Monday, December 26, 2022

Texas Hill Country and Christmas

I have been super busy hunting for Big Foot the last few weeks. It turns out the hill country west of Austin and north of San Antonio is prime Big Foot territory as it is home to many breweries, distilleries, wineries, and meaderies. That doesn't even factor in the shear number of smoked meat establishments and Big Foot could be anywhere. This will take a lot of investigation and I have been doing my best.

Instead of the normal format, this post I will include mostly pictures and sprinkle in commentary where appropriate. With all of this investigating, it is tough to remember where I have been. To compound this issue, I have been traveling with S&S so I am not always able to rely upon my credit card receipts as a tickler system.

First off, let's start with the natural beauty of the area. We took a hike to Pedernales State Park. For some reason they insert an extra "r" before the "d" but who am I to judge. The people of Burlington pronounce "Bohners Lake" as "Boners Lake" and Brett Favre has the "r" moved before the "v". Frankly it is less painful than pronouncing the city Blanco as "Blank-o". Don't get me started on Amarillo, but I digress.

Cool feature

River runs through the park but you can hike all over it (other than the other side)

If the water starts rising, you have to get the hell out of there as flash floods occur and are quite deadly,


We also did a cave tour. The name of the cave was "Cave Without A Name". Yep, that is the name. Turns out it was a beautiful cave with tons of features and is still an active cave (wet and growing). I was really impressed as I enjoy a good cave/cavern and this was feature filled.
I took lots of pictures but you can't really appreciate a cave from pictures so here is a sample

S&S along with an unidentified man

Finally we also toured the Alamo at night. If you have not been to the Alamo, it is a small fort (frankly no different in size from most castle/forts I saw in Ireland and Scotland) but San Antonio has developed the area around it to be an entertainment district along with the river walk. We were able to purchase beer and walk around and drink our beer as we strolled along the river. Truly a beautiful area and really good beer from a brewery that we later visited (Alstadt).

Tree that is hundreds of years old but lit up and actually lovely


Now onto the Big Foot hunting. Surprisingly Big Foot was not at any of these places when we were there but signs point to possible visitations. Let's look at the venues I have toured so far (to be fair some may be missing - like for sure some are missing. I get caught up in hunting and I forget to take pictures. The bourbon also seems to not be helping my photo taking. I could do a better job but it turns out I likely won't). I will be forced to go back to some of these destinations to ensure you can enjoy the space vicariously. Oh and to look for Big Foot.

Pecan Street Brewery

Fiesta Winery

Free Roam Brewing

Texas Mead Works

Alstadt Brewery

Outdoor art at Garrison Brothers Distillery

Garrison Brothers Distillery


I know some have doubted my expertise as a Big Foot expert, but C was kind enough to get the diploma from Bigfoot University framed so I can prove that I have a Doctorate of Sasquatch. I will not require you to refer to me as Dr. Braxwood but I would not object.

Official Diploma, Feel free to zoom in if you do not believe

I had a wonderful Christmas this year and despite the frigid temperatures, none of my water lines in the RV froze. I was able to maintain a constant temperature in the trailer and only went through one 30lb propane tank in the 4 cold days (Thursday through Sunday). As we now move back to seasonal temperatures here in Johnson City (70 by Thursday) I reflect on how fortunate I have been this past year. I am truly blessed to be on this adventure hunting the creature and not having to suffer the indignities of another meeting to talk about something on a topic I couldn't care less. This sabbatical thing has worked wonders for me. I am recharged and ready to go and yet I also know that I will never work a corporate job again.  

Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year. I will not post again until 2023 so see you in the future. For those that do not know, Amy and I were married on New Year's Eve and this is our 29th anniversary. I am looking forward to whatever the new year brings and I hope it brings y'all peace and happiness.

Thor











1 comment:

  1. I hope you have a very happy new year! Keep enjoying your sabbatical.

    ReplyDelete