From Port "A" to Winnie,TX

Last night we decided it was time to move on. Port "A" was a wonderful stop, but there are lots of places we've yet to see and we only have three weeks left on this trip. Should our travels bring us back this way, Port "A" will be on the list of places to stop.
As I looked south on the beach last night, I could see the red/blue flashing lights of the police. They must have been having a field day where all the kids are camped out.
We dumped our tanks & filled with water at the County RV Park in Port "A", $4.00, then we headed to the free TX State ferry that crosses the inlet. This is the shortest ferry ride we've ever been on. Couldn't have taken five minutes or so from loading to exit. As we drove East, there were lots of RV's heading West; probably to Port "A".
We stopped at the HEB grocery store and WalMart in Aransas Pass. Filled up with gas at $3.36/gallon. Decent as current gas prices go.
Lunch time found us in Palacios. We found a nice place to park near the city marina. Lots of shrimp boats. Reminded us of Cayo Weso.
As we were driving along TX 521, we crossed the Colorado River and noticed a sign saying "FM 521 River Park". In we went. Turns out this is a free camping park of Matagora County. What a great find. We're here for the night. It's us an one travel trailer full of children & parents on a weekend camping trip.
We've camped on the Colorado River several times over the years. It begins in the Rocky Mountain National Park then flows south to the Gulf of Mexico. By the time it gets this far south, the water is pretty disgusting. I wouldn't let Gopher to swimming.

We've stumbled onto some of the neatest camping areas over the years. Frequently when we set out, like today, we only have a general destination in mind. Quite often some real discovery just pops up. Like right now for instance.

SUNDAY:
We drove to Brazoria for the 11:00 mass. I've endured some miserable sermons over the years but this might have been the worst. The sermon was both disjointed and rambling. I thought it would never end. If the priest was trying to make a point, it eluded me.
The Garmin GPS identified a Krogers grocery store in Freeport so we headed there being a bit tired of WalMart. The Krogers simply wasn't there. That's not the first time that's happened to us.
We continued south to the Gulf Coast at Quintana Pass. The plan was to boondock on the jetty for the night. The place was just littered with trash. Some blowing around on the ground; some holding fishing poles. Instead I decided to take the coast road towards Galveston. North of Freeport/Surfside Beach, I spotted some beach access roads. After looking at two, I found one that looked nice and solid so we parked on the beach once again. There were lots of Spring Breakers but no other RV's in sight. I asked a patrolling sheriff deputy if it was OK to stay overnight. He said camping for up to 15 days is allowed. No fee. So here we are, all alone once again. I can see a car each way along the beach perhaps a mile from us. It just doesn't get much better. I sure wish Florida had some camping areas like this. We've driven the Lazy Daze on the beach near Daytona and again north of Jacksonville, but you're not allowed to camp overnight.

MONDAY:
We drove to Galveston this morning. Did the laundry and stopped by WalMart. Again.
After Galveston, we continued north to the city campground in Winnie, TX. There is a free TX state ferry that takes you across the harbor from Galveston to the Bolivor Peninsula. The ferry goes right past the Seawolf park where there are two submarines and a Destroyer Escort. The USS Cavala is very similar to the submarines I served on many years ago.
Today, we got the heavy rain I was hoping for. Our beach camping days are over for this trip and I wanted a good rain to wash all the sand & salt spray off.
We spent the night at the Winnie-Stowell County Park in Winnie, TX. No one here but us.
Tomorrow we go on to Louisiana. We've really enjoyed the Texas part of our trip, especially all the beautiful beach camping.
We spent ten days camping in Texas. Our total "campground" cost was $12. That was for the annual beach parking permit at Port Aransas.
I didn't feel like cooking tonight so I used the internet to find a good Cajun restaurant just five minutes from the campground. The place was packed with locals; always a good sign.

