Moving a Little Early

We had planned on staying at Bay Landing in Bridgeport, TX until Saturday morning. But the weather forecast was threatening and we were just plain uncomfortable in the heat without air conditioning. So, we moved on!

Heading west again, we took highway 380 west to 281 north and then 287 to I-40. It was another lovely drive through small towns, farms and green countryside. Our destination was Amarillo and the Oasis RV Resort.


This is a fairly new park that isn't listed in any of our books yet. I just happened to stumble upon it through a website called RV Park Reviews. The website is reviews by travelers that actually use the parks and rate them. It's a wonderful resource.


Once we arrived, we discovered it's a Passport America park and we received a small discount. The clubhouse/check in office is fantastic. Very upscale, spacious and well appointed. The manager couldn't be any more friendly and helpful. The park is huge and not very full.


The sites are mostly long pull-thrus with a few back-ins sites, as well as level with concrete pads, patios and modern hookups. Personally, I like some trees and green to break up the parking lot look. But, it sure is easy to park!



We'll be here until Sunday morning, then we'll continue on to Albuquerque.

A New Visitor

In addition to all of the ants (yuck), we had a new visitor!


Doug was out spraying the anthills when he discovered this fine fellow wandering across the grass towards our coach.


Being a little boy at heart, he had to capture it in a 16 oz sour cream container and bring it to me for show and tell. Wrong plan!!!!! He had no idea how petrified I am of tarantulas and spiders in general. (I am getting better about spiders, but not something this big!)

Doug took about a zillion pictures of it and then I finally convinced him to take it away. He walked to the next site and I yelled "further", so he continued to the next site and I yelled "further". Finally, he released his little friend five sites away from us.

Good riddance. Oh, by the way, I don't go barefoot outside now.

And Doug is now looking for a snake to catch. Help me!!!!!

We survived the storm watch and headed for Radio Shack where we purchased an emergency alert radio. That should ease our minds. It sure is hot and muggy here. We are on 30 amp power, so we can't run our air conditioners. It's not bad during the day but it is hard to sleep at night. I never believed you could stick to sheets. Oh well, we're heading west soon.

Tornado Watch

Our travel day brought us to Bridgeport, Texas on the shores of Lake Bridgeport. It was a pleasant drive down a smaller highway through farms and ranches and dozens of small towns. I definitely prefer these roads to the interstates. But Doug likes to make time buzzing straight to the next destination.

We arrived at Bay Landing Thousand Trails where we will stay for the next four days. The sun was shining and the park nearly empty.


Our site is so long and backs up to the lake. We could put three motorhomes in our site and never bother anyone.


There's a nice patio with picnic table, barbecue and fire pit just outside our door. The only downfall is the ants. Doug has been very busy poisoning the anthills.


This is directly behind our coach where the trail to the lake starts. It's actually a man made lake that is 8 miles long and 3 miles wide for water conservation.



It's a nice fishing lake with rental boats at the clubhouse and right now there is a very rocky beach because the water level is quite low.


We wandered along the beach looking for treasures but only found bottles, cans and junk. Still, it was a fun afternoon.

That fun afternoon quickly deteriorated after dinner when the clouds rolled over us and the thunder and lightning storms started. We tuned to the local tv station to find there was a tornado watch being announced for this county. The park ranger told us to head for the concrete restrooms if the alarm was actually sounded. Great!!! This wasn't in our plans!

It was a very restless night, waiting, wondering and watching the sky.

Where Have We Been?

You probably think we are lost....or forgot you....or gave up on the blog. Nope!
None of the above. We've just been busy with normal stuff and with the exception of a fantastic visit with Barb and Theresa and all of their families it's just been running errands and taking care of business.

Saturday, we took a ride to Jacksonville to Barb's house where we were wined and dined. Jimmy (Theresa's husband) prepared a brisket that was excellent and amongst all of the cooks the dishes prepared were pinto beans and sausage, cornbread, baked beans and corn on the cob. Plus banana pudding and strawberry cake for dessert. We sure didn't leave hungry!

The girls and I had lots of time to reminisce and laugh uncontrollably and bring back the happy times as well as the sad. Who said you can't go home? Home is in our hearts and minds.

It was after 8pm when we finally got home, just as a storm started moving in. By midnight, the wind was howling and we were pelted with a tremendous thunderstorm. Lightning lit up the coach and we just hoped there was no tornado accompanying the storm. Morning gave us a break with just a few showers, but the kitchen floor was wet.

