The
Three Sisters are among the best, most challenging motorcycle roads in the
Texas Hill Country. The Sisters are a connecting trio of Texas county roads that form a 100-mile loop around
some of the prettiest country Texas has to offer. This route is full of
twists and turns through Texas, so twisty that the Three Sisters are often referred to
as the ‘Three Twisted Sisters’.
We were told about this set of roads and wanted to see the scenery provided by them in the Hill Country, as Texans call it. The scenery was even more beautiful than we were expecting. We were not expecting to see so many exotic animal farms in addition to the wildlife and farm animals native to the area. These exotic animal farms abound in this area of Texas which offers trophy hunts. Apparently, there is a big market and big business in the world of exotic trophy hunts. These exotic hunts are quite pricey and require the hunters to have very deep pockets. The ranches provide housing, meals, and booze as part of their package deals- for a hefty price.
We saw this metal road runner on side of road. There are actually a bunch of this style artwork at the gates of many of the ranches. These ranches often spare little expense on their gated entrances and fences.
National Museum of the Pacific War
The
Admiral Nimitz Foundation was established to support a museum honoring
Fredericksburg's native son, Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces, Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitiz.
The
hotel owned by Nimitz's grandfather, Charles Henry Nimitz, was restored to its
original design and renamed the Admiral Nimitz Museum in 1968. The original intent was to focus only as a memorial
to Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz. In 2000, the complex was renamed Admiral
Nimitz State Historic Site – National Museum of the Pacific War and is
dedicated exclusively to the Pacific Theater battles of World War II. The
conning tower and foc'sle of USS Pintado (SS-387) is located at the main museum entrance. The Museum tells the human story of the men and women who served in the Pacific.
USS Pintado SS-387 appears to be surfacing as it welcomes visitors into the museum..
A cribbage board from the USS Nimitz was on display. Cribbage and acey ducey are some of the main entertainment by sailors when underway at sea.
Jimmy Doolittle was awarded the Medal of Honor for personal valor and leadership as commander
of the Doolittle Raid, a bold long-range retaliatory air raid on some of the
Japanese main islands on April 18, 1942, four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The raid used 16 B-25B Mitchell medium
bombers with reduced armament to decrease weight and increase range, each with
a crew of five and no escort fighter aircraft. It was a major morale booster
for the United States and Doolittle was celebrated as a hero, making him one of
the most important national figures of the war.
This was one of the few times I have seen information about the war in New Guinea. My (Mark's) father, Sydney Rivard (this is how his name was spelled on his military records, despite his usual spelling as Sidney), was wounded in New Guinea on Dec 12, 1942. He was a member of the 32nd Infantry Division in the Red Arrow Division (the red arrow signified the tenacity in piercing the enemy lines and was adopted as their shoulder patch). The Division has roots as the Iron Brigade in the American Civil War. The unit fought primarily during WWI and WWII. After the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the division was one of the first to be prepared for overseas duty. They were the first American division to be moved in a single convoy from the US to the front lines ready to fight in WWII.
The atomic bomb casing on display is of the Fat
Man design, used at Nagasaki. This casing is one of seven manufactured and available during
the war in case the US had to deliver further atomic attacks.
The
Pacific Combat Zone is a re-creation of a Pacific island battlefield and
includes a Quonset Hut, a PT boat and base, Japanese tank, palm trees, and
machine gun placements.
Four of the thousand plaques displayed in the Veterans Walk of Honor and Memorial Wall pay homage to the submarines in service during WWII. There are memorial plaques for ships, regiments in the Marines, the Army, the Army Air Force and individuals who served which were purchased by family or organizations to honor them. We obtained the information to have a plaque dedicated in honor of Mark's dad and the 32nd army infantry division.
The
outdoor Plaza of the Presidents was dedicated on September 2, 1995, the 50th
anniversary of Fleet Admiral Nimitz' acceptance of the Japanese Instrument
of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63). The
plaza is a tribute to the ten United States Presidents who served
during World War II: Franklin D. Roosevelt (Commander in
Chief), Harry S Truman (Commander in Chief), General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower (Army), John
F. Kennedy (Navy), Lyndon B. Johnson (Navy), Richard Nixon (Navy), Gerald
Ford (Navy), Jimmy Carter (Navy), Ronald Reagan (Army)
and George H. W. Bush (Navy).
Obviously, we LOVE visiting as many of these military museums as we find them. This was one of the best we have seen. We ended up spending the bulk of a full day here and considered it money and time well spent.
