We discovered why the Hula Hut restaurant is a local favorite

/ Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

On our way back from San Antonio to Austin we stopped to see the view of Lake Austin and to get a bite to eat. We decided that we’d try a place called the Hula Hut. Because it was so cold, none of the outside eating areas or two of the three bars were open. The five of us gladly took a table inside!

Part of the main dining area

The ambiance was unique with its island themed decorations, including palm trees scattered throughout. The Christmas lights were still up, adding to the festive feel.

The entrance

Large portions

The wide selection of the menu was intriguing, with American, Mexican and even “island” fare offered. The service was excellent and our food was served quickly. Flour tortillas are made on the spot. All of our orders were served hot and fresh.

In the vernacular of restaurant reviews, I’d call the Hula Hut $$ to $$$ on the price scale. I’ll give it a solid 4.5 on the one to five thing. Bottom line is that we recommend the Hula Hut on Lake Austin.

I saw this neat duck

/ Roadtirementvintage / 1 Comment

We were having lunch in Austin at the Hula Hut on Lake Austin. Before we were seated I looked over the deck and saw this duck.  I think he might be some kind of cross-breed. I like ducks, thus this picture.

If this is a breed of ducks, please chime in with the info, or if you agree it is a cross-breed, go ahead and chime in too.

Happy New Year 2018

/ Roadtirementvintage / 8 Comments

We are currently in Texas visiting family in the Austin area. Tonight, New Year’s Eve, we all are in San Antonio. We have had a great time, even though the temperatures are in the 30’s with wind chills (yes, the pesky wind chills we thought we were leaving behind in the north) in the low 20’s.

Glad we brought some cold weather clothing!

Shopping and eateries along the River Walk

We have had a fun day, even though it was a very chilly day! We were able to take the boat ride on the San Antonio River. It was fun shopping at the many places along the River Walk, and of course we visited the Alamo, site of the famous battle that ultimately led to Texas gaining its freedom from Mexico.

The boat rides on the San Antonio river

Pretty view of the River Walk with a pedestrian bridge

Happy New Year 2018 to all of our online friends! We appreciate our fellow bloggers and our fellow RVers. A lot of you fit into both categories quite nicely. We wish all of you the best for 2018. Have a successful, safe and blessed year, friends!

The Alamo

A real Mexican supper in a real Mexican restaurant

/ Roadtirementvintage / 2 Comments

Tonight we went with our family to a real Mexican restaurant here in Austin. Keep in mind that we do not have many genuine Mexican restaurants in central Indiana. Of course there are the Taco Bells that don’t even count. There are sit down Mexican eateries, but they all seem to have the same limited menus and most all items taste alike from restaurant to restaurant.

When you first walk into the La Tapatia restaurant you know that you are in for a real Mexican meal. The interior is simple but clean, and our party of five was directed to sit at whichever table we wanted. Our wait staff immediately took our drink orders and brought warm nacho chips and salsa to our table. Of note was the size of our drinks: the glasses were huge, and must have held at least 32 ounces.

Within a very reasonable amount of time our meals were delivered to our table. The size of the portions were frankly amazing. The amount of food was the most I have ever seen. Even the kids size order for our 5 year old granddaughter was huge! Everyone in our party praised the quality of the food. My plate was filled with 2 enchiladas, one taco, beans, rice and salad. There must have been at least a pound of seasoned ground beef in the items and sprinkled on the plate. The whole plate was covered with shredded cheese.

This was a great restaurant. The food was excellent, the service was also excellent, and I can’t say enough about the portion size. The prices were reasonable, averaging about $10 a person. We all were full when we left!

 

Home Sweet Home: An RV park in Texarkana, Texas

/ Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Home Sweet Home RV Park just west of Texarkana, Texas is a comfortable full hook up RV park. This is not a large facility (48 sites) but the sites are level on stone. The roads are stone and wide enough for easy driving of any size rig. The park has both back in and pull thru sites. Sher and I recommend this park if you are in the Texarkana area.

The normal rate is $30 a night, but we used our Passport America card and only paid $15. For a park with full hook ups and free WiFi, fifteen bucks is a great deal. The hook ups included cable TV. The WiFi worked well, although I had to re-connect a few times the morning we left. Note that all of the electric shore power posts have 50 amp plug configuration. You’ll need an adapter for your 30 amp plug. There is an on site laundry.

Wide gravel roads and level, stone base sites

This is a unique park in that the office is located in the Tire Store next door. Make sure to call ahead to let them know you are coming. The office is open from 8 to 5:30. We arrived right at 5:30 and were met by the park host. He showed us our spot and said we could go to the office in the morning to settle up. This is a very nice, no frills RV park. The management couldn’t be nicer and willing to help in any way. Here is the Home Sweet Home RV Park website with all pertinent information.

