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July 28, 2020

Growing Up In Bandera

By Glenn Clark
The Bandera Prophet

Recently my wife decided we needed to escape our safe home surroundings for a little adventure and mind cleansing. We do this occasionally by making short road trips out of town. When I say short, I mean short by Texas standards. Some may be two hundred miles or more.  
We never know which direction we are headed until we drive around town for a bit and discuss all the possibilities and make a convenience store stop to stock up on snacks and drinks. My part in this ritual is buying some scratch tickets in hopes of financing the journey. That seldom works out in my favor. 
Depending on the day of the week we might even head to another town in search of random yard sales. If my wife is showing signs of being in a buying mood I will choose the car over the truck for that trip. I don't want to encourage her to spend big by having more space available for hauling stuff.  
My favorite areas to visit are in the most remote parts of our nearby counties. Taking highway 470 over toward Utopia is always relaxing. Once you have passed through the once thriving metropolis of Tarpley you begin to see less and less development in the hills. It reminds me of back in the day trips with my granddaddy Clark selling watermelons or going to a fencing job. There are a few signs that this area too is changing but for now you will be happy to see most oncoming weekday traffic giving you a country wave greeting along the way. Just like back in the day Bandera.  
If you get over Utopia way be sure to stop at some of the shops and maybe eat a meal at a cafe. You will experience a friendly atmosphere similar to the Bandera of my younger years. It's the kind of thing that attracts people to the area and sadly will one day lead to it's demise. It's hard to think about but the times they are a changin'. Just ask the oldtimers in Bandera and Medina. 
Maybe my next venture out of Bandera will be over towards Garvin Store or Rocksprings. That was still pretty remote the last time I traveled through. I wonder if they have encountered the chain store challenge yet? Growing Up In Bandera is becoming a struggle for me as I watch the inevitable changes coming at warp speed.

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