Thursday, we left Abilene and drove through Brownwood to pick up Kathy and Dennis on our way to Fredericksburg.

If you have never been to Fredericksburg, you really need to put it on your bucket list.  It is mostly a touristy town located in the Hill Country of Texas near San Antonio and Austin, but lots of history, things to do and see, several great places to eat, and lots of wineries and tasting rooms are within a relatively short drive.

Once we got set up at the Oakwood RV Resort, we had lunch at the Fredericksburg Brewing Company.  We had their burgers and I tried one of their many in-house brewed beers - good eats!  After lunch we drove to the Wedding Oak Winery and tasted a couple of their wines.  From there, we drove to back toward town and stopped at a spot that had three tasting rooms.  There, we tried wines from the Armadillo Leap and Fiesta Wineries.  We learned that the Lubbock area is the source for fruit for most of the heavier reds that the wineries in the Hill Country region use, and the fruit for the whites and blends are locally sourced.

Friday, we drove a couple of miles south of town to check out Luckenbach.  We had always wanted to see the place, but never connected the dots that it was less than 10 miles outside Fredericksburg.  It is a very interesting place, and the town, with a population of three, appears to be the happening place for great entertainment and a fun place to go to on weekends.  Hondo's bar/post office is worth the trip to see.  We then went to Trade Days (a swap meet held every third weekend of the month) just off 290 outside town.  They have a bunch of booths in five buildings that were originally chicken houses, and many more booths and tents set up outside selling everything imaginable.  They also have several food vendors and a beer garden with live entertainment, plus there is a small heard of longhorns roaming the fields around the place.  From there, we drove back into town and had lunch at Freidhlem's Bavarian Inn.  We all had their jager schnitzel that was pretty good - not as good as the ones we had when we were stationed in Germany, but a good knock off.   After lunch, we drove toward Johnson City for a drive through the LBJ Ranch and a tour of the "Texas Whitehouse" located on the LBJ Ranch District of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historic Park.  After Ladybird Johnson passed away, the area that included the airstrip, family homes and buildings, and cemetery were conveyed to the National Parks Service.  Their home was restored and furnished by the NPS to reflect how it looked when LBJ was in office. When LBJ gave the 600 acres to the state all furniture was stored to be used after Lady Bird passed so everything is exactly as it was.   It was very interesting to see how the house and the exterior buildings changed to fit the demands and requirements of his office.  During the five years he was in office, he spent roughly a third of his time at the ranch - thus the term the "Texas Whitehouse".  Our docent was a very interesting in that he pulled no punches in presenting the good as well as the bad about LBJ's Presidency - kind of refreshing given the spins on American history that I have heard/seen at many other Federal museums.   From there, we stopped at the Woodrose Winery - one of our favorite wineries in the area. 

Saturday, we drove to the Salt Lick outside Driftwood to get our BBQ-fix.  We got there a little after 11 and had to park a good ways from the restaurant, but were able to get a table without waiting.  The drive was well worth it - the Q was excellent!  It amazes me that they can serve so many folks a plate of food that is consistently good for a reasonable price.  This is another bucket list - must do entry!  On the way back, we stopped at a winery that sits on a hilltop south of Johnson City.  We thought we would check out their wine and the views, but decided that we would just check out the views as their wines were mostly imported - not US or Texas wines.  As we got near town, we stopped at 4.0 Cellars to try their wines.  This is another tasting room that we like as they offer wines from three Texas wineries - Lost Oak (Burleson), McPherson (Lubbock), and Brennan (Comanche).  There, we learned that the Fredericksburg area now has 60 tasting rooms and that there are license applications for 30 more.  Before, we headed back to the coach, we decided to stop at the National Museum of the Pacific War.  This is another hidden gem that we discovered on this trip.  I was amazed at the quality and in depth coverage of the many physical, pictorial, and narrative displays that covered the chronological history leading up to and including our involvement in the War in the Pacific.  Suggest adding a day or two to your stay in Fredericksburg to spend at the six parts that comprise the museum.