AH Get Together El Campo Texas, October 18th 2025

[sgt_zim]

Yea I've never seen anyone take a pull like that on a bottle of Vegemite! I was stunned and at a loss for words. And to see you still standing was impressive!

A normal way to torture yourself with the stuff is to stick the tip of your finger in and get a small drop Or spread it very thinly on toast.

The Bundy was smooth I'm not a big fan of Rum but that was good.

It's Texas, amigo. Go big or go home!

Like Davey Crockett, I wasn't born here, but I got here as quick as I could.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

It's Texas, amigo. Go big or go home!

Like Davey Crockett, I wasn't born here, but I got here as quick as I could.

@sgt_zim
But Davey Crockett never had the pleasure of VEGEMITE.
Maybe if'n he did and gave it to the Mexican troops they would have said if'n them there Texans is that tuff we is going home they can have Texas.
Your sure went big amigo.

Bob

 

[PARA45]

@sgt_zim
But Davey Crockett never had the pleasure of VEGEMITE.
Maybe if'n he did and gave it to the Mexican troops they would have said if'n them there Texans is that tuff we is going home they can have Texas.
Your sure went big amigo.

Bob

Or a 243 for that matter?

Glad you enjoyed your visit with some of the Texas boys. Enjoy the rest of your visit.

 

[HuntingGold]

I called Bob not long after he landed and wished him well. I enjoyed the photos and seeing everyone who made it. Wished I could've made it too.
Posting from deer camp in Southern Oregon.
Randy

 

[Houston Bill]

I had a great time meeting everyone.

The signatures are to be treasured and certainly add to the Provenance and value of those Ruger M77 Hawkeye African 35 Whelen's.
View attachment 721086View attachment 721087

There is no doubt in my mind that with Bob Nelson's signature on @ActionBob and @Just Gina's boxes of Ruger rifles in 35 Whelen, should they ever decide to sell them on AH the price will be double the current market price!

P.S. In a weak moment Bob Nelson did have some semi nice things to say about the 243!!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Or a 243 for that matter?

Glad you enjoyed your visit with some of the Texas boys. Enjoy the rest of your visit.

@PARA45
Still have another Texan to see Buck wild before heading to Baton Rouge.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Or a 243 for that matter?

Glad you enjoyed your visit with some of the Texas boys. Enjoy the rest of your visit.

@PARA45
They did better with their old Kentucky muzzle loaders than any 243. At least the Kentucky rifle actually killed stuff ( sorry @Houston Bill) unlike the 243.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I called Bob not long after he landed and wished him well. I enjoyed the photos and seeing everyone who made it. Wished I could've made it too.
Posting from deer camp in Southern Oregon.
Randy

@HuntingGold
Man it would have been a hoot if'n you made it as well. Y'all missed a great time and good company. The only thing missing was the campfire but I could have arranged that at the restaurant. May have pissed them off a bit tho.
Y'all could have bought BOB down to show me.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

There is no doubt in my mind that with Bob Nelson's signature on @ActionBob and @Just Gina's boxes of Ruger rifles in 35 Whelen, should they ever decide to sell them on AH the price will be double the current market price!

P.S. In a weak moment Bob Nelson did have some semi nice things to say about the 243!!

@Houston Bill
I deny that I may or may not have said something about the 243, despite the fact you may or may not have witnesses.
I may have had a senior moment and a lapse of sanity at the time so I plead the fifth on your statement your honour.
Bob

 

[cash_tx]

I would have laughed a little too hard if @Bob Nelson 35Whelen 's plane had landed at 2:43pm and he had a 243 mile drive to El Campo.

Just kidding, it's closer to 300 miles. On a serious note, I'm glad for everyone who was able to get together, and thanks for sharing the pictures and stories. Safe travels to Bob and his wife for the remainder of their trip.

 

[sgt_zim]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen

Need to go to breakfast here: https://coffeecallbatonrouge.com

Cafe du Monde in New Orleans has the same fare and is far more famous, just a bit more expensive and smaller beignets. Coffee Call has been an institution in Baton Rouge since I was a wee lad, nowhere near the pedigree of CDM, but very good nonetheless.

Knowing your likely appetite, get a large order of beignet (pronounced "bn-YAY") "fingers." Also, cafe au lait (half chicory coffee, half boiled milk). You get 1 free refill on the coffee.

Also, wear light-colored clothes as you will get powdered sugar on yourself. They have powdered sugar shakers on the tables, avail yourself of them.

There are several good breweries in an around Baton Rouge, I think you will enjoy any of them - Tin Roof, Parish Brewing, and Abita Springs are 3 of my faves from that part of the world. Doesn't matter which of their beers are available, you will like any of them. Abita Turbo Dog is my absolute favorite, a rich stout. If you like IPA, Abita's "Andy Gator" is somewhere around 9% alcohol. Very tasty, but don't say I didn't warn you.

If you guys go out for seafood, I'd totally recommend a seafood platter, it'll have nearly everything on it that S. Louisiana is famous for - fried catfish, oysters, shrimp, hush puppies, stuffed crab.

