Hollywood Walk of Fame & Dinner in Malibu (CA) -- September 2014

DAY THREE – 17 September 2014

I woke up a little early this morning, and used the time to take a short walk around the area before getting breakfast.  Once I was cleaned up and packed, we checked out, put our bags into to car, and cruised back to Cerritos.  While the presentation was the same as it was yesterday, it was a different group it was given to.  Lunch was from the same place, too.  Still very tasty.  I was interfacing with clients, so I didn’t have the chance to ask who the caterer was.  We’d put casual clothes in easy access, and quickly changed out of our business attire.  Our destination was Thousand Oaks, and that meant we’d run right into rush hour traffic.  The plan was to head to a place where we could hang out and wait out the traffic before heading the rest of the way.

Taking the 605 north from Cerritos, we picked up Interstate 5, so we could bypass Compton, and head directly towards downtown Los Angeles.  Yeah, we still ran into some traffic as we got close to the recognizable skyline.

As we got closer, I saw a real interesting building that I snapped some pictures off.  It reminded me of a person with a square head.  I have no idea what this was, but it was interesting.  Perhaps one of my blog readers can provide me an answer.

In the distance I could see the classic “Hollywood” sign (which used to read “Hollywoodland” many years earlier) and Griffith Observatory.  Those were both places I’d like to come back to on future trips.

Reaching Hollywood Blvd, we passed streets I recall from hearing about from various sources (including a W.C. Fields skit where Charlie McCarthy commented when Field stood on the corner of Hollywood and Vines, dozens of cars waited for his nose to change to green).  We parked at the Hollywood & Highland Center, which was a huge mall in the area.  After discussing what we wanted to do, half my group went over to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.  I decided to go with those who were going to stroll up and down the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  While both would be good, I figured I’d get more of this.  Godzilla has gotten his star not too long ago, and I wanted to hunt that down.

Also, the group I was with went over at Mann’s Chinese Theatre (now known as TCL Chinese Theatre).  I stopped and took a few pictures of some famous footprints of people I liked, including Bogart, Chuck Heston, and the Star Wars characters.

I took a shot of the Roy Rogers imprint and sent it to my parents, because I knew they’d enjoy it.

As we continued to walk down Hollywood Blvd, I wasn’t there only person taking pictures of stuff, so I didn’t feel like a “marked tourist.”  There were even people hanging about in Marvel costumes too.  I took shots of other star as I came across ones that interested me.  We went a couple blocks, crossed to the other side of the street, and went a few more blocks in the opposite direction.

In the end I took a couple dozen shots of various stars I liked.  The trick was to stop, focus, and then capture the image quick enough that I didn’t disrupt the pedestrian traffic.  Also, it allowed me to stay with my group, who were pointing out things but now slowing down too much.

We went into a couple stores which were selling pop-culture paraphernalia, like statues, posters, shirts, and the like.  We saw a bunch of Emmy statues with a bunch of interesting “Best” phrases, like spouse, girlfriend, etc.  We wanted to find one which said “Best Agent,” so we could bring one back to the team.  Of course, when we found a couple of rather rude ones, we all got a laugh about it.

There was a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not theatre present here.  While there wasn’t time to poke around there, we did have some fun with the statue of Bumblebee which was there.

Continuing further down, we passed a location of the Church of Scientology.  Now I’m not going to make any comments about anyone’s belief system, as people are free to follow whatever path they want.  I’d just be able to write a piece of fiction and get a whole spiritual movement around it.  (But all religions in reality are fiction, but that’s a rant for a different time.)  And before you accuse me of picking on Hubbard’s bunch, don’t forget there’s a bunch of people who’ve professed “Jedism” as their faith.  Lucas may’ve created the concepts, but he didn’t make anyone choice to follow it.

Anyway, I took a picture of the front of this place, and sent it to Henry telling that after I had my Thetans checked, I decided to join up.  I know that was enough to make him pause and/or have a nightmare.

Once we’d circled back around and come back to the mall, we rejoined the rest of our group.  Venturing inside Highland Center, we went to what was described as the “greatest candy store in the world,” a place called Sweets.

