Second Day at Canyon Lake

Plan: long walk with dogs. Actual: meeting up with Bob & T at the Guadalupe Trail for a short hike along the "undeveloped side" of the river. I don't think it was the real Guadalupe Trail but rather just a nature hike near the dam. It was pretty, with lots of ups and downs, but the view was simply the backyards of the million-dollar homes across the river. I wouldn't bother with it another time.

My dog Izzy got all overprotective and bit at theirs. Not pleasant at all, but no damage was done and they took it in good stride.



Canyon Lake from the dam overlook

Ed and I had concocted the idea of eating some Tex-Mex in San Antonio. So before the walk, I checked and rejected a series of restaurants on my phone. When I finally found one that seemed good, I proposed it and they were happy to oblige us. So we went back to Mammoth and grabbed a change of clothes, then followed them to their brand-new house to take showers in their brand new guest bathroom. It was nice.


(And here I'd intended to write a long complaint about urban sprawl and the huge mess people are making in the lovely Texas scrub of the hill country. I won't. All I'll say is that it's a real shame Texas didn't set aside a handful of ten-thousand acre parks in the Hill Country and dedicated them for wildlife conservation. Because in ten years, it will all be houses. The beauty and wildlife that drew people to move there in the first place will be gone forever.)

We toured their lovely house and showered in their brand new facilities, then Bob graciously drove us to La Hacienda de los Barrios.



It proved to be large, busy (but no wait), and with a great Tex-Mex menu that freely mixed old traditionals with trendier new dishes. They had at least four vegetarian entrees, right there on the menu--no alterations necessary.

I'd considered eating cabrito for a non-CAFO meat option, but it was listed as "Market Price," which is never a good sign.  Some other time.

Everyone was pleased with their food but I was sadly disappointed in mine. I hadn't eaten enchiladas in so long, so I chose that.  But they were flavorless and sprinkled with cheese; the fillings weren't tasty enough to make up for eating all that cheese that added calories and milk fat but no flavor.  On the other hand, the bowl of beans was excellent!  If I ever go back, I might order nothing but beans.

Back at their house, we hung around for just a few minutes before heading back to Mammoth for bed. Traffic on those little roads is horrendous, but at least I didn't have to dodge a deer.