Sample a cup of red beans and rice, a historical Louisiana staple. For dessert, every place will have their own version of bread pudding, you have to order some. Sounds like it would be shit, but trust me. When you guys get back to Oz, I'll send you the recipe I use, very simple. but no dessert says "South Louisiana" the way bread pudding says it.

Time permitting on your drive over, you might stop in Henderson, Louisiana and enjoy Pat's of Henderson. Pat's has also been around for 50+ years, they're right on the Atchafalaya swamp. Of note, there are more alligators in Louisiana than nearly all the other states combined. There are 2 or 3 swamp tours within about 5 or 10 minutes' drive of Pat's. They're nowhere near your salties, but impressive beasts nonetheless. Only bad thing is it's October, so they'll be less active. It's still pretty warm, even for here this time of year, so I think you'll still see more than a few.

Just past Henderson begins the Atchafalaya Spillway bridge - it's about 20 miles long. Make sure your gas tank is full before you get to it - a wreck on the bridge can cause a complete traffic stoppage lasting quite a long time.

 

[sgt_zim]

And I meant to add this.

Don't forget to stop at Buc-ee's in Baytown on the east side of Houston. Give yourself at least 30 minutes to wander around the store. Their kolache selection is good, they have tasty sweet pastries as well. I particularly like their breakfast burritos, especially the hippo and rhino. Their breakfast tacos are also quite good, doesn't really matter which you get, several options.

If you pass through around lunchtime, get one of their sandwiches. Bar-b-que brisket is pretty good, but they're all tasty and filling.

It isn't every day we get to go on hunting adventures in Africa, so I fill in the adventure gaps with food.

If you happen to be passing through Winnie, Texas around lunchtime, I'd recommend you stop at Hartz buffet, go through the take-away (or whatever you guys call it in Oz) and get an order of fried [chicken] gizzards and fried okra. Their sweet tea is pretty good, too.

Another must-have somewhere in east Texas or Louisiana is boudin ("BOO-dan") - a rice-and-pork sausage.

March through May is crawfish season, but you should still be able to get some crawfish etoufee. Shrimp creole is another delicacy you don't want to miss out on. Seafood gumbo or chicken and sausage gumbo are must-haves as well.

Seriously my friend, there is so much good food to try in Louisiana that you can only really get there, it might be worth an extra day there just for that.

Shame you don't have more time here. We have spare room, I'd fill you 2 up on Cajun and creole food. No false modesty here, everybody loves what I cook, and I do Cajun and creole as good as anybody does.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I would have laughed a little too hard if @Bob Nelson 35Whelen 's plane had landed at 2:43pm and he had a 243 mile drive to El Campo.

Just kidding, it's closer to 300 miles. On a serious note, I'm glad for everyone who was able to get together, and thanks for sharing the pictures and stories. Safe travels to Bob and his wife for the remainder of their trip.

@cash_tx
If'n the plane landed at 243 I would have put my clock forward to 257 and inf it was 243 miles I would have taken a different route and made it 358 miles
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha
Thanks mate really enjoying our time and the hospitality and kindness of the people.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

And I meant to add this.

Don't forget to stop at Buc-ee's in Baytown on the east side of Houston. Give yourself at least 30 minutes to wander around the store. Their kolache selection is good, they have tasty sweet pastries as well. I particularly like their breakfast burritos, especially the hippo and rhino. Their breakfast tacos are also quite good, doesn't really matter which you get, several options.

If you pass through around lunchtime, get one of their sandwiches. Bar-b-que brisket is pretty good, but they're all tasty and filling.

It isn't every day we get to go on hunting adventures in Africa, so I fill in the adventure gaps with food.

If you happen to be passing through Winnie, Texas around lunchtime, I'd recommend you stop at Hartz buffet, go through the take-away (or whatever you guys call it in Oz) and get an order of fried [chicken] gizzards and fried okra. Their sweet tea is pretty good, too.

Another must-have somewhere in east Texas or Louisiana is boudin ("BOO-dan") - a rice-and-pork sausage.

March through May is crawfish season, but you should still be able to get some crawfish etoufee. Shrimp creole is another delicacy you don't want to miss out on. Seafood gumbo or chicken and sausage gumbo are must-haves as well.

Seriously my friend, there is so much good food to try in Louisiana that you can only really get there, it might be worth an extra day there just for that.

Shame you don't have more time here. We have spare room, I'd fill you 2 up on Cajun and creole food. No false modesty here, everybody loves what I cook, and I do Cajun and creole as good as anybody does.

@sgt_zim
Thanks for all the tips mate we will definitely try and sample a few.
Tried Whataburger last night. Filling but only just a bit above MacDonalds and their nothing to write home about. Had the triple beef and cheese with all the trimmings in a meal deal and still had to have an original burger to top me up. Then again like you I'm not a little fella and I do like my food
Bob

 

[buck wild]

@sgt_zim
Thanks for all the tips mate we will definitely try and sample a few.
Tried Whataburger last night. Filling but only just a bit above MacDonalds and their nothing to write home about. Had the triple beef and cheese with all the trimmings in a meal deal and still had to have an original burger to top me up. Then again like you I'm not a little fella and I do like my food
Bob

Whataburger's not the same since selling out to a big corporation several years back.

I will bring an extra steak for you tonite See ya in a bit..... at the Whataburger in Refugio