Category Archives: Texas

Playing Catch-up

April 13, 2019 exploRVistas 24 Comments

With our truck issues putting us a week behind, we had some serious catching up to do on our trip west. Part of the reason for that was we wanted to visit family in Texas, and we were fearful that window had closed. Fortunately the people we were visiting were able to reschedule one day later, so all was good. With that, we were off to the races!

The new truck ran like a champ across Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Hank the Deuce has much more power than the 2008 F-350 and better fuel mileage to boot. I had to learn about DEF and exhaust brakes, as my old truck had neither. The other thing it didn’t have was a sunroof.

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This one makes up for that in a big way! While this wasn’t something we were looking for in a new truck, the fact it was on it wasn’t going to keep us from purchasing the vehicle. Turns out, it’s a handy way to keep an eye on Ketchup and Mustard!

We rolled into Waxahachie, Texas on Saturday, quickly set up the rig and headed into town.

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Once there, we met up with Thomas and Marlana. Thomas is Diana’s first cousin-once removed on her father’s side of the family. He is her cousin Nancy and David’s son. It is always wonderful being able to spend time with them. 🙂

The next day we headed to Waco to meet-up with Seth, Diana’s first cousin-twice removed on her mother’s side of the family. He is her cousin Deb’s grandson.

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We visited Waco Mammoth National Monument. This is an interesting place where flooding along the Bosque River drowned an entire herd of Columbian Mammoths during the Ice Age. The find was discovered in 1978 by two men looking for arrowheads. During their search, they found a femur protruding from an eroded bank. Between that time and 1997, twenty-two mammoths were unearthed, and more continue to be found to this day.

After that, we ate lunch at Rudy’s.

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Seth recently joined the Army and is being trained to drive Bradley tanks at Fort Hood. It was great to catch up with him and hear about his experiences. He will be deploying to Korea soon. We wish him well and are appreciate his service to our country. 🙂

Once we arrived in Vernon, Texas, we were back on schedule! Vernon is the hometown of both Roy Orbison and former Federal prosecutor, Kenneth Starr. The area was once named Eagle Springs by the Tonkawa Indians. When settlers applied for the name Eagle Flats, the U.S. Post Office nixed the name as Texas already had too many towns with the word Eagle in it. They chose Vernon instead, in honor of George Washington’s Mount Vernon home.

From Vernon, we moved on to Amarillo. First stop: Cadillac Ranch!

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Something about this kitchy art installation spoke to us that we were finally on our way west.

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Or maybe we had entered the Twilight Zone!

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Anyone who has ever driven an early 1950’s Cadillac will know that this is where the gas goes in the tank. My grandpa owned a couple of them, and I would have great fun pulling into a full service station in the 1970’s and asking for a fill-up. I’d let the attendant walk around the car in frustration, looking for the cap.

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When they finally gave up, I’d jump out and push in the reflector, lift up the taillight and reveal the gas cap. 🙂

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We doubt these cars will ever rust away, as there are hundreds of coats of spray paint on them.

We also went to dinner at Saltgrass while we were in town.

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Two things about this photo: One, it isn’t very often that a restaurant serves warm gluten-free bread with my meal. Much appreciated, believe me. Also, my new glasses are on the table, immediately to my right and out of the photo. While trying to clean them, the screw came out for the second time. I’ve also had the screws pop out of my new prescription sunglasses multiple times. Moral of the story is: while the prices at Costco Optical may seem enticing, be aware that there may be a trade-off in the quality of the product. I’m only saying this because I had previously recommended their service on Facebook.

We also found a great place to do laundry, the Tornado Laundromat.

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Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the size of the folding tables!

The facility was spotless. Diana commented to this attendant that she had “never seen anyone do that”, in reference to her cleaning out the soap dispenser with a paint brush. She quickly replied “What….clean?” We all got a chuckle out of that. 🙂 We really appreciated her hard work.

From there, we explored Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

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This is actually the second largest canyon in the United States! A road was extended into the canyon by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930’s. While our visit on Wednesday was during a high wind event, the winds seemed to go over the top of us. That made our day an enjoyable one.

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The facilities in this park are top-notch. This is the patio at the conference center. They also offer several campgrounds, some that can accommodate large RV’s.

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The views within the park are outstanding!

With that, we headed west towards Santa Fe. Stay tuned for what we find there and beyond. Until then, safe and happy travels to all!

