Week ending Jan 30, 2014 Mustang Island, Kingsville

What is with Fridays?    As last week, today is cool.  It rained a bit overnight and was very windy. The bridges over the bays out on to our island were icy, causing them to be closed for a short period of time.   Once the city/county got them sanded and the accidents cleared up everything reopened. The high for the day was only around 4 C, a good day to take care of chores. We went in to Corpus Christi back to Fastenal to pick up the bolts we needed, picked up some groceries and then went to Cotten's BBQ to pick up dinner.   It had been recommended to us by Texans who we met in Dawson Creek a couple of years ago.  Cotten's BBQ had relocated from Robstown, after it burnt down a couple of years ago.  John got ribs, Joan got chicken.  We have been to three different BBQ places to date and they are all very different.   We prefer Smitty's Market BBQ in Lockhart. Once again we saw a large group of swans in the bay, but were unable to stop and get pictures as the bridge is narrow, doesn't have shoulders, but does have big no stopping signs.

 

Saturday dawned bright and sunny, but a bit cool.  We went to Laguna Madre to the intercoastal waters to see all the water birds. 

 

 

 

We then went to a the county park along Packery Channel to watch the surfers in action. It never occurred to us that the Gulf of Mexico would have surf big enough for surfing. It isn't Hawaii, but the surfers seemed to be enjoying it. On our way back to the truck we chatted with a couple from Iowa who spend their winters here on Padre Island in a condo. 

 

 

 

Our last day at Mustang Island State Park was a day perfect for walking on the beach. We spent 2 hours walking along the beach enjoying the waves, the birds and the warm sunny day. 

 

 

 

We spoke with the travelers next to us from Switzerland. They had shipped their camper over to Halifax, had been down the East coast, down through South America and were now heading westward to Arizona. They had an amazing truck-camper vehicle with a beautiful picture of the Matterhorn on its side, that we enjoyed out of our kitchen window.

 

Monday was the one and only day at Mustang Island  that it was foggy. We woke up to find we couldn't even see the office building. We took our time getting ready to leave.  Joan spoke to one of the park rangers who told her that the fog was expected to lift about 10:30 A.M. While we were getting packed up, one of the couples who we had visited with at Lake Coupes Christi came by for a short chat. They had arrived the Sunday night and planned on staying for the week.  After our various visits we discovered the fog had lifted so we headed out.  Our target was Nature's Own RV Resort at Kingsville, just south of Corpus Christi, a bit more than an hours drive.  We avoided the freeways and enjoyed a fairly leisurely drive to our new home.

 

Tuesday morning was windy and cold. We checked at the visitors info, stopped at H.E.B for groceries and then headed back to the RV Park to spend the afternoon doing laundry.  A very good use of a cold, windy day. Not the kind of day we want to go sightseeing.

 

Wednesday was a day for exploration. there were some RV parks that we wanted to check out along Baffin Bay.  As it turned out they did not appear to be suitable for us, as we couldn't find anywhere to do any decent walking in the area,  so we will look for another place further south. We know that closer to the Mexican border there is more history to check out and many parks with lots of hiking trails.

 

Our really nice weather has finally returned. Thursday morning we went to King Ranch Museum. King Ranch is the largest ranch in the US and has a division in Florida where they grow citrus fruit. It was started before the Spanish American revolution. 

 

 

 

 After our visit to the museum we stopped at Popeye's Chicken for lunch. It was a stroll down memory lane. The last time we were at a Popeye's was in New Orleans with the kids over Christmas in 1989. 

Week ending Jan 23, 2014 Goliad, Mustang Island

Friday morning, which was a bit windy and cool (18C) but sunny was spent replacing a bolt in the shaft for the kitchen slide-out and a few other chores. In the afternoon we walked through another part of Lake Corpus Cristi State Park and then watched some of the continental cup of curling from Las Vegas.  We were surprised when we came home on Thursday evening to see a Shaw Direct satellite set up next door.  The neighbour, from a town north of Montreal, had noticed our dish and was curious if we knew anything about the rumours of not being able to get Shaw Direct satellite from the States.  Their site is one closer to the washroom where the wi-fi tower is situated.  They have internet access, while we have to go to the washroom building for it. The park filled up tonight as it is a long weekend here, lots of campfires and families. Generally the state parks are mostly snowbirds, so there are few campfires and very little noise.