Yup, we found a leak in the kitchen slide and it took most of Sunday to dry things out. All of the drawers were pulled out and each item dried. Then stacked on the couch until the insides of the cabinets dried. Lots of fun!

But, that's life in a box. You take the good with the ......not so good. And, tomorrow, we start our journey north. So the blog should become more regular again.

Doug's New Project

Doug tried out a new hobby today. He loves to cook, barbecue and now use his smoker.

We found a good deal on pork and beef and Doug found an old fashioned meat grinder at a garage sale. So of course, the natural result is home-made sausage.



He started with a simple summer sausage recipe from the little book included with the sausage making kit. The kit included casings for stuffing, a long filler tube and a pusher stick. First, he slides the casing onto the tube.


Then, using the pusher stick, he fills the casings with the seasoned meat. When the sausage casing is firm, Doug ties the top securely with the included string.


Now it's time for the fun part. We had a nice day with little wind and no rain forecast, so Doug fired up the smoker and loaded the six summer sausage into it.


They looked so professional hanging there neatly.


And the final result after a full day of smoking! OMG! Not only do they look beautiful but they taste wonderful. Another successful day. Wish you were here to share!

A Day to Remember

We spent most of the afternoon getting the feel of Tyler. Our first stop, of course, was at the visitor information center. Considering the size of Tyler, we were pleasantly surprised at all of the things to see in the area. Next, we found the local post office so we could have our mail sent to us and then we drove around to get the layout of the town.

But, the best part was in the evening. We found our way to Cheddars Casual Cafe where we had the nicest reunion and dinner with my first set of kids, Barb and Theresa as well as their families.


Here we are waiting in the lobby with Theresa and her three angels. Her husband Jimmy had to work, but we'll catch up with him on Saturday.


And this is Barb with her husband David (on the right) and their youngest daughter Chelsea with her daughter Harley. (Hope I spelled those right!)


It's been years since we've been together and what a treat it was. We talked and ate and talked some more for over two hours. Harley was a two year old delight and it was so much fun to catch up with the grandkids I've hardly known. We have all changed so much, but the love in the room was strong with memories and emotions. We just can't go so long between visits!

Since everyone (except us) had to work in the morning, the evening was nowhere near long enough. But we already have plans to get together again.

Georgetown, Texas Sounds Mighty Good

Today was moving day and what a day we had! We were a little late getting out of the Medina Lake Thousand Trails park because the rain decided to dump and we were hoping we would get a break to take care of the outside chores. It never stopped, so we just got soaked and headed north.

The freeways around San Antonio were a nightmare. It's been so long since this part of Texas has had rain, they all forgot how to drive in it. The roads were slick with oil and rain, while the puddles became mini lakes. Nobody was doing the speed limit and it was very difficult to see.

We finally left San Antonio and after a diesel fill, we arrived in Austin. Our new Nuvi directed us off the freeway because of traffic problems in downtown Austin. After several miles of the loop highway, we discovered it's a toll road. Swell! Not having any idea of how much the tolls are here, we scrambled for some cash and twenty miles later, it turned out to be only $2.25. Phew! Soon we merged back onto I-35 and the rain kept pouring.

Finally, just north of Austin, I remembered reading about a rv park just off the freeway that was a Passport America park. (half price) It didn't take much convincing for Doug to cut the day short and pull off the road.


It's called Berry Springs RV Park and is very nice, if not fancy. Our site is a long pull-thru with full hookups for only $12.50 a night. What a bargain. There's grass and trees and best of all......the rain stopped. Our nerves were shot after the drive, so it feels good to be able to just stop when the weather and traffic gets the best of us.



Tomorrow, it's on to Tyler, Texas.

Treasures from the Earth

After yesterday's post, several people wondered what kind of treasures Doug was finding with his metal detector. He's like a modern day archaeologist!


There's 46 cents! And a broken, rusted wrench, dozens of pull tabs and bottle caps, tent peg, a tiny Barbie medalion, a nut, a screw and a rusty key.

I know, a pretty impressive haul for an afternoon of work. Most of the good stuff was found right here in our own rv site. The bottle caps and pop tops came from a picnic area down by the lake.


Doug also took the time to check the tumbling rocks. Some of them are finished! It's hard to tell from the photo, but they are polished shiny and smooth and still rocks. There are more rocks in the tumbler now on their way to perfection. One of these days we'll find some valuable gems!

