Vacation In Texas

[freemansrodnrat]

Hello All,

sorry this is not a post for my car, but I will advise you that I have a trip in Texas from the 27.Sept. - 07.Okt. and it`s the first time for me and my wife in the USA and a long dream come true. Are there any meetings in this time in the Texas area for a Mopar Freak?

We will drive from Dallas via Waco-Austin-San Antonio-Houston and back to Dallas.

Hope you can tell me some activitys!

Thanks and Regards Dirk

[JBNeal]

I-35 is alllll tore up south of Waco to Temple, lanes are restricted by construction barriers for long stretches so if there's any trouble along the way, most of the highway grinds to a halt...if ya want to stop in Waco, swing by Health Camp on The Circle for a cheeseburger and a shake (they have a banana pudding shake that is delicious, as well as a chocolate cheesecake shake that ain't too shabby)...or a stop in Temple at Clem Mikeska's for some of the best barbecue and catfish in the state, in a very unique setting...in Austin there's some stuff to do on South Congress on occasion, The Capitol is nice looking this time of the year (except when UT is playing up the street, then the neighborhood is littered with drunken idiots)...if you're gonna detour through Brenham, stop by the Blue Bell creamery if they are doing tours, their ice cream is GRRRREAT...if you're gonna drive through Houston...wellllll good luck to ya 

[Mark D]

Dirk! Welcome to the USA, Texas is a great place to visit. If I lived in Texas I certainly show you some hospitality, However I suggest that you look at the member list and reach out directly to some of the folks that live in Texas. You might also want to check on www.Hemmings.com - They have a club listing page And I bet if you look at some of the clubs that are listed in Texas you might find some local events to visit on your travels. Enjoy your travels and if you ever come to Boston please reach out and say hello!

[freemansrodnrat]

I-35 is alllll tore up south of Waco to Temple, lanes are restricted by construction barriers for long stretches so if there's any trouble along the way, most of the highway grinds to a halt...if ya want to stop in Waco, swing by Health Camp on The Circle for a cheeseburger and a shake (they have a banana pudding shake that is delicious, as well as a chocolate cheesecake shake that ain't too shabby)...or a stop in Temple at Clem Mikeska's for some of the best barbecue and catfish in the state, in a very unique setting...in Austin there's some stuff to do on South Congress on occasion, The Capitol is nice looking this time of the year (except when UT is playing up the street, then the neighborhood is littered with drunken idiots)...if you're gonna detour through Brenham, stop by the Blue Bell creamery if they are doing tours, their ice cream is GRRRREAT...if you're gonna drive through Houston...wellllll good luck to ya 

Hey Brian thank you for this informations, an original amerikan barbecue is a must have in our holidays and we will take this offer in Temple. I see you have a lot of project cars and one thing I visit Texas is to look for a Dodge Pickup with short wheelbase and a heavy rear end to put my flathead 8 in it for our german races. If you sale one of yours, let me know, than I visit you with some cash , or you know someone who sales a Dodge Pickup.

Whats with Houston, is it not a good destination??

Edited September 6, 2013 by freemansrodnrat

[freemansrodnrat]

Dirk! Welcome to the USA, Texas is a great place to visit. If I lived in Texas I certainly show you some hospitality, However I suggest that you look at the member list and reach out directly to some of the folks that live in Texas. You might also want to check on www.Hemmings.com - They have a club listing page And I bet if you look at some of the clubs that are listed in Texas you might find some local events to visit on your travels. Enjoy your travels and if you ever come to Boston please reach out and say hello!

Hey Mark thanks for this, I will look at these sites and see what happens. Wish you all the best!!

[JBNeal]

When it comes to barbecue, there's southern barbecue, then there's Texas barbecue...I've met folks from around the country who will brag on their region's barbecue skill, but then they'll try some of our local fare, and they have all said how much different it is in meat quality & flavor.  Those who know will tell ya that pulled pork around here is the scraps we feed the dog, and that good barbecue does not need sauce

 

