Good Eats: Old 300 BBQ

When staying at Blanco State Park, Donna and I like to walk down to Old 300 BBQ on the town square for barbeque and beer.

Old 300 BBQ on the square in Blanco.

Old 300 sits on the northeast corner of the square in Blanco. Walk through the front doors past the washtubs full of iced-down beer to the counter and order up. Menu is on the right. If you happen to stop in from 3 to 6, it’s happy hour with draft beer going for $2 a glass. That’s the kind of happy hour the old beer guzzling woman and I like.

Iced-down bottles of beer greet you upon entering. Donna and I prefer draft beer, though.

On this trip, Donna ordered the BBQ stuffed baked potato while I went for the sliced beef sandwich. The potato was huge and much more than little Donna could eat. The potato was served with a cup of chopped beef, a cup of cheese, some butter, and a packet of sour cream. My sandwich was not served on a round hamburger bun as in most places; instead, it came in anearby oversized hot dog bun. The bun was stuffed with thick slices of beautiful brisket. Donna and I could easily have shared the sandwich. There is a condiment bar with pickles, onions, and other items, as well as 3 sauces. On a whim, Donna picked up some “Blanco sauce” which is, indeed, white. It had a good horse radish taste. In looking at it, I did not think I’d enjoy it, but I really did. It gave my sandwich a nice little kick.

Of course, we both enjoyed a brews on tap. Old 300 serves beer from the local Real Ale Brewing Company, so we tried their Octoberfest. It was a decent little Bavarian style lager, but Donna and I are rather routine people and reverted to Bud Light on our next order.

Interior is simple and clean and bright, just as a Texas BBQ joint should be.

The restaurant is simple, decorated with various items from the past. It is open and light, and we like that. There is seating on the porch, but we noticed it was in the sun the entire time we were there.

Main dining area.

Johnson City, Texas: November 2, 2016

During one of the days while we were at Blanco State Park, Donna and I drove north to nearby Johnson City to look around. I’ve always liked this little town of 1,600 or so people at the crossroads of 2 major US highways: 290 and 281. Its big claim to fame, of course, is as the boyhood home of President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

The Pedernales River runs just north of town. Along the south bank of the river just off US 281 is the rather new Pedernales River Nature Park. This 222 acre day-use park is part of the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority). The park provides opportunities for fishing, picnicking, and bird watching. Swimming is not allowed.

Pavillion at Pedernales River Nature Park

Pedernales River forms the north boundary of the park

The centerpiece of the downtown square is the Blanco County Courthouse. Donna and I strolled the grounds picking up some really tasty pecans. We then walked around the square and a block or two off the square looking in on the various little shops that offer art, antiques, and related items. There is also a brewery with a café that has a pretty interesting menu. But we were a bit early for lunch, and we had our mouths set on Mexican food anyway.

After our walk, we then drove around some side streets and admired the oak trees and many stone houses. We then stopped in for lunch at El Agave on the highway. We had a good lunch at this place. Both of us ordered the vegetarian quesadillas, and we were happy. Service was excellent, and the atmosphere was very nice. We would certainly stop here again.

Then before leaving town, we stopped in at a dollar store and a grocery store for a few items.

Below are some pictures we took of the town.

Blanco County Courthouse

Street on the west side of the square

Junkyard Donna checking some items at one of the shops

1894 Blanco County Jail

A typical shop around the square. Notice historical marker.

Hike Report: Guadalupe River State Park, November 1, 2016

Donna and I have tried to hike Guadalupe River State Park a couple of times before, but the weather just did not cooperate. On this trip to Blanco State Park, though, we had some good weather. Guadalupe River SP is about 40 miles or so south of Blanco, so we made the short drive there to test some of the trails.

We made our way to the trailhead for the Painted Bunting Trail, which is the first trailhead beyond the park headquarters on the main park road. There is good parking at this trailhead. After putting on our gear, we headed across the road in a southeasterly direction to hike the trail in a counter-clockwise direction. An information kiosk at the trailhead informed us that there had been a controlled burn recently, but it did not say when exactly.