Continued journey from Texarkana to Austin

/ Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

We had another chilly night, this time in Texarkana. We hit the road again mid morning heading along I-30 towards Dallas. I was surprised to see the interstate speed limit of 75 MPH. I never run our RV at that speed, but I did run a little faster than our normal 60!

In front of the massive Dallas Historical Society

We really had a great time when we stopped at Dallas after we spotted the Cotton Bowl from the street. What we found when we turned in that direction was the Fair Park, a huge area filled with tons of different things to see. The plaza was built for the 1936 Texas Centennial World’s Fair and featured large statues and buildings honoring the six countries whose flags have flown over Texas.

Fair Park Plaza with Dallas skyline in the background

There was a butterfly exhibit in one of the science buildings.

One of the many pretty water features

We saw a neat Christmas lights/celebration set up along a large pond system. Bet that this is very impressive at night. Some of the buildings were closed, some were open, and there were very few people in the park. Otherwise, we would not have been able to drive our RV through the park! We met a nice dad who was there with his two kids and two dogs. He snapped the photos of us in front of the Dallas Historical Society building, and told us of the history of Fair Park.

We spotted this from the street and found Fair Park. This is the original Cotton Bowl

We finished today’s journey when we got to our family’s place in Austin. A great ending to a great day!

Passport America saves 50% on camping plus get 6 months free membership

/ Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

If you have any plans for any kind of camping and plan on staying at commercial parks and campgrounds, you owe it to yourself to invest in a membership in Passport America. This discount club offers half price camping at over 1900 campgrounds across the US, Canada and Mexico. The yearly fee is only $44.00, and if you join through our member number, C-647737 thru January 2018 you will get 6 months free membership.

Some of the features that come with membership:
All new International Camping Directory with nearly 1,900 RV Parks and Campgrounds
Personalized embossed 50% discount camping card
FREE trip routing, campground updates & valuable info on-line 24/7
FREE Smart Phone App with complete park listings and “Find Park Near Me” feature
FREE RV America E-Magazine with updates on new parks
A friendly and professional staff who is always happy to serve you!

A welcome sign to see at your next campground!

This is a no-brainer, folks. You will pay for the membership after a couple of nights of 50% off camping fees! On our way from Indiana to Texas we have saved $30 in camping fees and stayed at nice RV parks with WiFi and full hook ups. Remember to join with our referral number C-647737 before the end of January 2018 to get 6 months free membership! Go to the Passport America website for information and to join! You’ll be glad you did.

Continuing our journey to Texas, today via Arkansas

/ Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

Nashville TV last night was kind of going nuts over overnight lows in the low 20’s.  It was another very cold and very windy day. Today’s travels took us across I-40 past Memphis into Arkansas, the home state of that famous (or to some infamous) Clinton family.

An RV park downtown on the river

 

Little Rock is the state capitol, and what a pretty city it is. When you follow I-30 south through town you can easily drop down into the city and go to the Clinton Presidential Library. Just follow the brown signs and you can easily get to the library. The parking lot was plenty big, and there was lots of room for RV’s. We actually met a nice couple from Ohio who were also on the way to the Austin area.  Sher and I had seen them on the road at least a couple of times today.

Clinton Presidential Library

The formal name of the Presidential Library

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, the Clinton Library was a huge building, however I was not really impressed with the architecture. And I was surprised that there was not a statue or at least a bust of Bill out front. The area around the library has lots of green space, trails, benches and other amenities.

We went on from Little Rock to Texarkana. Seems this town can’t decide whether it is in Texas or Arkansas. The Post Office is actually on the state line!

Tanbark Campground near Nashville accepts Passport America

/ Roadtirementvintage / Leave a comment

About 45 miles west of Nashville, Tennessee on I-40 you will come across the Tanbark Campground. It is very close to the interstate Exit 163. We found the campground on the Passport America website. We got to the grounds at about 5 in the afternoon on the day after Christmas. We had left central Indiana on our way to Texas and were hoping for some warmer weather. Alas, the overnight low was to be 20, according to our host and campground owner Richard Reifer.

The office building with the restrooms

Our site was very close to the office, gravel base and very level. With the temperature being low, we did not have water hook up, though the spigot did function if I needed water. We did not need or use the restrooms or laundry. No cable, but over the air TV from nearby Nashville provided ample channel selection. Of note is the very good free WiFi available. As most RV’ers know, free WiFi advertised at most RV parks is somewhat of a myth. Not so at Tanbark: the WiFi was strong and we both had our laptops in use with no slowdowns or interrupted service.

The sites are fairly close together. Our was on gravel but was level. Roads are well maintained gravel.

While we stayed only one night, your PA card is valid for three nights except on holidays. The PA rate is $14, and checks or cash are the only accepted payment means. This is a comfortable, reasonably priced facility. There is gas and food at Exit 163 which is most convenient. Yes, we would recommend Tanbark Campground. The phone # is 615-441-1613, and here is their website.