Port Aransas aka Port "A"

We've become to like Port Aransas. Touristy, yes, but of a decent quality rather then endless cheap T-shirt joints, hot dog stands & such. Reminds us a lot of the nicer Cape Cod summer resort towns with the seasons reversed. Given that we have no special plans and don't need to be home until April 1st, we'll probably spend a few more days here.
This morning we filled up with propane then found a place with an Boat/RV wash. The camper got soaked with salt water the day we camped on the beach at Padre Island. There was a very strong wind right off the Gulf. We treated ourself to a nice lunch today then headed back to the beach. We parked along the jetty next to the Aransas Pass. It's fun watching the fisherman and boat traffic. This Pass leads to the port of Corpus Cristi. All the ships we saw carried a liquid cargo of some type. Oil, chemicals, etc.

Another warm & sunny day.

FRIDAY:
We started the day by treating ourself to breakfast. Carol had a vanilla chi tea and a wonderful blueberry cobbler. I had a strata and some fruit. After that we headed to the jetty for the day. I wanted to walk out to the end of the jetty so off I went with Gopher. We were doing fine until a big wave slapped into the jetty making a loud noise. She hates loud noises. On the 4th of July, we always go to a campground where fireworks are prohibited. I convinced her to continue on but then we came to a blow hole. You know, a place where water shoots up every time a big wave comes along. She heard the noise then up came the water. That was the end of her and the jetty. What a wimp. I took her back and walked to the end by myself.
We identified a few more birds today. A larus delawarensis, a sterna maxima and an ardea herodias that was bumming food on the jetty.
About 3:00 we too a ride south on the beach for perhaps five miles. We came across the area where all the kids were congregating. The first clue was all the police cars. There had to be a dozen or so. :-) A real bummer for the kids. The local rag said all sixteen officers of the Port "A" police department would be working this week. Turns out, we're in the quieter family area closer to town.
Port "A" is a very tourist, and RV, oriented community. We're recommend it if you're in the area.

A new view.

The Dumpster Emptier guys start early in Three Rivers and the campground must come first on their route. :-) Even if it wasn't Dumpster day, there is no sleeping in. The oil workers also get an early start. The standard issue truck is a Ford F-350 Diesel. Diesel truck owners all think the engine must he idled for at least thirty minutes before it's OK to drive. RV owners are no better in that respect. Consequently, we got an early start yesterday. I don't think Woodall's rates this campground, but if it did, I can't imagine it getting even a half star. We've been trying to think of a worse place we've stayed, but only Flying J comes quickly to mind. It does make for a memory.

We finished the long drive to the Gulf Coast arriving at the Padre Island National Seashore about mid-morning. I had been there before when Gopher & I made our Spring trip together back when Carol was still working, so we headed for the South Beach Primitive camping area. The lady at the park entry gate advised against beach camping. The beach driveability was rated as "poor" because of extensive areas of soft sand. That was an excellent recommendation.
Mostly it was just us on the beach. There were two RV's from Ontario and another few down the beach further. It was overcast & windy but what a change of view.

This morning, it was cool and very windy. We were getting sandblasted just stepping outside so we decided to take a ride around the park. There is a formal RV camping area called Malaquite Beach, For $8/day you get your own chunk of asphalt jammed next to your neighbors chunk of asphalt. There is a dune walkover so your feet don't get all sandy. The dune blocks your view of the Gulf and help keep the salt air from blowing on your RV. There were only two empty spaces. I glad most RV'ers are the KOA type campers. Saves the best places for us. There is a camping area called Bird Island Basin. Much like Malaquite but instead of getting asphalt, you only get crushed stone but it's only $4/night. Finally, there is another beach primitive camping area called North Beach. Very nice; much like the South Beach area.
After finishing our tour of the park, we decided to just poke around here & there. It's a very pretty area. Lots of beach access points. The County sells a beach parking permit for $12/year. That allows use, parking & camping on the beach. We bought the permit. We kept drifting north eventually arriving at Port Aransas. Port "A" as it's known, is a very touristy place. Lots of shops, vacation rentals, restaurants, fishing charter boats, and such. They do have a very nice beach camping area so here we are for the next day or so. Need to get our $12/permit's worth. Found a small bakery and bought a Texas sized cinnamon bun for me and a wonderful berry cobbler for Carol. We then got some Bar-B-Que takeout and went to the City marina for a picnic lunch.
The wind is still strong but I was able to park in such a way to minimize it's impact on us. Clear & sunny.

