There is a couple of thing that are a little unusual about this tour. In order to reach the LBJ National Historic Site you have to go through the LBJ State Park. You must also stop at the State Park Visitors Center and obtain a free driving pass that allows you drive through the state park in order to reach the National Park and the LBJ Ranch.
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| The Texas White House and the Cabinet Oak |
During his presidency he spent something like 490 days here at the ranch, which was a little more than a quarter of the time that he was in office. He spent so much time here that it was referred to as the Texas White House.
He would conduct cabinet meeting in the front yard in the shade of one of the large Live Oaks. This very large tree was often called the Cabinet Tree. He also took great pride in entertaining visiting heads of state here and personally driving thing around the ranch.
My tour time arrived and our guide met use in the Visitors Center and led out to the yard by the Cabinet tree. There is absolutely no photography allowed in the house and this rule is strictly enforced.Now let me say right up front that I enjoyed the house tour and our guide was excellent. But my companions on this tour were some of the rudest people I have ever been around. There were three women in particular that were constantly involved in their own conversations and were such a distraction that several times our guide had to stop and wait for them to finish.
Finally about half way through the tour, one of the other gentlemen in the tour ask them to be quiet so that the rest of us could enjoy the tour. This obviously offended them but it served the purpose and for the rest of the tour they lagged quietly behind.
Once the tour was over the gentleman apologized to the guide, who basically said she had no problem with it and he did something that she couldn't. After the tour the three rude women hurried away from the rest of us and we thanked the gentleman for speaking up. He again apologized to us.After the house tour I was free to roam around the property. The ranch is still a working ranch today and it consists of about 600 acres.
Just a short drive up the road from the ranch house is the Birthplace and the Johnson Family Cemetery. The original birthplace was destroyed many years ago, and President Johnson had a replica built that was often used as a guest house.
President Johnson was born here and lived here until he was about 5-years old. Then he and his family moved to the site in Johnson City that I visited yesterday.
Across the road from the birthplace is the Johnson Family Cemetery. It is here that President Johnson, and Lady Bird, along with the President Parents and sibling are resting under the live oaks on the banks of the Pedernales River. The cemetery is private and visitors must remain outside the stone wall. It's a very quiet and beautiful place for our 36th President to rest.
After spending almost the entire day at the LBJ Ranch it was time to move a few miles down the road to search for Waylon, Willie and the Boy in Luckenbach, Texas. Luckenbach is really nothing more than a building that serves as a combination Post Office and Gift Shop. Behind the post office is a make shift stage where local entertainers can perform. There were a few more curious tourist here but not much was going on.
By the time I finished in Luckebach it was getting later into the afternoon, and I decided to call it a day and head to the Hotel and get caught up on the Blog and edit some photos.
Tomorrow will be my final day in the Hill Country. I plan on visiting the National Museum of the Pacific War that is located here in downtown Fredericksburg. Then it off to San Antonio for the Alamo and the a tour of the Missions.
Hopefully, Saturday and Sunday will be enough time to explore San Antonio and then it will be time to head west.
TODAY'S MILES: 74
TOTAL MILES: 2,908
Johnson has always been one of my favorite presidents. Less for his policies in office, rather for his character and petsonality. Thanks for sharing this great trip!
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