We slept in a bit on Saturday, emerging from the trailer around 10am. One of our board members, Misty, had made reservations for us at The Perini Ranch for lunch. We were pretty excited to sample a restaurant that has graced the pages of Texas Monthly, and had even been invited to cater at the White House. We loaded up and drove a short distance down the highway toward Buffalo Gap, and pulled in to ranch. The atmosphere was great. The restaurant was built inside a old barn, and keeps that rustic feel. Our table was near a lit fireplace, which was really nice not only for warmth, but also for the ambiance. We sat down, ordered some drinks, and glazed over the menu. A couple of things stood out to me as odd. 1, the kids menu had the option of catfish, or grilled cheese. What? No chicken nuggies!? Lucy was not happy about this. 2, the steaks did not come with a side. Just a salad (which came before the meal) and rolls. I had the ribeye, which I honestly was not really impressed with. An ok steak, but not near what I was expecting, given all the hype around this place. The desserts however, were delicious. Strawberry short cake was recommended, and did not disappoint. A couple others had the makers mark bread pudding, and it had me seriously considering placing an order to go. Our belly's full, we posed for a quick picture before heading out the door. At the end of the driveway, there was giant armadillo sculpture that we just had to stop and grab another photo with, before retiring back to camp. We spend the rest of the evening just hanging out, eventually starting a fire and spending the rest of the night feeding it logs as we laughed and shared stories until the temps forced us back to our trailers.
Abeline State Park with the Texas Bushwhacker Executive Board
I met this group of friends in a facebook group for Bushwhacker trailer owners. We often posted about modifications and fixes for these teardrops, and bounced ideas off each other, eventually forming friendships. After months of online communication, we talked about having a meet up for group members in Texas. One of the members, Mike, suggest a public campground called the Oxford Ranch. We set a date, sent out invites within the facebook group, and the 1st annual Texas Bushwhacker Meet Up was held. We've since camped together multiple times, and plan the annual meet up for the Texas members. We've jokingly dubbed ourselves the Texas Bushwhacker Executive Board.
This past weekend, we had the opportunity to camp together once again. We chose Abilene State park, as it was a more central location to all of us. We reserved some spots in the wagon wheel camp ground, which is a circular camp ground that surrounds an activity building and bathrooms. The forecast called for much cooler temps, and below freezing temps over night, so we loaded up some cold weather gear and hit the road. We arrived on friday, a day after the rest of the crew. Pulling into the campsite, we were met with quite the surprise! There was an extra trailer parked at the end. It was none other than the resident youtuber, Brian, from DIY OutdoorLife. Now I've communicated with Brian online many times before, but never met him in person. I mean, he lives in New York for crying out loud! But, as luck would have it, he happened to be in Santa Fe NM that weekend, and decided he would make the drive to come camp and hang out with us. We were all glad he did! His YouTube channel is loaded with tips and DIY's for teardrops, and even a few walk throughs of other owners set ups. I actually had the privilege of being featured in a video that should be on his channel soon, so make sure and check it out here - DIY OUTDOOR LIFE
The next morning was cold. Now I had removed the furnace from our trailer, and this was one of the few times I was second guessing my decision. But I did get us a 20deg double sleeping bag, that was doing a fine job of insulting our body heat and keeping us warm. So warm, it was hard to leave it and step outside the trailer. Coffee was the main motivation. I got the jet boil roaring, and went to the fridge to get some breakfast going. Reaching inside, i was reminded of just how cold it was outside. The coffee creamer was a thick slush, the sausage links were ice sticks, and all the eggs we brought were cracking and frozen. What wasn't frozen however, was the pancake mix. Lucy and i love pancakes, and its become our go to camp breakfast. The sun rose higher in the sky as we enjoyed the morning meal. Mom walked about with her camera, and Lucy played in the trees as i tore down camp and loaded up the truck. Everyone was packed up and we all said our goodbyes, wishing each other safe travels. Another great camp with great friends. It was great to meet Brian, and catch up with everyone. Shout out to the Texas Bushwhacker Executive Board - Misti, Jennifer, and Mike. I'm looking forward to seeing you all again at the 3rd annual Meet up in March!