Family, Fulltime RVing, Museums, National Parks, Texas

Austin and Westward Across Texas

April 21, 2017 exploRVistas 16 Comments

Once we left the Gulf Coast, we headed back up to Austin to visit with family for several days. Diana’s cousin Nancy and her husband David, who we went to Big Bend with last year, live in Austin. Diana’s cousin Jerry had spent the winter there after retiring, so we also wanted to see him before he headed back to Michigan. They all went out of their way to show us a great time in this fun town!

First up on Thursday was a trip with Jerry out to Johnson City to see the 36th President of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson’s boyhood home.

While his family had a fair amount of wealth, they lived simply in a rural Texas style.

The woman in the visitor’s center referred to LBJ as “a little stinker” during his days in Johnson City. I’ll bet he was. 😉

From there, we drove west to Stonewall to the LBJ Ranch, otherwise known as the Texas White House.

This is still a working cattle ranch. The road meanders through the property, as do the prize bovine. 😃

The visitor’s center for the ranch is housed in the former aircraft hanger.

LBJ would fly in to the ranch on this Lockheed JetStar that he dubbed “Air Force One Half”. We found it interesting that he spent 20% of his time in office at his home here in Texas.

The wing on the left with the covered chimney was his fully functional presidential office. The gentleman on the left was our tour guide. He told us that a man on a tour he gave earlier in the day was the brother of the Dallas police officer J.D. Tippet, who was shot and killed by Lee Harvey Oswald after JFK’s assasination. The ranch is where the Kennedys were to spend the night of November 22, 1963, but that was not to be.

This was LBJ’s domain. He used his 6’4″ frame…and several chairs that sat taller than the guest seating…to persuade people. He felt self conscious around the Ivy-leaguers who ruled in Washington with himself only having a Texas teacher’s college education, so he would bring them to his ranch where they were out of their element. He achieved a lot in a short amount of time at this location. He died of a heart attack in this home at the age of 64, six years after he left office.

That evening, we went to a place in South Austin that Jerry had discovered called the Saxon Pub. Austin has a tremendous music reputation, and this night lived up to it.

The headliner was Patrice Pike. She and her band put on an amazing show. At one point, she morphed one of her own songs into “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin, sliding into the drummer’s place. That left the drummer no choice but to beat the wall with his drumsticks. The audience definitely got their money’s worth!

The next day, Diana and I met up with Jerry, Nancy, and David.

Our destination was the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

The facility had a natural feel to it, and the buildings blended well with the surroundings. Austin, in general, excels in their use of the local limestone in their architecture, giving the town a warm and inviting feel. We enjoyed our visit to the gardens, and followed it up with lunch at a local barbecue joint called Salt Lick. That was delicious! Later that evening, Jerry’s son Ben and daughter-in-law Sara had us over for dinner, which was even better!

Here is Diana loving holding their son Cole. What a cutie!

Saturday afternoon we headed over to Nancy and David’s home for dinner. Their sons Thomas and Robert, along with their wives Marlana and Tashia were there, and also Jerry, Ben and Sara. There we had a birthday party for Sara and Cody Lynn, Nancy and David’s granddaughter.

Here is Cody Lynn showing off her new sticker book we got her.

We thought her brother Hayes might like a present also, so we got him a magnifying glass. It was a hit!

Cole was enjoying a little lawn time. 😃

Sunday evening, we headed downtown to see one of Austin’s unique phenomenons, the evening bat flight.

When the Congress Avenue bridge was reconstructed in 1980, the gaps under the roadway unknowingly provided an ideal place for bats to roost. Up to 1.5 million bats reside there by mid summer, and their nightly departure draws quite a crowd. From our vantage point, we couldn’t see them very well…as it was quite dark when they began leaving. Still, it was a hoot to see the people hanging out to watch.

Monday, we began our journey west! First stop was the tiny town of Junction to meet up with fellow RV-Dreamers Debbie and Steve! We set up camp at Schreiner City Park, which allows three days of free camping. We found this and the park mentioned in our last post on the AllStays app.

It’s pretty tough to beat that site! Just beyond that shelter is the junction of the North and South Llano Rivers that give the town its name.

As a bonus to getting to see Debbie and Steve (seated behind me), we were able to meet Pam and Red, who are also fellow RV-Dreamers. What a great evening! If you are counting, that’s four couples from Howard and Linda’s rallies that we’ve met up with in Junction in the past two years.

The next day we headed to Balmorhea State Park in Toyavale. This location is getting out there in the West Texas desert and featues a huge natural spring. In the 1930’s, the CCC turned it into the attraction it is today.

