Memorable Mother Daughter Getaway - part 4

Falling alseep in an unfamiliar place with strange sounds is difficult, unless you are really tired.  Being in the Texas heat will wear you out!  Emily and I slept in the school house where 6 ceiling fans blew cool air over us.  When the light started to pour in through the windows above the wooden shutters of the old school house, my first thought was "breakfast!"

We got dressed an headed over to the rock house, where three cooks worked in the kitchen.  The aroma in the house was divine!  Ham, yeast rolls, cinnamon, coffee smells filled our senses.  We sat at a table with three other people, since the other dining tables were full of happy chatting travelers.  That's when we met Margy Waldrip.

A former Spanish school teacher and Texas history lover, Margy opened her home and her heart to all who stay at her B&B.  She's hosted thousands of people in her home over 27 years. Many guests come back year after year.  She began by renting her own bedroom out and sleeping on the couch.  Now the Haus has 11 quaint rooms within 3 separate buildings on 43 acres.  Margy sat and had breakfast with the guests and spoke of the history of her Haus and listened to our travel adventures. She is 74 and her mind is as sharp as a tack.  She is a sweet grandmotherly figure who makes sure you get all the food and coffee you want and that your stay is comfortable.

After breakfast, Emily and I donned our bathing suits and headed to rent tubes on the Comal River.  We drove 15 minutest to New Braunfels where there is a tube rental station at every stop.  We got our tubes and were shuttled down to the water.  There are sidewalks with stair entrances along the river.  We chose to stay with the family group of 6 who rode the shuttle with us.  It was a mom and dad and 4 young boys.  They had tubed this area a couple of days earlier and would show us the ropes, since it was our first time.

We hopped on our tubes and were floating along happily.  Little did we know that tragedy would soon strike!  Matt and Ben, the oldest two boys of the family group, warned us about the chute coming up.  It was where the path of water narrowed and quickened as it shot you to the lower level of the river.  They went ahead as Emily and I prepared ourselves and our belongings.  I had the cooler tube tied onto my tube and she rode solo.  I grabbed the bag of snacks, which were not zipped tight.  We had rode tubes through chutes many times at the water park, so we figured this was easy!  Until we got caught in the whirlpool on the next level.  We tried to get back into the current but ended up exiting the water and re-entering it.  It was a disaster!

It took about 15 minutes to get out and back into the water, I was sure our adopted group was long gone down the river.  But, the two oldest boys,  Matt and Ben had stopped and helped us catch up.  These two 11 year old boys were lifesavers!  So courteous and mannerly.  Ben was out of his tube more than in it assisting and swimming. Matt enjoyed chatting with us as we floated on the cool water.  soon we found ourselves just moving along without much work as the sun warmed us for almost an hour.  Then it was time for a snack.  We shared our snacks with our group, the baby loved the mega stuffed Oreos and butter snap pretzels.  It was fun to watch his excitement over the treats as he sat on his dad's lap in their tube.  Another 45 minutes went by and we drank most of our thermoses of water and reapplied our sunscreen. Then it was time to exit the river and shuttle back to our cars.  Good bye new friends...

I did it!  I finally fulfilled a promise to take Emily tubing on the river.  Now it was time to get cleaned up and eat at the Gristmill...