Texas 2011; January 8th

Today was fantastic!  It was around 30 degrees and sunny when we left our motel in Marble Falls.  We took off for the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/enchanted_rock/)  We drove across 1323 from Hwy 281 to Hwy 16.  It was a beautiful route.  Along the way we photographed two buzzards waiting on fence posts for us to pass so they could continue feeding on a deer carcass at the side of the road.junction of 1323 and Hwy 16 north of Fredericksburg, TX

We saw several signs that warned of “LOOSE LIVESTOCK” on the road.  Chris wondered how the highway department knew the livestock were promiscuous!?

Enchanted Dome was great.  It is a gigantic granite rock protruding nearly 450 feet into the air.  It is actually a batholith, which is a large underground rock exposed at the surface by erosion.  Enchanted Rock is a small visible portion of a humongous underground rock that spans 100 square miles.one of the granite domes at ERSNAWe had a great time hiking to the summit and climbing around on the rocks.

From Enchanted Rock we drove south on 965 to Fredericksburg, TX and had lunch at Kelly’s Café. (http://www.kellyscafetexas.com/home)  As you can see below it was a residence converted to a restaurant.Fredericksburg, TXWords can not describe how great the food was . . . . . . . . but I’ll try.  It was LARRAPIN good!  I had a burger.  The beef was tasty and the side of homemade chipotle potato salad was scrumptious.  The burger came with all the standard fixins; mustard, ketchup, onion, lettuce, tomato, and pickle.  The pickles were home-pickled pickles and everything was very fresh.  I also got sliced jalapenos to go with the burger and they were fresh jalapenos.  Chris had the Monterey chicken and it, also, was LARRAPIN good.  If you ever find yourself in Fredericksburg we highly recommend Kelly’s Café.

Fredericksburg is an old touristy type of town with many historic buildings.  I especially liked the 1885 stone jail with bars on the windows located one block off of main drag.  There are many shops, art galleries, and eateries to keep the ladies happy.  I purchased a pen made by a local craftsman out of a .3006 shell casing and local antlers.

From Fredericksburg we drove east on Hwy 290 to the LBJ Ranch.  We did the tour and had a good time.  You’ll note in the pictures that the Herefords have LBJ branded into their right horn and their number branded into their left horn.  They put weights on the ends of the horns when the cattle are young to turn them down.  It was an interesting tour.LBJ Ranch

We drove east on Hwy 1 as we left the LBJ Ranch.  We saw a herd of bison and the deer were thick along the road.  We saw a large flock of wild turkey at a rest stop.  Most flew away before I could get a picture.

We returned again to our Best Western lodging in Marble Falls.  It was a great day with high temperatures in the 60’s.  It may get colder tomorrow.  For more pictures from today click on the following link: http://picasaweb.google.com/goldwinger.shawnee/Texas1811EnchantedRockFredericksburgLBJRanch?feat=directlink

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