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Part
II
by John
Troesser Water:
Guadalupe River
Towns: Boerne, Comfort, Center Point and Kerrville
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GUADALUPE
RIVER STATE PARK
South on 281 brings you to Hwy 46 where you
will turn right to Boerne
and Guadalupe
River State Park. After eight miles you’ll come to the entrance to the park.
This park is one of the Parks and Wildlife Department’s crown jewels. Tall limestone
bluffs dominate the cool inviting waters below. Tubing and canoeing are available.
A two-mile hiking trail follows the river. Enjoy yourselves, but eventually they'll
ask you to leave. |
BOERNE
Continue
on Hwy 46 to Boerne. Perhaps
the most difficult part of writing this trip will be getting you to leave Boerne
and continue. The banks of Cibolo Creek invite you to walk. So
does the historic district with its specialty shops, restaurants and antiques.
Beside the cleanliness and the shade, there’s the fact that real restaurants outnumber
fast food franchises 4 to 1, and Beds and Breakfasts outnumber hotels 5 to 1!
A must stop is the Chamber of Commerce at One Main Plaza (830-249-8000),
if only to see so many people so happy without being under the influence of alcohol.
Walking tour brochures are available as well as directions to attractions nearby
like The Cave With No Name. There used to be A Cave With No Directions,
but nobody remembers where it is. In addition to The Official Guide to Boerne,
there’s a handy one-sheet listing of all restaurants and accommodations.
The local Chamber of Commerce is a good indicator of a town’s feeling toward tourism,
and let’s face it, we’re all tourists unless we always stay home. Boerne
has a good attitude. (A bad Chamber is where they all wear T-shirts saying "I’m
not a tourist, I live here"). It is no coincidence that towns that "have
their act together" also have an active and cooperative Chamber.
Boerne’s contribution toward
staying wet comes in the form of a town lake (on Hwy 46) and Lake Boerne,
just south of I-10 a short drive west of town. Continue on to Comfort.
Boerne
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COMFORT
A town
comfortable with itself.
Most of Comfort
is closed on Monday. This includes the Chamber of Commerce. Comfort
is a quiet charming town with some fine specimens of Hill Country architecture.
Most of downtown Comfort
is in the National Register of Historic Places. Monday would be the ideal day
for picture taking since the historic district is practically deserted. The library
(closed Monday) has its initials etched in the glass doors which shows the town’s
appreciation for simple elegance.
Comfort
is also comfortable with vegetation. Potted plants abound, and vines can stretch
their tendrils into places suburbanites would never allow. Comfort has a good
nursery (open Monday!) with unusual but not too exotic plants. It fits in quite
well with the abundance of antique shops and Bed & Breakfasts. It’s nice to
find a town that doesn’t treat fallen petals like litter. This town can easily
be thought of as a home away from home. Call the Comfort Chamber of Commerce,
Box 777, Comfort 78013, Tel.210-995-3131 and ask them what they do on Mondays.
Avoid returning to I-10 and take Hwy 27 to Center
Point. |
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CENTER
POINT
Here
is a place where you can linger and get wet. Or get wet and then linger, it’s
up to you. The Guadalupe River is accessible one block west of "Downtown".
A resident flock of ducks and a gaggle of geese swim silently through the green
tinted water. Early in the morning swallows and scissortails dart across the river
scooping up water in their tiny beaks. A small dam creates a waterfall that could
almost put you……..
WAKE UP! Splash some water in your face and drive
the eight miles to Kerrville.
Kerrville
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KERRVILLE
Most people
have heard of Kerrville
before they actually see it. This is due to their wildly famous folk-music
festival held every Spring. Seeing Kerrville
for the first time, most people are shocked at the amount of asphalt they see.
I suppose it’s because we associate Folk Music + Festival = Outdoors. Well, if
it weren’t for asphalt, what would we have? Mud, that’s what. And muddy people
don’t play music well, so get over it.
There is no shortage of nature
in Kerrville, and a
lot of it is right off downtown. In Kerrville access to the Guadalupe
River is in Louise
Hays Park south across the bridge on Hwy 16.
Kerrville Convention
& Visitors Bureau: 210-792-3535.
KERRVILLE-SCHREINER
STATE PARK
Just south of downtown Kerrville
on Hwy 16 across the bridge you’ll see the sign for 173. Go left on 173 and two
and a half miles later you’ll come to the park entrance on your left. This 517-acre
park offers canoe and tube rentals in the Guadalupe River. During the week it’s
very tranquil and on weekends it’s still an improvement over the crowds
found on the river back in Kerrville. Reservations recommended for overnight stay.
Annual bicycling event every Easter Weekend. 830-257-5392.
Kerrville
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SWIMMING
TO MEXICO Part III >
next page
Water: Medina, Sabinal, Nueces
and Leona Rivers and Rio Frio
Towns: Utopia and Uvalde |
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