Pretty much I was told that any candy could be obtained here, no matter where in the world it was made.  I then began a mad hunt around the displays looking for something in particular.  My target item wasn’t over near the Doctor Who-themed candy where I expected it could be, so I asked a person at the counter.  “Do you have any jelly babies?”  He pointed they’re either with the gummy candies over there, or in the loose candy bins on the other side of the store.  A quick scour of the gummy area showed they weren’t there, so I bee-lined to the other locale…

…To find they were gone.  All gone.  I saw the section where they were, but it was completely empty.  Bummer.  I was hoping to get some.  These were the candies eaten by the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker), and the only times I’ve been able to have any were at two Who conventions I happened to go to in the late 1980s.

I mentioned to my co-workers that I wasn’t able to locate what I was looking for, and happened to say what they were.  The lady who was checking out in front of us turned around and commented that’s because she bought them all.  Turns out there was going to be a Doctor Who Day at Disney, and since her husband was going as the Fourth Doctor, she grabbed all the jelly babies she could find.  Ah, I was so close!

Now, she did offer to give me one or two the nibble on.  I politely declined that, only because I wanted to be able to bring some back for some of the Who fans back in the office.  That was really nice of her.  My co-workers decided to make a funny story about it, saying that I met a woman who offered to let me eat one of her babies.  I’m sure that story was met with a “well, I’m not surprised” response as it went around the work gossip mill.  Grin.

After that, it was time to start making our way westward to our next hotel, and to get dinner along the way.  There was a specific location in mind which we were heading for.  Once again as a passenger, it gave me the opportunity to look around the area as we went from Hollywood Blvd, over to Santa Monica Blvd, and through Beverly Hills.  This was certainly a nice place to look at, but I think the smallest garden shack was still outside of my price range.

Crossing the 405, we then passed through Pacific Palisades around dusk.  Even though we were then picking up PCH to continue north, I’d missed my opportunity to see the sunset over the Pacific Ocean.  I got to see the afterglow.  That would have to do on this trip.  Since I was able to dip my feet in the ocean yesterday, I hoped to see the actual sunset here on a subsequent trip.

We soon arrived at our dinner location, a well-known Malibu landmark restaurant called Duke’s.  If you want a bar dedicated to surfing, this is your place.  Surfboards and pictures of famous surfers decorated the area.

What I thought was much more interesting was the design of the building.  The long shape and large windows meant just about every table had a view of the waves crashing in from the ocean.  Since it was after dark, only a section out to a couple dozen feet or so were illuminated by lamps.  When it’s light out, patrons would have a clear view of the horizon.  This would’ve been an awesome place to watch the sunset.

Using my own money (and not the work expense account), I joined my co-workers of getting some drinks from the bar.  While there was a rum punch available, I went for a concoction called the Lava Flow.  It was fabulous!  The meal we had there was awesome, and my co-workers and I enjoyed the hang-out time we had.  Well, when the boss makes a suggestion for a course of action, including (but limited to) getting a drink from the bar, that’s a directive I can follow.

From Duke’s it was only a short distance over the Santa Monica Mountains to reach the 101 (also known as Ventura Highway), which would bring us to our hotel near Thousand Oaks.  We passed a field which had a large amount of American flags on poles displayed.  As it was after dark, it was hard to see what exactly was going on there.  The picture I took didn’t come out very well.  I chalked that up to a mystery item which I’d research later.

The hotel was a welcome site, and that had nothing to do with the liquor and Irish pub across the street.  It was getting late, and many of us were still on Central time.  We still wanted to get some sleep before the next day’s seminar.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

Hollywoodland Sign:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Sign

Griffith Observatory:  http://www.griffithobs.org/

Hollywood & Highland Center:  http://hollywoodandhighland.com/

Madame Tussauds:  http://www.madametussauds.com/hollywood/

Hollywood Walk of Fame:  http://www.walkoffame.com/

Mann’s Chinese Theatre:  http://www.tclchinesetheatres.com/

L. Ron Hubbard:  http://www.lronhubbard.org/#/timeline-home

Jedism:  http://www.jedichurch.org/

Sweet’s Candy Store:  http://sweetlosangeles.com/

Jelly Babies:  http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Jelly_baby

