Eric Holen

Yvette and I just celebrated our 13^th anniversary, which makes it a lucky number.  But then 12 was a lucky number and 14 will also be a lucky number.  How did we celebrate?  We went camping for 4 nights in a rented 28’ fifth wheel trailer.

It was Yvette’s idea to go camping as a way for us to save money while getting us both out of the house and away from work.  At 4 nights, it was the longest or tied for the longest camping trip that we have taken.  Yvette was right, the trip relaxed us.  We played games, walked and read books, all while enjoying great weather.  Yvette was right.  Getting away from work, at least for me, was a great way to recharge myself.

One of the interesting things that Yvette I started doing since our 10^th anniversary, is reminiscing over the past and quizzing each other on fun facts.

Here are two of the questions that came up this trip.

Question:  Which is the only state, in the contiguous 48 states, that Yvette and I have eaten just one meal?

Answer:  Utah.  Yvette and I crossed the state line from West Wendover Nevada into Wendover Utah to eat lunch at a Subway restaurant.

Question:  How many different barbecue restaurants have we tried in Austin and the surrounding areas?  Chain restaurants, with multiple locations, only count once.

Answer: We came up with 11; we must like barbecue.  One of the 11 we recorded that day when we tried a place in Elgin.

Finally, I am not the greatest when trying to come up with a gift for Yvette.  In addition, this year we agreed to keep the gifts under $50 to save money.  I surprised Yvette and myself this year.  In December, Yvette took me on a cruise for my 40^thbirthday, but it meant that she was missing out on attending a Wynonna concert.  Well, about a month ago, I found out that Wynonna would be playing at Billy Bob’s in May and the tickets were only $35 each.  Yvette opened the card with the tickets on the drive-up to the campground.  When she screamed, I knew that I had done good this year.

Yvette and I have been tent campers for almost 12 years now.  For the last few years, we have gone tent camping with a great group of friends two or more times a year.  However, as we get older, the thought of camping in a trailer starts to sound like a better option.  We had been looking at different trailers, but then started to wonder whether trailer camping would be as fun as tent camping.  So we decided to rent a trailer and try it out a few times before making a purchase decision.

While looking through Craig’s List, we came across a couple who are trying to sell their trailer, but were renting it in the interim.  The only downside is that they would only set it up on one of three parks around Granger Lake outside of Taylor, Texas.  After giving it a few seconds thought, Yvette and I decided to try out the rental.

Out of the three parks that were available, we ended up selecting Taylor Park because it had several hiking trails and two old bridges.

On Friday (Mar 5), we packed up all of our camping equipment, except our tent, and drove north towards Taylor.  For lunch, we stopped at Louie Mueller Barbeque in Taylor.  A friend from the Kyle Fire Department had recommended the location.  We walked in, grabbed some menus and sat down.  That was the clue to the “waitress” that we had never been there before.  She directed us to the counter so that we could get in line.  We were just in time because by the time we got our food, the line stretched to the door.  While the BBQ was very tender, it wasn’t our favorite because it lacked flavor.  In addition, their sauce did not add much.

After lunch, Yvette and continued our drive through Taylor to the Taylor Park campground in Granger.  We checked in at the gate then drove to our site. The site that we selected had a great view of the lake as well as quick access to the trails.

At exactly 2:00 PM as scheduled, David, the trailer’s owner, drove up with a 28 foot 5th wheel camping trailer.  We were impressed.  Not only was it big, but the inside and outside looked great.  David had the trailer setup in less than 30 minutes and then walked us through, explaining the features.

Once David drove away, Yvette and I proceeded to unpack our SUV and move into the trailer.  Once we were moved in, Yvette and I took a walking tour of the campgrounds.

We walked down one of the feeder trailers that led directly from our site to the walking trail.  From there, we explored the beach and then Hoxie Bridge, one of two old bridges in the park.

After making a full walking trip around the park, we returned to our camping trailer to settle in for dinner.  After a dinner of fajitas, we stepped outside and sat around a camp fire, one of the first that we had to build ourselves.  In the past, we had left campfire building in the capable hands of our friend Dallas, so it was a challenge and learning experience for us.  When it got too cold, we returned to the trailer, played some games, and crawled into our warm bed.

On Saturday morning, I got up before Yvette and baked, not fried, hash browns in the oven while cooking eggs on the stove.  We spent the day relaxing, reading outside while listening to the sounds of nature, playing games, and watching some movies.  Then we took a drive around Taylor and Granger, and even stopped at Granger Dam. 

In the afternoon, I took a 90 minute hike along the Comanche Bluff Trail, which included a view of the Friendship Bridge, the second of the two older bridges in the park.  I had to cut the hike short when I ran into a lot of mud.  On my next trip, I hope to hike the entire 3.2 miles one way.  For dinner, Yvette baked steaks because we forgot to buy charcoal.

The next morning, I fixed Yvette some “camping” French toast, which means that it was regular French toast without our sugar-free syrup, which we did not pack.  Following breakfast, we played some more games and then started packing and cleaning up.  At 2:00 PM sharp, David showed up to pick up the trailer.