Saturday, a really warm day, we drove into Corpus Cristi to pick up some spare bolts from Fastenal for the slide-outs, only to find they don't open on Saturday.  We stopped at Walmart to pick up some sandals for the beach and then headed on a scenic loop around the city to Mustang Island. We were glad the visitor information lady suggested this driving tour. We stopped at Mustang Island SP to see if we should consider camping there, and decided it would be well worth it. Although the park was full, the staff expected that we should be able to get a site on Monday.  We spent some time walking on the beach, dipped our toes in the gulf of Mexico water. It is not as warm as the water in Florida or Hawaii, but tolerable (for feet).

The town of Port Aransas looks interesting and will be explored when we are at the State Park.  We cross back to the mainland at the north end of the island on a ferry.  There are about 5 little ferries that carry about 15 to 20 cars for the 10 minute run, so the wait was short.  However, there was a line of several miles waiting to get onto the ferries to go to the island.   We stopped at H.E.B. for groceries on our way back to the trailer. Joan was able to give directions to a lost couple from Wisconson. They had gome on a drive from their campground and couldn't figure out where they were, so didn't know how to get back. They need a "Greta" (our GPS) who can always guide them home.

Sunday morning at the lake was very foggy. We headed out about 9 AM, early for us, to go to Goliad. By the time we drove 3 miles, the fog had lifted and the temperature started rising.  We had a really great day in Goliad.  In the state park, there is a reconstrucion of a Spanish Mission Nuestra Senora del Espiritu Santo de Zuniga  to the Indians in the area.

This a very interesting area, rich in history of the Texas Revolution.  The first signing of the declaration of independence from Mexico was made in the chapel of the Presidio La Bahia (later another declaration was made elsewhere).

Colonel James Fanning and a troop of about 350 men were captured here by the Mexican army.  A while later, General Santa Anna gave orders that the men were to be executed.  This act, plus the defeat at the Alamo, provided the motivation for the revolution.  There is a monument here to Francisca Alavez, nicknamed the Angel of Goliad, who many times had interceded with the Mexican troops to exhibit leniency to the Texan men. 

There is also a monument to General Ignacio Zaragozo, who was born in a house by the Presidio. His family had moved to Mexico, where he joined the army. His main achievement was defeating the French, the best army at the time, at the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.  This victory was the basis for the famous Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Latin American.  

On our way back to Lake Corpus Christi we stopped at Beeville. A very artistic community. The court house has a "Golden Boy" similar to that on the top of the Provincial Parliament building in Winnipeg.

Monday we moved to Mustang Island State Park. We had checked the wi-fi when we were earlier, and knew we needed to be as close to the headquarters as possible.   We noticed that the people in site #1 were packing up so Joan asked if we could have that site.  However, the staff gave us #2, since they hadn't actually left yet.  When we parked to back in, the folks in site 1 were pulling out, so Joan asked if they would come up to the office so that we could get that site. They were more than happy to accommodate me, so we got the site closest to the wi-fi tower.  It also has the benefit of wide views from our living room windows, rather than a view of the trailer a couple of feet away.   After we got set up we walked the 10 minutes to the shore and spent the afternoon walking on the beach on the Gulf of Mexico.  What a beautiful white sand beach.  We chatted with some folks from Missouri that were spending their winter in Texas. We were surprised at the number of oil rigs in the gulf, so close to shore.

Tuesday we drove up to Rockport, which is next to Goose Island State Park.  We decided that we had made the right choice in staying on Mustang Island, with its 5 miles of beach.   While there, we visited the 'Big Tree', a live oak, which considered the oldest tree in the USA, over 1000 years old.  It  makes a person feel very young.

 On our way back to the trailer we stopped at a bird viewing area to enjoy some cinnamon treats we had picked up in a bakery.   While on the ferry coming back to Mustang Island we saw several dolphins cross in front the ferry. 

Wednesday was a perfect beach day. We stayed at the park, spending 3 hours walking along the beach going south. While walking along the beach we saw a dolphin in the Gulf, between the shore and the oil platforms.  We also saw a boat dock at one of the platforms.  

