Drove well-maintained freeways most of the way from Lubbock to Solado. We were surprised to find rolling green hills, reminiscent of Pennsylvania. And it was only 96 degrees! Stayed at an Army Corps of Engineers campsite on the shores of Lake Belton - a flood control lake on the Lampassas River.
The campground was only five minutes away from the home of my oldest brother Douglas' oldest son, Doug. Doug and his lovely wife, Jamie, were gracious hosts in their new home. We enjoyed margaritas and a bottle of the blanc de noirs from Phesant Ridge Winery where we stayed the previous night. We watched the Kentucky Derby on a big screen on their patio. What an exciting race! Then we drove to charming downtown Temple for a Sushi dinner. Jamie flew out early the next day for a business trip to New York to meet with prospective buyers of her company's business.
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Put a diaper on Charlie and hit the road again. Drove a bit of freeway before traversing a series of two-lane, rural roads. Lots of miles between towns. Temperatures climbed to 106 along the way. Through Harvest Host, Angie had found Pheasant Ridge Winery that offered free camping in their vineyard in exchange for a paid wine tasting.
Our host, Bobby, was a tall, mustachioed gentleman who had purchased the land with his father in 1978 and opened the winery in 1982. He was very knowledgeable about the global wine industry. The hour in his delightfully air-conditioned winery passed quickly. We enjoyed their white wines - a blanc de noirs, viognier and a dessert wine - more than their cabernet sauvignon. We bought four bottles. We camped on a dirt lane in the shade of tall trees. Heard some unique bird song from some kind of long-tailed blackbirds, which we were unable to identify. There was no one else in sight, except from Australian shepherds in a distant yard. We loved how peaceful and private our spot was. We flew a kite for streak to herd. The dogs loved the freedom of being off-leash. The sunset on the high plain fields was magnificent. It cooled off enough that we didn't need to fire up the generator for air conditioning. Today was supposed to be a travel day. But Charlie entered the 5th day of diarrhea with her most fitful night to date. Had to let her out three times between 2:30 and 4. We couldn't get in to see a vet, but we found some over-the-counter probiotics to give her. Angie made her a bland meal of boiled turkey and rice. We decided to hang out an extra day to give her time to recover.
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