RonnieAdventure #0087 - Texas, 2014 Part II

While in Texas, part of the time we stayed at a house on Lake Lyndon B. Johnson; so one evening we decided to have dinner in Kingsland at the Junction House Restaurant, an old renovated 1900s Victorian era house. The food was good, but I kept hearing this loud noise upstairs as though someone was using a chainsaw. When I asked the waitress about the noise, she said that she couldn't hear anything but occasionally some guest do hear a strange noise that sounds like a chainsaw. She went on to explain that the house was originally located in Round Rock, but in 1998 the house was cut into six pieces and moved to its current location as part of the Antlers Hotel & Historic Railroad District. Apparently, some people think the place is haunted because it is the house that was used in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre movie.

I was so intrigued by the story that I decided to come back the next day and take pictures of the house and other Historic Railroad District structures, which include a train depot, the Antlers Hotel, and several train cabooses that have been converted into overnight rental units as part of the Antlers Hotel. I had a strange feeling as I was taking a picture of the house, and then when I returned home, I couldn't believe it! The only picture taken on the entire trip that didn't turn out, was the picture of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre house This was really, really, weird!  Anyway, I borrowed a house picture from the web, so that you could see what the house lookes like. Also, intriguing is that there is no mention of the house, or a picture of the house, on the Kingsland City web site, or in the Texas State Travel Guide. Is the house really haunted? You decide!

Web Picture (photographer and picture date unknown)

 

While staying at the Lake Lyndon B. Johnson house, I also had the opportunity to take several pictures of some beautiful birds that liked to be fed on the back porch.

Also, close to the house that we stayed at was the Blue Bonnet restaurant in Marble Falls. We managed to stop by the restaurant several times to eat and sample their famous pies. (A must if you are ever in the area. They have "Happy Pie Hour" from 3-5 PM each day.)

Located north and east of Marble Falls is the Bertram Train Depot, where you can catch a ride on the Hill Country Flyer/Bertram Flyer. They also offer a number of other train trips on a limited basis (murder mystery, wine tasting, Bluebonnet Festival, North Pole Flyer, etc. Check their web site for a list of events.)

Located north of Austin is the small community of Hutto. In 2003, the Texas State Legislature named Hutto the "Official Hippo Capital of Texas" because there are over 3,000 painted concrete hippos populating the town. Most people that come to Hutto have their picture taken with Henrietta, the 2.5 ton concrete hippo located in the Historic Downtown District. (I'm not in the picture because I was afraid that people wouldn't be able to recognize which one was Henrietta!)

We arrived in Brenham too late in the day to take the Blue Bell Creameries tour, home to the "best ice cream in the country;" however, we did make it to the Blue Bell Country Store where they serve ice cream for $1.00 per generous scoop. It is fortunate that I don't live too close to this place!

Although we didn't make it to Huntsville on this trip, a few years ago we stopped in Huntsville to see the famous Sam Houston Statue that is so large it can be seen from six miles away. The wild flowers in the area were also beautiful.

Also, on a previous trip, we visited the NASA/Space Center Houston, which is a must if you are ever in the area. At the Houston facility you can see artifacts and displays from the space race that include the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, moon landing, and space shuttle programs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I typically don't fly out of the Austin Airport, but I will always remember being at a convention that was held at a country club about 30 miles outside of Austin in 2001. About mid-way through the conference, on September 11, people realized that our Country was under attack for the first time in history. Panic set in!  People were trying to leave Austin by any means possible - train, bus, rental car, etc. Some people were even so desperate they purchased used cars, so they could drive home. There were only about a dozen of us that decided to just hang around and wait for the airlines to start flying again; and things got a little boring at the Country Club, so we spent the last few days at a hotel in downtown Austin where we could at least purchase some clean clothes. People kept giving me a hard time because I had decided to grow a beard before I went to the conference; and , unfortunately, I don't have a very nice looking beard because it grows wild in every direction. I was actually accused of looking like Osama Bin Laden, which worked against me when the airport finally reopened. The TSA people were certain that I was a security threat and I wasn't sure that they were even going to let me get on the plane. Anyway, after arriving home I shaved off my beard and I have never tried growing a beard again! (When you fly into Las Vegas from Austin, the flight path follows the Colorado River for about the last 100 miles.)

 

 

Traveled 1,586 ground miles in 8 days.