The last two months have gone by fast but we are ready to move on to our next destination on the Gulf Coast near Galveston.  We have had a great time getting to know Austin and all it has to offer.  We have really enjoyed our time here at McKinney Falls State Park and if anyone is looking for an easy volunteer opportunity for the summer, these are fantastic folks who really appreciate the volunteers!  Every day we were thanked for what we do.  There are two things we will not miss about Austin though...THE TRASH and THE TRAFFIC!  I cannot begin to describe the amount of trash that is on the sides of the roads.  It is everywhere!  It is really sad to see for such a vibrant city.  I imagine people coming in to the State Park think it is an oasis because they keep it really clean, but that is hard work since folks seem to bring their bad habits of just throwing things on the ground with them. Runner up would be the traffic.  Austin is growing exponentially and so is the traffic.  The roads just cannot keep up and there is construction everywhere.  The roads not under construction really need help too.    Ok, rant over.

In our last couple weeks here we went to visit Bastrop State Park, had coffee with an employee/supervisor that I will be working with at a new virtual job this spring (more on that later) and had several friends over and made some new ones too.  

We also took a drive down to New Braunfels and the Gruene Historic District where we walked around the historic little town on the beautiful Guadalupe River and ate some of the best Chicken Fried Steak at the Gristmill as declared by Food Network...and me!

We also ate at another BBQ joint that Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives visited.  Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ is a cool little stationary food truck in Austin that serves brisket and pulled pork either in Tex BBQ style or Mex taco style.  We opted for the Tex BBQ version and we were lucky enough to get some of the last brisket since they sold out a couple folks behind us.  Let me say that it was probably some of the best BBQ and sides we have had.  We had the tangy slaw and roasted corn with it.  They also had a really good BBQ sauce!  Different from other BBQ joints is that they do not specifically weigh the meat and then you pay the exact amount.  You pay for half a pound up front.  Looking at our portions, they use the heavy half pound method!  Score!!!

​On Christmas Eve we made our way back downtown, hoping for empty streets and parking and we were gifted with wide open roads and a place to park the big truck so we could go to the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum.  ​We found it very informative since this was mostly before our times.  It was also very interesting to see all of the programs that LBJ instituted during his time as president, such as Medicare, Civil Rights Act, Fair Housing, Child Safety guidelines and Vietnam Veterans Benefits, to name a few.  Unfortunately, we both thought the Bush museum was much better, more interactive and not as much comprehensive reading.  We still enjoyed the short videos they had throughout, which helped us to better understand the times back then.  We are making sure to hit every presidential museum when in the area.

They also had a Motown 60th anniversary exhibit that was really cool to see.  Rick even got to practice his do wop with the Temptations.

Christmas was quiet here and since we were the only Park Hosts here on Christmas Day we fielded the camper questions and issues and kept a "presence" in the park.  Even though our normal host routine is to clean the bathrooms, clean up sites for the next camper and run the trails on the gator for trash, we had initiated some other projects ourselves to better the park and the staff has really appreciated our efforts.  

​ They even included us in their Christmas party where we ate some great food, sang some karaoke, exchanged white elephant gifts and got our 100 hour TX Parks service pins.

This last weekend in Austin we will be filled with packing up Christmas decorations, cleaning and readying the rig but we are still making time for some friends to visit as well.  We will leave out on New Years Eve morning and head southeast to the gulf in anticipation of some pretty cool New Years Eve fireworks on the beach to ring in the New Year!  Here's to a fantastic New Year filled with laughter, love and adventure!!!

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One of our main objectives in our 7 months in Texas was to sample BBQ throughout the state.  Texas is known primarily for their brisket and beef based BBQ.  With soo many places proclaiming they are the best BBQ in TX, we knew we needed to find out for ourselves.  We have sampled BBQ at a couple places as we have traveled through TX so far and were now ready to hit the BBQ capital of Texas.  The holy grail of BBQ in the Lone Star state!  Lockhart, TX.

Lockhart has 4 primary BBQ joints, with 3 of them being touted in numerous sources as some of the best.  Therefore we decided to devote an entire day to eating our way through the BBQ Capital.  There is alot of BBQ family history here, not all good.  For starters, we hit Kruez Market, the first location as you drive south into Lockhart from Austin and is the newest...due to a family rift.  As the story goes, the owner of Kruez and his sister had a falling out and the brother moved the Kruez business to the new location on the north side of town since his sister owned the downtown building.  She then opened Smitty's Market in the old, downtown location.  It was said by a customer in line with us, that it cost approx. 6 million to build and open the new Kruez location.  That's alot in this little town!

The third "Q"  joint also has a long family history in the BBQ business and Blacks BBQ has been in business since 1932, being the oldest in TX and is now in the 4th generation of family owners.  

