Day Trip: San Marcos, Texas

A cold spell came through while we were in Lockhart, so we didn’t want to get outside very much. We simply don’t like cold weather. Looking for something to do that would keep us mainly inside, we decided to drive over to nearby San Marcos to look around.

For years, we had heard of the outlet mall in San Marcos, but we had never been there. Getting directions from the friendly staff in the park headquarters, we headed out and located the mall along I-35 on the southern edge of San Marcos. Actually, there are 2 malls, both located on the east side of I-35: San Marcos Premium Outlets and Tanger Outlet Mall. San Marcos Premium Outlets is by far the larger of the two; it really is massive. We stopped in to wander through a few stores, but really weren’t looking to buy anything.

We then rode around a bit, viewing the growing town. It had probably been over 20 years since our last trip through San Marcos, and we were surprised at the vast growth the town has undergone. Texas State University, formerly Southwest Texas State University, has really grown and dominates the community, with shuttle buses visible everywhere. It currently enrolls more than 34,000 students, making it the 5th largest university in Texas and the largest in the Texas State University System.

We found a little grouping of mobile food carts just off of downtown and decided to stop. Since our days in the Middle East, we have enjoyed “street food”. The concept of mobile food trailers grouping together is very popular in other areas of the country, especially Portland and Seattle, but has been slow to catch on in Texas with the exception of the Austin area. So when we came across The Hitch, we pulled in to see what was available.

At this time, only 4 carts are operating, and 2 were closed the day we stopped. One of the closed trailers, the caboose, served mainly Southern style fried food while the other closed trailer served Thai food. Drat! We could have really enjoyed some spicy Thai food. We looked over the menus of the 2 open carts. One served an eclectic menu of various foods, including a curry dish. But we decided to sample the food at St. Pita’s, where they serve “Heavenly Good Food”. We both ordered the Classic, which is essentially their version of a shwarma sandwich. Stuffed with schwarma meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions, and topped with their "Saintly Sauce", the sandwich was large and good. My only complaint is that the bread cracked and broke with handling, probably because it had been heated on the grill. But that is a small price to pay for this great sandwich.

Good Eats: Chisholm Trail BBQ, Lockhart, Texas

In our quest to hit all the BBQ places in Lockhart, we recently stopped in a Chisholm Trail BBQ on US 183 on the southern edge of town. Of all the places we’ve tried thus far in this part of the state, I would rate this place my least favorite. But that doesn't mean it's not good.

As we pulled into the parking lot, things looked good. As we got out of our vehicle, we were met by good smoke smells, and that’s always a good sign. And the parking lot was full. We were hopeful we were about to sample some good food.

Chisholm Trail is served cafeteria style, though you can buy meat by the pound if you like. We thought we would sample the plates this time. Prices were very reasonable. I purchased a plate with sausage and brisket for $6.95, while Donna got half a chicken for about the same price. Plates come with three sides, and you can help yourself from a wide assortment available in the serving line. I picked slaw, pinto beans, and mashed potatoes. Unlike many BBQ joints in this part of the state, BBQ sauce is available as are forks.

The casing on my sausage was extremely tough and very difficult to chew. While advertised as “hot”, I could not detect any kick to it. And I'm not a fire-eater like Donna. Usually when something is the least bit hot, I'm aware of it. The brisket had a nice smoke ring to it, but it was a bit tough and chewy as well. I could not detect the smoke flavor I look for in Central Texas BBQ joints. The beans were overcooked and very dry. The mashed potatoes were quite lumpy, though they tasted fine. The slaw was also good.

At some places, the food gets older as the day wears on, but we arrived at Chisholm Trail at high noon on a Sunday. This should have been their best product. Perhaps they were simply having a bad day. Regardless, I doubt I’ll return to Chisholm Trail. I don’t get to this part of the state often, so when I do, I want the best, and there are simply too many other good places to choose from nearby.

