San Marcos

We got an early start on Sunday, because there was a lot to see in San Marcos and we needed to take care of some business at the closest Walmart.

First up was an unplanned stop at two great outlet malls. We thought we were going toward a Cabella's, but it turned out it was in the OTHER direction! But the outlets were GREAT! There were all the usual ones, then the higher end ones – Neimen Marcus, Pottery Barn, Williams and Sonoma, Prada, Hugh Boss and I can't remember all of them. So we spent about an hour going into some of them (Vera Bradley! and Crate and Barrel for me, some others for Sid). Got a couple of things, then off to the Belvin Street Historic District for a drive around. (We never did make it to Cabella's. Sid said he'd only spend money if he went there :) )

The houses in the historic district were beautiful, mixed in with some not so beautiful. And wonderful old, old live oak trees. These are just a couple of examples:

Next we drove to the River Walk. It wasn't what I expected (think San Antonios's River walk or even Canon City's) but it was a pretty park and the river is beautiful. They say the water is a constant 72 degrees year round and very clear (it was).

Turtles on the San Marcos River

View from the river walk

By now we were really hungry, so it was back to the Visitor Center to get some recommendations. After seeing the number of cars in the parking lot, we decided on Herbert's Taco Hut.

A good local lunch place

It was not the fanciest and certainly the most unusually decorated, but the food was spectacular. Sid felt like he was finally in Texas when he took the first bite! Full Mexican and American menu, sweet tea and cheap! $17.00 for lunch for two.

Our tummies were full (over full!) and we set off for Walmart to pick up a few things. It was a Supercenter, but it seemed a little dismal. But we needed a new dog bowl and some groceries, so it did the job.

Next stop was Texas State University to see the Witliff Collection of Lonesome Dove costumes, props, photographs and more. Texas State used to be Southwest Texas Teacher's College and is a large campus built on the side of a hill in San Marco and still growing. We drove all around the narrow, hilly streets trying to find the library, stopping to ask students who could only tell us “It's that-a-way.” We finally found it, found the three (yes, 3) visitor parking places that barely accommodated our huge truck and went in.

Cyndi on Texas State campus

Bill Witliff who, with his wife, founded and underwrite the collection, was the screenwriter for the Lonesome Dove mini-series. The collection was in a small locked room off the main gallery, but the student who took us there was very nice. They had the actual clothing displayed on mannequins, screen plays, costume drawings, photos, the sign from Augustus's ranch and the headstone (board) of the Danny Glover character. Plus a bunch of other things. Everything was labeled and easy to see. It was interesting to see the actual size of the actors – they always seem larger than life, but in some cases are really small people!

We also spent some time in the Timeless Mexico gallery, which are photographs of Mexico and its people from the early twentieth cent;ury. And we both really enjoyed the Face to Face portrait collection.

Whew! We had done a lot of walking and were tired. So we headed back to the campground. The puppies had been alone all day (we left them in the trailer) and they needed to get out. Sid ended up the evening with some fishing and then some TV. One note – since we don't have a satellite dish yet and the campground doesn't have cable, we've been stuck with Fox as the only channel to watch. They show an awful lot of adult cartoons – Simpsons, American Dad, etc. I can't remember all the names. Talk about a waste of time in front of the boob tube! But most days we're so tired it's all we can do in the evening.

Today, we're spending time at the Joint Military Base San Antonio Recreation Park at Canyon Lake campground, where Sid is fishing while I'm doing laundry and posting this blog. The park here is really large, but has very few RV sites. It's more set up for tent camping and they have a LOT of cabins and trailers you can rent. But the park itself is beautiful and spacious and, when I post again, I'll tell you whether the fishing is any good! The laundry here is only 75 cents for washer and 50 cents for dryer and they have internet access. The weather is kind of yucky today, but is going to warm up during the rest of the week.

Until next time...