Lockhart -- Barbecue Capital of Texas

Texans take their barbecue very seriously--especially in Lockhart, a small town in Central Texas.

For a great meal, good hospitality and a little Texas history, this is the place to stop for RVers on the road in this part of the country.

About seven years ago, I heard of Lockhart being the Barbecue Capital of Texas from Gaylord Maxwell, author and founder of the RV Life on Wheels educational conferences.

Gaylord knew I had relatives in Austin and asked if I had ever been to Lockhart (about 30 miles south on Hwy. 183) for the best BBQ ever. According to Gaylord, he and his wife, Margie, had often RVed through Lockhart just to eat.

Lockhart and cattle go back a long ways to when it was a major northward converging point on the Chisholm Trail to Kansas.

Today, the town of about 12,000 has four major BBQ restaurants--Black's, Chisholm Trail, Kreuz Market and Smitty's Market. Together, they estimate they serve about 5,000 people each week.

Personally I have only eaten at two of these grand establishments: Kreuz Market, a German-style barbecue restaurant since 1900; and Black's Barbecue, the oldest BBQ eatery in Texas that has been "continuously owned and operated by the same family."

Kreuz Market specializes in a dry-rub BBQ. "Don't ask for barbecue sauce. They don't have it and quite honestly are offended if anyone asks. The owners say, 'good barbecue doesn't need sauce.' "

In June 2008, both Kreuz and Smitty's were selected among the Top Five Texas BBQ Joints by Texas Monthly magazine Read article by clicking here.

My most recent stop was the last Sunday in February at Black's. (FYI: Kreuz is closed on Sunday, Smitty's closed at 3 p.m. on Sunday and Chisholm Trail had a line spilling out the door.)

Owners Norma Jean and Edgar Black were seated in their corner booth and the place was packed. There is free live music on Sunday afternoons.

The specialties are "Texas smoked meats, homemade sausage, and barbecue sauces." Jimmy ordered Baby Back Ribs and I had a sliced pork loin sandwich. Sides of pinto bean and cold slaw. Sweet tea. Nothing was left on either plate.

If you go:

Kreuz Market Barbeque
619 N. Colorado St.
URL: www.KreuzMarket.com
Open: 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. (Mon-Sat)
The meat, including beef, sausage or pork, is served on brown butcher paper. 'Vegetarian' side of the house includes beans, German potato salad and sauerkraut,

Black's Barbecue
215 N. Main St
512.398.2712
URL: www.blacksbbq.com/
Open: '8 days a week' - 10 a.m.-8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. on Fri.-Sat.)

Chisholm Trail Barbeque
1323 S. Colorado St
512.398-6027
URL: www.chisholmtrailbbq.com
Offers a large selection of salads and side dishes to go along with the sausage, brisket, ribs, turkey, chicken and fajitas. Fried catfish on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Chicken fried steak on Tuesday and Thursday.

Smitty's Market
208 S. Commerce St
512.398-9344
URL: www.smittysmarket.com
Open: Mon. - Fri. 7 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Nina Schmidt Sells established Smitty's Market in 1999 in the building that housed her father's Kreuz Market for more than 50 years.

Photos: Top left: Kreuz Market Barbecue; top right: Kreuz dinning room. Lower left: Jimmy Smith of Spokane, Wash., outside Black's Barbecue; lower right: Live music at Black's (click on photos for larger images). (Julianne Crane)

Fallingwater - "Celebrating 75 Years of Art in Nature, 1936-2011"

"Fallingwater," one of Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpieces, is "Celebrating 75 Years of Art in Nature, 1936-2011," making this the perfect time to spend the afternoon at one of the Smithsonian's Life List of '28 Places to Visit Before You Die.'

It was the mid-1930s when Wright, America’s most celebrated architect, designed this ‘weekend’ retreat for the Kaufmann (Department Store) family of Pittsburgh, PA.

Wright, in his mid-60s at the time, was already world-renowned and the house became instantly famous when it appeared almost immediately on a Time magazine cover.

The design "exemplifies Wright’s concept of organic architecture: the harmonious union of art and nature," according to Fallingwater.org.

During a visit to the house last autumn, the cantilevered concrete terraces that hover above the waterfalls of Bear Run blew me away. There is even a descending staircase from inside the living room that leads to boulders forming the waterfalls-- it beckons visitors to dangle their feet in the cool stream.

Throughout 2011, Fallingwater is offering a wide variety of special events to commemorate its 75th anniversary. Click here for details.

The house is located in southwest Pennsylvania's Laurel Highlands about 90 minutes from Pittsburgh.

If you go:

Fallingwater
1491 Mill Run Road
Mill Run, PA 15464
Visitor Services: 724.329-8501
URL: www.fallingwater.org

2011 Season: Mar. 5, 6 and 12, 13; then daily (except Wed.) during the Regular Season: Mar. 14-Nov. 27. In Dec. open weekends: Fri., Sat. and Sun.; and Dec. 26-Jan. 1, 2012.
Hours: Regular season tours 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Advance ticket purchase or reservations are essential)
Cost: Regular house tour: $20/adult; $14/ages 6-12.
In-depth tour: $65. Detailed information these and other special tours click on Tours and Tickets
Driving directions: click here. The house is off PA Route 381, approximately 19 miles south of Donegal (Exit #91) of the PA Turnpike (I-76); or 10 miles north of US Route 40.
GPS: 39.900851, -79.465472
Good on-site parking for RVs, coaches.

Nearby: Ohiopyle State Park offers good RV and tent camping at Kentuck Campground. The Youghiogheny River Trail, a 27-mile hiking and biking stretch (part of the Great Allegheny Passage), is wide, mostly smooth and beautiful the entire way.