From this panoramic shot, it looks like a normal public swimming pool. What you aren’t seeing is…

…the natural bottom or the fish! We did go for a dip, which felt really good.

We also enjoyed watching the roadrunners and the bunnies at our campsite.

On Wednesday morning, we headed west toward El Paso. For some reason, Diana and I had pictured it to be a sleepy West Texas outpost…not realizing that the city is home to well over 600,000 people! With construction on Interstate 10, the trip through town was a bit more than we expected. 😊. We enjoyed our trek across Texas and are looking forward to what comes next. Be sure to stay tuned!

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Alabama, Fulltime RVing, Louisiana, Texas

Scootin’ down the Gulf Coast

April 16, 2017 exploRVistas 18 Comments

Once we left Mobile, our next goal was to visit friends along the Texas Gulf Coast. We headed west through the remainder of Alabama, straight through Mississippi and into Louisiana. Our first night, we stayed at a campground that we had been at the year before; Lakeside RV Park, in Livingston, LA.

We asked for a long site, seeing we had the Escape, truck and fifth wheel. They gave us their longest site, which also used to be their boat launch. If I backed up far enough, I’d get a free RV wash! It was fun to watch the swans, along with a beautiful sunrise the next morning. Livingston was also where Diana was able to find a begneit last year, so we made sure to include that stop again.

Lots of powdered sugar on top…yum!

Once we were back on the road, our next goal was Texas!

We certainly wouldn’t want to miss a chance to ham it up for the camera!

When searching on AllStays for a campground, we came upon this gem: Winnie-Stowell County Park. Free if you don’t use the hookups, or $15 if you do. Diana stopped at the county courthouse up the street for a permit and was told that the electricity probably wasn’t on yet, so they wouldn’t take her money. The woman said that if it was, just go ahead and plug in. The 30 amp boxes weren’t open, but the 20 amp electricital boxes were on, as was the water…and there was a sewer connection at each site. We ended up having one neighbor…nice!

The next morning, I was conversing on Messenger with our friend Peter about the fact that we were in the same state as him and his wife, Peg. I told him we were headed to Rockport, to which he responded “Are you taking the free ferry at Bolivar?”. Our plan was to brave Houston traffic, so I was all ears for an alternate route!

Hmmmm….this sure isn’t the Houston traffic I remembered from last year. The route took us south out of Winnie and followed along the Texas Gulf Coast.

The ferry gave me a quick opportunity for a rooftop inspection. A little dirty, but the seams all looked good! 😉

We were glad we took this route, in the fact that we saw an area we might not have otherwise seen. It did add a few hours to our day, and actually got busy in the afternoon. A touch heavy on the refineries and too many speed limit changes for hauling a fifth wheel (Peter warned me about that)…but it was still fun to see. 😎. Thank you, Peter!

When we got to Rockport, we went to see our friends George and Grace.

They are seasonal residents at Wild Cherry Resort in Michigan and they own a home in Rockport. It was nice to see their beautiful home and community!

On Sunday, they gave us a tour of Padre Island National Seashore and we spent the afternoon on the beach. Diana mentioned to the park staff that one of her dreams is to earn the right to be a NPS Ranger.

They gave her a little preview. The look on her face pretty much sums up what that hat represents to her. 😃

On Monday, Diana and I drove down to see the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi.

This aircraft carrier was built in one year, and survived many battles in WWII. After the war, she was modernized several times and ended up serving the US Navy into the 1990’s.

While the deck seemed large by ship standards, it seemed very tiny when thinking of it as a runway for airplanes. I can see why my dad chose the Army Air Corps when he enlisted in WWII. 😉

Sitting on the bridge felt like I was at the wheel of the ultimate RV!

The hanger deck, located immediately below the main deck, was massive. It had been turned into a museum, cafeteria and theater. The crew areas below these decks were left as they would have been used while the ship was in service. Diana and I enjoyed our tour but both agreed when we were done that we had our fill of ships and planes for awhile. 😉

On Tuesday, we joined up again with George and Grace so they could give us a tour of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.

We spotted plenty of wildlife while we were there. This is a place you want bug spray, good binoculars or a spotting scope, and a decent zoom lens on your camera.

I managed to catch this vulture with the Nikon as it passed overhead.

Grace spotted an alligator, and after zooming in on it, we discovered that there was another large gator next to it.

We also spotted this feral hog. The refuge is trying to reduce their population, as they are considered an invasive species. We also saw a couple of javalina, a few whitetail deer, and a multitude of different shore birds. We were about a week late for seeing the Whooping Cranes.

