Trip to South Texas

On Friday, April 17^th, we headed down to Cedar Blue for a couple of days.  I had resigned from the Board of Directors because of some problems with one of the Board members.  While there on Friday two of the Board members met with us to discuss the problems as they were experiencing many of the same.  By the end of the meeting it was agreed that they wanted me back on the Board and planned to take all this up at the meeting the following day, which they did.  They were able to get a lot of the problems out on the table and filled an empty position with a person I respect who has no problem dealing with our problem child.  After the meetings the Board requested a meeting with me and asked if I would take back my resignation, which I did, so we will see what happens from this point forward.  My guess is the man that was a problem will either resign or not show up for meetings.  He showed absolutely no remorse, offered no apology, but just seemed to sit there seething.  Oh well.

After our meeting on Friday I felt like I was getting sick.  John had just finished up with an upper respiratory infection and I had just had bronchitis in January and yet here it was coming on again.  I spent much of Saturday in bed sleeping so I would be able to help with the driving to Texas.

On Sunday we headed to Leander, TX just northwest of Austin and spent the night in the KOA there.  It was a very nice campground with an absolutely huge fenced, grassy dog run.  Our dogs love to run but all they ever want to do in these runs is smell.  They just don’t run at all.  I felt well enough to drive but could tell I wasn’t getting any better.  Just loaded up on cold medicine.  On Monday we headed out to Rockport, TX.  Our Mapquest directions were kind of funky getting us out of Austin and didn’t agree with our trucker’s GPS so we decided to follow the GPS.  I told it to avoid toll roads, which it did and we actually sailed through Austin just fine.  I always worry about driving a rig our size and towing a vehicle through big cities and try to route around them but I had absolutely no feelings of anxiety.  Just followed the GPS and did just fine.  I guess I’m getting pretty used to handling our rig.  As the day went on though I really started felling worse and worse and it was getting harder to breath.  We stopped for lunch and then John took over.  Finding places to stop an eat as well a gas can always be a bit of a challenge because we have to be able to get in and out of these places.  Thank goodness for the satellite view on the Maps program.  We found a chicken place that seemed to have a large gravel lot at the back we could drive into and around the back of the place to get out.

We arrived at the Sandollar RV and Motel Resort in Fulton, TX which is right on the water.  It’s a nice, quiet park with these huge trees.  It seems like there are several RVs in here that are setup permanently or long-term.  Once we got setup I decided I had no choice but to search out an urgent care facility.  We found one nearby and the folks there were wonderful.  I’m having some insurance problems and the lady there worked through them very patiently with the insurance company and then they saw me quickly.  I have an upper respiratory infection so they gave me a steroid shot, z-pack and strong cough medicine.  The steroid shot smarted for a while but definitely helped with the breathing so I’m feeling much better.  We caught dinner after that and then went home and I just rested.  Tomorrow we hope to start checking out other RV resorts to compare them so we can decide which ones are possibilities for wintering in.  We are looking at ease of access, cost, pet friendly, access to propane, things to do and so on.  Some of these places can cost several hundred dollars plus electric and we aren’t interested in paying through the nose.  We just need clean, pet friendly and affordable.  There seems to be lots to do along the coast here and we also want to check out where we can maybe do some volunteer work as well.

On Tuesday we went out and checked out some other RV resorts but so far didn’t find much that we liked better than the park we are currently in.  I’m sure we will check out a few more before we leave.  I’m amazed at how many of these parks are filled up with full-time year-round residents.  I’m guessing we will have to put in our request for a spot several months in advance.  We also ventured down to Aransas Pass and then took the FREE car ferry over to Port Aransas.  While we were waiting to drive onto a ferry we were wondering if they could handle motorhomes and then we saw a full sized semi so I guess that answered that question.  As we were departing we also saw a motorhome towing a vehicle headed in the direction of the ferry.  I have to find out how they run these ferries and not charge for them. 

We headed out to the beach road along the Gulf.  You can drive up and down the beach for free but you have to be in a licensed vehicle and they treat the sand road just like a city street.  We parked for a bit and got out and walked along the water with the girls.  April got a taste of the salt water and didn’t seem too thrilled with it.  A nice lady passing by stopped to chat and then pointed out some man o wars that had washed ashore by us.  They weren’t large but apparently they inflict a painful sting.  So we pulled back from the water as we weren’t interested in getting stung nor having the girls get stung.  There were places where we could park the RV for the day if we wanted to drive it down to the shore which sounded like something we might want to do at some point if we winter down here.  Being able to sit right by the shore for a day and evening with the amenities of home with us and a place for the girls to be safe was appealing. 

