Texas RV Travel blog

Beauty is all packed and the Beast is raring to go. We have been stuck at home for a more than a month and my husband, Michael, and I were going stir crazy.

Here is our plan. We will go to the Colorado River at Columbus, Texas and stay for two nights. Then we will journey to Lake Conroe for a few nights, Lake Whitney for a few nights, then to Athens for the FlyFish Texas celebration at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. We will stay in Athens for three nights.

Then we will go to Bay Landing, Lake Texoma, Lake Tawokoni and back to Lake Whitney, all for 3-4 nights. We will probably journey home from Lake Whitney, with maybe one stop at Canyon of the Eagles. This should take us about a month! Most of the Thousand Trails campgrounds have Wi-Fi, so I will be posting updates from the road.

Have a great month! Check back for pictures and updates.

Tags: road trip, Lake Tawokoni, Lake Whitney, Lake Conroe, Colorado River, Lake Texoma/a>, Bay Landing, Canyon of the Eagles

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Do you want to learn fly-fishing? How about getting the best tips for fly-fishing in fresh and salt water from an expert? Visit with many members of fly-fishing clubs who will be on hand to help you learn or improve your skills at Fly Fish Texas in Athens, Texas. After you learn how to cast and make your own fly rod, you can fish for rainbow trout in the ponds and streams at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. Equipment is provided for casting classes, but you may bring your own gear.

Not a fisher person? Learn how to kayak or cook in a dutch oven. View the daily dive show in the 26,000-gallon aquarium or take a free, narrated tram tour through the outdoor hatchery. Walk the wetlands trail that winds past ponds and a bog, along a stream and through woodland and wildflower areas.

The annual Fly Fish Texas will be held at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center on March 3, 2007, from 9am-4pm.

View seminar schedule.

Take a virtual tour.

Get map and directions.

Find an RV park in Athens.

Call (903) 676-BASS (2277) for additional information.

General admission $5.50; seniors $4.50; children 4–12 $3.50, 3 and under free.

Tags: fly-fishing, fisheries, texas, family fun

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March 2 or 3 is Texas Independence Day. Like all things Texan, the exact date is not agreed upon, but instead left open to interpretation and speculation.

March 2, 1836 is the day on which 59 representatives from communities across Texas met in Washington-on-the-Brazos and voted to form a sovereign nation: the Republic of Texas. Mr. George C. Childress drafted the statement of independence, relying heavily on the words and the spirit of the 1776 Declaration of Independence.

However, the document was not signed until the next day, March 3, 1836. So which is the true day of independence? Who cares? Texans just stretch the celebration out over the entire weekend, a hedge against backing the wrong day.

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Texas Independence Day Celebration at Washington-on-the Brazos State Historic Site will be held on March 3-4, from 10 am-5 pm. Come celebrate the 171st anniversary of Texas Independence. Experience life in the Republic of Texas period with costumed re-enactors, period craft demonstrations, military encampments and Texas music. This festival is free.

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Celebrate Texas Independence in Austin at the Texas State Arts Festival on March 3 and 4. The festival will be across the street from Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum (Congress and MLK).

Browse arts and crafts, enjoy musical performances by Texas bands, interactive artist displays, the best of Texas foods and historical theatre. For the children, there is a carnival, pony rides and petting zoo. Admission is $4.

Texas State Arts Festival Schedule

Saturday March 3rd 11AM until 10PM

Sunday March 4th 11 AM until 8PM

Bands

Robert Cray Band, Wade Bowen, Mother Truckers, Brothers and Sisters, Idgy Vaughn, The X Collective, Supercontinent, Traditions Touching, Suzanna Choffel and many more.

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Celebrate Texas has activities scheduled all Texas independence Day weekend in Austin. While some of the events are solemn, like the Texas State Cemetery program and the Alamo ceremony, there are also fun activities, like the 5K run and the parade down Congress Avenue.

Celebrate Texas Schedule of Events

Friday, March 2, 2007
9 am - Texas State Cemetery Program
noon - Capitol Celebration
5 pm - Hill’s Cafe Celebration Toast To Texas

Saturday, March 3rd, 2007
9 am - 5K Run up Congress Avenue
11 am - Parade up Congress Avenue

Sunday, March 4th, 2007
2 pm - Alamo Ceremony

For more information, please visit the Celebrate Texas website.

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The Texas Independence Trail is one of the Texas Historical Trails. Drive through Texas history following the map you download here. Below are just a few of the highlights on the trail.