Beverly Hills (CA):  http://www.beverlyhills.org/

Pacific Palisades (CA):  http://www.palisadeschamber.com/

Duke’s Malibu:  http://www.dukesmalibu.com/

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An Evening in Seal Beach (CA) -- September 2014

DAY TWO – 16 September 2014

I ended up sleeping pretty well, regardless of the window shade issue.  That was probably because my body was still two hours ahead on Central Time.  That’s also why I woke up at 5 am.  I waited about an hour or so before I strolled down to check out the free hot breakfast.  One of my co-workers them came in from a morning run, so we were able to eat together before it was time for us to get ready to go to our first seminar.

We drove up to Cerritos to the college there.  Since we were going to be here again tomorrow, we were able to leave our bags back in our rooms.  Lunch was catered, and we had a choice of BBQ chicken or pork ribs, with a selection of sides.  Everything was delicious.  I would’ve liked to have learned who the provider was so I could give them a good recommendation.  Once the seminar was done, we returned to the hotel and into casual wear.  Since this was technically our last night here, this was our time to explore the area.

When driving down the beach area (near where we were last night), I noticed most residences had their front doors and windows open.  It seemed odd to me at first, but actually made sense because I’d seen a news report that morning about potential drains on the power grid due to AC use.  I guess that was people’s way of keeping the house cool.  I noticed the homes in the tropics would do something similar.  I do recall seeing that the previous night when we were coming back from Walt’s Wharf, but didn’t make the connection.  I just thought it was odd that after dark people would have their shades open so anyone could see into their homes.  I’m just weird that way.  I understand the value of staying cool and being energy efficient, but I like my privacy, and have a healthy dose of paranoia that I don’t like knowing any weirdo could be looking in on me.

Once we parked at a public place, we walked out on the Seal Beach Pier a short distance.  Had I been by myself, I would’ve walked all the way to the end and back.  The sun was getting lower in the sky, and we still needed to find a place to eat.  My manager commented that I’m getting the beach job I always wanted.  I chuckled with the humor and replied my preference was a Caribbean beach.

Looking over the area, the beach was a wide, smooth expanse, and there were a decent number of people out enjoying it.  I’m sure on a weekend there would be ten times the number of people here.  No one was sunbathing, as they were more just sitting around enjoying the area.  And there were a few surfers too.

We came off the Pier down to the beach.  The sand was brown and clumpy, as it had absorbed a lot of moisture.  There were some small shells present close to the water’s edge, and these were roughly the single of a fingernail.  Nothing like the beaches which were my preference.  We’d all taken our shoes off before walking out on to the beach.  Of course I’m going to take the requisite foot picture.  I’d considered painting my toe nails before this trip too (like I considered before going to St. Croix the last time), but had run out of time to do so.

I also rolled up my pants to above my knees, because I was not coming this close to the Pacific Ocean without putting my feet in it.  The plan of my co-workers was to let the water splash around us.  One guy had changed into shorts, one lady had capris on, and the other lady had a loose skirt which could easily be hiked up, so I was the only one who really had to worry about getting my pants wet.

Checking the color of the sand gives an indication of how far the waves come up (wet sand being darker).  My co-workers were standing on the edge of the wet area, and I ventured forward a little more.  I wanted to take a series of pictures of my feet on the sand, with some subsequent shots of the waves crashing around them.  And I did, and I felt they turned out very well.

Of course, the waves came up higher than I thought (about half-way up my shin), and the resulting splash hit sections of my knees.  My pants had been rolled up above my knees, and they were pretty damp.  We were having fun, so it didn’t bother me.  I used the opportunity to take some selfies and other pictures of the sun going down.  I would’ve liked an actual “sunset over the horizon” shot, but we would’ve had to wait around a bit longer.  Hungry adults don’t like waiting around for food.

When we left the beach, there was a place to shower our feet off to remove any accumulated sand.  Everyone else had sandals or flip-flops which they just put back on.  I decided I was going to go barefoot for a bit to let my feet dry out.  I also took the opportunity to unroll my pants, and saw how wet everything was.  That’s the advantage of wearing khakis, they dry easily (unlike jeans).

