Pam LeBlanc sits in a Helinox Zero LT. Chris LeBlanc photo

A can of beans. A large bag of potato chips. Four sticks of butter.

The newest ultra-light chair from Helinox, the Chair Zero LT, weighs barely an ounce more than each of those things, which means it might actually make it into my backpack when I hit the John Muir Trail again later this summer.

I’m a weight weenie. I work hard to keep the weight of my backpack low. Nothing’s more miserable than trying to lug a heavy pack over mountain passes.

When I hiked 200 miles on the John Muir Trail in 2016, my backpack, including nine days of food, weighed 28 pounds. (That’s without water, which weighs a little more than 8 pounds per gallon.)

The Helinox Zero LT, center, weighs 1.1 pounds. Pam LeBlanc photo

I didn’t carry a camp chair then, but I’m thinking about it now. I’m older. My bones are creaky, and the idea of settling into an actual camp chair instead of lowering my buns onto a hard rock at the end of the day sounds appealing.

With that in mind, I recently tested the Chair Zero LT by Helinox, which weighs just 1 pound 1 ounce.

That’s significantly lighter than the Helinox One, which weighs in at about 2 pounds – not worth it on a long backpacking trip, but good for a shorter adventure. That chair is sturdier and an inch or two larger in every dimension. It also holds more weight– 320 pounds for the One compared to 265 pounds for the Zero LT.

The new Zero LT is made of lightweight mesh and ripstop fabric, so tears don’t spread. The poles are shock-corded, so it whips itself into place when you unpack it. It comes with an X-shaped stabilizer strap that helps prevent it from sinking into the sand or grass, but I’d leave that at home.

One complaint? I staggered like a drunk trying to get up from the seated position. And it’s expensive. The Helinox Zero LT costs $159.95. The Helinox One costs $139.95, but you can find it on sale for less than $100.

Now I’ve just got to figure out where I can shave a few more ounces off my base weight so I can take my new chair with me.

The new Rebecca Caroline tasting room occupies the historic Hye Post Office. Pam LeBlanc photo

William Chris Vineyards has officially entered the bubbly business.

The Hill Country winemaker west of Johnson City opened the doors of its Rebecca Caroline tasting room today. I stopped by for a sneak peak, and sampled four types of sparkling wine, all made with Texas grapes.

The history runs deep.

The new tasting room occupies the old Hye Post Office on Highway 290, across the road from the main winery. Lyndon Baines Johnson mailed his first letter here when he was 4 years old, and years later, as president, swore in his postmaster general on the front steps. Inside, you can belly up to what was once the counter of the old post office, see some of the building’s original mailboxes or look up at the stamped tin ceiling. (A tiny post office still functions in one corner of the 120-year-old building for a few hours a day.)

Marcy Stellfox sips sparkling wine at the new Rebecca Caroline tasting room at William Chris Vineyards. Pam LeBlanc photo

From the front porch, you’ll see a faux storefront for M.L. Leddy’s, a Fort Worth-based bootmaker. Peek inside and you’ll see an antique barber chair, a cache of old ledgers and some cool old hats and boots. Just don’t plan on placing an order. The shop isn’t real; it never opens.

The Rebecca Caroline tasting room also serves raw oysters and caviar.

Chris Brundrett, co-founder of William Chris Vineyards, shows off some of the winery’s grapevines. Pam LeBlanc photo

Chris Brundrett and Bill Blackmon teamed up to start William Chris Vineyards in 2008. While the winery has gussied itself up in recent years, expanding and adding a formal tasting room in 2019, it’s held on to its small-town roots.

“We get to see hyper experienced wine connoisseurs and people who just downed a Dr Pepper,” Brundrett said. “Wine can be so dang intimidating.”

The Fredericksburg area is now the second largest wine region in the country, behind California. It’s known for a variety of grapes, including tannat, a full-bodied red heavy on tannins and dark fruit flavors.

William Chris Vineyards sees about 60,000 visitors annually. It uses grapes grown in the High Plains of Texas, the Fredericksburg area, the Llano Uplift and the ancient salt flats of West Texas to make its wines.

“We used to hear that Texas wine sucked,” Brundrett says. “That perception has changed. People know who we are now.”

Reservations are recommended.

The Faust Hotel in New Braunfels reopened in May after a multi-year renovation project. Pam LeBlanc photo

For decades, my memories of New Braunfels centered around sausage, beer and dirndls, because I only visited during the ten-day German celebration known as Wurstfest.

That changed last week, when I made an overnight trip to experience the city in summer. Turns out it’s heaven for a water-loving swimmer like me.

Here are my suggestions for what to do if you plan a trip…

1. Stay at the historic Faust Hotel, which opened as the Traveler’s Hotel two weeks before the stock market crashed in 1929. It reopened in May after a $10 million renovation, and staying there feels like sliding back into the Roaring Twenties. A pocket bar off the lobby occupies what was once the hotel barbershop, a speakeasy will open soon downstairs, and the hotel’s original cash register is on display next to the front desk. Pro tip: Instead of paying for valet parking, park for free in the city lot on South Castell Avenue, a block away.
2. Eat dinner at Wilhelm & Werner. I’m no foodie, but dinner here ranked as one of the best meals of my life. The menu is Texas-themed (think Texas sweet onion soup, Gulf oysters, Hill Country rabbit pie and a dessert called the Cenizo Pot made of smoked Texas sage custard that brought me to my knees.) Just bring a fat wallet, because it’s expensive.
3. Take a flying leap into the spring-fed pool at Landa Park I might have been the oldest person to launch myself off the rope swing the day I visited, and I loved hanging out on the floating platform at the center of the pool. If you don’t like the feel of aquatic grass under your toes (who doesn’t!), you can opt for the cement pond and splash pad just up the hill.

Stacy Thigpen paddles along the Guadalupe River with his dog Joey. Pam LeBlanc photo

4. The park was nice, but the highlight of the trip for me came when we hopped on inflatable standup paddleboards and rode them down the Guadalupe River upstream of the city. The half-day trip took us past huge cypress trees, along limestone bluffs, and through a rocky, natural chute in the riverbed. If you book with Stacy Thigpen at PaddleTX, like I did, the trip includes lunch at the Lonestar Float House. (Order the burger and sit on a half-submerged picnic table in the river for best results.)

5. Back in town, drop by Red Stag to shop for clothing, jewelry and furniture, all arranged in a sprawling restored historic building. I felt like I was on a treasure hunt.

Naegelin’s Bakery in New Braunfels opened in 1868. Pam LeBlanc photo

6. My mom used to bake anise-flavored cookies called springerle, and I was thrilled to find them at Naegelin’s Bakery, which opened in 1868.

7. I didn’t make it to the city tube chute this time, but for $7 you can hang out on the riverbank downtown and make as many trips down the cement-lined channel around the dam as you want. (When I was a kid, we called this area Stinky Falls.) You can rent a tube on site for $15.

8. I also skipped Schlitterbahn Water Park & Resort, but if you’re into man-made pools, waterslides and a lazy river, it’s mecca.

9. If you’re feeling fancy, head to Old City Hall, a high-end eatery located in what was once the New Braunfels City Hall building. We went for lunch on a weekday, and the joint was packed.

10. Krause’s Café & Biergarten once only served a noon meal, but it evolved into a place where people went to drink beer and play dominos and card games. Now it’s known for live music and German specialties like schnitzel, bratwurst and pretzels. I swear it’s home to the longest row of beer taps I’ve ever seen. Oddly, it also serves breakfast, and the peach French toast made me swoon.