Parking is just off the road at the first trail crossing. We actually started the hike in the opposite direction, going behind where I was standing when I snapped this shot. We ended our hike at the corner of the parking lot between our truck and the sign.

Maps:

• Trails Map

• Park Map

Hike Stats:

• Distance hiked: 5.25 miles

• Time: 02:16:46

• Elevation Range: 927 feet to 1162 feet

Trails Hiked:

• Painted Bunting: 2.66 miles (estimated)

• Live Oak Trail: .82 mile

• River Overlook Trail: .77 mile

• Cedar Sage River Trail: about .1 mile (estimated)

• Barred Owl Trail: about .1 mile (estimated)

• We also did some road walking to connect trails

The trails that we hiked in this park were in excellent condition. A wide swath had been mowed along most trails. Signage along all the trails was excellent. Trails matched maps. While on the trails themselves, we never doubted our location.

View toward a instant hill across semi-open prairie that had recently enjoyed a controlled burn.

For the first half mile or so, we hiked through a semi-prairie area. Views were available in all directions, with distant hills standing out. Most of this trail was over large exposed rock, so it is necessary to watch your step at all times. Grass outside trails was very tall, at least knee high. There were few trees. Obviously, this area has recovered very well following the controlled burn and is now quite healthy, just as it should be after such a burn.

Trail rut with a generous swath of mown area around it.

After a half mile or so, the trail dipped into some heavy brush, mainly juniper and oaks. There were stretches through here where the trail was on dirt, no rocks, so walking was easy. Where this trail branches to intersect with the Oak Savannah Loop, we turned back north. This section of the trail was basically like what we had just hiked.

Good signs were placed at frequent intervals along the trail.

At the road crossing, the trail began to change slightly. For one thing, we began to come across hunting blinds. Trees along this section were also more numerous. At the split with the Live Oak Trail, the little pond indicated on the map was almost dry. At the end of the Live Oak Trail, we turned east into the Cedar Sage Campground to work our way over to the Scenic Overlook to view the Guadalupe River. At this point, while on a paved road and technically off the trails, we encountered a bit of confusion as the trail map did not match what we saw. We should have brought a park map, which is more accurate as regards campgrounds, facilities, and paved roads. At the restroom, we turned 90 degrees north along the paved road for perhaps a 100 yards or more. There is a parking area there with some signs. At this point, we were able to get on a trail and follow our map again.

These well-built benches looked out cross an open meadow.

One of several hunting blinds we saw along the trails on the west side of the park road.

Junction of the Live Oak Trail and the River Overlook Trail. We followed the trail in the picture to the campground on our way to the Scenic Overlook.

We followed part of the Cedar Sage Trail to connect to the Barred Owl Trail, which then led us to a rocky outcropping overlooking the Guadalupe River. After admiring the view for a few minutes, we retraced our steps through the campground to the River Overlook Trail. This trail does follow the river, and there are a few side trails that work to the ledge overlooking the river. However, good views of the river require a bit of scrambling, and I was unwilling to do this, so we just followed the trail. We then connected to the Painted Bunting Trail again and followed it back to our truck.

Looking upstream at the Guadalupe River from the Scenic Overlook.

Another view of the Guadalupe. Note the cypress trees and aqua water, both typical of so many Hill Country streams.

Again, these are good trails, and they are well maintained. However, there are few views or other opportunities to view anything unique. There are trails north of the river, and they may be more interesting. But the trails we hiked are a good workout and a good chance to get out and enjoy nature.

Blanco State Park: November 2016

Donna and I are at Blanco State Park, on the banks of the Blanco River in the city of Blanco in the county of Blanco, Texas. Yep, everything is blanco here.

We're in site #9 on this trip. Lots of trees with autumn leaves all over the ground.

Blanco SP has been one of our "go to" parks over the years. To be honest, I think I like it more than Donna does. This little park has a lot going for it.

First and foremost, it has full hookups, which is always a plus in my book. The WiFi has always worked for me as well, and that is another plus. There are good trees for shade in the summer, and the entire setting along the river is very attractive. The park isn't large; in fact, there are only 17 full hookup sites (a mix of 30 and 50 amp) and an additional 12 water and electric sites. During peak times, it can be difficult to find a vacancy. One of the perks of retirement is that we can travel at off times.