Wednesday was a rainy day and we spent most of it at the RV.  Played some cards, read, walked the dogs and found a small seafood restaurant to have dinner in.  The weather has been iffy and we’ve needed to pay attention to it.  There has been a lot of rain but there were high winds and hail to watch for as well.  Thank goodness it all missed us on Wednesday but we may not be so lucky the rest of the week. 

On Thursday we headed down to Corpus Christi and out to the National Reserve on Padre Island with the girls.  We drove about 3 miles down the narrow strip of sand enjoying the surf and letting the girls run around in it.  I could easily setup a comfy chair out there to read and just enjoy a peaceful day.  I imagine winters may be a bit cooler out there but still fun.  We drove down there through Corpus which is about 35 miles down the road from Rockport.  Then followed the causeway out to the island.  To return we stayed on the island and took the highway up to Port Aransas and then caught the ferry back to Aransas Pass which is just 10 miles down the road.  At some point I will need to bathe the girls as they were completely soaked in salt water but they and John crashed for the rest of the afternoon after returning to the RV. 

We spent Friday just snooping around Rockport and taking it easy.  On Saturday, we headed up to Spring, TX.  In order to miss Houston as much as possible we followed highway 77 north to Giddings, TX and then down 290 toward Tomball where we crossed over north Houston on FM2920.  It was about 30 miles but an easy drive on 4-lane road.  At I-45 we just headed up the service road a couple of miles to Rayford Road, then east a mile to our turn to Rayford Crossing RV Park.  Piece of cake and didn’t have to mess with any of those awful interstates through Houston. 

Rayford Crossing RV Park is a nice medium sized park with lots of nice amenities.  The sites are all cement and it sits back in a huge treed area.  You would never know you were anywhere near I-45 and all the craziness.  Very quiet and secluded.  It was a great place to get to things easily and very close to our family and friends for visiting.  We spent the week visiting with Maggie’s sister and brother-in-law, playing cards, checking out some restaurants and just taking it easy.  The girls were welcome in Maggie’s sister’s home which was great and they were well behaved.  We took one day to drive over to Livingston, TX to check out the Escapees RV headquarters, park and care center.  They have a very unique care center unlike any place in the country.  They have 32 sites for RVs where singles or couples can stay while needed to recuperate from a medical situation or surgery or if they need some extended assistance.  You stay in your RV and they provide you with 3 meals, snacks and beverages daily, weekly laundry, biweekly housecleaning, help with dumping your tanks, transportation to shopping and medical care and so on for a very reasonable fee – about $900 for a single and $1300 for a couple.  You pay your own electric.  They have a nurse on staff and most of the help are other Escapee volunteers.  There are 7 RV sites for volunteers who only pay their electric and work about 24 hours a week with 2 days a week off.  Most of their work is in the main building helping with meals and the residents. 

We also checked out Livingston and they have a huge lake there that is lovely with a beautiful state park and lots of camping spots.  On our last day in Spring we checked out the Old Town Spring which was fun as well.  It’s the original old town where you will find stores and restaurants in the old homes.  They had some really unique shops.  John loved the clock and watch store.  We had lunch at Ellen’s Café which was very good.  We also had a chance to have dinner with some friends who moved from Moore, OK to Tomball, TX.  It was nice to see them and their beautiful home.  He seemed so much happier with his new job and the family seemed happy as well.  We also were able to spend time with another friend that we meet while RVing who is staying somewhat permanently in the RV park we were in.  Unfortunately his wife was back at home taking care of unplanned family business so we were truly sorry to miss her. 

On Friday we headed home and spent one night in a KOA in Weatherford, TX.  Nice little spot.  Good stopping off point and near lots of restaurants.  We arrived on safely on Saturday, early afternoon.  It was good to get home. 

This vacation has been a somewhat quiet one in that we didn’t spend time racing from one tourist site to another.  Our mission was to find a spot to winter in and see family and friends, which we did.  We experienced a lot of rain and dealt with respiratory infections, which wasn’t much fun, but we were still able to enjoy ourselves and see some things.  So very relaxing.  Back to our routines on Monday. 

