The Llano. Lake LBJ. LBJ's Ranch

After several days in the Alamo City, we headed off to the Hill Country. Our first stop: Allison's dad Marion's home RV park, called the Lazy L & L, where he keeps his trailer more or less permanently. It's a real nice place with about 2000 feet of Llano River waterfront, and it's got a private put-in for kayaks and rafts right in the park. We spent the day there, swam and kayaked the river and had a barbecue.

The following photos, in no particular order, may summarize what it's like on the Hill Country rivers. We weren't very good with the camera that day, so the coverage is well short of documentary-quality.

Allison And Mutts On The Bank:


Stupid Me Freezing In The River:


Allison's Brother And Fiancee In Rapids:


ANYWAY, maybe these pics will give readers a sense of what the Texas river experience is about. The area is beautiful, the region's residents are very visitor-oriented and the climate is favorable about eight months a year.

Onward and upward!!!

Lake LBJ, named after President Lyndon B. Johnson (author's note: DUH!), is part of the Highland chain of seven lakes starting in Austin and going northwest for over 85 miles. Lake LBJ starts near Horseshoe Bay, 45 miles from Austin, and goes all the way to Kingsland. It's also a 'constant level' lake. This is important in a semi-arid area and normally indicates a hydro dam in place. It also means that other area reservoirs' levels are sacrificed during dry times to keep LBJ's shoreline more or less consistent. Bad for the less-favored lakes; good for Lake LBJ waterfront property owners! The lake's just over 21 miles long with a maximum width of 10,800 feet. It's also perfect for sailing, boating and all water related activities; it gets warm early and stays swimmable well into October.

We had reservations, made weeks earlier, at a waterfront facility called Lake LBJ Resort. Our Bayliner was down for the count; I had made arrangements for a slip during our stay and had to change that on-the-fly to rent a sport boat from the resort.

Again, we bite at photojournalism; the lake was warm enough to ski, and we did, but we FORGOT the camera that day so no documentation. You'll just hafta take my word.

Lake LBJ Resort is a complex on a sheltered cove about halfway between the dam and the Colorado River inlet. The place consists of the owners' residence, a bulding with a bunch of various-sized suites, the bar-restaurant with a fantastic selection of everything from locally-brewed beers and wines to Glenlivet thirty-year-old Scotch, and a full-service marina and service shop. There is a double-tiered deck with just the right combination of shade and sun and a totally bitchin' view of the private cove and the lake beyond.

Owners Georg (that's right, Georg, no 'e', a wonderfully well-travelled and cosmpolitan Austrian who was a cruise line officer in his previous life and who sounds JUST like Ahhh-Nuld) Pengg, wife Carleen and seven-year-old daughter Athena are warm and accomodating hosts; they know how to make a guest feel at home. Georg is also the chef, and he turns out a rip-roaring brisket every day for sandwiches and BBQ plates. He also has a well-deserved rep for 'the Best Hamburger On The Lake' and the locals all come to him for lunch, always a positive sign.

Fishing From Dock; Boat By Pump Is Our Rental:


The Boat We Rented:


Our Suite At Lake LBJ Resort:


The 'Hosternator' Georg And Wife Carleen


The Restaurant Deck; Shady OR Sunny, Take Your Pick!


Lake LBJ Resort in short: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Their Web site can be seen at:
http://www.lakelbjfun.com
And this time I ACTUALLY HAVE PERMISSION for using some of his site photos. If I keep this up, my reputation for unapologetic piracy'll be in serious jeopardy...

After about three days we went on to Fredericksburg, still the Hill Country but now right smack dab in the German area. This is where the vast majority of the original settlers came, under killingly adverse conditions, from Central and Western Europe. You can see a synopsis of the settlement of the town here:
http://www.fbgtx.org/other/history.htm

We stayed at the local La Quinta (kinda conventional for us, indeed, but a good ol' standby when travelling with the dogs 'cause they ALL accept pets, and don't give you a hard time about it like some other, ahem, chains) and it was a good one, new and well-managed.

An absolute must while visiting this section of TX is the vast spread where Lyndon Johnson made his home. Lots of deal-making and arm-twisting went on here; Johnson found it advantageous to negotiate with opposition members of Congress, as well as foreign dignitaries, on his home turf... he and his whole clan are also buried in the family plot. The U.S. Park Service's tour is comprehensive and informative, lotsa fun.

LBJ's Back Yard; Lots Of Deals Made Here:


A View Of (Part Of) The 70,000 Acres, Fenced And Cross-Fenced:


President Johnson flew home to his Texas ranch 74 times during his 5 years in office, living and working for 490 days- almost a quarter of his presidency—at the Texas White House.

The House Johnson Was Born In:


Some Of His Cars:


Another View Of The Car Collection. Note The Blue One:


The small blue car in the foreground is an AmphiCar. This little automotive aberration was built in Germany from 1961 to 1968, with a total production was 3,878 vehicles. The Amphicar is the only civilian amphibious passenger automobile ever to be mass produced. 3,046 Amphicars were imported into the United States between 1961 and 1967. It's rear engined and uses a 4 cylinder British-built Triumph Herald engine, only 43hp...

The Park Service's spiel has it that Johnson, when hosting with any new Secret Service agent or Cabinet member, delighted in driving the little car up to the edge of any one of the ponds on the ranch. He would then exclaim that 'Oh, hell, I got no brakes' and let the ugly thing roll right into the water. His victim's reaction when presented with this 'emergency' went a long way toward forming his lasting impression of that person's courage and composure...

LBJ's Headstone:


An Interesting (For Us) Headstone In The Family Plot:


The same day, we visited a place called Wildseed Farms, just east of Fredericksburg. They grow a huge selection of wildflowers, and they produce seed for many states' highway departments and city beautification committees all over the country. We didn't even know about the place, but you can't miss it from the highway; it's one of those sights that literally makes ya catch your breath...

The Poppy Field At Wildseed Farms:


Really No Caption Needed:


They also raise a huge selection of butterflies; apparently some of the varieties of flowers cultured here need specific species for proper pollinization. You can actually go inside the lepidoptarium (hmmmm... is that really a word?) and watch them emerging from their chrysallises (say THAT five times real fast).

Butterfly At Wildseed Farms:


Another One:


NOW, I'm done with that trip. I'm getting bored with it, and we are in Montana right now, and I'm getting so far behind that I'm DREAMING NIGHTLY about this stupid blog. I'm gonna take you back to Dallas tomorrow for the Great 2008 Bayliner Disaster And Roadside Fire (you thought you'd seen the last of that fiberglass P.O.S., didn't you?), then I'm determined to get us back on the road, totally current within the week and into the northern Rockies.

CYA soon...