Thursday morning we again walked along the shore, this time heading north. It was a little cooler than the day before, with an east wind blowing the surf up higher.   In a addition to the many gulls, there were also several pelicans fishing, and blue herons watching the action, as well as many other little sandpipers.

There was a jellyfish that had just washed up on the beach.  It had a pattern that looked just like
 a shamrock.  

We noticed some yellow flowers on the dunes on our way back to the campground.

Week ending Jan 16, 2014 Gonzales, Palmetto, Lockhart, Corpus Cristi

A couple of the houses from our tour of Gonzales we mentioned last week.


Friday dawned warm, but damp; a showery day. We drove to Lockhart, designated as the "Barbecue Capital of Texas".  We walked around the historic downtown district, and went through the Dr. Eugene Clark Library which is the oldest library in Texas which has been continually in use. 

The courthouse building is quite a sight. Some people feel it is beautiful, others that it is too flamboyant. You can decide for yourself.
 

We had to partake of another barbecue, so we went to Smitty's Market.  We were amazed by stacks of mesquite logs in their yard ready to fuel the barbecues. 




We are fast learners, so we bought ribs to take home for dinner. That way we can have a salad with it. We purchased what we thought was enough for 2 nights, but it ended up being enough for 3 meals. Really a tasty treat.

Saturday was a sunny and warm, in the low 20's, the kind of day we hope to see more often.  We did a short walk in the morning, around Oxbow Lake in the park. On our way back to the trailer we had a visit with one of the campground hosts whose job that day was to rent the canoes at the lake.  After an early lunch we drove into Gonzales to McDonald's, so that we could have an email conversation with Dominique. Finding wi-fi in this area is not easy, but we knew it was available there, and the library closes at noon on Saturday. We got back to the trailer in time for John to watch football.

Sunday after doing pilates we walked the trails we had not yet done in this park. We again saw many deer and lots of birds. We chatted to a fellow camper who was a weekend camper from San Antonio. He enjoys this park and comes here often. After lunch John watched football and Joan did housework.  We then both watched some of the Alberta and Manitoba women's curling championships.

Monday was moving day. It seemed like a shame to waste such a sunny hot day driving, but moving day is moving day. We relocated to Lake Corpus Christi State Park where we got a decent full service site with a view of the lake.  This state park does have wi-fi, but not very good.  When we were picking out a site, we checked the wi-fi signal from the truck as we drove through the park.  We picked one of the sites closest to the bathroom buiding where the signal comes from.  It turned out that we still couldn't get the signal in the trailer, so we have to walk over to some picnic tables between the trailer and the building.

Tuesday was a fantastic day weather wise. We did a walk in the park, visited the old pavilion, a beautiful old building which was built the Civilian Conservation Corps created by Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression.

We saw some deer, but so far none of the javelina or bobcats they promised were prolific in the park. The afternoon was spent sitting out enjoying the sun. How nice to be more than comfortable wearing summer clothes. We refuse to turn on our air conditioner on principle, but other people had theirs running.

Wednesday we drove into Corpus Christi.  We stopped at a Bank of America, which also had one of their signs saying the ATM's were for their account holders only.  Since this wasn't Sunday, we were able to get clarification from an employee who explained that we could use the drive-ups.  The signs were only to keep customers from other banks from complaining that they were charged a service charge for using the ATM's.   We didn't think that should be necessary in this day and age, but we figure some people need everything spelled out for them.

Our next stop was the visitor information to pick up maps of the area, as well as some suggestions as to what we should see and do in the area.  Then we went to the USS Lexington Museum, which is one of the aircraft carriers from World War II.  We completed 5 self-guided tours one on each deck of the ship, taking 2 1/2 hours, and found it very interesting.  We had done a guided tour of the USS Constitution in Boston about 18 years ago, but found the self-guided tour much more to our liking, as we could set our own pace. We spoke to a volunteer on the flight deck who confirmed that the Blue Angels where the US Navy's answer to Canada's Snowbirds. It is quite  the ship, with a power-plant large enough to power a city of 150,000 people, and enough sleeping space for 3500.  By the time we had done the tour, we figured that was enough for one day, so will have to return to Corpus another day to do more sight-seeing.  

