Eclectic Texas Events-This Weekend

Boerne

Wild West Chuck Wagon Dinner Show
The Enchanted Springs Ranch (Highway 46, west of IH-10)
July 21

http://www.enchantedspringsranch.com/

The Enchanted Springs Ranch will host a Texas BBQ, with live Western music, tractor wagon rides, animal park, western entertainment, pictures with Woodrow the Longhorn Steer, and tours through the Western movie set and Wild West Town, from 5-730 pm.

Fredericksburg

Third Annual Gourmet Chili Pepper & Salsa Festival
Wildseed Farms
July 23-24

http://www.tex-fest.com/

Enjoy the  hot air balloon show, wildflower fields, the butterfly haus, live music and much more. Live music by Ponty Bone & The Squeeze Tones at 7 pm Friday night and Rotel & The Hot Tomatoes at 8 pm Saturday night. Hours are Friday, 3-10 pm and Saturday, 10 am-11 pm.

Auto Swap Meet
Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park, Highway 16 South
July 23-25

http://www.fredericksburgcarclub.com/

Fredericksburg Vintage Car Club (FVCC), a touring club affiliated with the Veteran Motor Car Club of America (VMCCA). Antique auto and car swap meet. Antique car lovers opportunity to become a treasure hunter and find vintage cars, parts and memorabilia. Hours are Friday and Saturday 8 am-5 pm and Sunday 8 am – noon. Swap meet is free.

Bandera

July 23-24
National Day of the American Cowboy Celebration
Frontier Times Museum and Running R Guest Ranch

http://frontiertimesmuseum.org/cowboy/index.htm

Event begins Friday night with a ranch rodeo. Enjoy a cowboy breakfast on the Courthouse lawn Saturday,  followed by a western arts and craft show with entertainment.  Ranch Rodeo follows in the evening on Saturday. No fee for celebration, rodeo tickets sold here.

Bellville

Spring Creek Bluegrass Club Show & Jam
Coushatte Recreation Ranch
July 24

http://springcreekbluegrass.com/monthly_show.htm

Spring Creek Bluegrass Club 4th Saturday show at Coushatte Recreation Ranch.  Jamming starts at 4 pm and the show starts at 630 pm.

Pipe Creek

Buckle Series Rodeo and Pipe Creek Stampede
BR Lightning Ranch – Located just 9 miles east of Bandera, 12 miles south of Boerne, and 22 miles west of Helotes. Turn off Hwy. 16 at pipe Creek 1/2 mile south on  FM 1283
July 24

http://www.lightningranch.com/rodeo_series.htm

Open Bull Riding – Junior Bull riding – Steer Riding – Calf Roping – Team Roping – Barrel Racing – Chute Dogging – Calf Scramble – Mutton Busting–AND–the world’s only high-diving aqua mules.

Brenham

Crush for Fun
July 24
Pleasant Hill Winery

http://www.pleasanthillwinery.com

Stomp grapes at Pleasant Hill Winery in Brenham.  Get a photograph of your purple feet and a T-shirt that reads “I picked, I stomped, I made some wine.”

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of St Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, Florida. All opinions are 100% mine.

New Day – Photo by AM Shehadeh

Ponce de Leon, who claimed Florida for Spain, first explored the area of Saint Augustine in 1513.  Founded in 1565, St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European established city, and the oldest port, in the continental United States.

St Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches are on the eastern coast of Florida, either on the Atlantic, the intercoastal waterway or riverfront.  There are all types of lodging, from luxurious beach front suite to a cozy room in a bed and breakfast in a historic home in St. Augustine.  There are also state parks, where you may camp in a tent or RV or rent a cabin or a room in a lodge.

My choice of lodging would be to camp with our trailer in Anastasia State Park on the beach.  If that park were unavailable, I would camp in Faver-Dykes State Park, a park that is known as a birding hotspot and is only a short drive to the beaches.  If you want to be closer to the action, then I would suggest the Carriage Way Bed and Breakfast, which is located in the historic section of St. Augustine.  If you stay at the B&B, you are just steps away from sights, dining and shopping.

Once you have checked into your lodgings, look at the area map and mark points of interest to you.  Inlets, barrier islands, bays and estuaries segment the coastline, so you will want to plan your trip.  Spend one or more days exploring the historic town of  St. Augustine.  You may explore St. Augustine on foot or take a scenic boat ride, a fishing trip or an eco-tour.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse was built in 1874 on the north end of Anastasia Island.  The view from the 165 foot tower is wonderful and not to be replicated anywhere else in the area. Although the view of the inlet and harbor from the rampart of the Castillo de San Marcos is inspiring. The inlet is best seen from the north side at Vilano Beach.