I've always found the park to be well maintained. The hosts/volunteers here really do a fine job of keeping the restrooms/showers clean and the grass mowed, among other things.

During summer months, the park can get busy, especially around the swimming area, the low-water crossing, and the north side of the river. It is a favorite place for families to swim and fish when that Texas heat bears down. The area on the south side of the river usually remains calmer, as this is the camping area.

Donna often fishes while she is here, but she has never had much luck.

One thing I really like about the park is that it is actually in the city limits of Blanco. Gasoline, groceries, and eateries are just outside the park entrance. In fact, there is a walking trail that connects the park to the downtown area, so it is an easy walk to the town square.

The park also serves as a good jumping off place to a number of nearby areas. Over the years, we have enjoyed a number of daytrips from this little park: all the LBJ sites in Johnson City and Stonewall, hikes at nearby state parks, shopping trips to the outlet malls in San Marcos, visits to the unique little village of Wimberly, and various dining trips to area eateries, to name a few.

Below are links to past stays in the park:

• Blanco State Park, May 2015
• San Marcos Day Trip (2015)
• Hike Report: Inks Lake State Park (2015)
• Good Eats: The Salt Lick, Driftwood, Texas (2015)
• Wimberly, Texas (2012)
• LBJ Tours: Part 1, Boyhood Home (2012)
• LBJ Tours: Part 2, The LBJ Ranch (2015)
• Day Hike: Pedernales Falls State Park (2015)
• Blanco State Park (2011)

Cleaning Holding Tanks

Probably one of the least pleasurable aspects of RVing is cleaning out holding tanks. Most RVs are equipped with 3 holding tanks: black water, grey water, and fresh water. The black water is waste from the toilet, grey water is waste from sinks and shower, and fresh water is your fresh water supply for those times when you may not have access to water. Of these 3 tanks, the least pleasant to deal with is, of course, the black water. Of the 3, it is also the one you need to deal with in order to prevent odors.

On our previous trailer, the Rockwood 2604, we had a built-in black water flush, so cleaning the black water tank was pretty painless. Our current trailer has no such luxury, and I really miss that feature. For the past year or so, I've been using a wand to clean the tank, but I recently learned of a new product that really does a pretty effective job. So, on our last outing, we stopped at Camping World in Denton and I picked up a Flush King Reverse RV Flush by Valterra. Click here to watch a promo video of this device.

Now, if this is a topic that interests you -- and if you are an RVer it SHOULD interest you -- there is a wonderful YouTube video of a man performing a series of tank rinsing solutions using various products. One of the products he tests is the Flush King. The video simulates quite well just what happens in a holding tank.

So far, I've only used my Flush King twice, but I've been impressed. When we are preparing to leave a site, I'll empty my black water tank. Now, I don't mean to be graphic here, but one of the features of the Flush King is the clear valve that allows you to watch your waste travel out of the tank. When I first emptied our tank, the waste was, of course, very dirty. Then I closed the valve between the Flush King and the sewer hose, and turned on the water, allowing it to run for several minutes in order to refill the tank. I then turned off the water, opened the valve, and watched the waste pass through the clear valve. This time, the waste was obviously cleaner, but still dirty. So, I repeated this process until the water ran clear. I also used this same process for my grey water tank.

On the last day of our trip, I followed the same procedure above but finished by closing the Flush King valve and then using my tank wand through the toilet. I gave the tank a good rinsing this way, then turned off the water and went back outside. I opened the valve and once again saw a good bit of dirty waste through the clear valve, waste that had obviously been washed down from the upper walls. Yep, I miss that black water flush I had on my previous trailer.

Notice clear section of valve. This allows you to watch the waste as it empties. Also notice that the cut off is below the water inlet. This allows you to add water to the tank and hold it, and this is important.

Still, without going through the expense of installing such a black water flush, the process I'm currently using is probably about as effective as I can be.

There are a number of good YouTube videos on this topic. One of the better ones I've found is "How To Dump and Clean an RV Black Tank." This particular video deals with an RV that has a built-in black water flush.

