Willkommen to Fredericksburg

On the evening of Monday, March 27, we arrived in Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country, population just over 10,000. Here's what their welcome sign says:

Rich with the culture of German pioneers who settled here over 160 years ago. It's in our music. Festivals. Architecture. Everywhere. So Willkommen, y'all. Enjoy!

Scene from the Fredericksburg area.

We drove down the main street of town, totally enchanted. There was something about this little town that really felt, well, welcoming. Maybe Ron's German heritage on his mom's side has something to do with it. Whatever it is, after the first night, we decided to change our plans and stay a few extra days here.

We were already seeing some bluebonnets and Texas Indian Paintbrush along roadsides, and the hostess at the super nice Fredericksburg RV Park gave us advice for where to go to see more flowers. In addition, she recommended an RV repair man who makes "house" calls. We phoned Glenn after we got set up (about 6:30) and he was here within 10 minutes. Not only did Glenn fix our toilet (it flushes better than it ever did), he also gave us some great advice about how to maximize battery power and electrical performance. Before he left, he said, "Call me anytime you have a problem, no matter where you are. I'll try to walk you through what to do by phone, and there will be no charge."

So you can see how Glenn contributed to our very positive reaction to this lovely little town!

View along Willow City Loop. Lots of bluebonnets!

On Tuesday, after a grocery run and lunch, we drove the Willow City Loop road, one well known for having lots of beautiful wildflowers near the road. We understand that over the weekend this road was bumper to bumper with "peepers" (what I've dubbed folks like us who want to see those wildflowers). Today, traffic was much lighter. That was a good thing, because it really isn't possible to stop along the roadside. The public road runs among private ranches, and most land owners don't want people on their land. Our trip today was a great example of a photographer's "drive-by shooting." There were few pull-offs, but we managed well with me driving and Smoky hopping out to quickly frame some shots before we had to drive on.

A creek along Willow City Loop.

We were surprised at how lush and green this part of the Texas Hill Country is. We passed a number of meandering creeks. Beautiful mature trees are scattered around everywhere. And of course we saw some fields full of wildflowers such as the striking bluebonnet, the cheery Texas Indian Paintbrush, and the elegant white poppy.

The "blue" in these bluebonnets was particularly dark.

There weren't very many places to pull over on the Willow City Loop (or on any of the other roads we've been on), but at one we had a great view of the valley and the rolling hills. At another, in the distance we could see fields of blue. What a treat!

View from one of the higher elevation points on Willow City Loop.

The hint of bluish purple color in this photo comes from fields of bluebonnets.

Near the beginning of the Willow City Loop, we passed a ranch where the boundary was fenced, and atop each fence post on the Loop road was a cowboy boot, carefully inverted over the post and attached. What better way to know just where you are!

Boot-topped fence on Willow City Loop. 

Smoky is on the look-out for a new cowboy hat. So stay tuned; I'll let you know the outcome.

More photos coming.

--Shann