We strolled down the main street doing a visual check of the shops as we were scouting out a place for dinner.  Since the boss wanted to find hoodies for her daughters, we did stop into one of the stores.  My feet were dry enough for me to put my socks and shoes back on.  While we were in there, my counter-parts and I purchased some California-themed post-cards for our agents so they could put them at their desks when the project launched.  I bought a couple for myself as souvenirs.  One thing I did like here was the holiday tree which was decorated with seashells.  It I ever decided to put up a tree like this, I think I’d decorate it this way.

After looking at the choices (and passing Walt’s Wharf again), we decided to try O’Malley’s.  Yeah, I’m going to vote for the Irish pub.  We were quickly seated near the front window, so I didn’t get to spend too much time looking deep within the place.  From my vantage point, a bar and a hostess station obscured my view, and I didn’t end up needed to head to the restroom (so that’s also why I didn’t see much).  There was a huge Irish flag hanging over the hostess station, and a lot of paraphernalia on the walls.  One item I liked was a picture of the Peanuts gang decked out as firefighters.  If there weren’t people at the table in front of it, I would’ve taken a picture of it.

I opted for the shepherd’s pie, as that’s a staple of Irish pubs … and I haven’t had any in a while.  This version was actually made with lamb, so it’d be different than how I normally have it.  I’m used to the meat being in small chunks throughout the dish, but this had *huge* pieces of meat.  I never needed a knife to eat shepherd’s pie before.  And there were lots of peas in it, and I do mean a lot.  A dish served in an Irish establishment which is green seems rather appropriate.  I like peas, but in smaller quantities, and the peas were over half of the vegetable content of the meal.  Overall, it wasn’t bad.  Not the style I was used to, but still good.  Since it seemed likely I’ll be visiting this region a lot, I planned to come back here in the future.

We passed on dessert only because we’d passed an ice cream shop near the beach, not far from where we parked.  Yeah, I exercised my persuasive powers (thank you, Jedi Mind Trick), and recommended that a sweet treat would be nice.  Once inside we realized it was a Marble Slab Creamery, not a local establishment.  Oh, well, I’ll take what ice cream I can get.

One of the special flavors they had was “peanut butter and jelly.”  I’ll eat that that as a sandwich, but it sounded pretty gross to me as a flavor.  They offered me a sample, so why not.  Holy crap, I was surprised at how good it actually was.  Instead of a milkshake, I got that instead.

The night was still young, and we didn’t want to return to the hotel yet, so we drove down Pacific Coast Highway (aka “PCH”) to Huntington Beach.  PCH is aptly named, as it runs right along the ocean, although at this point the sun had gone down so I all I could see was darkness.

Huntington Beach was a larger municipality, and it reminded me of driving down the seawall at Galveston or the main drag in Myrtle Beach.  There were a lot of shops and restaurants, and I hoped I’d have the chance to explore some of these on subsequent trips.  We discovered there was a street festival going on, so we parked to check it out.  Due to the lateness, most of the vendors were starting to break down, but we did have about a half-hour to wander around.  It reminded me a lot of Pecan Street Festival (which Austin has twice a year), as there were people hawking new products and various places to get food.  All the businesses along the street were pretty hopping too, so there was a lot to see.

We did step into a shop so the boss could once again look for hoodies for the kids.  I did get a couple shirts there, as I like to pick up t-shirts of places I’ve visited.  Boss still couldn’t find the stuff she was looking for, by the way.  Since we still had one more day of the seminar at Cerritos tomorrow, before heading to another locale completely, we adjourned back to the hotel.  I decided to pass on a swim, because I didn’t want it to be wet and/or damp when I packed my crap.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

Cerritos (CA):  http://www.cerritos.us/

Seal Beach Pier:  http://www.yelp.com/biz/seal-beach-pier-seal-beach

O’Malley’s On Main:  http://omalleyssealbeach.com/

Pacific Coast Highway:  http://www.pacific-coast-highway-travel.com/

Huntington Beach (CA):  http://www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/

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Arrival in Los Angeles (CA) -- September 2014

DAY ONE – 15 September 2014

            One of the best things about flying is watching what people wear.  We’re past the age of “dressing up” to travel, so wear something comfy.  But I always spy a lady wearing heels not comfortable to walk in, or a skirt so short they keep putting a blanket over their legs to keep from flashing someone.  Since I was traveling as part of a business trip, I had a nice pair of khakis and a polo shirt.  It’s dressy and comfy at the same time.