Castillo de San Marcos has daily interpretive programs by the National Park Service feature authentically uniformed soldiers from the 18th century.  Live cannon firings and discussion of colonial Spanish military life are included. .

Drive to Fort Matanzas National Monument, located 15 miles south of the city on Anastasia Island.  Pack a picnic, swimsuits and towels.  A free ferry takes you to Rattlesnake Island where you will view a historic reenactment of Spanish soldiers stationed at this remote outpost.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1 -  get maps and brochures from CVB, check into accommodations, swim and plan your days.

Day 2 – spend the day exploring historic St. Augustine, including Castillo de San Marcos, if possible.

Day 3 – take a ride to Fort Manatazas National Monument, catch the ferry to the original site.

Day 4 – cruise to Anastasia State Park, where you can rents bicycles, beach chairs, ocean toys and umbrellas!

Day 5 – explore the beaches north and south of where you are staying

Day 6 – schedule a day for an airboat ride or leisurely cruise to view alligators in the wild. Pack up.

Day 7 -Sit back and relax as you are chauffeured in an horse-drawn carriage.

All photographs courtesy of the Florida Division of Historical Resources.

On the way to Florida, we had stayed at Fontainebleau State Park on Lake Pontchartrain for one night in the rain.  We wanted to return and explore the park in better weather.  We were rewarded with two days of sunshine on the return trip.

The park is surrounded on three sides by water (Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou Cane and Bayou Castine). The Tammany Trace, a 31-mile scenic trail, forms the other boundary of park.  The paved hiking/cycling trail with a parallel equestrian trail is the first of the Rails to Trails program in Louisiana.

The size of the lake and the sandy beach were surprising, as were the huge pavilion and an even larger fishing pier on the shore.  The power of hurricanes was demonstrated by a portion of a brick wall lying on the beach, part of the ruins of the sugar plantation that once stood nearby.

At the interpretative center, we met a ranger who asked if we wanted to see Bald Eagle hatchlings.  She met us outside and set up a spotting scope.  There is a photograph of the nest above, taken through the scope.  If you can spot the hatchlings, you have better eyes than mine.

This park has everything a RVer or camper might want.  There are 23 camp sites with full hookups, 103 with electric and water, 37 unimproved sites, 10 cabins, a lodge and group camping areas.  Add playgrounds, trees with grape vines large enough to swing, lots of shade and picnic areas and you have everything needed for family fun.

Ancient People

Next to the Crystal River Preserve State Park was the 14-acre Crystal River Archaeological State Park, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  The six-mound complex began with Indians of the Deptford culture, followed by Weedon Island culture and, finally, Safety Harbor culture.  The site was occupied for 1,600 years, from 200 BC to 1400 AD, when it was abandoned.

Exhibits in the visitor’s center include artifacts such as tools, points and pottery shards. A pathway leads from the visitor’s center throughout the complex, which consists of two temple mounds, two burial mounds, two midden (refuse) mounds and two Stelea (ceremonial stones).  On top of the temple mound by the river, you may ascend the stairway to a platform that overlooks the entire mound complex and provides a vantage point for viewing the Crystal River.  This park is also a stop on the Florida Birding Trail as well.

Off the Beaten Path

Cedar Key is a small fishing village and artist colony about 20 miles off  US 19/SH 98.  There are only about 650 residents in Cedar Key, but the town is lively.

We crossed about six canals before we were actually driving on Cedar Key.  Everyone wants a waterfront home, I guess.  Along Second Street, tucked into 19th Century storefronts and restored Florida Cracker* homes, are a treasure trove of  local art and craft stores, galleries and gift shops. You may also stumble upon free art, such as the fisherman and the fish and the underwater art wall pictured above.  We saw some of the most unique items made out of what most people would consider trash, like the motorcycle man made of discarded satellite dishes.

The dock area is busy with tour boats and fishing boats. There are several large seafood restaurants and shops on the wooden wharf.  Huge cement and steel docks, courtesy of FEMA, give you a look at the town as if you were offshore. There are several hotels close to the wharf and a motel with a huge dock on the last canal.  When you get away from the town center, you find a private airstrip and expensive homes.

This is a busy town in the summer, but we were able to enjoy it off season.