Treasure Hunt in Warrenton/Round Top

Karen and I left Victoria headed for Warrenton/RoundTop for a day of perusing the booths for treasure. Our first stop was the Arts and Crafts Fair in Round Top, we arrived as the booths were opening for the day. We shopped and shopped but found nothing that really caught our eye...or fit us! So off we went to lunch at JW's Steakhouse in Carmine.....a delicious steak with all the trimmings.

Cooled off and full of ice tea it was back to our
"Treasure Hunt" so we drove back to Warrenton, with a stop or two along the road. OMG....now it was smoking hot and the booths were unbearable. We did a little more shopping, before giving up the ship and headed for the car, grabbed a big cherry shaved ice, and the turned the AC on full blast to cool off. The dry, hot weather sure didn't make for a good shopping trip, but we did have fun and lots of laughs!

Grounded by Fog!

It was late September, and time for "The Under the Wire" fly-in in Louise, Texas at the Flying V Ranch. Dale wanted to get off the ground early in hopes of getting a good parking spot for the plane. With our picnic lunch, chairs, and lots of ice tea we took off before 8 am headed to the fly-in.

Although it was clear in Victoria we found ground fog around Edna, Texas and set the plane down at the Edna airport to wait for the fog to burn off. Fog gone, we landed at the fly-in and secured the plane and set out our stuff for the day. It was good to see old friends, lots of planes and probably about 20 Stearman airplanes at the fly-in....quite a sight! We had our picnic lunch in the shade under the wing....it was pretty darn hot! We decided to head home later in the afternoon and it was a short, but very bumpy ride because of the thermals. Safely we landed and pushed the plane into the hangar!

Hunting for Reds!

We were out on the water early this morning as the first rays of the sun danced across the water, creating beautiful patterns on the surface. No wind, no waves, and the water was smooth as glass. We got a couple of reds, and things were looking pretty good. Drift fishing requires wind and unfortunately it was dead calm. We decided to go across the bay into the lakes to look for more red fish....it was a great day out on the water!

We were fishing the shoreline when Dale hooked a "Big Kahuna" and the fight was on....finally getting the big boy in the boat, only to find it was to BIG!

We moved into a couple of the other lakes, but had no luck....and boy was it HOT!
After a picnic lunch out on the water, we crossed the bay to try one last spot, no luck!
Even though we didn't limit out we had a good time and headed home to wash the boat and clean our catch.

Bumpy Flight!

After months of not flying because of intense heat, we took off this morning for lunch in Port Aransas. We flew down along the beach, enjoying the miles and miles of pristine beach. Landing at Mustang Beach Airport we grabbed the trolley into town for lunch at Moby Dick's Restaurant. Dale had the fried shrimp and I enjoyed the grilled Mahi Mahi along with some side dishes.
Our friend Jerry picked us up on the trolley for a ride down to the beach, I needed a sand and salt water fix.....that is what Dale calls it!! The water was warm and the beach was crowded, but I enjoyed walking and taking photos for about an hour. The flight home was bumpy and we climbed to get out of the thermals. Landing in Victoria around 4 pm, we put the plane in the hangar and headed home to the AC.

Escape to the Rockies

Tired of the intense Texas heat, we headed to Colorado and the Rocky Mountains for a B&B vacation in a cooler climate. Loaded up, new GPS in place, Acadia gassed up.....we left early in the morning for a long day of driving. Our first night we stayed in Dumas, Texas before crossing the next day into Northen New Mexico and then on to Southern Colorado. Our first B & B was the rustic Indiana Jones B&B in Antonito, Colorado where we had a 6 hour train ride on the Culbres & Toltec Railroad planned. It was a long day on the train, with some beautiful scenery. Canon City and the Royal Gorge were next on our itinerary, staying at the Jewels of the Canon B&B in Canon City. Our room in the restored home was spacious and lovely, breakfast was delish! The Royal Gorge was breathtaking and we enjoyed a trip to the bottom on the incline railway and a trip across the gorge on the aerial tram. A stop at he prison museum was informative and I even discovered I had a tie to the prison. Packed up again we drove up to Cripple Creek, and then on to Leadville and our B&B at Twin Lakes. Ores and Mines B&B was very unique and the couple running the place were a wealth of information on the local history of Leadville. They even upgraded our room to the largest room at the B&B. Dinner at Quincy's was great, they only serve one entree....Filet Mignon, but they prepare it great. We couldn't miss the highest airport in the USA, so we visited Leadville airport and talked to a pilot that had flown in for some fishing in his homebuilt. The runways surrounded by mountains were a daunting sight. The next night we inhaled at yummy pizza from High Mountain Pies.
Independence Pass or Bust was on the agenda the next day....a breathtaking drive over the pass to Aspen....a really yuppie place and home to the" Rich and Famous". We stopped and enjoyed a picnic for lunch at a roadside park.
Crested Butte was our next stop and the Purple Mountain Lodge B&B was cute, but our room was very, very small. A drive up to Lake Irwin and Keblar Pass proved to be an endurance test....boy was that a long day. The wildflowers in bloom around the lake were beautiful and I got some great photos.

Our final stop was in Pagosa Springs and our stay at Elkwood Manor B&B the Pièce de résistance of our trip, a beautiful home with the most amazing views of the San Juan Mountains. Our room was spacious, the hot tub inviting, and the breakfast was gourmet. Darlene even had monogrammed wash cloths with our names, a very classy touch. A day of soaking at the Pagosa Springs and Spa was cut short when a thunderstorm rolled in, but we did get to relax for part of the day in the adult only area.
Our escape in the Rockie mountains came to an end and it was time to head home...the cool temperatures, breathtaking vistas, pristine lakes, romantic picnics, and B&B's made it all a very memorable trip.