Yet another wonderful day.

Continuing to the Gulf Coast

It was a beautiful morning on Amistad Reservoir. The Border Patrol was out early today in their boats. The reservoir is part of the border with Mexico. I suspect some illegals try to swim across. Hence the very derogatory term "wet back".
Saw a very interesting solar power setup today. The panels were stacked three high and mounted on a lazy susan sort of platform. There were ropes hanging off the side of the RV that, I suspect, were used to rotate the panels to follow the sun. Very clever for the serious boondocker.

The drive today, was through West Texas oil country. Business is clearly booming. There are wells everywhere. The truck traffic on the two lane roads we were using was very heavy. Lots of oil service companies. There were RV "parks" here & there set up for the workers. I suppose some enterprising person put in a well, a septic system & power ( a generator perhaps?) then rented the sites for a princely sum. The trailers were stacked on top of each other. We saw this same routine in South Dakota last year. Given the bone chilling temperatures in SD, I'd move to TX if I was an oil service worker. Rather deal with the hot TX summers then the -20* SD winters.

Not everyone in Quemado prospers.

In Three Rivers, we stayed at the City campground. There were only two empty sites; the rest being rented to oil field workers. The campground is located on the shallow and muddy Frio River. On the other side of the river is a Valero oil refinery. :-) The smell is interesting, at best. Oh well, it's all part of our Great Adventure. What do you expect for $12/night with full hookups and five TV channels with three being in English? A bubbling stream in the mountains of CO? A cliff overlooking the Pacific? One more fun memory. Years from now, this is the sort of thing we'll recall and chuckle about.

We finished a healthy dinner of spaghetti squash and sauce so Gopher & I set out to explore the 'hood. As expected, most vehicles had either TX or LA plates. Two big oil producing states. There are two guys sitting out next to a horse trailer. Home I suspect.
I never realized how noisy refineries are. A lot of pumps & motors & such I guess. There is a good sized pipe dumping a fluid of some type into the river. Most likely distilled water you suppose? Not to fear. I hear the Teabags plan on coming down hard on the EPA because they are pressing the TX oil industry to reduce pollution. We're in good hands. I still remember "W" telling me that a little arsenic in my water was actually good for me. Up until then, I never knew that. I rarely get involved in political issues. Don't have the time. Having fun is very time consuming you know. Some days it just wears me out.
The environment does concern me because it directly impacts the things most important to Carol & I. The future health of our children, grandchildren, their kids, on & on depends heavily on decisions we make today. Air & water pollution must be dealt with aggressively. If it means higher taxes and prices, I'm willing to do my share plus some of me neighbors share if required.

And the beat goes on.

On to Amistad National Recreation Area

We had a good night. No trains at all, at least none we heard. Between the double pane windows and form insulation, it's very quiet inside.
We entered Central Time yesterday so my internal clock is still off a bit. I was up & about by 6am. I noticed we had our own personal security guard last night. The Border Patrol is everywhere around here.

Our short term goal is the Padre Island National Seashore; hopefully before the herds of college kids get there. Today we drove to the Amistad National Recreation area near Del Rio. A 4+ hour drive through some very pretty country. At the Visitors Center a very nice lady directed us to a campground. As we drove there, I saw sign saying Road Closed Ahead. Sure enough, the campground was closed because of flooding. I would have thought she'd have known that. Oh well. The map we picked up at the Visitor Center showed another campground not that far away. It's called 277 North because it's on the north side of "old" 277.
Water!! We haven't seen *real* water for quite some time. Gopher had a nice swim. Some of the ground in dirt washed off. Cost per night with the Old Age Card? $2.00.
A basic, no frills campground but right on the lake. There is an area with a dump & water fill about 7 miles away off Hwy 90. Don't need it, but it's available. It's called Diablo East and isn't far from the Visitor Center.

A major mystery!!

New places. New faces.