Lisa is standing between the two huge rocks so you can appreciate the size of these things. It ended up being a "where's Waldo" moment looking at several of these pictures.
Lisa is working on her mountaineering skills. She has become a top hiker.😉 (Guess which one of us wrote that blurb? Hint, it was not the one in the picture.)
Lisa was racing with Karma. Unfortunately for her, Karma is quicker on his feet. He may get a bit ahead of her/us, but he always stops and makes sure we are ok and still with him. Typically, he has slowed down and stays right with us by the end of a hike- especially if it is a hot and long hike. We wore him out this day. He was ready to be home and asleep on the couch with his pillow. He was so tired that he never even went back outside to go potty after we got home. If truth be told, we all 3 took a nap when we got home. Luckily, our L-shaped couch is big enough for all three of us to spread out and nap. We are getting to be expert nappers-especially after a really long day hiking or biking. We would have retired way before we did if we had realized snacking and naps were considered acceptable retirement activities.
Enchanted Rock is a
pink granite mountain located in the Llano Uplift. Enchanted
Rock State Natural Area, which includes Enchanted Rock and surrounding land which covers roughly 640 acres and
rises around 425 feet above the surrounding terrain to an elevation of 1,825
feet above sea level. It is the largest pink granite monadnock in the
United States.
The prominent granite dome is visible
for many miles in the surrounding basin of the Llano Uplift. The weathered
dome, standing above the surrounding plain, is known to geologists as a
monadnock. The rock is actually the visible above-ground part of a segmented
ridge.
We visited the State and National Parks (across the street from each other) honoring the life and Presidency of LBJ, including his home, ranch and museum in Stonewell, Texas. We have not yet visited his Presidential Library in Austin, Texas.
Lisa bulldogging a buffalo. (blurb courtesy of Mark, because Lisa has no idea what that means.) I have a feeling the buffalo ended up winning this battle.
Karma began to lose interest pretty quickly with this buffalo, but he knows he has to wait until Mark has taken sufficient pictures before we can continue.
Lisa was arguing with LBJ. He was known to be a big bully who used his size to intimidate people. Poor guy met his match- he never stood a chance to win this argument.
Lisa has sat near more presidents than most people.
While we driving around LBJ's ranch, we came upon one of his Heifers that just had a calf. She had not yet fully expelled the placenta and was washing off her baby. Even though the Ranch is a National Park, they maintain the bloodline of Hereford Cattle that LBJ started. They auction off cattle for breeding purposes. All of the cattle on the ranch are branded with his initials and fetch a little above market price. That LBJ brand increases their worth. The ranger was telling us that LBJ's grandson is still very involved with the running of the ranch. He has a home and air strip for his plane located on the property which he visits frequently. Apparently, it is very uncommon for the families of the former presidents to stay active and involved with the running of the Presidential Museums.
Lisa was preparing for her next career. Thankfully, there was a step stool behind the podium so she could see over it. LBJ was significantly taller than she is.
During LBJ's presidential term, his home was referred to as the "Texas White House" because he spent about 20% of his time there. He performed many official duties as president here at his home. There was even a cottage for the Secret Service built on the property. Apparently, this ranch was his happy place where he thrived. He hosted many Texas BBQ's and entertained many influential people here. His runway and airstrip were frequently used by LBJ, the WH staff and his guests. The home is currently closed for structural renovations with no tours of the inside of the home. We peeked in the windows and saw many pictures of the inside of the home at the museum- it is still decorated as it would have been during his presidency. It is a very typical Texas family home from that era without the formality you would expect for a US president. LBJ loved being out on the ranch, actively involved in the chores and the laid back Texas lifestyle it entailed.
This was the plane LBJ used to transport his guests and entourage from the San Antonio airport, where Air Force1 could land, to his Texas White house. His grandson has a home and a separate airstrip he uses on his frequent visits located not far from this hanger. You cannot see it from this shot, but it is located behind the plane on the left.
Lyndon Baines Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson are both buried in the family cemetery at the Ranch. Their headstones and graves are the biggest in the cemetery, but are definitely not elaborate or pretentious. Their graves are much like everything else on the ranch- simple and functional.
Karma wasn't sure what to think of this big "dog". The cow came up to go nose to nose with him. Neither one was very impressed with the other.
This was a great week. We got to see a very different topography of Texas in the Hill Country than what we had seen previously. There were plenty of museums and parks to keep us busy. Our campground was a bit lacking, but it served its purpose.
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