I had a great week down in Mission, both with weather and the wonderful people there. The temperatures were in the 80s with lots of sunshine. I partook in most of the park events (pancake breakfast, pizza lunch, style show, coffee and donut morning,) and also got back together with Mike and Shirley for a trip around the area. We visited the Bentsen State Park where we walked our dogs and fortunately, didn’t meet any wild Javelinas. We went to the very small La Lomita Chapel built in the mid-1800s, then spent a fun couple of hours at “PePe’s on the River”, an outside bar/restaurant right on the Rio Grande. A couple Border Patrol officers pulled up to the dock in their boat and had lunch while we were there. I could write a whole entry just on the illegal immigrant problem down here, and maybe will sometime in the future. There are a lot of strong feelings among the residents down in the valley.
I left Mission Gardens on Feb. 21 and headed north. The weather that day in San Antonio (which I went through) got to 89 degrees! I arrived at the Top of the Hill RV Park and met up again with Sally and Ron. We were joined shortly by the other Rally RVers. The first night there, we were rocked throughout the night by incredible winds with gusts of 50 mph! Since we were perched on top of the hill, I was hoping everyone had their parking brakes firmly set! The weather for the most part, though, was very good...sunshine most of the days, and starry nights. There were four Class B vans during most of the rally time, a fifth joined us for one evening, and another for one night, leaving the next morning. We ate, went on a short road trip to Comfort, ate, visited, went to the store and bought more food, ate, and played a hard-fought game of dominoes. It was fun comparing notes on our various rigs and getting some great ideas for updates.
I have really enjoyed meeting a lot of wonderful people on this trip and seeing old friends again. RVing has to be the best way to meet people while traveling. Can you imagine making friends with people you meet in the parking lot of your motel, or walking down of the halls of a hotel? Almost without exception, RVers are friendly, helpful, and generous. Also, walking dogs around a campground initiates a lot of conversations, and is a great ice-breaker.
Ok, I’m off to bed and will be leaving in the morning for more adventures. Catch you later!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Mission TX keeps callin' me back
I’m back at the Mission campground for the third time, but since it’s been so long since I updated the blog, I’ll try to catch up in chronological order since this will be pretty long. I'll be adding some pictures soon, but wanted to get this posted now.
Feb. 7 Leaving the Valley
After spending a few nice quiet days at Mission Gardens, I said goodbye to all my new friends with promises to renew those friendships next year, then headed north on Hwy 281. The highway changes personality completely between the Rio Grande Valley and the ranch country to the north. Down in the valley there are palm trees in the median, then about 20 miles later mesquite trees start appearing along with the palms. The ratio of palms to mesquite gradually changes in favor of the mesquite for the next 20 miles, then becomes all mesquite. The other interesting thing was the road kill. In Minnesota, we’re used to seeing deer by the side of the road, but down here I’ve seen more dead coyotes than I ever saw deer in the same distance.
Along the way, I saw a caravan of riders on horseback and covered wagons pulled by mules. They were escorted along the highway by state troopers, and were playing and singing cowboy songs. If you travel north from the Valley, you have two possible routes: Hwy 281 or Hwy. 77. If you’re in a hurry, 77 is the best as there are fewer towns and some of those are bypassed. If you have more time, I highly recommend 281. It’s more interesting and has more history and personality. That’s just my opinion, of course.
I wanted to tour the King Ranch, but got there after the last tour of the day had departed. The ranch is 825,000 acres, an area bigger than the state of Rhode Island. Oh well, something to look forward to next year.
I arrived back in Port Aransas and got to take the dogs on one more beach walk. Pacer seems to revert back to her youth when her feet hit the sand, and the rest of us love it, too. After settling in at the County Park by the beach, I was picked up by Sam and Alice and we had a great visit at a local restaurant. That night I slept about 50 yards from the water’s edge and the sound of the surf was constant and LOUD! I woke up several times during the night and thought the noise was coming from a motor somewhere in the RV.
Feb.8 – Feb. 12 Traveling with Sally and Ron
After waking up in the morning to the sound of the surf, I took the ferry across to the mainland and headed north. I stopped again in Rockport and walked the same path along the wharfs that I did on my way south. I took the secondary road along the gulf before finally joining the traffic heading to Houston, where I met up with Sally and Ron at their friends’ house. We spent the night “camping” in the driveway, then headed to the big RV show at the Astrodome. I looked at some of the new RVs, dreaming of what could be and realizing that what already is, is not so bad. We spent that night at a campground in Katy, TX, where I managed to get attacked by chiggers, who decorated my legs with scores of VERY irritating bites. The intense itching lasted for three days, and only Benadryl lotion allowed me to get some sleep. There’s the silver lining for you Minnesotans suffering through the cold and snow: No bugs in the winter!