Lockhart State Park

We spent 4 nights at Lockhart State Park (March 24-28, 2013). This small park on the outskirts of Lockhart, Texas, provided us a good jumping off place for eating BBQ, visiting San Marcos, and hiking at McKinney Falls State Park near Austin. I'll be posting entries on these outings soon.

As regards a real outdoors experience, there really isn't much to recommend Lockhart SP. There are only 16 camping spots, and only 10 of those are full hook-ups (see map). Hiking opportunities are limited to probably fewer than 4 or 5 miles (I'll post a hike report later). Although a creek runs through the park, there really are no fishing opportunities. There is a swimming pool near the park headquarters and a nice day-use area. The big draw is the 9-hole golf course.

We were happy to get to the park. For the previous 6 nights, we had stayed at parks without full hookups. We can last several days with our holding tanks, but it is always comforting to know you don't have to. We were looking forward to some continued good weather so that we could sit out and watch golfers on the course. However, the morning we left Palmetto, the weather turned cold and windy. The remainder of our stay at Lockhart would be with below average temperatures, keeping us inside more than we wanted.

All interior roads in the park are paved, as are all camping sites. Probably no more than 4 or 5 sites were occupied the entire time we were there. We were not able to pickup any WiFi signal, and even TV reception was limited, as it was at Palmetto SP. The 10 full hookup sites at the park are in a circle overlooking holes 2 - 5 of the golf course. We were fortunate enough to get arguably the best site, #5. In warm weather, this site would be ideal with its shady oak tree. We actually started in site #4, but that site was very unlevel, so we moved next door to site #5. It was also quite unlevel. It took 2 boards for us to even things up.

Site #5. Tree would provide welcome shade in the summer.

Our site overlooked 4 holes, including the par 5 #2 hole, whose tee box is shown above.

Green for hole #5 as seen from our campsite.

Green for hole #2 as seen from our campsite

The campground, as seen from near the restroom. Our trailer is in the center of the picture.

Cascades on Clear Fork Creek just above park road near day use area.

For travelers looking to relax a few days, the park is a good stop. It is only a mile or 2 outside the Lockhart city limits. A Super Walmart is located on the south side of town along US 183, and if you like Texas BBQ, then you'll enjoy Lockhart.

Good Eats: City Market, Luling, Texas

While staying at Palmetto State Park just down the road, we drove into nearby Luling to try the local BBQ at City Market, an eatery that has received lots of favorable reviews from people who know much more about BBQ than I do. By the way, if you do an internet search for City Market, you will probably pull up a site in Houston, not Luling. As we approached town, we even saw a sign that proclaimed Luling the "first stop on the Texas BBQ trail." We were hopeful that the place would live up to its hype, and I think it did.

City Market is downtown, just a door or 2 off highway 183. Cars were everywhere, so I expected a crowd. However, when we walked through the doors, we saw there was plenty of room to sit. Lots of folks just pick up their food then return to work, take it home, or go elsewhere to eat, leaving ample seating inside.

You'll see a little glassed-in room at the back of the main room, and there will probably be a line waiting to get in. Hop in line. Each time that door opens, you get a little smell of BBQ heaven.

Once inside, a smoke-stained sign that is slowly becoming illegible shows what meats are available as well as their prices. We decided to get a pound of brisket and 2 sausage rings. Bread and crackers are provided, and you can order jalapenos at the meat counter as well. We always order 4.  I can usually eat only one, but my fire-eater wife can eat a large jar by herself. Be sure you have cash.

Donna had secured a table in the side room while I got the meat. After leaving the meat with her, I went to the front counter where you can purchase drinks, cheese, and any sides. Don't ask for BBQ sauce and don't ask for forks -- they don't provide any; this is a traditional Texas meat market. Slice the meat with the knife and eat with your fingers. You can also pick up a small bottle of hot sauce at the counter.

The brisket was moist and flavorful, with a nice smoke ring to it. The sausage had a good taste, but the casing was a bit chewy, but not overly so. There was not much of a snap to the sausage, either. I used the hot sauce on the sausage, and it had a nice, sweet taste. The sausage was not really hot, but I enjoyed the flavor.