Photos: Top: Fallingwater. (Wikipedia.) Bottom: Kentuck Campground, Ohiopyle State Park. (Julianne Crane)

'Star Night' at Arizona's Kartchner Caverns

Kartchner Caverns State Park near Benson, Arizona, is one amazing adventure -- below and above ground.

For an evening of desert star gazing don't miss "Star Night at Kartchner Caverns" on Saturday, March 26, 2011; 5:30 p.m.

Volunteer astronomer, and dark sky advocate, Bob Gent will give an “Introduction to the Night Skies of Kartchner” talk in the Discovery Center auditorium.

While in the Discovery Center take a look at the museum exhibits, regional and educational displays.

After the presentation, look at the magnificent night skies through local astronomers' telescopes. During the September 2010 "Star Night," folks were able to observe "a number of wonders of the night sky. We looked at the crescent shaped planet Venus, the craters of the moon, star clusters, galaxies, and much more," according to the park's website.

On March 26, park representatives say, "The planet Saturn will be rising in the eastern skies after sunset, and the Great Orion nebula will be in the southwestern skies. In addition to many other wonders of the night sky, everyone will enjoy seeing galaxies from far, far away."

Be sure to bring a folding chair, red light, sweater or jacket, and "enthusiasm to enjoy and conserve our beautiful night skies."

When:
Saturday, March 26, 2011; 5:30 p.m.
The fall Star Night at Kartchner Caverns will be Sept. 24, 2011 and at Alamo Lake State Park on Nov. 19. 2011.

If you go:

Kartchner Caverns State Park
on AZ-90, 9 miles south of I-10
Benson, Ariz.
520.586-2283
GPS
Latitude: N 31 50.134
Longitude: W 110 20.621
URL: http://azstateparks.com/Parks/KACA/index.html
Cost: $6/vehicle for the night of viewing.

While you're there:

If you want to make a day of it, arrive early and take in one of the two fascinating 1½ hour cave tours. The Big Room is open only half the year, from Oct. 15-April 15, because a resident bat population calls it home the other six months of the year.
The Rotunda/Throne Tour is open through Oct. 9, 2011, then closed Oct. 10-Dec.14, to re-open on Dec. 15. On this tour, visitors will discover the role that water plays in creating the cavern and see the discoverers' original trail.
Cave Tour Fees: See complete Cave Tour Information Page

RV and tent camping Fees: $25 (All sites have electricity and water hookups).

For more information on the Kartchner Caverns read Tina and Russ DeMaris' RV Short Stops article on "Arizona's Kartchner Caverns a Great Summer Cool Spot."

Photo: Source: Kartchner Caverns State Park.

Belt sander races dust up Rockport, Texas

Prior to the beginning of the recent South Texas Belt Sander Race Association sanctioned Saturday afternoon races, more than 300 spectators milled around the 75-foot track behind the Pickled Pelican Sports Bar in Rockport, Texas.

The sun was out, a festive feel was in the air and everyone was there to have fun watching belt sanders drag races.

For the uninitiated, there are two classes of belt sanders: Stock and Modified.

First of all, however, all sanders must run on 120v power, use an unmodified factory-manufactured sanding belt (grit is driver's choice), be equipped with track guides and wheelie bars or 'outrigging' (to keep sanders centered in the 12-inch wide track), and be no more than 24 inches in length.

The "stock" class sander, says Tommie Giambernard, president of the South Texas BSRA, "is essentially fresh out of the box. You can make them pretty with a good paint job, but that's all."

The "modified" class, on the other hand, has no limits. Racers can do anything to them, as long as they stay within the general requirements (see above). Some racers have been known to spend several thousand dollars modifying the engines to go as fast as 20,000 RPMs. (The average off-the-shelf belt sander runs 1725-3450 RPMs.)

John Hillstrom, an RVer from Puyallup, Wash., wasn't doing anything fancy. "I'm just here to enjoy myself." This is his first season and he is running in the stock category. "I spent a total of $160," he said, "$80 for the sander, $20 for an extended warranty, $20 for sandpaper, $20 for outriggers and $20 for paint."

Cars, RVs, motorcycles and bicycles started packing the parking lot shortly after noon. Hundreds of mostly Winter Texans filled the colorful bleachers, drank beer and rooted for every sander that managed to kick up a cloud of sawdust in the double-elimination races.

If you go:
Pickled Pelican Sports Bar
3720 N. Hwy. 35
Fulton, Texas
361.729-0720
URL: www.thepickledpelican.com
When: Every other Saturday at 2 p.m. (Call to verify future dates.)
Cost: Free

For more information:
South Texas Belt Sander Race Association
URL: http://sotexbsra.com

Photo: Top: Spectators inspecting the couple dozen belt sanders lined up near the raceway's starting point. Bottom: (l) Tommie Giambernard's stock belt sander noses out John Hillstrom’s entry at a recent Saturday afternoon race at the Pickled Pelican Sports Bar in Rockport, Texas. (Julianne Crane)

Central Oregon: Petersen's Rock Garden, A Danish Immigrant's Tribute to America

Rasmus Petersen was born in Denmark in 1883 and like most of us he just sort of bumped along for the first 52 years of his life before he found his calling: rocks, chunks of broken glass and shells.

Rasmus collected them near his home, just south of Redmond, Oregon, and spent the last 17 years of his life building a tribute to America. His passionate dedication resulted in four acres of scaled renditions of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the Statue of Liberty, the U.S. Capitol and much, much more.

Scoff if you will, most of us never figure out why we're here. Rasmus went to bed nightly after a back-breaking day of labor knowing well that he was fulfilling his mission in life.


You'll find Rasmus Petersen's works of heart just off US 97, south of Redmond. Follow the signs to "Petersen Rock Garden". It's open from 9 a.m. until sunset. For information you can phone the Petersen Rock Garden Museum at (541) 382-5574.