Back in Texas Again

Rocky Point Army Corp of Engineer Park

This beautiful Army Corp Park on Wright Patman Lake just south of Texarkana was a great place to make a five day stop. We arrived on September 14. Since we spanned a weekend, we were able to visit First Lutheran Church in Texarkana where Scott Sundbye is now the pastor. We had a level cement pad, so we were able to easily clean the roof and dry wash our motorhome.

We had a beautiful site right on the lake.

Lone Star Corral - Hondo, Texas

By the end of September, we made our way to the SKP Coop Park in Hondo, just west of San Antonio, where we made our home base for about a month.

Witte Museum

We made a day trip into downtown San Antonio to visit the Witte Museum. The museum has collections featuring historic artifacts and photographs, Texas art, textiles, dinosaur bones, cave drawings, and Texas wildlife dioramas.

Laika Cheesecake

After visiting the Witte Museum, we stopped at Laika Cheesecake.

There were four different kinds of cheesecake offered, Picnic in Space, Carrot Apple, Milky Way Buffet and the cheesecake of the day was Chi Tea.

We took home slices to eat later. Kurt ordered the Picnic in Space, which was a lemon cheesecake with blueberry and meringue. Virginia order Milky Way buffet which was lots of chocolate with an Oreo crust.

Fredericksburg, Texas

We took a day trip to the Old German town of Fredericksburg, about 86 miles north in the Texas Hill Country.

National Museum of the Pacific War

We spent most of the day at the National Museum of the Pacific War. We hadn't been here in almost 30 years. A lot has changed. The museum was greatly expanded by the addition of the George H. W. Bush Gallery. The Gallery is a journey through per-war history and key battles of the Pacific War during WWII, rich with stories and artifacts that bring them to life.

The George H. W. Bush Gallery opened in 1991.

Japanese Midget Submarine which carries two torpedoes.

This B-25 bomber is showcased in the Doolittle Exhibit at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg. The B-25 is the plane that was launched from an aircraft carrier in the first attack on mainland Japan.

Restored World War II PT Boat on display in the Pacific Combat Zone.

The F4F "Wildcat" Fighter

A converted Higgins Boat became an Admiral's Barge, similar to the one used by Admiral Chester Nimitz at Pearl Harbor from 1942 to 1944.

The Historic Nimitz Hotel which became the first Gallery of the Nimitz Museum.

After spending the day touring the museum, we had an authentic German dinner at the Auslander Restaurant in downtown Fredericksburg.

Annular Solar Eclipse

We were fortunate to be in Hondo, which was in the center of the eclipse path, to view the complete "Ring of Fire" on Saturday, October 14, 2023.

Purchasing the solar glasses allowed us to view the event.

We watched four minutes of complete coverage of the sun.

Texas State Fair

On October 16 we drove to Dallas for two nights to attend the Texas State Fair with Brian and Laura. We stayed at a Fairfield Inn near downtown Dallas. On Tuesday morning we parked at the garage of Brian and Laura's Air BnB which was adjacent to a DART rail station. The DART dropped us off at the main gate of the fairgrounds.

Our first stop was the Automobile Building. We were there when the doors opened at 10 am.

Brian and Laura enjoying Fried Pizza.

 

Tennessee

When we returned from our Norway and Iceland trip on August 1st, we stayed in Tennessee until after Labor Day. During this time, we took two side trips in our Ranger to visit family. In between we had time to see some interesting places in Tennessee.

TENNESSEE STATE CAPITOL

The Tennessee State Capitol sits atop Capitol Hill, the highest point in Downtown Nashville. This Greek Revival building construction began in 1854 and opened in 1859. We visited on a Saturday. It wasn't busy, but there is no access to the interior on weekends.

We climbed the 140 steps to the top, only to find there was a road up there. But we did get our exercise on this warm, humid day.

View of Nashville from the Capitol porch.

TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM

Adjacent to the State Capitol is the Tennessee State Museum. This museum records the state's history from its first peoples to present day through interactive displays, art, artifacts and documentary films.