The flight from Austin to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was an easy one, no weather issues or any other type of delay.  And getting our bags was pretty good too.  I’d heard nightmares about Los Angeles, and wondered how true they were.  Keep in mind in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Los Angeles is a literal (not figurative) Hell on Earth.  Picking up the rental from Avis was such an annoying process, the decision was made never to rent from them again.

The purpose of being in L.A. this week was for business-related things, so I won’t go into those details.  Since I didn’t have to drive this trip, I was able to spend time looking around the area.  Yeah, I might’ve done the touristy thing and took some pictures, but I was also trying to get a feel for the area, as I would have to be driving this next time.  California is very strict about touching your cell phone while driving, even if it’s for navigation purposes.  I may get at Garmin for the subsequent visits, unless I can rent a vehicle which has a built in Navigation system.  On this trip, one of my co-workers was driving, and another was doing the navigation, thus I could enjoy the scenery.

From LAX we cruised down the 405 heading towards Seal Beach, where our hotel was.  We were planning on meeting some of the local corporate representatives soon after arriving (basically, check into the hotel, drop our shit in our rooms, and boogie out again), so we needed food.

In Long Beach, we stopped at an In-N-Out Burger, only because it’d be quick.  These were in Austin, and I hadn’t had an opportunity to try one yet, so I went along with the group’s decision.  Besides, I wasn’t really going to complain at this point.  Because we were on a time crunch, if the group decided on eating at McRat’s I would’ve gone along with it for the same reason.  Basically without duplicating the stuff I’ll be writing in the Trip Advisor article, let’s just say it was a quick, cheap meal that made me not hungry any more.

Long Beach appeared to be pretty industrial, and so did Seal Beach.  Our hotel (a Hampton Inn) was located near the Boeing factory, and a small shopping plaza.  Not initially impressed, but this really wasn’t the exploratory time either.  The reps had promised to take us out to dinner after our meeting, and they joked it’d be the Denny’s next door.  I got a laugh out of that, only because I’d eaten breakfast at the Denny’s next to the Austin airport so I wouldn’t be hungry on the flight.  The aspects of the meeting aren’t relevant to this travel journal, but once we were done, we were ready for dinner.

The reps knew the places to go, so just like on any other trip I take, I listen to their recommendations.  They were paying for dinner tonight too, so wherever they wanted to take us was fine.  We ended up at Walt’s Wharf in downtown Seal Beach.  It was only a few miles from the hotel, and the area went from being industrial to more residential as we went along.  It didn’t look too bad, and a bit more inviting.  My first impression of actual “downtown” reminded me more of Lake George (NY) with the number of small sea-side shops and restaurants.  Walt’s was pretty decent, excepting for the fact that the vast majority of the dishes in this seafood place were shrimp-based.  That left my menu choices on the extremely limited side, and ended up with a salad and vegetable soup.  The representatives made sure to give me some good-natured ribbing about it.  At least I wasn’t hungry.

We sat and socialized for a bit, so there wasn’t really an opportunity to see what the area had to offer.  This was a work-related trip, so those of a higher position than me dictate the schedule.  We’ll get to see or explore within the time the boss(es) provide.  Now tomorrow was the first actual day of our meetings with the clients, so we weren’t going to stay out too late.  Back at the hotel I took a quick swim in the pool to help relax out, and then tried to watch another episode of Doctor Who on my Kindle (but their WiFi connection was rather piss-poor).

Once I shut out the lights I then realized the brightness from the streets filtered into the room.  I had only briefly been there in the daytime hours, and not very long at night, I hadn’t noticed it before.  I’m sure if there was a tall building nearby by, the inhabitants would’ve gotten to see me change in and out from my swimwear (not that it would’ve bothered me in the least).  But the street light (and the glare of the Denny’s sign) was annoying, because I like my room as dark as possible to sleep.  I had been able to pull the sheer shades to obscure vision, but the heavier ones couldn’t be closed.  Well, I turned away from the window, and put a pillow over my head to block the light as much as possible.