We traveled the next three days, stopping at several very interesting places, including Cabela’s, Bass Pro, a salsa factory, and a glass-blowing plant. We camped one night in the McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, where we were welcomed at the gate by a herd of deer, who just stood and watched us as we passed by.
During this stage of our journey I received very bad news from home: My daughter Shar’s mother-in-law passed away after a 15-month battle with lung cancer. I wish I could have been home to help the family through this difficult time, but you can never plan for something like this. My thoughts are with all of them, though, and I can’t wait to hug my grandchildren. One doesn’t realize how much those hugs mean until you don’t get them.
Feb. 13 – Feb. 14 In Cowboy Country
I had been told that the Hill Country was different than the Rio Grande Valley in that the Valley is very influenced by its proximity to Mexico and the very large number of Mexicans living and working there. The Hill Country on the other hand is what most Americans think of when they think of Texas. Lots of mesquite, tumbleweeds, and ranches. However, there’s also a large German influence there. We spent an afternoon in Fredericksburg, visiting the Veriens Kirche Museum, a reconstructed hexagon-shaped one-room church built in the mid-1800s, and having lunch at an authentic German restaurant. The food was pretty much what I remember having in Germany. I won’t comment beyond that.
Even though it’s one of those places that you have to experience yourself, I have to try and describe one of our stops – Luckenbach, TX. It’s not really a town…the sign says Population 3, but the locals say there is really only one person still in residence. We didn’t see any houses, though, so I’m not sure where the resident lives. The “town” consists of two buildings (plus a couple outbuildings). One is the dance hall, which was not in use when we were there. It’s one large room with a stage, large dance floor, and lots of wooden tables and benches. The other building really defies description, but I’ve never let that stop me. It’s labeled the Post Office, but hasn’t been one for years. The whole building isn’t more than about 20 feet by 50 feet, divided into two rooms. The front is a haphazard collection of souvenirs…thousands of them from bottle openers to guitars. It’s looked after by a real authentic-looking old cowboy, who told us stories about the town and its history. The back of the building is the bar, but not like any bar you’ve seen elsewhere. The atmosphere is so casual that the bartender walks around with the customers and checks occasionally to see if anyone wants another beer. There is one table, at which the guys with guitars sit while jamming with old CW tunes. Everyone else either stands around or sits on the long benches along the walls. Hanging from the ceiling are hundreds of hats contributed by visitors. We were given permission to spend the night in the parking lot and I awoke the next day to a flock of chickens walking around the van, cats chasing something I thankfully couldn’t see, and absolutely no other people except Sally and Ron. Luckenbach was quite a unique experience and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything!
The next day we made the visit to Fredericksburg that I mentioned earlier, then went on to a campground near Bourne (pronounced Bernie). The temperature had been falling all day and the next morning was bitterly cold. (No comments, northerners.) The forecast for the next night was for a low of 28 degrees and the following night 22 degrees. I decided I really needed to go back down to the Valley, since the alternative was to drain my water tanks and blow out the pipes. Also, it was too cold to let the dogs sit outside, and we’d all have cabin fever before long. So I bailed and made the 270-mile trip back to Mission. I’ve renewed those friendships a few months earlier than I thought I would, and it’s nice to be back in the relative warmth. (Even though they’re talking about a possible dip below freezing tonight.)
Well, I’m finally up to date and hope to keep this more current from now on! Either that or not have anything worth reporting for a few days…
Feb. 7 Leaving the Valley
After spending a few nice quiet days at Mission Gardens, I said goodbye to all my new friends with promises to renew those friendships next year, then headed north on Hwy 281. The highway changes personality completely between the Rio Grande Valley and the ranch country to the north. Down in the valley there are palm trees in the median, then about 20 miles later mesquite trees start appearing along with the palms. The ratio of palms to mesquite gradually changes in favor of the mesquite for the next 20 miles, then becomes all mesquite. The other interesting thing was the road kill. In Minnesota, we’re used to seeing deer by the side of the road, but down here I’ve seen more dead coyotes than I ever saw deer in the same distance.
Along the way, I saw a caravan of riders on horseback and covered wagons pulled by mules. They were escorted along the highway by state troopers, and were playing and singing cowboy songs. If you travel north from the Valley, you have two possible routes: Hwy 281 or Hwy. 77. If you’re in a hurry, 77 is the best as there are fewer towns and some of those are bypassed. If you have more time, I highly recommend 281. It’s more interesting and has more history and personality. That’s just my opinion, of course.