Yvette and I agreed that while we are not giving up tent camping, we love trailer camping.  Waking up in a comfortable bed versus and air mattress that had lost some pressure in the night was nice.  Getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without having to put on sneakers was also a benefit.  Given the March weather, it was nice to being able to enjoy the campgrounds and then retreat to the warm trailer when it either started raining a little or got colder.

We are already planning another camping trailer trip in April for our anniversary.  What’s interesting is that renting the trailer had an unintended revelation.  Renting a trailer seems like it might be a lot less expensive then actually buying and maintaining our own trailer.  We’ll have to see if that affects our purchasing decision.

Today started like many other Saturdays, but even without plans, Yvette and I agreed that it turned into a wonderful day.

We had stayed up a little late, by our standards, Friday evening to watch a UT “fall ball” softball game in Austin. The game was good, with the Longhorns winning 7-0. We had a great time sitting with two of our “softball” friends that we have known for the last few years. It was a double header, but Yvette and I called it an early evening due to the chill in the air and her still getting over being sick.

This morning, after sleeping in a little, we worked together to make omelets and clean up the kitchen. Then it was off to the Wild West Fest in Dripping Springs. We had intended to go just so Yvette could look at some jewelry, but ended up staying all afternoon to watch a “ranch rodeo”.

The ranch rodeo had four teams each with four members, all on horses. They participated in a series of five events ranging from “separation”, where they had to separate four calves from the herd, “trailering” where they had to get a steer in the trailer and then all four team members had to squeeze into the cab of a regular pickup truck, and “riding the hide” where a team members were dragged across the corral behind a horse.

When the rodeo was done, Yvette purchased her jewelry and then we starting thinking about dinner. We had been smelling the BBQ cooking all afternoon while watching the rodeo; however, it was not going to ready for another 90 minutes.

After pondering our choices, we decided to catch dinner at The Salt Lick in Driftwood. Having always gone with a group, we expected a wait, but since it was just the two of us, the seated us immediately. While we had enjoyed the “family platter” in the past, with all you can eat meats and sides, today we opted for the regular plates, which still had more than enough food. Against our better judgment, but to our stomach’s delight, we finished off dinner by sharing a blackberry cobbler, a la mode.

The only downside for the day was the postponement of the Yankees/Angels game. Yvette was looking forward to the Yankees finishing off the series. We will just have to wait until Sunday. On the upside, we did get to watch UT best Missouri in football.

It’s days like today, spending time with my wife, that remind me how much I love her and our 12 years of marriage.

For Yvette and I, Friday is normally “date night”.  Yesterday, we had plans to go see Cory Morrow at the Buda City Park; however, it had been a long day and week and we were both tired.  So instead, we tried out Mr. Spuds on Center Street in Kyle for dinner.

Yvette and I had been waiting for the restaurant to open.  When it did open, we had to wait another week or two while Yvette’s mouth was recovering from dental work.

We arrived at the restaurant at almost 7:00 PM.  The place was clean and bright, with big windows facing west.  There was one other small group at the restaurant.  Yvette liked the decor, which has some brushed and accented metal on the walls.  Judging from the menu, the restaurant does not appear to be a franchise.

We started at the counter, where one of the four very friendly staff helped us.  Now, with a name like “Mr. Spuds”, we were expecting that potatoes would be big on the menu.  There were only two potato items on the menu, with the remainder covering sub sandwiches, personal pizzas, salads and soups.

Even with the limited potato menu, we were able to customize our large potatoes.  We both had butter, mozzarella cheese, chopped turkey (lunch meat), bacon and sour cream.  I had them add chopped red onions to my potato.  As a bonus, the restaurant as Diet Dr. Pepper, which is always a plus in our eyes.

The potatoes were good, we got free refills on our drinks and had a good time.  This is definitely a place we will try again for lunch or dinner.

Afterwards, we jumped over to Hays City Donuts where Yvette and I split a donut for desert.

Earlier this week, Yvette and stopped at a friend’s house to pick up something. They had some more friends over at the time so we chatted a little. That’s when I noticed they were cooking up a Totino’s pizza for dinner. That started a discussion about the meals we ate when we first moved out of our parent’s homes.

The $0.99 Totino’s pizza, while one of the most expensive meals, was definitely one of our fondest. Depending on your hunger, or whether you had a friend over, you could stretch the pizza across two meals. The added benefit was that there were several varieties, and even then you could “dress it up” using other stuff from the refrigerator.

Another meal was Banquet or generic frozen pot pies. When I was young, the pot pies could sometimes be bought for $0.39 a piece. Unlike the pizza, the pot pie was definitely just one meal and came in just three varieties: beef, turkey and chicken.

Finally, there were those bottom shelf frozen burritos. I can recall sometimes getting a great sale and picking up 4 or 5 for a $1.00. The problem with the burritos is that if you were hungry, you might have two. However, unlike the pizza and pot pies, you could microwave the burritos which made for a faster meal.