That evening, George and Grace invited us to join them for a Passover Seder at their temple.

With Diana being raised Methodist and me growing up Catholic, this was a new and fun experience for us. While we were there, we met Grace’s friend Dorothy, who happens to be a Methodist minister and a friend of Diana’s cousin, Nancy. It certainly is a small world!

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We really enjoyed our stay on the Texas Gulf Coast. It’s very different than what we are used to in Florida. Next stop for us is Austin to visit with family and take in some vistas we’ve yet to explore!

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Fulltime RVing, Texas

Return to Austin

April 21, 2016 exploRVistas 17 Comments

It was the summer of 1982. Diana and I were newly married, I graduated from college and we headed off to Austin, Texas for a metal shop teaching job I was hired for. Work was scarce in Michigan in those days. The job didn’t pan out and we returned to the Midwest, but we always hoped to return to Austin for a visit someday. Diana’s cousin Nancy and her husband David lived there (and still do), so we had a good reason to come back. Who knew it was going to take 34 years?

In 1982, Austin was just starting to see some of the growth that has since exploded in Travis County. Nice houses were starting to pop up in the hills west of town, but the entire place was still pretty laid back. We rented a little two bedroom house on the north side of the city.

The house is still there! Not sure why the lawn isn’t mowed, as the house itself appears to be in good shape. The ‘north side of town’ has turned into the middle of town, as Austin has expanded so much. I checked the price estimate online and it is appraised at $285,000! My, how things have changed.

Nancy and David had us over for dinner to their place the day we got there. Their son Robert and daughter-in-law Tasia brought their children for us to meet. Also, Nancy’s nephew Ben (Diana’s second cousin) and his wife Sara came over with their new baby boy.

It sure was great to see everyone!

Diana and I both got our chance to snuggle with the little guy!

During the few months we lived in Austin, there were a few unique places we had checked out that we wanted to see again. One was the Capitol building.

This beautiful pink granite edifice was designed by Elijah E. Myers, who also designed the Michigan and Colorado State Capitols. If you zero in on the statue at the top, you will see that she is holding a lone star.

Inside the rotunda, there’s that Lone Star again, up there in the dome!

Another place we visited back in the day was Hippie Hollow. Diana had asked at her job for places to check out. So we drove out to this place on Lake Travis…out in the middle of nowhere… and found a gravel pull off that several people were picnicking at. Diana was trying to figure out how we were going to swim there as you had to climb down a cliff to get to the water when she exclaimed, “That girl doesn’t have a top on!” I said, “Honey, you are the only girl here with a top on!” Well, we weren’t into nude sunbathing, so we left. Fast forward to this year, and we were driving down a very busy road in the hills. All of a sudden, we see one of the brown highway signs that indicates a county park…saying Hippie Hollow!

Lo and behold, it is now a county park. I like the little “no bikini” symbol on the sign. :). No one will ever accuse Austin of not being progressive.

Next up was another place Diana had found out about from coworkers…the Dry Creek Cafe and Boat Dock. Again, this place was way out in the sticks. Back then, it was owned by none other than Sarah Ransom, affectionately known as the meanest bartender in Austin.

Cigarette hanging out of her mouth with a one inch ash drooping off the end, she served up longnecks and nothing else. There was no cafe, nor was there a boat dock. There was two levels to the place, with a jukebox serving up Willie, Waylon, and Merle. The draw was the sunset over Lake Austin that could be seen from the upper back deck. The cars in the lot ranged from pickups to BMW’s. None of that mattered to Sarah, as she would bark at you “ya take ’em up, ya bring ’em back down”, referring to the beers she was serving you. And if you didn’t bring it back down, you weren’t getting another beer until you went back up and retrieved your empty.

Well, Sarah passed in 2006, after more than 50 years of owning Dry Creek. Giant mansions started to spring up around the place, but her son has hung onto it.

We pulled in and it was like a time warp. Luckenbach, Texas was coming out of the jukebox, the longnecks were cold, and the cases for the empties were open and ready for us to bring ’em back down.

The trees have grown up behind the deck, so the sunsets aren’t quite as visible…

…but the company was as great as the last time I was here. 🙂 As we pondered as to how different our lives would have been if we’d stayed in Austin, we both agreed that we’ve done ok for ourselves, finished our drinks and brought ’em back down.

