Mmm...Fudge

'Tis the season for sweets! I'm giving myself permission to splurge a little during the holidays.

That's probably why I gave in when John wanted to purchase homemade fudge at Oliver Pecan Company when we were on our Texas Hill Country vacation. "We'll share it with the kids at Thanksgiving," he said. 

I resisted a little...and then I sampled some...and then I agreed to buy a pound of fudge—a whole pound. It's that good!

Our selections included (top to bottom):

Pumpkin (for Thanksgiving, of course), Maple Pecan (my favorite, because it's sweet, but not too sweet), Churro (a new flavor, unique and delicious), and Chocolate Pecan (because it's classic and oh, so creamy).

This is really some of the best fudge I've ever had. It's soft and creamy and delicious. Between the kids, John, and me, we managed to eat all of it in a week's time. 'Tis the season...

Beautiful Tower and View

The observation tower at Longhorn Cavern State Park is more elaborate than most I've seen. The building is made of native limestone and blends well into the picturesque setting.

I like the design detail in the windows of the stairwell leading to the top deck.

And, the views at the top are spectacular!

I couldn't help but notice the huge building in the distance. John said it looked like a castle and he was right. It's called Falkenstein Castle. As it turns out, this is one of three castles in the area!

I'm sort of amazed by that...and baffled at the same time.

The Large Oatmeal Box in Oatmeal, Texas

Have you ever heard of Oatmeal, Texas? Well, don't feel bad, neither had I. 

Oatmeal is a small unincorporated community near the town of Bertram, close to where we were staying on our vacation. What put Oatmeal on the map (literally) is its annual Oatmeal Festival that began in 1978. 

John and I couldn't pass up visiting a place named Oatmeal. I posed by the large oatmeal box, the symbol of the festival and the town, while John took my picture.

I was expecting the box to be bigger and better proportioned. I was a little bit disappointed until I found out that this is not just a decorative piece, but is actually the community's 20-foot water tower painted to look like a box of oatmeal. 

Well, I can't really find fault with that.

Read more about the history of the Oatmeal Festival here.

The Secret to Wheelers' Cornbread

I have to say we ate very well on our little vacation, starting with home cooking, and buttermilk custard pie at Schobels in Columbus, Texas, and ending with pinto beans, German sausage, and cornbread at Wheelers in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Wheelers' cornbread is unlike any I've ever had. It's very light and cake-like, but not overly sweet. I've been assuming all this time that it's a German recipe and have searched with no luck in finding a recipe that sounds like it would be close to the same. 

Of course, Wheelers is tight lipped on how they make it—as they should be. But, I'm always trying to figure it out. This time as I was enjoying the generous-sized piece of deliciousness they serve, it hit me—the texture is so much like a cake, what if it is made with a cake mix?

I did a Google search and found a cornbread recipe that calls for a yellow cake mix in the ingredients! Could it be that I've stumbled upon the secret? I'll have to test it out to be sure. This recipe sounds like it will turn out sweeter than Wheelers, but it's a starting point to work from. 

Fire up the oven.

Other great restaurants we enjoyed on our trip:
Bills  Burgers, Wings & Things — Burnet, Texas (ate here twice!) 
HWY 29 BBQ — Bertram, Texas
El Rancho Mexican Restaurant – Bertram, Texas

Inks Lake State Park

The Texas Hill Country is so pretty, it's no wonder there is a large concentration of state parks in this area.

We drove through Inks Lake State Park and briefly stopped at one of the fishing piers. It was the end of a gray, cloudy day, and what little light was left, was fading quickly, but the lake was so beautiful to my eye, that I had to snap a picture.

The trees along the shore were showing a bit of fall color and were reflected ever so softly on the smooth-as-glass surface. It was beautiful in person, even if the photo doesn't capture it well.

I happened to catch John on a point of land looking into the water. The surrounding trees created a natural frame to the scene and the green grass added a little life to the flat, dull light. 

If you know John like I do, then you know he was looking for fish and thinking about getting the fishing rods from the truck and trying his luck. But, it was late and time to go.

Maybe we'll have a chance to fish this weekend...in our home waters.

Longhorn Cavern State Park

The poor weather continued the whole time we were in the Texas Hill Country, but we found a way to escape the elements and still enjoy nature at the same time by heading underground for a guided tour of Longhorn Caverns.

Our guide was fantastic! He shared with us the history of this limestone cave, its legends, and its many interesting geological features. In the photo above he is pointing out one of the tiny bats that lives in this cave.

We all took a look at the bat, but I didn't snap a closeup. There is a very small population of Eastern Pipstrelle bats living in the cave. They do not hang out together and never leave.

There are several chambers in the cave. One of the largest is the Indian Council Room that was used by the Comanche for ceremonial purposes. The dark layer of hard rock running through the limestone in this room was used to make tools and arrow points.

Through the years, Longhorn Caverns has served many purposes. It was a place to manufacture and store gunpowder during the Civil War. It is said to have been a hideout for several outlaws including Sam Bass. During the prohibition era, it was used as a speakeasy, complete with dance floor, bandstand, and restaurant. And when Lyndon B. Johnson was president, it was designated as his underground bunker, should he ever need one while he was at his Texas ranch.

It is easy walking through most of the cave. However, there is 20-foot section of the tour where the height of the ceiling averages about four feet. It is referred to as the Lumbar Tunnel, because you have to walk bent over to get through it. I wondered if I would feel claustrophobic through this part when we were told about it at the beginning of the tour, but it turned out to be wide enough that I never felt closed in and no one else had trouble with it either.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to clear the passages in the cave and make it what it is today. According to our guide, they were paid a dollar a day—$30 at the end of the month, $25 of which they sent home to their families, keeping only $5 for themselves.

Our tour of Longhorn Cavern was the highlight of our trip. I've been in other caves before, some with more colorful formations, but this is by far my favorite!

Colorado Bend State Park

The hiking trails through the canyon lands of Colorado Bend State Park are rugged and beautiful. 

Scenic Overlook at Colorado Bend State Park

We had big plans to hike a few of them, especially the one to Gorman Falls, but it turned out to be a cool, rainy day, and I had a sore throat, so we saw what we could from the vehicle.

Our lunchtime view of the Colorado River. 

Parked within view of the Colorado River, we ate our lunch (Schlotzsky's sandwiches that we brought with us) while the rain fell.

John stands on the banks of the Colorado River in Bend, Texas.

Yes, this is our river—the same river that runs by our trailer in Matagorda—only, the scenery is so very different! 

The Colorado River ends in Matagorda where it flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Here in Bend, we were on the northern end near the headwaters. 

Fishermen at Colorado Bend State Park

Even though we didn't get to do the things we planned, what we saw has us looking forward to our next visit. We bought a Texas State Parks Pass, so our admission is already paid for.

Off The Beaten Path

We just returned from the Texas Hill Country where we stayed in a little stone house on the San Gabriel River. 

It's off the beaten path in Joppa, Texas, and as we discovered, off the grid as far as cell phone service and wifi hotspot connection is concerned. That's why there was no post yesterday. 

The photo above of a Texas birdhouse (the entrance of the birdhouse is in the shape of Texas) at San Gabriel River Inn, gives you an idea of our picturesque setting. In the distance is the Joppa Church (also pictured below) and the old school that is now used as the community center.

It was a beautiful place to call home for a few days as we explored a part of the Hill Country we had never been to before.