Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9.
Ranch Road 1
President Lyndon B. Johnson, like his fellow Texans, pronounced the Pedernales River as
PURd-'n-allis.
As you drive along Ranch Road 1, which branches north off Rte. 290 and
parallels the river into the heart of LBJ country, you'll quickly understand why this land
was so beloved by the late president. The meandering Pedernales, flanked by rolling pas-
tures and scattered groves of live oaks, seems to be the very embodiment of true pastoral
serenity.
Get a free driving permit at the LBJ State Park and Historic Site Visitor Center to tour the LBJ Ranch, where Johnson
lived his entire life and worked during visits from the White House.
10.
Lyndon B. Johnson State Historical Park
CattlethatescapedfromSpanishranchersin18th-centuryTexashadtobetoughtosurvive.
And so they were—a hardy breed with extralong horns to combat predators, and an ability
to thrive on the sparse vegetation. Texas longhorns were popular in pioneer times, but as
modern breeds were introduced, their count declined. Mindful of its heritage, Texas now
maintains a herd of longhorns that thrive at Lyndon B. Johnson State Historical Park.
Another of the park's attractions is the Sauer-Beckmann Farm. Here folks in period
costumesdemonstratethedailychores—canning,milking,churning,plowing—ofaTexas-
German farm family at the turn of the century.
Buses leave from the state park for tours of the LBJ Ranch—the Texas White
House—where Johnson conducted official business on his visits home, or visitors can take
their own vehicle for a self-guided jaunt. The route passes the reconstructed house where
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