Sarah would be pleased. 🙂

Fulltime RVing, Texas

Big Bend N.P. – The Desert

April 10, 2016 exploRVistas 11 Comments

One of the first things we did when we arrived at Big Bend was to go to the Visitor Center at Panther Junction. We always feel that it is a good idea to do that at any park, just to get the lay of the land. After speaking with the ranger about the trails, wildlife concerns and such, we watched the movie about Big Bend. In that movie, they summarized Big Bend as desert, mountains, and river. What a great way to organize our posts on this vast wilderness!

Today we begin with the Chihuahuan Desert. This expanse covers 140,000 square miles of western Texas, southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico and northern Mexico.

Being from the midwestern United States, I was amazed at how much plant life was growing out of what appeared to be hard packed gravel. We really enjoyed walking through the arid landscape and identifying the different plant species.

In the southwestern portion of the park is the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive. We explored this road on Sunday, April 3. As the road meanders towards Santa Elena Canyon and the Rio Grande River, it passes a couple of ranches that were here before the park was established in 1944.

This is the Homer Wilson ranch. Once the largest ranching operation in the region, all that remains are a few buildings and a corral.

Not too far down the road is the Sam Nail ranch.

Sam and his brother Jim worked this land with Sam’s wife Nena. Not much is left here but a couple of windmills…one of which is still working and pumping water…and the remains of the house.

The ranch sits in a low spot in a valley, and the trees growing in the irrigated soil make a cool oasis. The blooming honey mesquite bushes that surround the ranch were teeming with bees, and the buzzing from their wings filled the air.

After following the drive to the river, we came back the Old Maverick Road. This was 17 miles of dusty, rutted gravel road, and the Escape took it on like a champ!

I was busy watching the road, but Diana spotted this jackrabbit resting in the shade. She has the eyes of a hawk when it comes to spotting animals! 🙂

On Monday, we hiked to Cattail Falls with Diana’s cousin Nancy and her husband David. A friend of Nancy’s from Austin, Margaret, was also here visiting Big Bend and joined us on the hike.

While the park service doesn’t advertise this hike on the map or trail guide (due to the fragile ecosystem at the end), the trail is well marked at the beginning.

The trail winds through desert landscape for over a mile through the foothills of the Chisos Mountains.

Here I am at the end of the trail, scrambling up the rocks to see the payoff.

This is where the waterfall normally is. Even though there was just a trickle of water coming off the mountain, the drainage was lush with vegetation. The shade from the trees was welcome relief from the hot sun.

On Tuesday, we met up with Nancy and David for a hike up to Grapevine Hills and Balanced Rock.

This path leads out through the desert for two miles, and is a fairly easy hike until the end.

The last 1/4 mile is up this outcropping to Balanced Rock.

Nancy and David, surveying the surrounding landscape.

We even had a lizard join us for this climb!

And here is Balanced Rock! Diana and Nancy are giving it a little help, just in case. 🙂

After we returned to the trailhead, we made the journey to Dagger Flats. This is more of a drive than a hike, but it features a wide variety of desert flora. A $1 guidebook at the beginning of the trail identifies the plants on this drive.

Here is a nice example of a Strawberry Pitaya. When blooming, this cactus features magenta blooms on the ends of the spines.

The yellow blooms on the Huisache were in full swing.

The Ocotillo were sporting their red blooms, but had yet to show their green leaves on their branches.

There were several Thomson’s Yucca along the drive.

This is the marker plant for the Chihuahuan desert, the Lechuguilla. This member of of the agave family can only be found here.

At the end of the drive is an impressive stand of Giant Dagger yuccas. When blooming, these plants sport a showy cream plumage from the top.

Here is some of the wildlife the ranger had told us to be concerned about. I think they referred to this species as the Maximus Davidus. 🙂

Not to worry, as Nancy found another type of Giant Dagger!

Every national park seems to have a town nearby that visitors flock to after a day of exploring. Big Bend’s version of Bar Harbor and Gatlinburg is Terlingua Ghost Town.

While there are a few shops here, there’s not the wall-to-wall crowds that are usually seen in national park border towns.

Terlingua has one of the most weathered cemeteries we had ever seen. Most folks here died from disease, mercury mining accidents, or gunfights.

And the town is home to the Starlight Theatre. This restaurant/bar is named after the incredible night sky that puts on a show most nights over the region.

We ate here three times over the course of the week. With there being so few choices for places to eat out here, we were thankful that their food was good and atmosphere is fun.

That wraps up the desert portion of our Big Bend adventure. Next up is the mountains!