On a related note, one problem I've encountered numerous times is that my tank sensors begin to give false readings, obviously because of debris that blocks them in some way. The process described above helps to eliminate that problem. When we were at Copper Breaks on our recent trip, I noticed that our sensors were not reading accurately. So, after we emptied our tanks, I then refilled the black water tank about two-thirds full with fresh water. We then drove to our next destination almost 200 miles away. During the trip, the water sloshed around in the tank. When we arrived at Winstar, I emptied the tank, and the sensors were working properly.

RVing is not always about fun, and keeping your tanks clean and working efficiently is one of those things you just have to knuckle down and do.

Life of Leisure

I've really enjoyed being home following our trip. But this is a great time of year to be out in our state parks and visiting other places, so we are planning another trip very soon. Until then, we'll enjoy our time at Rio Concho West.

On Thursday night, the staff at Rio Concho West hosted their annual hamburger supper. Each year, the entire staff -- administrative personnel, office staff, and maintenance crew -- treat the residents of the community to hamburgers and all the fixings. It's their way of saying "thank you" to residents. We really had a good turn out this year, and the assembly hall where we hold our dinners was almost full. The burgers were really tasty, and fellowship with our fellow inmates was enjoyable as always. After supper, we enjoyed several games of Bingo, with a cash prize available for each game. We had a good time.

With each event we attend, we meet more and more of our fellow residents. This place really is a community, and its great to get to know our neighbors. Now when we attend an event -- or ride the bus to eat out somewhere or take a trip -- we always see familiar faces. Not every resident attends the events we have, so there are some folks I guess we'll never meet. Some of the folks, on the other hand, attend just about everything offered out here. Donna and I are somewhere in the middle. Since we travel often, we miss lots of events, but when we are home, we attend as many as possible.

On Friday, Donna and I attended the latest Tom Cruise movie, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back. If you enjoy other movies Cruise has made, you'll probably enjoy this one. It is pretty typical of work he has done the last 20 or so years, such as the Mission Impossible series of movies and the previous Jack Reacher movie. The current film co-stars Cobie Smulders, who had a lead role in the long-running TV series, How I Met Your Mother. I must admit I struggled to accept her in this role.

Following the movie, we had a late lunch at Rosa's, then took a drive around Lake Nasworthy. We saw close to 20 deer in the parks around the lake, and as well as a sizeable gaggle of turkeys.

Life is good out here.

Trip Summary

I thought it might be interesting to give a summary of our recent trip.

• Total distance: 764 miles. Note: this does not include side trips.
• Total nights: 11 nights
• Total gasoline cost: $167.39. We averaged more than 10 mpg. This cost DOES include side trips.
• Total camping fees: $237

Where we stayed:

• Copper Breaks SP: 2 nights
• Winstar Casino RV Park: 4 nights
• Ft. Richardson SP: 2 nights
• Lake Brownwood SP: 3 nights

Of the 4 places we stayed, all were new to us except for Lake Brownwood SP. We like going to new places in general.

In all honesty, I really did not enjoy this trip, and I'm not sure why. I really wasn't comfortable at Copper Breaks. I did not care for the layout of the camp sites, but normally that doesn't concern me too much. Also, Copper Breaks does not have full hookups. I know that as I get older, I really avoid parks that do not have full hookups. And I know I don't like being without television. On this trip, we had no television at all. It's not that I'm a television junkie, but I do like to keep up with news and current events. And at the end of the day, it's nice to sit back and watch a good show or two.

I also do not really care for the part of the state where we were. I'm uncomfortable if we get too close to metropolitan areas, and that was the case with Winstar and, to a lesser degree, Ft. Richardson. I certainly don't care for towing on two-lane highways.

I think I'm just getting too used to creature comforts. I was so glad to get back home to my roomy shower, my comfortable bed, and my cozy chair in front of the television. If I want, I can step out on my back patio, sit in my rocking chair, and enjoy watching the happenings in my neighborhood. I think I just hate giving up all this comfort when we hop in that trailer.

But we have another trip planned and we'll be heading out soon. We'll see if a different atmosphere produces a different result. I certainly hope so.