Thursday May 16th 2019
Day 34
Once again we initially planned on leaving and was in clean mode when the decision was made to chill another night in the Cowboy Capital of the World, Bandera Texas. There was plenty to explore and what the hell why not.
This town hosts a list of attractions and is small enough to bike around to all of them. Our favorite kind of town being we have no tow vehicle, yea things do get a bit tricky without one but that was a decision carefully made.
We made Bandera Natural History Museum just less than a mile bike ride away our first stop. Very intriguing place built to help all people experience the wildlife that roam the world. Split into area specific sections this display was impressive to say the least. They ask for no photography other than in the main hall and outdoors. $10 per adult with children 3 and under free.
Main hall consisted of a real mammoth bone, triceratops replica, various full animal body mounts and this impeccably carved elephant tusk.
Then you enter the hallway that brings you through the world display of animals. We all had some sensory overload going on, mind blowing exhibits from every walk of life. Well known North American animals like the grizzly, wolf and whitetail deer. uniquely shaped animals of South America, hardy animals from the African plains and many more.
Awaiting you outside are very large semi life like Dinosaurs aka Phoenix’s heaven lol Our lil man is 100% Dino man.
Dino dig and gift shop were saved for the very last. The dino dig was a pretty cool way to show kids how dinosaur bones are found. They had dinosaur skeletons with removable bones you could hide in long sand pits and have your children dig them out with provided tools.
Gift shop is large but like all definitely overpriced. After Phoenix selected a dino excavator we made way back to camp for some lunch and to spoil ourselves with air conditioning while we had it.
Letting the food settle I did a little bit of research for future plans. 4th of July was coming up quick and we were hoping to spend it with some friends if they could make it out to us. Flying would fit their schedule so I discovered Turo a car sharing marketplace! Now I know I am probably behind on times with this one but how cool. Keeping this bit of knowledge in my pocket for later.
Half mile away was our 2nd adventure of the day, the Frontier Times Museum and exploring the main street. The museum was $6 per adult and held quite an array of items just click the link above to get a glimpse into the wonders housed here.
Next was the main drag of town. I have been and always will be intrigued with the wild west way of life. The Western Heritage Trial park is a public area paying homage to the beginnings of the Great Western Trail cattle drive and to the cowboys who made it possible for this small town to be dubbed Cowboy Capital of the World. I cant even begin to imagine the tribulations one encountered on such a journey. All the more reason Cowboys are idolized.
There were a couple shops that caught our attention but in order to stick to budget….. I laugh typing that…..we have to be careful on our purchases. I laugh because we much rather buy a couple beers than a t-shirt. Which is what happened on our way back to camp.
Phoenix fell asleep for a nap quite quickly so Jason and I took advantage of the free time with some blogging and chilling out.
Opted to go out for dinner this night at OST Restaurant and sure glad we did!! An iconic stop that has been serving variety of Tex-Mex dishes since 1921, has a room dedicated to John Wayne and the salad bar is set up in a wagon! Amazing, amazing, amazing. Awesome décor, bar with saddle for seats, you can bring in your alcohol and holy shit the right priced food. We brought in a couple beers of our own and of course Phoenix picked the bar for sitting, you for sure felt it after awhile. The service was fast and the food hot. We sampled a little bit of everything while there and no kidding all of it was absolutely delicious.
The night was topped with movie outside. I am so thankful to have these moments with my family. That map is our symbol of damn hard work paid off and unforgettable memories being made.
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