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Fulltime RVing, National Parks, Texas

Big Bend N.P. – First Impressions

April 7, 2016 exploRVistas 20 Comments

Last year, Diana’s cousin Nancy and her husband David invited us to come to Big Bend National Park in Texas to do some hiking with them. We tentatively made plans to meet them in early April. So since leaving Melbourne Beach on February 21, that has been our goal…and we made it!

Big Bend is named for the major change of course the Rio Grande River takes between Texas and Mexico. It is extremely remote, and it boasts some of the darkest skies in the U.S. Looking at an aerial view on Google Maps, the Chihuahuan Desert is apparent…

….but the wild and wonderful Chisos Mountains are not. When we arrived and this landscape unfolded before us, we were awestruck! As a bonus, the desert was starting to bloom!

The prickly pear were beginning to show off with their red and yellow flowers.

The Eagle Claw cactus with their magenta blooms.

The Ocotillo with their red clusters popping out at the ends of their branches. There is a large expanse of them as you enter the park from Study Butte.

Big Bend National Park is massive, covering 1251 square miles. The Chisos Mountains, the remnants of an ancient volcano, are contained entirely within the park. A good portion of the park’s hiking trails originate in the Chisos Basin, which is the caldera of that volcano. The remaining trails are scattered throughout the surrounding desert and along the Rio Grande River.

There are several gravel roads that lead to the remote areas of the desert.

Before we left Michigan in December, we outfitted the Escape with a set of all terrain tires, in anticipation of the rugged roads we planned on encountering. Edsel still looks good in his red paint scheme. With all the dust in Big Bend, that would most likely not last. :). We didn’t plan on any high-clearance roads, but any that were labeled ‘4 wheel drive’ were deemed ok for us.

Up in the basin, there is a lodge, campground, restaurant, visitors center and store. There is not a gas station there, but there is one not far away at Panther Junction. The temperatures in the basin are cooler than on the desert floor, and are cooler still at the top of the mountains surrounding the basin.

When experiencing views like this, it is hard to believe we are in Texas!

With Big Bend being so…well…BIG, we will be writing several posts on our time here. Stay tuned as we explore the vistas of this wonderful place!

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explorRVistas is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon .com. Shopping here doesn’t add anything to your cost, but it does help support this blog. Thank you for shopping through exploRVistas!

Fulltime RVing, Texas

Thar’s a reason they call it Junction, pardner…

April 2, 2016 exploRVistas 23 Comments

Junction, Texas is a charming community with a western vibe. Located in the hill country a few hours northwest of San Antonio, the town sits just to the south of Interstate 10. Founded in 1876, the town was named for being the place where the north and south branches of the Llano River meet. It is the seat of Kimble County, but it has a laid back, cowboy feel to it that belies its official status. Not a lot of famous folks come from Junction, other than Coke Stevenson (35th Governor of Texas) and Les Cox, who went 0-1 in the two games he pitched in for the 1926 Chicago White Sox.

We not only found Junction to be a meeting place for two rivers, but also a meeting place for several members of our RV-Dreams family. When I sent out a Facebook post showing that we were in Port Arthur, Tracy contacted me to arrange a meetup with her and her husband Lee. She is a fellow blogger and RV-Dreamer. We had been in contact through our blogs, the RV-Dreams forum, and on Facebook over the past year or so. We went to separate RV-Dreams rallies in 2014, so we had never met in person. We had reservations at Morgan Shady RV Park, and it worked out that Lee and Tracy were able to land there the night before us.

What a great meeting it was! We immediately hit it off, sharing stories of how we got to where we are now. Tracy made a yummy spaghetti dinner and salad for us, which was a thoughtful touch after a day on the road. 🙂

The two of them telling the story of how they became fulltime RVers was entertaining and had us cracking up! 🙂

Tracy’s Camper Chronicles blog is an honest view into the emotional aspects of these two empty nester’s lives as they take to the road. Anyone who has done what we are doing will tell you straight up that while it may seem that we are on a constant vacation, the minutiae of life still happens. People still get sick and have to find health care, have to get their hair cut, pay bills, grocery shop….each time having to find a new place to do those things. Tracy really does a marvelous job of showing all sides of the journey…from the joys of new discoveries to the pain of major vehicle issues. Definitely worth the effort to peruse her work, if you haven’t already.

After Lee and Tracy left on Wednesday morning, we met up with fellow Fall 2014 RV-Dreamers, Keith and Jeanne. They were headed west to Fort Stockton and stopped for lunch.