Goliad-preserves 250+ years of Texas heritage with a restored Spanish presidio, two missions, the home of a Texas-born Mexican national hero, an intact Victorian courthouse square and Texas revolutionary memorials.

The San Jacinto Monument-marks the battleground where Sam Houston’s troops exacted revenge on the Mexican army for its previous losses at the Alamo and Goliad. The monument houses the San Jacinto Museum of History.

Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Park-a replica of Independence Hall, where the declaration for Texas Independence was signed.

Fort Bend Museum in Richmond-exhibits highlighting the revolutionary, plantation, Civil War, ranching and sugar industry eras.

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When I say Texas, people think of huge cattle ranches, cowboys or charros on horseback and wide open spaces. While there are part of Texas that have all three, the working ranch is something that is disappearing from the Texas. Why? I think it has to do with the end of agricultural exemptions, the inequity between the price of cattle and what it takes to feed them.

Ranches

Bar H Dude Ranch-working Texas cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle.

Cibolo Creek Ranch-originally founded by Milton Faver in the mid-1800s in Big Bend country. He was thought to be the inspiration for Gil Faver of the TV series Rawhide.

Dixie Dude Ranch-working ranch, located in the Texas Hill Country, founded by William Wallace Whitley in 1901.

Joshua Creek Ranch-game preserve and hunting ranch, turned resort in the summer months, outside Boerne.

Historic Prude Ranch-pure air and a mile-high elevation, Prude Ranch in West Texas has some of the most brilliant, star-filled skies in the country.

Selah Inn at the Ranch-located in east Texas outside Mt. Vernon.

B-Bar-B Ranch-originally part of the King Ranch on the Texas coastal plain.

Beaumont Ranch-located on the Chisholm Trail, not far from Dallas/Fort Worth, see real cowboys on horseback herding longhorn cattle.

Wildcatter Ranch-located in the Cross Timbers area west of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, near Possum Kingdom Lake.

Quiet Hill Ranch-a nature and wildlife ranch located west of Fredericksburg, is a wonderful rest for the spirit.

Tags: working ranch, cattle ranch, hunting ranch, nature ranch, dude ranch

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Do you remember the 1964 Mustang? I do. My brother Bill received one for his 21st birthday. With its low profile, long hood and short rear deck, the 1964 Mustang is probably the most easily recognized Mustang, ever. Bill drove that classic car until the wheels fell off. In 2000, Bill purchased a new 1999 Mustang and he just recently gave the 1999 Mustang to his daughter and bought a used 40th Anniversary Mustang. He is a happy man.

In 2004, the 40th Anniversary Mustang celebrated this rich heritage with two special-edition Mustangs: a limited-edition 40th Anniversary Package and the return of the Mach 1 performance model.

The 40th Anniversary Package offered exterior upgrades to the V-6 and GT models, including metallic performance stripes on the hood, lower rocker panels and deck. The 2004 Mustang V-6 had 16-inch wheels and the GT was equipped with 17-inch Bullitt wheels.

The 40th Anniversary Mach 1 muscle cars were available in red, black and white exteriors. Options on these cars were 4-way head restraints, painted center console surround and shifter bezel in metallic gray, along with brushed aluminum door lock knobs, shift boot trim ring and pedals.

The Mach 1 performance model had a 305 horsepower, 4.6-liter 32-valve dual overhead cam V-8 engine with a 5-speed manual transmission. The Mach 1 also had a distinctive hood scoop, unique 17-inch wheels, rolled-tip dual exhaust, and unique suspension tuning with lowered ride height.

Mustang V-6 had the Pony Appearance Package that included special 16-inch polished wheels, unique rear fascia with black MUSTANG letters and a GT hood. The 3.8-liter V-6 engine produced 193 horsepower, 225 foot-pounds of torque, enhanced-flow cylinder heads and anti-friction piston coatings.

Mustang GT models had a 4.6-liter V-8 engine featuring large valves, equal-length intake manifold runners and cams with high lift and long duration to maximize engine air intake for increased horsepower.

The 2004 Mustang used modified MacPherson strut front suspension for gripping the road. A four-bar link rear suspension and power rack-and-pinion steering were standard on all Mustang models.

If every car Ford made had the style of the 1964 or the 2004 Mustang, they would not be worrying about slipping market share. These were the finest examples of American-made muscle cars. Please visit www.americanmuscle.com, the sponsor of this post, and your source for parts for your Mustang.

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