Car is packed and loaded! We're off! First stop Mason, Texas--never heard of Mason? well, you are not alone! Mason is located about 35 miles NW of Fredericksburg, Texas, which is an hour west of Austin or San Antonio is an hour to the south.
The first settler in Mason is thought to have been Peter S. Parker in 1846. The settlement of Mason grew up around Fort Mason, which was established by the United States War Department as a front-line defense against Kiowa, Lipan Apache, and Comanche, on July 6, 1851. George W. Todd established a Fort Mason post office March 8, 1858, which became consigned to the civilian settlement on June 26, 1858.[6] The protection and commercial possibilities of the fort drew settlers. W. C. Lewis opened a general store that served soldiers and settlers. In 1860, James E. Ranck opened a second store and later became known as "The Father of Mason". Ben F. Gooch and he began leasing 5,000 acres (20 km2) of land to cotton sharecroppers. Mason was voted the county seat in 1861[ “Gem of the Hill Country” and the only place in Texas where you can find Texas Topaz in nature.
Home of "Old Yeller" author, Fred Gipson--statue near the library
And Mason has now become a leading town in the wine industry--several wine tasting rooms are open around the town square--all featuring some Texas wines, grown in Hill Country or High Plains.
We spend more time here than we should! Nothing like a small town and always worth a stop.
We drive 27,4 miles to Brady, Texas, home to the Country Music Museum. The museum will take you back in time and let you discover the history of Texas Country Music and Country Music Industry. Brady holds an annual World Championship Barbeque Goat Cook Off every labor day weekend.
Drive 80 miles and we arrive in Paint Rock Texas--Paint Rock is home to more than 1.000 pictographs painted on a limestone cliff that is as much as 70 feet high on the north bank of the Concho River. The paintings, done in red, black, yellow, and white, stretch for more than half mile along the layered cliff face.
We roll along through Ballinger, Winters, Tuscola--each of these small towns have their own rich history. There is that small town feeling when you drive through--
Why is it called Buffalo Gap?
The natural gap (now the community of Buffalo Gap) in between the Callahan Divide in southern Taylor County was one of those Buffalo trails. The large number of buffalo moving through this area attracted buffalo hunters that set up camps near Elm Creek.
We end our day in Abilene where we rest our bodies.
Abilene is known as the “Official Storybook Capital of America” because it has the largest public collection of sculptural storybook characters in the state. Visit downtown Abilene and snap a selfie with six sculptures of Dr. Seuss characters, which are among 24 statues in the area.
It wasn't a long drive day, but much insight into the small towns along the route.
Sleep, refresh, ready for another day..
No comments:
Post a Comment