Gruene Dance Hall.
In 2002, my family had a reunion at the Guadalupe River Ranch near New Braunfels, Texas, and I loved going to the nearby ittle town of Gruene (pronounced Green). It has an old-time dance hall (filmed in the movie “Michael” with John Travolta), wonderful antique stores, an old country store, and a great restaurant (The Grist Mill) with outdoor tables over the river. We wanted to go there again, as well as see some of San Antonio again. So when Beth and Don headed back home to Sugar Land, we decided to head south for a few days before meeting them there.
Cousin Reunion
I hadn’t seen my cousin Debbie in 45 years, and she lives in Dripping Springs now. She’d been following our blog via Facebook and had suggested we stop by if we were close. When we realized we’d be driving right through Dripping Springs within the hour, I sent her a message and she called right back with a good ol’ Texas open-arms invitation. (“The house is a mess and so am I, but come on by!”)
Me with my cousin, Debbie, and the dogs.
Honestly, Debbie and I barely remembered each other. But she and her husband Ron were so welcoming, so happy to see us, that we felt right at home. And they have two golden retrievers who welcomed Bailey just a happily. They showed us their new retirement home – the upstairs bonus room that Ron has turned into a model train room, Debbie’s quilting, pottery and painting, their beautifully restored 1941 Cadillac, the playhouse Ron built for their granddaughters, and their pickle ball court (I’d love to play that sometime, just for the name alone!). We didn’t stay long, but we absolutely enjoyed our time with them, and Bailey loved zooming around their large yard with the other dogs.
Gruene
Flooded Guadalupe River.
It took longer than expected to get to Gruene because the bridge in Wimberly was out from the floods (see Texas-Sized Weather). We arrived around 6:00, and it was so hot. We parked in a lot by the river and turned on the generator and air conditioner to try to just cool down the coach. The lot was owned by a tube/rafting rental company, and I was surprised to see that business there was booming. I couldn’t imagine jumping into that muddy, fast-moving, debris-filled water with an inner tube, but the worker there said people were eager to try out the record-high river.
I asked if we could park overnight there, but that wasn’t allowed. She suggested we drive up River Road to their campground, and there were lots of other campgrounds along the river there. That turned out to be a bust, because every campground on the river had big signs saying “No Dogs!” I imagine campgrounds have had issues with people leaving dogs at their campsites while they go down the river, but we couldn’t find a single place to camp.
The campground entrance goes under the trestle.
We were back in Gruene, trying to figure out what to do when a man taking photos struck up a conversation with us. Turns out he’s a host at the only nearby campground that does allow dogs, and he called the place for us and gave us directions.
Landa RV Park is an interesting place. It’s right on the Comal River, which wasn’t as flooded as the Guadalupe. It’s a bit run-down, but it suited us just fine. We chose a site not on the river and right next to railroad tracks. (Good thing we love the sound of trains at night.) We were grateful to Mark for showing us the place, and we ended up staying three nights.
San Antonio
San Antonio River Walk.
The next day was sunny, and we drove into San Antonio. We went straight to the River Walk, which we had fond memories of from our family reunion years ago. The Walk has an international feel to it, and it’s shaded and lush. Tourist boats drive up and down the river, as well as small barges and work boats. It was so hot, and poor Bailey was really overheated, so we took a detour to a plaza with a sidewalk fountain that Bailey could splash in.
There are lots of sidewalk cafes along the Walk, and many allow dogs. We found one that welcomed Bailey with a dish of water (Charlie Wants a Burger). The food was so-so, but we were so happy to sit in the shade and gulp down ice water.
We were excited to find a Trader Joe’s in the city, and we took turns filling a cart while the other sat in the car with Bailey. We do miss shopping at Trader Joe’s, which has such good specialty items, produce, organic options, and premade dishes at very reasonable prices. For example, they have precooked brown rice packaged in compact bags that you can heat in one minute. And it tastes just as good as the kind you simmer on your stove for 45 minutes. And chicken-green chili tamales that taste as good as homemade.
Antiquing
Old rocking horse in the front window.
Kate and I have always loved antique stores, and Gruene has one of the best, but we’ve just spent the last year letting go of antiques, among other things, and we haven’t got room in Bessie for much more than a thimble. Still, the Gruene Antique Company across from the dance hall provided a morning of entertainment before we left the third day, as well as respite from yet another thunderstorm.