For more information on the places visited or mentioned:

Los Angeles (CA):  http://www.lacity.org/index.htm

Los Angeles International Airport: http://www.lawa.org/welcomelax.aspx

Long Beach (CA):  http://www.longbeach.gov/

Seal Beach (CA):  http://www.sealbeachca.gov/

Walt’s Wharf: http://waltswharf.com/

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Bob Wertz Park & Pecan Street Festival (Austin, TX) -- August & September 2014

Bob Wertz Park (Windy Point) – August 2014

The water levels of Lake Travis might be a couple dozen feet lower than where it should be, but that just means there’s more beach available to enjoy.  And on a weekend when the weather is nice, this is a good place to go.  Maps can show you the way, but even just the drive in quite the experience.

Turning north from Route 620 on to Comanche Trail, the road appears to dead end at the Oasis, but there’s much more beyond that.  Nestled against the hillside, Comanche Trail becomes very narrow as it descends, but still provides a spectacular view of the lake.  Unfortunately there’s no place to pull off to snap a couple pictures.

After you pass the entrance to Hippie Hollow, Bob Wertz Park is only a short distance beyond that.  Because this is a State Park, there’s a charge of $10 per car coming in (so carpool to get the most bang for your buck).  Beyond the entry station are some parking lots and grassy areas.  Due to the lower water level, you have to go a bit further to get to the beach.  That’s an adventure.

 

 

 

What used to be the boat launch now serves as the ramp to down to the beach.  Once you’re off the paved portion, you then drive over the dunes the remainder of the way.  (Interesting to keep in mind that you’re driving on what was the bottom of Lake Travis only a decade ago.)  While there are some road cones set in sections so you don’t go beyond those points, there are no true trails.  Drive slow, and watch for sand patches, rocks, and buried branches.  You don’t need to have four-wheel drive to traverse this section, but you do need to be careful you don’t get stuck or bottom out when going over the terrain.  Be sure you arrive and depart from here when there’s daylight.

 

 

 

We had our folding chairs set up in the water, so we were able to enjoy the motion of the waves.  Our cars were parked nearby, so it was only a short distance back to grab more munchies or refresh a beverage.  It’s a public beach, but there’s no garbage cans around.  Be sure to cart out what you bring in.  And while there’s a park ranger which drives by every now and then, there’s no life-guards on duty.  Swim at your own risk and level of ability.  It’s a gradual grade so you can wade pretty far out, just watch for submerged branches, drop-offs, and undertows.

 

 

 

Bring plenty of water to drink and lots of sunscreen.  An umbrella to create some shade is not a bad idea also.  That way you both stay hydrated and lessen your chances of sunburn.  This is a good place to spend a summer afternoon with family or friends.

 

 

 

 

Pecan Street Festival – September 2014

During two weekends twice a year (in May and September), the Pecan Street Festival takes place in Austin.  Portions of East Sixth and some other nearby streets are closed to traffic during this time in order to give space for the vendors to set up their tents.  Pecan Street Festival has been an Austin tradition going back many years, and is a great local festival that all residences should frequent.

There are no shuttles to the area, so you’ll need to park somewhere within the city and walk over.  Brining a small umbrella to give yourself shade while walking around, wearing some sunscreen, and bringing a bottle of water is recommended, especially if you’re going to be there all day.  The local businesses that line the festival are open during this time, but note that bathrooms are patrons only.  Strategically placed throughout the festival are some portable toilets although.

The large majority of the vendors are Pecan Street Festival are local or regional craft artisans who produce pieces out of wood, metal, or other materials.  Paintings and prints are available, as well as a number of interesting things you won’t find anywhere else.  Soy candles, specific-fabric clothes and purses, and soaps & lotions are among some of the items you’ll find.  Most vendors have cards available with their website to allow direct ordering.

There are many places to get food as part of the festival as well.  Some local restaurants have limited grill items available (like gyros or BBQ chicken), and there are many places to purchase beverages to stay hydrated.  As the street is closed to create the festival space, beer vendors are available and patrons may carry around the open containers as long as they stay within the clearly-marked boundaries.  Additionally, there’s some vendors selling salsa, jerky, almonds, or other foods which can be sampled during your visit.