Back on Track

The good news is.....I'm feeling better. Whatever was keeping me down, has had it's butt kicked. (I hope)

We had planned on attending the the Battle of Flowers parade in downtown San Antonio. Aaron was going to be marching and we definitely wanted some pictures. But, just before we left the coach, Alan called to say that Aaron was under the weather and wasn't going to be in the parade. Disappointment reigned! So, instead, we are seeing them on Sunday before we leave.

We did take a ride into the outlying areas of San Antonio to try out our new Garmin Nuvi gps. Doug entered Washington Mutual Bank from the points of interest and we drove right to where it used to be. Washington Mutual was taken over by Chase, so we weren't too surprised to not find it. However, we did find a Chase Bank nearby and took care of business. Several other entries were made and the gps worked really slick. We opted for the Nuvi 265WT and are very pleased with it.


Doug has been spending some of his "at home" time using the metal detector in our site. So far, the total take is almost thirty cents! And a couple of pieces of junk. We aren't going to get rich this way, but he's having fun.

The weather has turned overcast and windy with a few small showers. But the temperature is between 75 and 80. Can't complain about that!

Alan and Aaron

What a great day! One of the main reasons we came to San Antonio was to see my stepson Alan. As a teenager, Alan lived with us for more than a year before he moved back with his mom and then joined the Air Force. I hadn't seen him or his son since 2002.


So today, Alan and Aaron (along with four footed friend Riley) came to the park to visit. We talked and talked and talked for a couple of hours and it was a wonderful chance to catch up with their lives. Alan is still the kind, gentle man he has always been.


We learned about Aaron's interests and hopes for the future. Such a handsome young man! I'm sure he's a regular teenager, but presented himself as polite, responsible, hardworking and quite charming.

We have already made plans to meet with Alan on Friday to attend the Battle of Flowers parade in downtown San Antonio to watch Aaron march with his school band. Yea!!!

One of the wonderful things about this lifestyle is that we can see family anywhere in the U.S. far more often than when we lived in a stick house.

P.S. Thanks Doug for taking pictures!

Boerne Visitor Center

Our destination today was the Boerne visitor center. We have zero maps of Texas and other than the Alamo and Riverwalk, we are not sure of what there is to see. So, armed with a photocopy of a map that that the Best Buy guy gave us, we found our way to Boerne (pronounced Bur nee). This is a small town on the outskirts of San Antonio of german heritage. Many of the old, historical buildings are well taken care of and still in use.

We had no trouble finding the visitor center in the south corner of the Walmart parking lot and had a lovely visit with the two ladies in charge. It was interesting listening to their views of Texas and it's history and secession. After we got home, I read the true history of Texas and it's not quite as glowing or independent as most texans choose to believe. Still, it is so much more than we ever learned in school and a nicer way to learn.

The storm moved into the area in the evening with a few sprinkles and some thunder. It is greatly needed here and very welcome to the residents. To the travelers......not so much.

Shopping Day

We visited San Antonio today. But, it wasn't for the purpose of seeing the Alamo or the riverwalk or any of the other historical, fascinating places. Nope, we went shopping. It's been a while since we've been near a big city and while it was fun finding most everything we want, I think I prefer the small towns.

Anyway, we were searching for a navigational gps that we could use in both the coach and car. We have narrowed the search down to a Garmin, but they make about 70 different units. After searching Best Buty, Radio Shack, Auto Zone and several others, we decided more research was necessary.

So, we had lunch and hit the Dollar Tree and Payless Shoes, HEB, Ross and a couple of thrift stores. It was a fun day, but we're tired. I don't think we are cut out to be hardcore shoppers.

By the time we got back to the park, dark clouds were rolling in. The rain and thunderstorms are due tomorrow, so we'll probably be staying home. And that's ok too. We love watching all of the animals roaming through the park.

We Hit the Jackpot

Today was a travel day. We were so glad to leave Fort Stockton with it's horrendous winds and nasty rv park.

I-10 was our route winding through lovely, green hills where wildflowers graced the sides of the highway. Purple, lavender, orange, white and two shades of yellow with an occasional bright red thrown in for contrast. The sun was shining and the wind was manageable.


We passed through miles of windmill farms. And the closer we got to San Antonio the warmer and nicer it became. We left I-10 and headed south in search of the Thousand Trails park where our reservations had been made. Following a number of backroads, we passed through Bandera and Pipe Creek and there were few signs to guide us.