I wanted to tour the King Ranch, but got there after the last tour of the day had departed. The ranch is 825,000 acres, an area bigger than the state of Rhode Island. Oh well, something to look forward to next year.
I arrived back in Port Aransas and got to take the dogs on one more beach walk. Pacer seems to revert back to her youth when her feet hit the sand, and the rest of us love it, too. After settling in at the County Park by the beach, I was picked up by Sam and Alice and we had a great visit at a local restaurant. That night I slept about 50 yards from the water’s edge and the sound of the surf was constant and LOUD! I woke up several times during the night and thought the noise was coming from a motor somewhere in the RV.
Feb.8 – Feb. 12 Traveling with Sally and Ron
After waking up in the morning to the sound of the surf, I took the ferry across to the mainland and headed north. I stopped again in Rockport and walked the same path along the wharfs that I did on my way south. I took the secondary road along the gulf before finally joining the traffic heading to Houston, where I met up with Sally and Ron at their friends’ house. We spent the night “camping” in the driveway, then headed to the big RV show at the Astrodome. I looked at some of the new RVs, dreaming of what could be and realizing that what already is, is not so bad. We spent that night at a campground in Katy, TX, where I managed to get attacked by chiggers, who decorated my legs with scores of VERY irritating bites. The intense itching lasted for three days, and only Benadryl lotion allowed me to get some sleep. There’s the silver lining for you Minnesotans suffering through the cold and snow: No bugs in the winter!
We traveled the next three days, stopping at several very interesting places, including Cabela’s, Bass Pro, a salsa factory, and a glass-blowing plant. We camped one night in the McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, where we were welcomed at the gate by a herd of deer, who just stood and watched us as we passed by.
During this stage of our journey I received very bad news from home: My daughter Shar’s mother-in-law passed away after a 15-month battle with lung cancer. I wish I could have been home to help the family through this difficult time, but you can never plan for something like this. My thoughts are with all of them, though, and I can’t wait to hug my grandchildren. One doesn’t realize how much those hugs mean until you don’t get them.
Feb. 13 – Feb. 14 In Cowboy Country
I had been told that the Hill Country was different than the Rio Grande Valley in that the Valley is very influenced by its proximity to Mexico and the very large number of Mexicans living and working there. The Hill Country on the other hand is what most Americans think of when they think of Texas. Lots of mesquite, tumbleweeds, and ranches. However, there’s also a large German influence there. We spent an afternoon in Fredericksburg, visiting the Veriens Kirche Museum, a reconstructed hexagon-shaped one-room church built in the mid-1800s, and having lunch at an authentic German restaurant. The food was pretty much what I remember having in Germany. I won’t comment beyond that.
Even though it’s one of those places that you have to experience yourself, I have to try and describe one of our stops – Luckenbach, TX. It’s not really a town…the sign says Population 3, but the locals say there is really only one person still in residence. We didn’t see any houses, though, so I’m not sure where the resident lives. The “town” consists of two buildings (plus a couple outbuildings). One is the dance hall, which was not in use when we were there. It’s one large room with a stage, large dance floor, and lots of wooden tables and benches. The other building really defies description, but I’ve never let that stop me. It’s labeled the Post Office, but hasn’t been one for years. The whole building isn’t more than about 20 feet by 50 feet, divided into two rooms. The front is a haphazard collection of souvenirs…thousands of them from bottle openers to guitars. It’s looked after by a real authentic-looking old cowboy, who told us stories about the town and its history. The back of the building is the bar, but not like any bar you’ve seen elsewhere. The atmosphere is so casual that the bartender walks around with the customers and checks occasionally to see if anyone wants another beer. There is one table, at which the guys with guitars sit while jamming with old CW tunes. Everyone else either stands around or sits on the long benches along the walls. Hanging from the ceiling are hundreds of hats contributed by visitors. We were given permission to spend the night in the parking lot and I awoke the next day to a flock of chickens walking around the van, cats chasing something I thankfully couldn’t see, and absolutely no other people except Sally and Ron. Luckenbach was quite a unique experience and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything!
The next day we made the visit to Fredericksburg that I mentioned earlier, then went on to a campground near Bourne (pronounced Bernie). The temperature had been falling all day and the next morning was bitterly cold. (No comments, northerners.) The forecast for the next night was for a low of 28 degrees and the following night 22 degrees. I decided I really needed to go back down to the Valley, since the alternative was to drain my water tanks and blow out the pipes. Also, it was too cold to let the dogs sit outside, and we’d all have cabin fever before long. So I bailed and made the 270-mile trip back to Mission. I’ve renewed those friendships a few months earlier than I thought I would, and it’s nice to be back in the relative warmth. (Even though they’re talking about a possible dip below freezing tonight.)