Pecan Street Festival wouldn’t be an Austin event if there wasn’t a stage to have some live music going on during the weekend.  The schedule is available online of who’s playing, as well as what vendors can be found.  The festival generally opens late morning (circa 10 am) and continues on until around dusk.

I’ve been going to this for over eight years now, and it’s something I look forward to.  Specific vendors tend to remember customers who return on a regular basis, which enhances the fun feeling of the festival.  This is something which is recommended for any Austin resident to come down and check out when this happens.

 

 

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Chisholm Trail Crossing & Mansfield Dam -- July & August 2014

Chisholm Trail Crossing Park (Round Rock, TX) – July 2014

Located right of Chisholm Trail Road, this park contains statues commemorating the pioneers who traveled this area during the 19^th Century cattle drives.  Each statue has an informational plaque about the history of the Chisholm Trail.

 

 

Brushy Creek crosses to the north, and on the other side of the road is where you’ll find the actual “round rock” the city is named after.  This served as the marker for the pioneers, as it a recognizable mark which allowed them to tell water depth (if it was safe enough to cross).  Even today the water level can vary during different times of the year.

 

 

A few hundred feet to the east are the marks made by the wagon trails going down the stream bed.  Because the wagons traveled a consistent route, the continued motion of the wheels wore down the rocky bed to create the ruts which are still visible today.

 

 

This is a municipal park, so it can be visited at any time.  Of course the best is during the early part of day before it’s gotten too hot, so you can take some time to absorb the history.

Mansfield Dam Park (Austin, TX) – July 2014

At the turn of the 20^th Century, Austin used to be subject to frequent floods, so a series of dams were built to control the Colorado River, which created the Highland Lakes.  Mansfield Dam was the largest of all these, and Lake Travis formed behind it.  On the west side of the Dam is a small area with views of the area downriver, as well as a municipal park that is open during the daylight hours.  There’s a $10 admission per carload to get into the park, which is where the boat launches and picnic areas are.  It also provides the best views of Lake Travis.

 

 

Thanks to the drought conditions the area has been under for the past few years, as well as the new housing developments in the area, the water levels have been significantly reduced (at least 30-40 feet below where they should be).  This has created many new islands on Lake Travis which weren’t previously there, and extended the shore lines.  (To get an idea of that for those who weren’t familiar with the area, I’ve attached some pictures I took in 2003 for comparison purposes.)

 

 

 

When first uncovered, these new islands were chalk white, but have slowly had grass, shrubs, and other plants return to their surface.  As far as the water level is concerned, you can start to get an idea of the winding path the Colorado River before the dam was constructed.

 

 

While I was here this time to show my out-of-town guest the area, I also showed her pictures from earlier years to get a perspective of how quickly the face of Lake Travis has changed.  Standing on the new shore, we could look across at The Oasis and Steiner Ranch Steakhouse (both of which will provide a different view of the lake due to their elevation).  Also viewable is the wide beach area of Hippie Hollow (which is a clothing-optional location).

 

 

The small area at the top of Mansfield Dam is where you can clearly see how previously Route 620 went across here, before being diverted to how the road is now.  That section is free to stop and park.

 

Elements Massage (Louis Henna, Round Rock) – August 2014

I visited here because there was a deal which appeared in Groupon, and I’ve never had a professional massage done before.  The website had a lot of good information for me to decide what was the most appropriate for me, and the receptionist answered some other questions.  It was easy to schedule an appointment for after work.  Since it was close to home, I figured I could keep that relaxation feeling for the remainder of the evening.

I opted for a trigger massage, to work on those stress knots in my shoulder and lower back.  The room was low-lit, and the temperature was comfortable.  This was an hour-long session, and it was only the beginning of what I’d need to fully loosen my muscles.  The technique which was performed really felt good, and my massage therapist made me feel very relaxed.

This was an enjoyable experience, and do recommend everyone having a professional massage done at some point.  Look for a place that’s convenient for you, but if you live near Elements, you should have yours done here.

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