Finally, we stumbled upon Medina Lake Thousand Trails. The car was quickly disconnected from the coach and we drove through this gorgeous park to find a site that was perfect for us.


What a find! All of the sites are surrounded by trees and grass and deer. We were extremely lucky to find one at the end of a row with a big "front yard". There are two picnic tables and a barbeque and no one next to us.


And the entire park is full of deer, jack rabbits, squirrels, ducks and birds. At one point, there were seven deer in our "yard" and close to 60 in the field across from us. Doug sits at the picnic table and practices his deer whisperer routine. It's amazing how close they will come to him.


It is so quiet and peaceful here, that we are hoping to extend our stay to two weeks. There is so much to see in San Antonio and we would like some time to just relax and enjoy the wildlife and greenery. We hit the jackpot with this park!

Paisano Pete

We braved the winds and took a ride into town to see the sights. It turned out to be far more interesting than I anticipated.


Our first stop was to see Paisano Pete. He's the world's largest roadrunner at 11 feet tall and 22 feet long. Hilarious!

The visitor center was closed on weekends, so we just followed the signs for the historical tour of Fort Stockton. We had a brochure that described the route and the various stops.


The military presence began here in 1858 with the establishment of Camp Stockton. The post protected travelers and settlers that used the many roads and trails that crossed the Comanche War Trail. By the early 1880's, the indians were no longer a threat and gradually the town evolved around the fort. This is an original guard house and there are also officers quarters and some barracks remaining.


These are the remains of the oldest house that was known to have existed in 1859. It's in total disrepair and is said to house ghosts and spirits. They have erected shelters over the top, but it is still crumbling.


Nearby is Pecos County's original jail built in 1883. Some of the buildings are not marked as historical and at first we were not sure if this was the jail. It's a striking building, but the bars on the tall windows gave it away.

We also visited the town park, the fort cemetery, the oldest remaining school and the Comanche Springs. It was the largest spring in the system and flowed 65 million gallons of water a day.

By this times, the wind was truly howling and we beat it back to the coach. The weather deteriorated throughout the evening and as it got dark, the thunder and lightning storm began. We watched the sky light up over and over while the rain pelted the motorhome. Hail was also predicted but thank heavens, it never arrived. After a couple of hours, the storm subsided and the wind died down to about 35 mph. It was a loooooong night!

Not Too Sure About Texas

We managed to leave Edgington RV Park by 10am. It's a good time to start our travels because the morning traffic rush is over and we can have the roads fairly uncongested. The trip took us south on Hwy 54 through some very barren, uninteresting terrain. About 85 miles later, we crossed the border into Texas at El Paso.

The navigation through this huge city was relatively easy and soon we were in the foothills. The scenery improved dramatically! The hills were green with new growth and there were some interesting rock formations.


Traffic remained light, so we stopped at a couple of rest areas. In Texas, the rest areas are very nice. (so far)


They aren't huge, but we had no trouble finding a place to park right next to a covered picnic area. We stretched our legs and continued on. Soon, we crossed from Mountain time to Central time and instantly lost an hour. The day got shorter as we went instantly from 2pm to 3pm.

There are a few small towns on I-10 in west Texas. We stopped for diesel in Balmorhea and considered spending the night there. The price was right ($10) but the park was a wide open space with lots of wind and we had very poor phone reception. We can deal with most obstacles, however being able to stay in contact with family and friends is a high priority for us.

So we continued east until we came to Fort Stockton. It's a decent size town that we will explore more tomorow. Tonight, we are tired of driving and I found a park listed in our Passport America book for $10 a night. As we drove into the park, we weren't too impressed. We booked three nights because we didn't really want to be driving on Easter Sunday, then drove to our site.


Ouch!!! It's terrible. We had a heck of a time getting level and then discovered broken glass, nails and garbage everywhere. We cleaned up what we could and kept repeating it's only until Monday. Then the party at the neighbors started. Loud, obnoxious, rude are just a few of the words describing their antics. Despite the rules clearly stating "no open fires", they had a huge blaze next to their rundown rv. By 10:30pm they were really going strong and we are rethinking our stay here.


Unfortunately, this place will be getting very poor reviews from us.

OK....here's the deal......we are having a tremendous windstorm of 41mph winds. I can't upload any photos for this entry. But, if it all dies down tomorrow, I will add them to this blog post. Check back soon........