Well, I’m finally up to date and hope to keep this more current from now on! Either that or not have anything worth reporting for a few days…
Friday, February 2, 2007
Staying in Spittin' Distance of Mexico
The really cold weather seems to be over (wait until I find some wood to knock on) but the clouds are hanging around. Much better than at home, though! As soon as you get away from the border, it cools down significantly. San Antonio is still having lows in the 30's, so I'm delaying that move north as long as possible. That seems to be next week, when I head to Houston to meet my friends, Sally and Ron. Until then I'll be staying in Mission.
I left here and headed to Brownsville, traveling on the farthest south road in Texas, Highway 281. It's called a highway, but is two narrow lanes all the way. It was much better than taking the expressway, because instead of seeing miles of Wal-Marts, chain restaurants, and strip malls, I got to see some of the real, predominately Mexican Texas. All of their cemetaries are decorated beautifully, with very colorful flowers on every grave, and huge ribbons all along the fence. I'll try to get a picture and post it here. There were a lot of cabbage fields, and sugar cane, which is being harvested right now.
I spent another week in Brownsville at a fantastic RV Park, Winter Haven. Three swimming pools, a big hot tub, and beautiful fountains in the Resacas. Of course, it was too cold to use the pools or hot tubs, but they really did look great! I traveled there with Mike and Shirley who hadn't been down this way before, so we did some touristy sight-seeing in the area. We went to Port Isabel three times, twice on our way to South Padre Island, and once to have dinner at a very good seafood restaurant. We also went to the Gladys Porter Zoo, which is rated as one of the top 10 zoos in the country. It was very nice, except for the exhibit of tarantulas, scorpions, and poisonous snakes. There's a saying that there are 2000 species of poisonous snakes and all of them are found in Texas.
A funny zoo story: Shirley and I were standing looking across a moat at some monkeys, and one of them had a lump on it's chest and some slashes across its back. I said,"Looks like it has a tumor on it," and she said, "I wonder if it had incisions for something." I looked closer and said, "You know, I think its carrying a baby!" Turns out the "tumor" was the baby's head, and the "slashes" were the arms and legs. We were practicaly rolling on the ground laughing!
We went into Nueve Progresso, Mexico on the way back to Mission and all the streets were full of the awful, slippery mud that forms from wet clay. We did have a very good meal at a restaurant the seemed very clean and was really popular with the tourists. It was the best meal I've had since leaving home, and none of us got sick! (Yet...)
Hasta Luego!
I left here and headed to Brownsville, traveling on the farthest south road in Texas, Highway 281. It's called a highway, but is two narrow lanes all the way. It was much better than taking the expressway, because instead of seeing miles of Wal-Marts, chain restaurants, and strip malls, I got to see some of the real, predominately Mexican Texas. All of their cemetaries are decorated beautifully, with very colorful flowers on every grave, and huge ribbons all along the fence. I'll try to get a picture and post it here. There were a lot of cabbage fields, and sugar cane, which is being harvested right now.
I spent another week in Brownsville at a fantastic RV Park, Winter Haven. Three swimming pools, a big hot tub, and beautiful fountains in the Resacas. Of course, it was too cold to use the pools or hot tubs, but they really did look great! I traveled there with Mike and Shirley who hadn't been down this way before, so we did some touristy sight-seeing in the area. We went to Port Isabel three times, twice on our way to South Padre Island, and once to have dinner at a very good seafood restaurant. We also went to the Gladys Porter Zoo, which is rated as one of the top 10 zoos in the country. It was very nice, except for the exhibit of tarantulas, scorpions, and poisonous snakes. There's a saying that there are 2000 species of poisonous snakes and all of them are found in Texas.
A funny zoo story: Shirley and I were standing looking across a moat at some monkeys, and one of them had a lump on it's chest and some slashes across its back. I said,"Looks like it has a tumor on it," and she said, "I wonder if it had incisions for something." I looked closer and said, "You know, I think its carrying a baby!" Turns out the "tumor" was the baby's head, and the "slashes" were the arms and legs. We were practicaly rolling on the ground laughing!
We went into Nueve Progresso, Mexico on the way back to Mission and all the streets were full of the awful, slippery mud that forms from wet clay. We did have a very good meal at a restaurant the seemed very clean and was really popular with the tourists. It was the best meal I've had since leaving home, and none of us got sick! (Yet...)
Hasta Luego!
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