The view of the state capitol building from the museum.

Working Printing Press and Demonstration

VISITING SISTER IN MAYSVILLE, KENTUCKY

Leaving our rig behind, we drove to a beautiful Air BnB high on a cliff overlooking the Ohio River. Cathy and Jim drove from Michigan to meet us in this lovely two-bedroom home for four nights.

The large deck also had a treehouse that overlooked the river.

Maysville, Kentucy, is a historic town located downriver from Cincinnati. We enjoyed watching the barge traffic on the river from our perch high above the city.

While we were there, Cathy and Jim celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary. They picked a delicious Italian restaurant in Maysville for their celebration.

VISITING THE GRANDKIDS IN WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND

Leaving our rig behind again at Paradise on the Mountain RV in Crossville, Tennessee, we drove our Ranger to Maryland for more family visiting.

Jacob and Logan

Julia took us on a tour of her college, Towson University, where she is enrolled as a math major.

Dinner out with the gang.

Sunday dinner with Julia teaching Grandma how to make homemade fettuccini.

THE HERMITAGE

We spent a day touring Andrew Jackson's historic home and museum. This is one of the nation's oldest and largest historic sites. The 7th president of the United States was often referred to as the People's President.

The carriage road into the home is lined with Eastern Red Cedars.

The Hermitage was built in 1821.

Garden resting place of Andrew Jackson and his beloved wife, Rachel.

Restored Slave Quarters

The Jacksons had up to 150 slave laborers.

The contrast between the two was striking, he was 6'1" and weighed only 140 pounds.

STONES RIVER NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD

This significant Civil War battle took place December 31, 1862, through January 2, 1863, engaging over 81,000 men. This battle marked the beginning of the fall of Nashville, the first confederate state capitol to fall. Tennessee was the last southern state to succeed and the first to rejoin the Union.

The Battle of Stones River was one of the bloodiest encounters of the Civil War with over 24,000 casualties.

Over 6,100 Union Soldiers are buried in this National Cemetery, 2,500 of them unknown.

The Hazen Artillery Brigade Monument is in recognition of the men who fought along the Hell's Half Acre line. This monument was built by comrades in 1863 and is the oldest Civil War memorial in existence.

On Our Way to Keflavik, Iceland, and the Airport

On our last full day in Iceland, we explored a National Park. 

PINGVELLIR NATIONAL PARK

Pingvellir, aka Thingvellir, has been a special place for Icelandic peoples for over a thousand years. About 930 AD, local clan chiefs began to gather at this geological landmark for annual meetings. 

This surface crevice grows larger as it extends into the lake.

This great fissure is where the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates are moving apart. So, half of Iceland sits in America, and the other half is in Europe. The earth's crust is literally being torn apart.

This little creek flows into a small pond and waterfall.

Oxararfoss, meaning Ox Waterfall, plunges over the wall of the rift.

The vertical cliff face is original rock as it was laid down by volcanic eruptions and compressed over the eons.

This is the valley where the clan chieftains set up their temporary living structures. We walked among the archeological foundations. The Law Rock is now marked by a flagpole.

About 930 AD, local clan chiefs began to gather for an annual meeting at this hill, known as The Law Rock. This is where the locals would make laws, settle legal disputes, and arrange marriages.

Churches have sat at this location since 1030. The current church was built in 1859.

Over time, the lakebed has slid into the gap between the plates. Lake Pingvallavatn is very deep and in fact, the deepest parts of the lakebed are actually below sea level. There are snorkeling and diving tours to view the clear, deep fissures in the lakebed.

A paved trail leads from the visitor center in the rift. The North American Plate is on the left, the Eurasian Plate is on the right.

SAYING GOODBYE TO ICELAND

Our last view of Iceland as we flew out of the airport in Keflavik on July 31st.

The skies were clear as we crossed Greenland.

More vast lands with glaciers and waterfalls to explore but not many roads.

This massive glacier was extending down to the fjord.