Thursday is another warm sunny day, so we will spend it exploring other areas of the park while enjoying the sunshine. 

A tip to full timers told us by a fellow full timer is 6-4-2 rule. Six people for cocktails, four for dinner and 2 for sleeping.

Week ending Jan 9, 2014 San Antonio, Palmetto SP, Gonzales

Friday we did a drive to check out some state parks in the area for our next stop. Lockhart state park has a golf course, but no wi-fi and small sites.  Palmetto state park has wi-fi at the office, decent sites and lots of hiking. 

 

Saturday was laundry day. Then we walked around the campground, and  John watched playoff football, while Joan did some surfing for future campgrounds.

Sunday we went on a money hunt.   The San Marcos Bank of America only had drive-up ATM's, with a sign telling us they could only be used by BofA account holders.    We looked for the next closest one, toward Austin, and it turned out to be the same.   Not too far from it, on the south edge of Austin, we found a stand-alone ATM in the parking lot of strip mall, which worked for us. We then made a trip to Buc-ees for diesel and some traveling candy. They have a huge wall of sugar-free candy, so we got a couple of types to try out.

Monday we moved to Palmetto State park for a week. The weather has turned cold again, down to  -3 C this morning with a high of only about 5. The low tonight is forecast to be  - 4 C. The good news is that the high tomorrow is supposed to be 17 C.   We were put in a site just across the road from another Titanium.  The people that own it are from PEI.  We had a visit with them and exchanged tours to compare our trailers.  Theirs was laid out quite differently, as they only have a slide-out on one side, and had converted a bunk-bed area in the back into storage spaces.   They were the second couple we have encountered who found it cheaper to get a second-hand semi-tractor rather than a pickup.

Our first morning at Palmetto dawned a chilly -7C. What's up with that?!!.  The park attendant had come by late the afternoon to set the water taps in the park to a slow drip.  

The chill didn't stop the deer from coming to have a breakfast snack at the meadow behind us, or the cardinal from perching on a tree to watch the Calgary Global news through our window.  

 The buzzards were sitting in the trees with their wings spread out in the sun a bit later, still - 3 at the time. I really don't think they would be warming up very quickly.  Once breakfast was over we drove in to San Antonio to visit the Alamo.  What a difference it was today from a couple of weeks ago.  We were able to enjoy the sight better with very few people, and no kids now that they are back to school.    

As we were admiring a papaya tree, with the leaves and fruit frozen, a lady from Ontario came over to talk to us. She was enjoying her trip away from the frozen weather in Ontario.  On our way back to Palmetto we stopped in Seguin at El Charo, a Mexican restaurant with pretty decent food. As in all Texas restaurants they serve enough for 2 meals, so we set aside half for an instant replay for dinner.   After a stop at our second  Buc-ees for diesel we returned campground.  Our stop at the campground office to pick up our email proved futile. The wi-fi is very poor.  In fact in our opinion might just as well not exist, so we will have to do email and the blog when we are in a town.

Wednesday the weather finally changed, and temperatures are more normal for the area. In fact we are not expecting  any more below zero nights as far out as the forecast goes. We spent the day in the park walking some of the trails. There are cactus and palmettos growing within a few feet of each other.  

A close-up of some palmetto plants. 

It was hard to believe that desert and swamp plants reside next to each other.  We are enjoying watching the northern cardinals play around the back of the trailer.  There are also huge flocks of buzzards, covering the branches of several large trees, which are interesting as well, but not as attractive as the other wildlife. 

Thursday we awoke to a herd of deer eating in the meadow behind the trailer.    We decided to do another historical day, and perhaps pick up some groceries as a bonus.   We drove a few miles south to Gonzales, a town of about 7,000 people.  It was the first capital of Texas, and the town where the Texas Revolution actually started, the year before the battle at the Alamo.  The town had picked up a small cannon from the Mexican garrison in San Antonio to help scare off Indians in the area.  When the government heard rumours of revolution in Texas, they requested that the cannon be returned.  The town challenged them to 'Come and take it', which the troops were unable to accomplish.  The town has an annual festival celebrating the event.  