This charming couple was camped next to us for a week during the rally, and we had been hoping to be able to meet them again on the road. Lo and behold, that took place at the Junction Sonic. 🙂 Jeanne had noticed that we were in Texas through the blog and reached out to us by email.

We sat out front at Sonic so their dog Umber could be with us. We had to get our doggie fix. 🙂 We talked for over two hours! It was great to see them and to know they are both doing well.

After lunch, we returned to Morgan Shady and walked the park.

It’s a quaint little campground, and the ‘shady’ comes from the many pecan trees that grace the property.

It was at that point that we received a message from another RV-Dreamer couple, Pam and Red. Like Lee and Tracy, they attended the Spring 2014 rally. They are near Junction, working on a relative’s house. We’ve never met, so we decided to clear that little detail up! We couldn’t make it happen this stay, but we will be returning to Junction soon and are going to get to know them at that time. We never knew when we attended that rally in Goshen, Indiana that we would develop so many friendships on the road….or that so many of them would be nurtured in Junction, Texas!
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Fulltime RVing, National Parks, Texas

San Antonio Missions

April 1, 2016 exploRVistas 14 Comments

“We’re on a mission from God”

Elwood Blues

With the arrival of Easter weekend, we were on a mission to see a mission…FIVE of them, to be exact! We made our way to San Antonio on Saturday and met up with Bob and Kathrun, fellow RV-Dreamers who we got to know at the Fall 2014 Rally. Like us, they sold their home, disposed of most of their possessions, bought an RV, and hit the road. (There is much more to their story, but it is their song to sing. Once Kathrun’s blog is up, we will provide a link.) After we settled into our site, we headed into town to see the Alamo.

This was Diana’s and my first trip here together since 1982…not long after we were married. We were living on a shoestring in Austin at the time and had come here with our college friend Betsy who was visiting us from Michigan. We shared the following story of that trip with Bob and Kat: Wanting to spend the night in town, Betsy, Diana and I inquired on a whim at the Hyatt Regency to see if they had any rooms available. They had one with two queen beds…at $45 a night. Even in 1982, that was cheap… especially for a Hyatt on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. We asked what was wrong with it, and the clerk said “oh, it probably doesn’t have a view”. We got to the room and I ducked into the bathroom. I could hear Diana and Betsy talking as they looked out the window, delighted that we actually did have a view. I heard one of them say “oh look….there’s a Spanish mission!” When I joined them at the window, a mere one block away was an unobstructed frontal view of the Alamo. 🙂

On this visit, we weren’t the only ones with Easter plans. 🙂 While very crowded, the line to get in moved quickly.

For anyone who has yet to visit this historic place, the Alamo is no longer the Texas outpost it once was. The city of San Antonio has surrounded it like so many of Santa Anna’s men.

Kathrun stepped across William Travis’ line in the sand (now bronze in stone). Be careful, Kat …that didn’t end well for the first people who did that! 🙂

From the Alamo, we found our way to the Paseo del Rio…otherwise known as the San Antonio Riverwalk. This is a series of walkways through the city that line both sides of the river. Originally a Works Project Administration project from the 1930’s, the Riverwalk has sprouted a multitude of unique eateries and shops, and has become Texas’ # 1 tourist attraction.

Here is the four of us at dinner at a riverside Mexican cafe.

The river boats were full, and everyone was having a great time.

The Arneson Theater along the riverwalk. The venue is unique in that the seats are across the river from the stage. This site is used for all sorts of plays, Mexican dances and mariachi bands. The five bells in the arches are meant to represent the five missions of San Antonio.

On Easter Sunday, we decided to search out the other four missions, all part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. While the Alamo is maintained as a memorial to those that lost their life in the battle, the other four missions are active parishes of the Roman Catholic Church.

To touch on the overall history of the San Antonio missions, these enclaves were established by Franciscan missionaries to convert the local people to Catholicism and the Spanish way of life. They became safe havens from Apache attacks, so many people accepted the trade-off out of sheer need for survival. Bob stated that the missions were generally located a day’s travel from each other. My, how times have changed. 🙂

First up was Mission Concepcion. This stone church was dedicated in 1755.

Many of the original paintings still exist on the interior walls of the peripheral rooms of the enclave.

We saw this stone in the walkway near the grotto, most likely put there to remind us what state we were in. We definitely aren’t in Florida anymore. 🙂

Next was Mission San Jose. The grounds of this compound were absolutely beautiful. This church was dedicated in 1782.

The surrounding walls of the mission were restored by the WPA in the 1930’s, creating this expansive courtyard.

The interior of the church was well restored; something we wouldn’t have guessed by the rugged exterior.