I enjoyed City Market. I would not say it is my favorite old-style Texas BBQ joint, but it certainly is near the top of my list. The prices are reasonable, too. I think it is a must stop on the Texas BBQ Trail.

Plants of Palmetto State Park

I know little about flowers and such, so I won't even attempt to identify the plants I saw on my hikes at Palmetto State Park. Keep in mind the time was late March, so these flowers will probably not be in bloom at other times.

Enjoy.

This plant was prevalent throughout the park.

Really pretty shade of blue with some yellow showing.

Primroses?

A mix of colors

Even weedy looking plants can be pretty.

Although the same color more or less as the previous picture, the shape of the petals is different

Note the black bug above the flower. Nature at work.

Palmetto SP: Hike Report - Day 2

For my second day of hiking at Palmetto SP, I went solo. Donna wanted to stay at the trailer and do some cleaning and cooking. My goal today was to hike the trails in the park that I did not see yesterday.

I began by hiking past the Refectory and down across the low-water crossing of the San Marcos River (for pictures and details, see "Palmetto SP: Hike Report - Day 1"). Once on the other side, I followed the park road through the tent camping area. At the restrooms, I found the trail head for the three-quarter mile Oxbow Lake Trail. (see map)

Trailhead for the Oxbow Lake Trail is next to the restrooms in the day use area.

This trail loops around the lake, crossing the highway as it does so.

View of Oxbow Lake from where trail crosses highway.

Parts of this trail have denser shrub and brush than the other trails I’ve been on. Gnats and other small, annoying flying insects hovered about my face throughout the section of the trail north of the highway. At the northern part of the lake, water gives way to reeds, making any view of the lake from the trail difficult at best. At the northern tip of the lake, I turned back south and walked along the western shore of the lake. The trail eventually broke out into a clearing occupied by the Litte Hill Baptist Church, then ducked under the highway bridge.

Trail cuts through dense woodland and brush along the northern part of the lake.

Extreme northern tip of Oxbow Lake

Litte Hill Baptist Church in a clearing on the west side of Oxbow Lake just north of the highway.

It was a Saturday morning in the park, and the day use area was teeming with people, especially young folks. It’s good to see young people getting outside and playing. They were kicking soccer balls, throwing Frisbees, playing on play ground equipment, fishing, and just running around having a good time.

I retraced my steps back across the low-water crossing. At the Refectory, I took the Ottine Swamp Trail, which I had followed yesterday in its entirety. At the park road crossing, though, I turned left for a short walk to the entrance to the Palmetto Interpretive Trail, a short looping trail of one-third mile. A water tower is just off the trail head, and is an interesting stop. Also along the trail are several interpretive signs. This is the best trail to see palmettos, for which the park is named.

Trail head for Palmetto Interpretive Trail. Note water tower in background and sign warning about snakes. I did not see a single snake on my hikes in the park.

Closer view of the water tower.

The water tower is an interesting stop. It includes a ram-jet pump which uses no electrical power. Instead, it uses the force of a rising column of water from the artesian well to pump water to a cistern atop the tower. The pump and tower are used today to maintain a constant water level at the swamp to help the palmettos thrive. It was built by the CCC between 1933 and 1936.

You never know what you'll come across on a hike.

One of the many swampy areas along this trail

The trail eventually loops back to the park road. I turned right for another sort walk to the entrance to the San Marco River Trail, a one and one-quarter mile trail. For the first 100 feet or so, I could see trailers in the nearby trailer camping area, but the trail then veers away from the campground.

I am not a scientist, so I looked up mud boils. Wikipedia states mud boils are sometimes called frost boils. For more info, click here.

Several trails intersect with the San Marcos River Trail: Mesquite Flats Trail (which I hiked yesterday), Canebreak Spur (which I hiked yesterday), and the Mossycup Spur.