We headed out this morning about 9am. Our destination for the day is Marfa, Tx. A long 5 hour drive. I never realized just how big El Paso, TX is. The congestion on I-10 goes on forever. Once we got to Van Horn we were able to take US 90 south to Marfa. No more I-10 in Texas.
Hwy 90 goes through cattle country. Huge ranches & feed lots. There was a very small town of Valentine; population of just over 200. Valentine has seen better days. Over the years, we've driven through hundreds of towns all over America much like Valentine. We wonder what they must have been like during their heyday. Wonder who owned the HiWay Cafe & when it thrived and when it closed. One of the exterior walls and roof collapsed many years ago. No open stores in Valentine but there was a library. Interesting.

When we got to Marfa, Carol spotted the DQ sign. We got one small Blizzard and split it three ways. We're trying to get better. The last time I took Gopher to the vets I got yelled at. She's not supposed to weigh one pound over 50#. Of course Dr. Gill could stand to loose 25# or more. I always wonder why some doctors are fat nd why some smoke.
At any rate, we drove around Marfa looking at the old buildings, courthouse, etc and then continued on to our "campground" for the night. The Marfa Mystery Lights Viewing Center located about 8 miles south of Marfa on Hwy 90.




http://www.astronomycafe.net/weird/lights/marfa.htm

The website and attached photograph, explain it all in detail but in a nutshell "Since the beginning of recorded history strange luminous phenomena have been observed frolicking low above the desert west of Marfa in a region known as Mitchell Flat,". Marfa has built a cottage industry around these lights. The State built a very nice viewing area with two large parking areas, bathrooms, telescopes, benches, etc. Overnight parking is permitted to allow viewing of the lights. It's just us once again. Nice after being "camped" in "resorts" for the last week. We swapped the Casino airport noise for the I-10 noise at the "resort" we just left for train noise. Tomorrow we should be camped along a nice lake. Quieter I should hope.
I might have gotten a picture of the Mystery Light, but it may also have been the Visitor Center bathroom window. Can't be sure. The Chamber of Commerce wants it to be the lights.:-)
Another most interesting day.

On to Texas

We said our goodbyes to our friends this morning and headed out about 10:00am. The final rig count was 16 with 8 being from the SW states. The rest were visitors like us.
Drove to Deming, NM via a Safeway & WalMart. We're staying at the Dream Catcher SKP Park. It's not much as SKP parks go; basically a parking lot with FHU. $12.50/night + electric of about another dollar or so. It's very convenient to I-10. Can't complain. Did the laundry for only a dollar. We needed one last place to take long, hot showers, dump our tanks and take on water. This will be the last opportunity for the next week. Back to boondocking.
It was very windy today. Fortunately it was a tailwind all the way. I don't keep track of my mileage but if I did, I might see 10mpg vs a more typical 9.
In the morning, we continue on to Marfa, TX; a five hour drive. Ugh.
Gas around here runs from $3.49 to $3.79/gallon.

Benson SW Lazy Daze Group GTG

SUNDAY:

We're all settled into the Pato Blanco Lakes RV Resort in Benson, AZ.
The last two nights we camped in the parking lot of the Desert Diamond Casino in Tucson.
Compare & contrast:
Desert Diamond: Paved sites,view of RV's, airport noise,walk to some good restaurants,no hookups,well lighted, roving security patrols,free.
Pato Blanco Resort: Dirt sites,view of RV's, I-10 noise,no nearby restaurants,full hookups, minimal lighting & security, $24/night.
Were it not for the Lazy Daze GTG, we would not be here. I would get water & dump tanks in Tucson, and head to the desert. To be fair, it is nice having electricity with such cold temperatures expected and Carol's having fun flipping through 50, or so, cable TV channels. There will be time enough for boondocking next week as we explore the Texas Gulf Coast.

Jack & Jennette Walker from the SE Group are here. Chatted with Jack for a while until we both got too cold. Jim & Gayle Cummings stopped by. They are attending the GTG but staying elsewhere in town tonight. Good choice, Jim & Gayle.