Our next visit was to Mission San Juan.

The buildings at this location are replicas, being built by the WPA in the 1930’s. The doors of this church were locked, so we do not have photos of the interior. We took a walk on a nice trail to the San Antonio River behind the mission.

Our last stop was Mission Espada.

This church dates back to 1756, but the mission itself was established in 1690…thereby making it the oldest of the five.

The interior was simple and had plenty of natural light. It was a very pretty and intimate space.

If you have the opportunity to journey to San Antonio, be sure to build in enough time to visit all five of the missions. There even is a paved bike trail that links them together. We feel it is worth the effort to seek out these beautiful places, and the history that speaks from within their walls.

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Fulltime RVing, Texas

Shangri La Botanical Gardens

March 26, 2016 exploRVistas 23 Comments

Moving west out of Florida, we drove through Alabama and Mississippi in quick succession. After spending a few nights in Livingston, Louisiana, we headed to Port Arthur, Texas. We found the Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange tri-cities area to be very industrial, with most of the business centered on oil production and refining. While the port cities are an important cog in the big American wheel, they are not exactly what we would call a naturally inviting place to spend a few days. But our campground was decent, so we thought we would check the area out. A lot of famous people are from this region: Singers Janis Joplin, Mark Chesnutt, Tracy Byrd, George Jones, Clay Walker, and Edgar & Johnny Winter are from here. Athletes Babe Zaharias, Bubba Smith, Frank Robinson, Bruce Lietzke, and Detroit Lions standouts Mel Farr (superstar!) and Jerry Ball all hail from the area. Surely there must be something more than oil here. We set out to look for a little culture and nature.

The first place we went to was Cattail Swamp, in search of the elusive roseate spoonbill. This area is actually a man made retention area that is the last step of the town’s sewage treatment plant. We had to pass through a gate that had a sign that said “Warning: Aggressive Alligators”. Hmmm….the ones we saw in the Everglades seemed pretty content, perhaps these weren’t as happy with their surroundings. :). We stayed for a few minutes and saw a fair amount of birds and ducks, but no spoonbills or ticked-off gators. Diana had another place that we could check out, and it ended up being a winner!

Shangri La Botanical Gardens is a privately owned preserve in Orange, Texas. H.J. Lutcher Stark, a local business leader, began the gardens in 1942. It is now overseen by he and his wife’s foundation. The gardens are a member of the American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocity Program, so we toured for free using our Meijer Gardens membership. It was a great way to get out and stretch our legs after a morning of doing paperwork.

The entrance to the grounds was very inviting. It is interesting to note that this facility is the first in Texas to achieve LEED Platinum status, the highest level possible through the U.S. Green Building Council. This area contains a wetlands demonstration garden; a series of ponds that take in water from an adjacent lake and filter the waterfowl waste from it. It demonstrates how man-made wetlands can have a positive impact on nature.

The grounds were planted in more of a formal pattern than was the case at McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach, Florida. Most of the major plants were well identified.

This Stephanie Dwyer sculpture, Dancing Sisters, marks the entrance to the interactive children’s garden.

Shangri La also has a series of greenhouses. This one was featuring Easter lillies, which were also present in other areas of the gardens. It definitely smelled like spring!

This greenhouse featured orchids.

Diana really liked this yellow variety…or, since we are in Texas, this Amirillo variety!

Two of the greenhouses were also set up to feature their current butterfly exhibition. Three varieties were present:

The Monarch…

…the Julia…

…and the Zebra Longwing.

Look at the bloom on this red Hibiscus!

From there, we followed the trail into the outdoor portion of the gardens.

This turtle lineup was there to greet us. 🙂

David Rogers series of wooden sculptures entitled Big Bugs currently are featured in the outdoor gardens.

Yikes! A 15 foot high Praying Mantis!

This is an Assasin Bug.

Here is a parade of three giant ants headed our way!

On our way out, Diana spotted a flash of wings to our left, as a large bird landed in a tree.

Turns out it was a hawk. He stuck around long enough for me to get a photo of him. 🙂

We really enjoyed our time at Shangri La Botanical Gardens. If you find yourself in the Greater Beaumont area, be sure to check it out. We also can’t say enough about the value of the American Horticultural Society’s reciprocity program, both for us and for the participating gardens. We’ve seen a lot of places we might not otherwise have chosen to see, and the venues are able to showcase themselves to visitors from other areas of the country. Shangri La certainly was a bit of paradise in this very industrial area.

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