Foot bridge with moss hanging overhead near Mossycup Spur Trail.

Just beyond the Mossycup Spur trail, the bluffs of the opposite bank of the San Marcos River became visible on my right. Palmettos give way to lush woodland. Few views of the river are available from the river until near the end of the trail, though some footpaths do wend through the thick grass to the bluffs above the river.

One of the few clear views of the San Marcos River from the San Marcos River Trail.

Birds were active throughout this section of the trail I saw cardinals and heard woodpeckers. Wildflowers grew thicker and thicker, and butterflies and bees were working the flowers. Eventually the trail comes into sight of the trailer camping area, then emerges near the restrooms.

Except for the folks around the day use area near the beginning of the hike, the only folks I actually saw on the trails was a lone hiker on the Ottine Swamp Trail and a nature photographer near the end of my hike. The length of my entire hike was probably just over 3 miles.

Palmetto SP: Hike Report - Day 1

While at Palmetto State Park, we decided to hike some of the trails. I was nursing some blisters, so I did not want to walk too far, so we kept our hike to under 3 miles.

We began at the Canebreak Spur trail located between sites 9 and 11 in our campground (see map). This one-eighth mile trail soon connected us with the longer San Marcos River Trail; however, we only stayed on this trail for a brief distance before we veered off on the 1 mile Mesquite Flats Trail.

The Canebreak Spur Trail is typical of all trails in the park. All have crushed stone surface.

All trails have good signs at junctions.

This trail varies from woodland/swamp terrain to open prairie with mesquite trees; thus the name, Mesquite Flats. It should have been called Doodle Bug Flats because of the thousands of doodle bugs that were on the trail.

Wildflowers line the trail through the mesquite flats on the Mesquite Flats trail.

The open prairie of the mesquite flats quickly gives way to dense woodland.

After leaving the first stretch of open prairie, or mesquite flats, the trail plunges back into the woodlands to follow a creek, which it finally crosses on a sturdy metal bridge. All bridges we crossed were in good repair and very sound.

Metal bridge over creek that feeds into the San Marcos River. Most foot bridges in the park are wooden.

Rustic bench along the trail.

Nice wooden foot bridge. The interesting thing in this picture as far as I'm concerned is the open pasture on private property in the background. If not for this land being donated to the park service, the palmettos and other elements of this unique environment would have been cleared away.

At the end of one mile, the trail intersected with the Ottine Swamp Trail, another 1 mile long trail. This trail wound through more swampy terrain, although some of the area has dried up, a result of the prolonged drought, I suppose.

Immediately upon entering the Ottine Swamp Trail, we crossed a section of the swamp on this boardwalk.

Good example of the swamp. Notice the wooden fence post and wire near the center of the picture. I would not like to have been the person who put this fence line through here.

Near the end of this trail, it appears to lead onto a park road near a gate. However, veer sharply right and stay on the trail, which parallels the park road. It will eventually cross the road about a fourth mile farther on. When it does cross, you can see the San Marcos River and the low water crossing.

View of the San Marcos River from the place where the Ottine Swamp Trail crosses the paved park road. If you look closely, you may be able to see the low-water crossing near the top part of the river in the picture.

After about one-eighth mile, the trail comes out at the Refectory. A short 100 foot walk down a paved water runoff ramp leads to the low water crossing.

The Refectory

Low-water crossing on the San Marcos River. Only foot traffic may cross here. This crossing connects the two parts of the park.

Looking upstream from the crossing.

Looking downstream from the crossing. In the bare area where the river curves right, you can see buzzards roosting along the bank. There were buzzard roosts throughout the park.

After viewing the low-water crossing, we returned to camp. Our hike today, including walking from and to our campsite, probably totaled little more than 2½ miles. It is a good, easy hike, with no ups and downs. It would be a good trail system to ride a bicycle. We did encounter 2 lone hikers on the trail as well as a couple who were riding their bikes. Otherwise, it was peaceful and quiet.