MONDAY:
Woke up to 25* this morning. There was a layer of frost on the picnic tables. By days end, it was in the high 60's; just perfect weather.
Jim, Gayle & Debby scaled Mt. Pato Blanco today. The crest provides a panoramic view of I-10. I tried to get Gopher to hike the hill with me but she just wasn't interested. Some types of terrain are hard on her paws. Sometimes she just stops walking and, from the look on her face, it's clear she doesn't want to proceed so I don't force her.
A number of years ago, before Carol had her stroke, Gopher & I were hiking in the woods; don't recall just where. The trail was easy; nothing to hurt her feet. All of a sudden she stopped, looked into the woods, turned around and started pulling in the direction we just came. I tried to get her to continue where we were heading but she just wouldn't do it. I finally figured that she had sensed something that frightened her that I was not aware of. Trusting her senses, we turned around and headed back at a pretty good pace.

Don't have a clue what it was. An animal? person? A dogs sense of smell and hearing is just so superior to ours. Sometimes I think dogs have a sense of some type that we don't; some type of a "feeling" about people. I've come to trust her and will not force her to go where she simply doesn't want to go.

I didn't take a rig count, but someone said there were 17 rigs here. States represented: CA,AZ,OR,OH,TN,FL,IA,NV& SD. We knew about a third of the people from either the Balloon Fiesta, "Q", or previous GTG's we've attended. Of the 17 rigs, I think less then half are active members of sponsoring SW Group. Not at all surprising. At our SE Group GTG's a lot of those attending are people wintering in FL. Dick & June from the Great Lakes Group were here. We've camped with them a few times before.Don & Carol Ashley were here as well. When we were picking up our '08 LD, Don & Carol invited us to attend a Caravan Club Rally.
All in all, another wonderful day.

TUESDAY:
The group photo was taken this morning. The photographer lined everyone up against the side of our camper because the lighting was good.
Besides the good company, today's highlight was the Pot Luck Supper. As always, more great food then people could eat.
It's nice having the time to get to know people better. Our next door neighbors are from Oregon. Al & Anna; two very nice people. We spent a good bit of time chatting with them.

WEDNESDAY:
Today most people went to the nearby Karchner Caverns SP. Carol doesn't like going into deep holes in the ground so we stayed behind to hold down the fort. Tom Gatchell asked if I would dog sit Penny so I did. Mostly she layed around in the shade keeping cool. It's supposed to hit 80* today. Now & then I took Penny for a little walk.
Mt. Pato Blanco kept calling to me so after lunch, I got Gopher, my sometimes reluctant hiking partner, and we summited the peak. The hike wasn't worth a Rocky Balboa type celebration, but it was OK.
Was it worth it? Well it wasn't Yellowstone but to the north was a great view of the I-10 corridor. South was the campground and housing developments.

Nothing else on todays schedule. Just hanging out with some really great company.

THURSDAY:
Had the pot luck breakfast this morning. We made an apple sauce cake that went over very well. a very simply, one bowl receipt I picked up on the Escapee Forum.
It seems that half, or more, of those in attendance, are Escapees.
At breakfast, we were reminded that Spring Break is starting in waves all across the country. Our plan is to follow the Gulf Coast all the way to FL. Time will tell how our travel plans are impacted. Just depends on the timing of Spring Break for the colleges. Someone pointed out that colleges are really discouraging trips to Mexico so the US beaches are likely to be worse then usual. Rats!!

Had an interesting chat with Al from Oregon tonight about the prospect of $4-$5 gas. He observed that at his (any my) age, there are only a limited number of years left. He's not going to sit out a year or so of that life, just because gas is expensive. Carol & I reached that conclusion years ago. We don't care what gas costs. It will not slow us down even a little bit.

The evening social was as enjoyable as ever. I bought a SW Group decal from Lisa to put on our back window. Lisa designed the decal; she's very creative. Carol gave everyone a Maxine print her brother Johnny had autographed. Wherever we're anywhere even close to a SW GTG, we'll attend.

In the morning we head east to the SKP park in Deming, NM with a stop at WalMart & Safeway along the way. Then south to El Paso followed by a slow drift to Corpus Cristi, via Del Rio and then to the Padre Island National Seashore. I've set aside a week to get to Padre Island. Depending on the Spring Break insanity, we may stay at the Amistad National Recreation Area near Del Rio until things on the coast settle down a little.
We'll see.