2/18-19/23: Travel Log

2/18: Jonestown, TX to Fredericksburg, TX
-leaving D&R’s around 2 pm after FINALLY getting packed up from our stay
-slipped into the LBJ Ranch driving tour 8 minutes before they close, meandering past fields and old farm houses
-the terrain of Hill Country is more fertile, greener, lumpier. It’s the first place in TX that I can picture spending significant time in.
-dozens, literally dozens, of wineries. I later learn that the Hill Country around Fredericksburg is the second largest wine area in the US
-we find the Walmart then head further into town for sandwiches and beer at the Auslander German restaurant. The Reuben and apple strudel are particularly delectable
-back to Walmart with the pleasant buzz of a pint of light beer to settle in for the evening

2/19- Fredericksburg, TX to Black Rock Park, TX
-today is hookup-the-stove day! After a quiet morning we spend nearly three hours traipsing from hardware store to hardware store in search of all the pieces we need and finally secure our 12′ propane line and assembly along with a slackline and a 4lb tub of peanuts
-the drive to Black Rock Park where we’re meeting D&R is short

-we make lentil tacos and explore the campground until D&R arrive

-hot cocoa in the chilly dusk, watching our breath fog the air while we clean up from supper

-crowded into the Maggie B around our table for a chaotic game of Uno before bed- our first guests!

1/27-28/23: Falcon County Park to Boca Chica, TX

1/27- Falcon County Park to Boca Chica and SpaceX
-hot shower in the morning- I don’t care how sketchy Levi found the park, that shower was nice
-it was a bit of gray, drizzly, snippy day
-we stopped to fill a water jug at dollar general which was, for some reason, twice as expensive as the other filling stations we’ve seen
-levi went inside to buy some cheap wine while I fill the water and Sam managed to break the sliding drawer in the dash while we were out of the van
-more and more palm trees and greenery until we are suddenly along the water and bumping down a pocked road towards Space X with the looming shape of starships in the mist
-a gray, moody beach with crashing white caps and a line of kelp and scattered flotsam at the tide mark
-Levi made tacos while I recovered my state of mind, sinking into the sound of surf
-we decided to move to the access rd, feeling uncertain about high tide. Looking out the door into the mist I saw the lights of a boat off the coast, bobbing across the rolling waves
-fell into a scrolling sinkhole, serenaded by the sound of construction and clamor at the launch site next door which left me giddy with excitement. Rocket scientists!

1/28- Boca Chica Beach
-another misty, grey day with patches of sunshine every once in awhile. There seems to be a Saturday clean up day taking place further up towards Mexico
-Levi drove us out onto the beach at 7 and made coffee
-drifting in and out of sleep with the smell of fresh coffee and the music of the surf, I slept another two hours
-when the rain set in again in early afternoon we decided to drive into town to do our errands
-at the exit of the beach a large truck that came to drop off a dumpster is stuck in the sand with traffic jams in both directions, finally freed by another large truck by means of very sketchy chain maneuvers and we’re on our way
-i wash our laundry while Levi washes dishes and then we walk a few stores down to a thrift store for a some odds and ends
-i dry the laundry while Levi does his push-up workout
-Levi makes a quick run through Walmart for a few groceries and a tea kettle while I refill the water with Sam
-the light has mostly gone by the time we get back to the beach and we aren’t sure if we want to stay after all- the tide seems really high
-we drive down to our spot to check it out; as we pass through the narrowest spot the surf rushes up to our tires as we race through and my adrenaline is surging- we will stay on the access rd again