I wake up at 9:00...after about five hours of sleep. I am tired...not hungover (I took it easy last night)...just tired.
I make some coffee...take a walk around the campground...get on the netbook...post to the blog.
Since I am officially "off-schedule", I have to take a look at my options. A lot of people have mentioned a "canyon" north of here...there's great camping, and they put on a big musical on the history of Texas. But that means going farther in the opposite direction of San Antonio, Austin and Dallas...places that I have left to go on this trip.
So...a little after noon, I head out...south and east to the Texas "Hill Country". My plan is to have dinner in Johnson, Texas at the "Hill Country Cupboard Cafe"...highly recommended for their chicken-fried steak. Then, I can drive thirty miles or so and camp at the KOA in Fredericksburg, Texas. As I leave Lubbock, this seems like a good plan.
Before I really get going, I've got one quick stop to make. The largest winery in Texas, Llano Estacado, is located just outside of Lubbock. Well...you can hide your winery way out in West Texas...but I can sniff out a winery anywhere! It's a nice tasting room with a very friendly staff. I taste a few whites and the whole line of reds. These are excellent wines, and one would not expect such quality outside of Washington...Oregon...California. I buy a bottle of their "Flagship" red and two bottles of Texas Port(!).
And then, for the next eight hours or so...I drive. Except for a seven-mile stretch on the Interstate, it's all secondary roads...back roads down and through central Texas. Lots and lots of small towns...central square with the courthouse in the middle...tiny bars...retaurants...farms...ranches. I'm getting a big chunk of Texas on this ride.
I'm in a race against time because the Hill Country Cupboard closes at 9:00PM...and I am starving for that chicken-fried steak...and a beer! I'm sitting down for dinner at 8:30.
The chicken-fried steak is as good as advertised...tender meat, crispy crust, creamy gravy...great sides of fried okra and ranch beans. The Shiner beers are going down easy as well. And...the peach cobbler with ice cream is a great finish.
There's a Best Western right next door to the restaurant...and I'm really tired. So...I check in there (pricey!), have a beer or two and collapse into a deep sleep.
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