Greetings from "Sunny "San Diego! Happy Super Bowl!
I flew into San Diego yesterday after a very full and fun week in Texas. Peder and I enjoyed a boat ride and dinner on the San Antonio Riverwalk and went to our first Rodeo! I will spend the next 10 days or so visiting with family and friends and then I will drive our car to Peoria, Arizona where I will meet back up with Peder (who will be driving with his daughter in Coach Addy from Texas). We are then planted for about five weeks, hopefully basking in the sunshine, rooting on the Padres during Spring Training and taking in some of the beautiful sites in and around the Phoenix area. But more about that later…let’s get into the details of this past week!
We spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday at Al’s Hideaway Campground in Bandera, Texas. Such a peaceful spot. The owners, Godon, Jennifer and MeMaw are absolutely delightful! Together they built this campground from the ground up. Their motto is that when guests arrive, they leave as friends and return as family. They live that motto and made us feel right at home from the moment we arrived. The park was fairly quiet while we were there; however, they were busy gearing up for the annual Mardi Gra festivities on Saturday (who knew that Mari Gra was such a big thing in Bandera, Texas, but it is! Complete with a parade and everything!) and the annual Super Bowl Chili Cook Off on Sunday. Gordon and Jennifer have many campers who return each year for these two events and the fact that they both fall on the same weekend makes for double the fun! The park has RV parking, cabins and even two tipis!
Butch and Betina joined us for dinner on Monday night, and Peder made his now famous Paella. He really has mastered this dish and it was the perfect meal to celebrate Betina’s birthday!
Tuesday brought a day trip to San Antonio where we took a boat ride around the Riverwalk and dined at the oldest restaurant on the riverwalk, Casa Rio. It was the first restaurant to open its doors to the river and take advantage of the setting. I had one of the best cheese enchiladas that I have ever had, the sauce was rich in flavor with just the right amount of kick. And as you can see below, Peder had to try one of their small margaritas. Such a beautiful and romantic place.
Wednesday was a travel day back to our “Moochdocking” location at Butch and Betina’s ranch in Boerne, Texas and repeat dining experience at Antler’s Cafe for another round of frog legs and Peder’s Chicken Fried Steak!
Let’s Rodeo San Antonio-It’s More than an 8 Second Ride!
Oh Wait, Yes it is!! What a fun night! We were lucky enough to get tickets to the opening night of the San Antonio Rodeo . Since 1849, the San Antonio Stock & Rodeo has grown to become one of the largest, most prestigious events in the city of San Antonio, with approximately 1.5 million visitors attending each year. What an evening. The Rodeo was entertaining and extremely fun to watch, but what made it fun was watching all of the people enjoying this Texan tradition. I think my favorite event was the Bull Riding.
After the Rodeo, was a concert by Ryan Bingham from the famed Yellowstone show. All in all a fun night! Happy Birthday Betina!
But the highlight of the week, lunch at Saltlick BBQ on the way to the airport in Austin. OMG! It might be the very BEST BBQ that I have ever had!! This place in huge! Literally hundreds of people can sit and eat here. The BBQ pit area is a sight to be seen. We had the Thurman plate with ribs, brisket, and sausage along with a pulled pork sandwich. Incredible! So delicious! The best part about this place (other than the food) is that it is BYOB. We brought one of Napa’s finest, Manny’s Blend from Jessup Cellars; we thought it would pair perfectly with the BBQ. Well, it did! In spite of the fact that they only had paper cups for the wine! Oh well…You know what I say, when in Texas, do as they do! And we did! Cheers!
We are in Kansas City later this year visiting my good friends Stephanie and John and we have challenged them to find a BBQ place that rivals SaltLick. The challenge is on: KC vs Austin!
Lesson Learned: Good wine tastes just as good in a paper cup as a Riedel glass! Be in the moment and don't prejudge based on preconceptions...
Bummer of the Week: Leaving Peder, Charlie and Coach Addy. It's great to be home and visiting family and friends, but I already miss Life on the Open Road and all of the calmness and quiet that has become such a part of my quality of life.
Highlight of the Week: The open fire pit at Salt Lick BBQ-and the amazing meat that came from that grill after being smoked for many hours!
One last thought...as you know, we have not had the best of weather-lots of rain and pretty cold. I did have one day this past week that I could wear a short sleeve shirt-the first time since we left 6 weeks ago. It was awesome! I was so looking forward to being back in San Diego for some warmer weather...and wouldn't you know it, a cold front is heading this way for the next week! Is the cold weather following me?? It sure feels that way! Oh, and I should mention that Peder will be enjoying weather in the mid to high 70's all week in Texas! Go Figure!
Cheers! Enjoy the Big Game today!
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