As for Houston, it can be an adventure, with almost non-stop road construction in some areas that transitions into a parking lot on the highway during certain times of the day with nowhere to go that transitions into an every-man-for-himself super-speedway, where if you're travelling the speed limit, ya might get smoothed right over.  I had to through one area several times with a trailer load of equipment, 5 under the speed limit cuz the front of the truck was trying to wander 'round because of the heavy load, and I thought I was a goner there a few times with the close calls from hammer-down 18-wheelers and numerous cut-offs from folks exiting/entering the freeway...them folks all got places to be and the ignorant out-of-towner is in the way.  My neighbors lived in & around Houston for 20+ yrs, and their advice was to know where I was going, know where the trouble spots are and how to avoid them, know where all the exits are, and go as fast as the rest of the crowd if you feel you can keep up...there's a lot of stuff to do in & around Houston & Galveston, but getting from point A to B might be more of a vacation story than the destinations 

[Scruffy49]

Texas BBQ if done with oak instead of mesquite is outstanding. Puts the local pseudo-Q to shame, and I live in the Memphis area (famous for lemon and vinegar soaked slabs of fat cooked over tire fires, or maybe that's just the tourist traps like the Rendevous).

 

If you plan to sample any fried catfish, ask what kind of oil they use, and if it is soybean oil, do not eat it. American soy has something wrong with it that makes a lot of people, especially Europeans used to GMO-free foods, violently ill. In fact, ask about the oil anytime you want to have a fried food stateside, most restaurants use pure or blended soybean oil these days. Would hate to see your trip ruined by eating the wrong things. USA food purity standards are a joke, the beer standards are even worse. Stick to micro-brews if you don't want to consume any formalin, commercial beer in this country is awful.

 

Enjoy your vacation. Texas has to be experienced to be believed...

[Dave72dt]

Everyone has a personal preference in taste so picking oak smoked over mesquite smoked is a personal preference, same as over hickory, maple or apple. How and what the animal is fed and where the feed is grown will make a difference in how the meat tastes.  The best I've had was local Hawaiian grown.  What you'll find is a taste that is different than most anything you've had before.  Doesn't mean it's better or worse than others, just different.  Same thing with the beer.   It will probably taste different that what you are used to.  It's all pasteurized as far as I know, so it's safe to consume, in moderation of course.  Ask about food cooked in peanut oil if you're allergic to nuts.  Enjoy your trip.

[JBNeal]

Good barbecue takes skill not only in meat preparation but in smoking wood choice.  Mesquite for smoking requires that it needs to be well seasoned, upwards of 2 yrs is best.  Mesquite trees can produce creosote when burned while too green.  This can produce a bitter taste in the meat that is being smoked; green oak or pecan can do the same thing but not as severe.  When I helped out in barbecue competitions, the best tasting meats were smoked with mesquite, oak or pecan, and most of barbecue joints in the area will smoke with a combination of these woods as they become available.  There was a local outfit that sold brisket sandwiches, and his side business was construction & land clearing.  So he would have mesquite or pecan coals for smoking, but on occasion he would toss building lumber in the fire box (sometimes with the lead paint still on it while stacked up next to that home-made contraption)...he made a mean brisket, but sometimes ya'd wonder how he made it.....

 

For a little more research information for trip planning, there are two television shows that have some interesting stories that can be followed:  Texas Country Reporter and The Day Tripper.  They not only give ya places to see but places to eat 

[freemansrodnrat]

Thanks boy`s now I have a lot of informations about a good BBQ and I am glad to know all this before we start the trip. The beer is a Thing for it self, I live in the Country of beer and I think the best you can drink is here in Germany and our beer is absolutely clean  .

The page The Day Tripper is very good to see some story`s about several town`s from Texas, very helpfull for us. Think we will do a trip to Fredericksburg, this is a town from German emigrants and there is a brewery, hope with good beer and if not maybe we drink shots   .

[JBNeal]

here's a little more info about Clem's...

 

there was an ad on the TV the other day about this car museum...

 

there was a re-run on The Day Tripper the other day that showed a decent eatin' joint down the road from the museum 

 

[james curl]

Try to time your visit to Fredericksburg during the week as the week end is for the tourist who have the run of the town.  They have a micro brewery on main street (US 290) that is in a restaurant.  I live in Georgetown which is 30 miles north up I 35 from Austin.  I am retired and was raised 25 miles from Fredericksburg in Kerrville so I might be of some assistance to you while you are in the area.  Just PM me and I will give you my phone number and address so we can get together if you would like.

[freemansrodnrat]

Thanks James for your offer, have send you a PM.