 

[SouthTX]

October is a great time to visit San Antonio and San Antonio knows how to party and entertain tourists so you won't want for something to do.

When you're ready to slow down, Corpus Christi is three hours down the road. Our favorite place at the coast is the campground at the Padre Island National Seashore for dry camping.

 

[Steven@147]

Speaking of San Antonio attractions, let me give you some inside information.

Many people are not really disappointed in the Alamo, but it is not what they expect. There are stores across the street and it is difficult to imagine Santa Annas forces scaling the wall. There are plans in the works to restore the area, but that is years away.

While the Alamo is a must see in San Antonio, I always take my guests to the Mission Trail on the South side of town. There are four or five missions similar to the Alamo along the San Antonio river that give a much better picture of why and how San Antonio was founded. Its about a four or five hour diversion that I think you may enjoy. Traffic is generally light on the South side of town and things move a little slower. These missions are World Heritage sites and active Catholic churches that welcome visitors who wish to attend mass.

Do the missions first, then visit the Alamo and you'll have a much better understanding of the Alamo - you'll be able to picture Sam Houston and Davy Crocket on the ramparts. By the time you get through the Alamo, it will be time for Happy Hour and the river walk is right across the street. Nice and cool along the river and a great place to sip a Margarita and watch the tourists.

If you're in to aviation, there is also an aircraft museum at Stinson airport, just off the Mission Trail.

John, your right, when we first visited the Alamo many years ago we were surprised by the commercialization surrounding it. It is a reverent site to be sure but you cant really get a good mental image of what it was like during the battle. We will have to visit the Mission Trail, thank you.

Another place we have been to some years ago is the Alamo Village in Brackettville. For those of you reading the thread, this is the site where John Wayne filmed his movie The Alamo in 1959-60. The sets are still there and i got a better feel for what it must have been like during the battle, even though its only a film set. The old west town on the same site was still an active film set from time to time and many a western movie has been filmed there. We had lunch in the saloon and really got the feel of an old west town. They even had mock up gun fights in the street and was pretty cool. I read where it isn't open to the public anymore, and if true, is a shame. Brackettville is some 140 miles west of San Antonio and the Alamo set is 7 miles north of the city. It is heck and gone out in the middle of no place but we thought well worth it.

 

[SouthTX]

John, your right, when we first visited the Alamo many years ago we were surprised by the commercialization surrounding it. It is a reverent site to be sure but you cant really get a good mental image of what it was like during the battle. We will have to visit the Mission Trail, thank you.

Another place we have been to some years ago is the Alamo Village in Brackettville. For those of you reading the thread, this is the site where John Wayne filmed his movie The Alamo in 1959-60. The sets are still there and i got a better feel for what it must have been like during the battle, even though its only a film set. The old west town on the same site was still an active film set from time to time and many a western movie has been filmed there. We had lunch in the saloon and really got the feel of an old west town. They even had mock up gun fights in the street and was pretty cool. I read where it isn't open to the public anymore, and if true, is a shame. Brackettville is some 140 miles west of San Antonio and the Alamo set is 7 miles north of the city. It is heck and gone out in the middle of no place but we thought well worth it.

It is a shame that the Brackettville Alamo Vilage is closed up. We throughly enjoyed a visit years ago - it was like being in the middle of one of the cowboy movies we watched as kids. Actually, though, Mission San Jose is very similar to what the Alamo was like and it will help understand the Alamo layout.

But speaking of Bracketville, a few weeks ago we headed out highway 90 to Fort Davis. We had never been beyond Del Rio and scenery from San Antonio is not real exciting. Del Rio is about half way and we overnighted at the military fam camp at Lake Amistad. From Del Rio West the scenery changes significantly and it is like a time warp to what it was like before the interstate system bypassed many little towns. Its great road, no traffic and spectular scenery through the Davis Mountains. I highly recommend highway 90 over IH-10 if you'll be going or coming from El Paso.

 

[howson]

Just down the road in Corpus Christi is the Lexington aircraft carrier museum. Toured it many years ago while on temporary duty at Randolph AFB. I (hope) it is still as good as I remember it. https://www.usslexington.com/

 

[butch50]

John,

You are right about the Alamo. All the business fight across the street takes some of the effect out of it but the Mission Trail was great and enjoyed the heck out that. Walked the river and then took a boat ride on it. We found a little Irish Pub on the river walk and had stop in as it was lunch time and had fish and chips with a Killians Red.


howson,

We went to the Lexington in Corpus Christi I lost my camera lens cap over the side as the wind was really blowing and I took the cap off and it slipped my hands and it was gone. They also had replicas of Columbus 3 ships they sailed to the New World. I couldn't believe how small they were and that were told they were on loan from Spain. The first time we were there we went to the Peoples T head and bought fresh shrimp off the boats when they came in. They were very good being fresh. We cleaned a bunch and packed our freezer full as at the time we lived in CO and couldn't get shrimp there this fresh. We enjoyed those shrimp for a time after we got back home. The first time was 1995 when we were there. The next time in 2012 we asked people were to get shrimp and they told us just go to HEBS. We had now idea what that was as we had never been to HEBS. We know now what it is.

In fact I think we're heading that way next month if all goes right.

One thing I forgot while we were in San Antoino we went to the Lone Star brewery. I guess we can't do that again, eh.