The original capital building, which was later the courthouse, is very beautiful.  

 Our first stop was the visitor information center, which turned out to be very fortunate.   We were looking for the guide to the historic driving tour of town, and found out that they provide free guided tours from volunteers who are experts in the local history.   Leon has written a pamphlet 'Ghosts of Gonzales'.  This is a remarkable little town with a history routed in the cotton industry and cattle. Many of the cattle barons and cotton planters vied with one another building mansions in town, in addition to their homes on their ranches.   Most of the houses are still in wonderful condition.  We didn't get a chance to take pictures during the drive, but will get some later today and post a few in the next blog.

Week ending Jan 02, 2014 San Antonio, Canyon Lake, Hamilton Pool

Friday  we decided it was time to visit the Alamo in San Antonio.  

Since it was the holidays, the line-ups were huge, so after skipping the main building and going through the barracks we headed for the river walk

which goes by San Fernando Cathedral. 

 What an interesting area.  It can not be explored with only one visit.   We will have to go back when it is a little quieter.  We stopped at Micalinas on the river for lunch. As it was drizzly and cold we were lucky enough to get a table right under a heater.   By the time lunch was over we had warmed up.

Saturday we drove out to Guadalupe River State Park.   As many state parks don't have sites appropriate for our trailer we thought we would check the campground out before moving out there. The park was nice, we did a short hike and then went down to the river for a picnic lunch. 

On our way back to the trailer we did a scenic drive over the Devils Backbone, a spine between two valleys, which made for a really neat drive.   The pictures just don't do justice to the views.

Sunday was a beautiful sunny warm day.  We spent the morning walking around the RV park, visiting with some of our neighbours.   After lunch Joan decided that the Outlet malls wouldn't be busy because of all the football games, so off she went to the outlet mall, while John stayed to watch football. After driving around a crazy busy mall parking lot, with cars waiting in the aisles for a parking spot she gave up and came back to the trailer.

Monday we headed out to Canyon Lake  where we did a short hike at the dam.   In 2002 a flash flood caused the reservoir to rise 7 feet over the spillway, passing 1.5 times the reservoir's capacity through the area in a few days, cutting the river below the dam an extra 40 feet deep.  

 We then checked out another campground in the area. It is a Arm of Corp Engineer campground on the edge of the lake.  We had lunch at the picnic site at the top of the Devils backbone. A really picturesque spot overlooking valleys on both sides of the road. Target and Wal-Mart were our stops on the way back to the trailer.

New Years Eve was a beautiful warm day.  We found information on a park that sounded as if it deserved exploration. We went to Hamilton Pool Preserve Park of Travis County Parks.The  lady at the entrance was the friendliest person we have encountered. After  we paid our 10.00 entrance fee the lady asked if either of us was over 62.  When we said yes, she handed back the money. Free for seniors. On the hike down to the waterfall we walked past a sign that indicates this Preserve is  listed by the Audubon society as an 'important place' due to the variety of birds in the area. What an amazing spot. One of the most picturesque places we have been so far. Not a long walk, but reasonably steep. The grotto where people swim was amazing. And had we known and been brave enough to swim in 48 F water we could have gone swimming. We could not even convince any of the younger visitors to take a dip.  

We stopped at Cabelas on our way back to the trailer to pick up another weather station, to get a second outside sensor to keep track of the temperature under the trailer in the compartment through which the water lines run.

The first day of 2014 we spent hiking back at Canyon Lake. We encountered some horseback riders in the trail with whom we had a short visit.

Thursday we took a farm road out to Wimberley, a really funky little town whose motto is "Keep Wimberley Weirder" (Austin's motto is "Keep Austin Weird").    We found some parking in Cypress Creek Park next to the shops.  

We wandered down main street and perused the stores and bought a few things. It is a great little place and had numerous stores with odd items in them.  After our visit to Wimberley we stopped by Wal-Mart for Joan to get a haircut and then headed out to Middleton Brewery, which we had driven past several times and just had to check out.  The patrons were very friendly and we chatted to a couple who had lived in Calgary for a couple of years.  He worked for Fluor for over 30 years and now that he is retired they live at Canyon Lake.