We arrived at The Lone Star Corral, an Escapees Co-op in Hondo Texas, last Saturday. Our plan was to check out the park, stay overnight, and move on the following day. Once we got parked and set up, it was late afternoon, so we headed out to see the place before it got dark. At the end of our street we ran into a man walking his dogs, and immediately struck up a conversation. Our new friend, Howard, told us all about the co-op, the community, what all there is to do there, and then invited us to that evening's social hour, and a kind of bingo game played with cards. We talked so long that it was too dark to continue, so we went to check out the community center.
We walked inside and were blown away by the place. It was really big. There were two regulation size pool tables, a full size snooker table, two shuffle board courts, a library, a couple of craft areas, a jigsaw puzzle area, a large modern laundromat, a huge commercial kitchen, AND seating/ eating space for at least 150 people. There were folks inside playing games and we talked to them too. Everyone we met was so nice and so welcoming, that within two hours we had decided to stay for Christmas.
Christmas was really nice. So is everyone here. So nice in fact, that we're staying for New Years...
Hondo is not far from the Texas Hill Country so we went exploring. It's kinda weird because everything is flat and then BLAMMO! Hill. No gradual assent, not transition, just flat... then hill.
Once you pass into the hills the terrain immediately changes from the deep fertile black soil grasslands, perfect for pasturing cattle, to rocky, sandy, scrub filled grasslands, perfect for pasturing cattle.
No longer can you see miles to the horizon. Instead, on either side of the road, the view is held close-in by Mesquite, Mountain Cedar, Live Oak, Scrub Cedar, Prickly Pear Cactus and Yucca.
The topsoil is so thin that when it rains, there's nothing to soak into, so it just runs off and flash floods. These floods are so common and so fast, that not only are there permanent warning signs, but at places where they cross the roads, the pavement has been engineered to accommodate the fast flowing water. Each side of the pavement is ramped so that when it does flash, the water, and anything carried along by it, meets minimal resistance and the road bed doesn't get washed away. There are flood gauges at these crossings to mark the depth of the water. They measure up to 5 feet!
We visited the Hill Country Natural Area, a 5,300 acre preserve. This is a popular area for mountain biking, hiking, cross country running, and horse riding. They have camping areas specifically for those with horses. Each site has a corral, fresh water and feeding facilities. We spoke to a group of folks who were readying their horses to head out.
One couple had these furry stocky smallish Icelandic horses. The were soooooo cute!
We took about a 2.5 mile hike and wore ourselves out but good, then headed back to the car.
On the way home we stopped at one of the ubiquitous barbecue joints along the highway. They had just brought in a brisket from the mesquite fueled pit. As the cook sliced it you could see how juicy it was. Of course that was what we ordered, and it was easily the best I had eaten, (and believe me, I've eaten a LOT of barbecue brisket,).
Barbecue in this part of the world is different from many other areas. This is cattle country. Here it's all about the meat, and that meat is BEEF! You can get pork or turkey or chicken, but on the menu the main items are "chopped" or "sliced", "sandwich" or "plate". Then the sides, then the drinks, then the other meats. When you order, they don't assume you want sauce, they ask if you do. And that sauce is homemade, thin, loaded with the meat juices and there's only the one kind. No fancy-schmancy rubs, no assortment of gourmet sauces (not that there's anything wrong with that,) and for sure NO FRIGGIN' MANGO ANYTHING!!! Just fresh butchered, grass-fed, tender, juicy, expertly smoked over mesquite beef.
Part of our mission this winter is to explore possible places to live when it's time to come in off the road. This place has a lot of plusses for consideration.
- It's a co-op so it's run by the lot owners
- The afore mentioned owners are some of the friendliest and warmest people we've met in our travels
- The infrastructure and facilities are top notch
- The lots are large and maintenance-free
- You can build a large "shed" aka workshop, hobby space
- Has mild weather in the winter
- Has a new modern hospital
- Is an hour from San Antonio a large cosmopolitan city with lots to do
- Taxes are low, lower, lowest...
- IT'S IN TEXAS
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