​Kreuz Market
This being the newest location, it is on the northside of town in a newer building and there is lots of parking and lots of seating.  They also had more pits than the others.  What was really interesting was the process of how you work your way through these places.  At Kruez, you start by going to the pit room where all of the pits are lined up and smoking away.  The butcher block table is on the middle and you give your order, chosen by the pound, and they slice it for your order.  Your meat is placed on butcher paper and wrapped up.  No plate, no tray, just the paper.  

After paying for your wrapped meat, you go into the next room where you choose your sides and drinks.  We got the coleslaw and cheesy potato casserole.  Sauce is not promoted and you need to look real close for some sitting on a counter.  We knew the place had to be good because the local police officers were dining here with us.

Our ratings:  The brisket had a good smoke and bark but a little dry.  The sausage had good seasoning and a great snap on the casing.  The cheesy potato salad was very good and the tasty coleslaw was creamy and homemade.  The staff was very friendly and helpful in leading us through the process.
​

Smitty's Market
This location is right off the downtown square in a small, nondescript old building.  Just walking in the front door you see the smoke markings on the walls and smell the years of BBQ.  Similar to Kreuz, you walk to the back, into the meat room first.  We were quite surprised to see that you walk right past the hot fire, no wall or barricade blocking you from the fire.  Must be really interesting with children!  We ordered the same brisket and sausage and it was again packaged for us in butcher paper and we paid for the meat there.  One difference, Smitty's is cash or check only.  Come prepared!

You then took your meat into the next room and pick your sides and drinks.  Smitty's mostly had cold sides and less of a selection.  Since this was our second lunch, we were getting a bit full so we only got the coleslaw to split.  This location felt more like a cafeteria and had a couple long tables with folding chairs for seating.  There were lots of older locals here for lunch and it seemed like it was the meeting place.  Oh did I mention they do not have forks????  You eat with your fingers, but we did have a plastic knife for cutting meat and a spoon for the coleslaw.  Interesting....

Our ratings:  We got the top cap on this brisket which means that it was super flavorful with the bark melting in your mouth.  Yet still, a bit dry.  The sausage had a good snap, but unlike the first sausage, this one was loosely packed which gave it more smokey flavor.  It was good but I was a little torn on if I liked the looser pack.  Rick liked it.  The coleslaw was premade without much flavor.

At this point we had two lunches, even being smaller portions, we decided we needed to call a BBQ time out and went to see Knives Out at the local theater.  We were again fortunate enough to get free tickets from VetTix and really enjoyed the movie.  After a two hour rest we were ready to take on the last Lockhart BBQ joint.


Black's BBQ
Black's is also located downtown on a side street, but there are definitely signs that lead you to them.  The process here was a bit different in that you come in the door, grab a plate and go through a cafeteria setup were you choose your sides, both hot and cold, including delicious desserts.  Once you have loaded up there, you are at the counter were you order your meat and they package it up for you and you pay for everything together.  

One of the 3rd generation owners was at the helm of the butcher block and upon hearing we were first timers, gave us burnt ends and a giant beef rib to try.  They are known for those big ribs!  We also splurged and got the banana pudding.  The eating area felt more like a dining room, with booths and tables.  They also had self serve soda fountains and a healthy condiment bar, including pickles, bread and onions.  The walls were filled with family pictures and well known individuals who have dined there.  The staff was really friendly and welcoming, which made it a really nice dining experience.

Our ratings:  The brisket had good, crusty bark that melted in your mouth and holy cow it was moist with juices still pooling on the paper!  The texture was really satisfying as well.  We opted for the garlic sausage, which was not offered at the other locations.   It again had a nice snap and was loosely packed, similar to Smitty's.  By now I was starting to warm up to the idea since it was soo tasty.  It was also very moist and juicy.  The burnt ends were to die for and melted in your mouth.  The beef rib did not disappoint, big yumminess. The coleslaw was your standard coleslaw with a touch of radish shreds.  The banana pudding was really good!

Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs and we ended up taking some of the brisket and burnt ends home with us which reheated well and was still moist.

Sooo...after all of that BBQ meat consumption, we decided on the winners...

Brisket-  Black's- it was moist and had a really good smoke and bark to it.  The other two would have been contenders if they weren't so dry.  Perhaps we hit them on an off day.

Sausage- Again, Black's took the prize here.  The moist and flavorful sausage really won both of us over.

Sides-  Kreuz was the winner here.  Their coleslaw had the best taste and the cheesy potato casserole was delicious!  Although, Black's had alot of side choices, but we stayed with the same side we had at the others.  We could have definitely tried more...if we had room.  We were pretty full by then!

There is not much else going on in Lockhart, but we did take a walk on their downtown square between our two lunches and enjoyed the beautiful courthouse in the middle of the square.

​All in all, we really enjoyed eating our way through Lockhart, even if we did have to go for a long walk once we got home, just to feel comfortable again.  We have 5 1/2 more months in TX to sample more BBQ, but now we can say we have eaten our way through the BBQ capital of TX.  We feel pretty accomplished...and FULL!!!

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