Trip to Las Vegas and Santa Fe

     Last year John went to his bi-annual education fair in Las Vegas and wasn’t due to attend again until February 2016.  Apparently because of various employee changes, his company was going to end up with most of their folks needing to go in 2016 so John was asked if he would attend again this year.  Since I’m retired and we knew the hotel the meetings are held are take dogs, I was thrilled that John and I AND our girls could go.  Last year we stayed home and it was the coldest week of the entire winter.  It never got above freezing the entire week and I wasn’t much interested in doing that again.  

So we planned to take several days for our trip – 12 to be exact – and John only had to take two of them as vacation.  The rest were either his usual days off, weekends or professional leave.  We had our motorhome back from the shop and all the heating problems seemed to be resolved so we didn’t have that to worry about.  We didn’t plan to take the motorhome as we didn’t want to be driving on I-40 in snowstorms with it so planned to take the Jeep.  On the 29^th of January we loaded up the girls and all our gear.  Since we were going to be gone a while and had dogs with us we had lots of gear.  We stored things like computers, coats, snacks and coats in the car.  The girls were in car seats in the back seat and the rest was stowed inside a large all weather bag on a cargo hauler along with the girls’ stroller.  There is very little storage behind the back seats.  Enough room for a folded dog crate and things like jumper cables and other road necessary items.  

Our first night was in Amarillo, TX.  We booked ourselves at La Quintas the entire trip as they allow dogs and don’t charge a dime for them.  Our first hotel was very old looking but the room was quite nice with updated furniture.  A very comfy bed and very clean.  We found a decent Mexican restaurant right next door so enjoyed dinner and hit the sack for a long drive the next day.

The following day we planned to drive from Amarillo to Gallup, NM.  Our first couple of hours went without any problems but then things started to change.  We started with rain and the temperature just kept dropping and finally bottomed at 29 degrees.  Once it dropped below 32 the rain turned to snow and it just kept coming down.  At one point we stopped for gas and I was told by another lady that she heard it was horrible west of Albuquerque.  We were in a Jeep so we kept on going.  Eventually the passing lane was shutting down and not safe to use at all.  I just kept praying that the temps would go up and the snow would stop but was fully prepared to stop for the night in Albuquerque.  About 10 miles east of Albuquerque the temps did go up and the roads started to clear.  Yea!  We stopped in Albuquerque for lunch and kept on going.  From that point on all the way to Gallup we had great roads.  It rained on and off but that was it.  As we got to Gallup the snow started in again and it snowed all evening.  Thank goodness we had reached our hotel and could get a break.  

Our final day of travel into Vegas was uneventful.  We even made a quick side trip in Golden Valley to check out where a friend lives – who is rarely home as she is usually with her husband in their RV – currently in Houston.  We actually met in the RV park we live in at this time back in 2011 and have remained friends and in touch since then.  It was only a 3 week relationship but we just clicked.  Anyway, we found her house, grabbed a pic of me in front of it, and texted it to her – then left.  She got a big kick out of the pic and I don’t think she believed me at first that I was standing in front of her house. 

Then we drove onto Vegas.  We spent two nights in another La Quinta as my son, Chad, was meeting us there.  He lives a day’s drive from Vegas about 80 miles outside Reno.  We had a nice visit with him and saw quite a bit of the countryside around Vegas.  There was a beautiful park right by our hotel so we spent one afternoon walking around it and enjoying all the other people and their dogs.

He had to head home on Monday as he had to work and we had to move to the Rio All Suites Hotel in downtown Vegas for John’s meeting.  I was sorry we didn’t have more time with Chad but at least we had some time.  I hadn’t seen him since summer 2012.  We plan to see him again in 2017, if not before.

The Rio Hotel is huge as was our room.  It was probably twice the size of a regular hotel room which was great since the girls and I were going to spend quite a bit of time in there.  The hotel actually had two areas for the dogs to do their business with grass!  After we left Oklahoma until now all the girls had seen was either rocks or snow.  Poor April was having a hard time getting used to all this but I was able to get them back on a schedule since we were at the Rio for 5 days.  I mentioned earlier that we had a doggie stroller with us.  This thing is a life saver especially in large hotels like this.  Since there were lots of other dogs and we had to walk through the casino to get anywhere, the stroller was very helpful for me to move them around.  So we went for lots of walks, I got some work on the computer done that I needed to do for the Board of Directors I serve on and I read books.  In fact, I read two books while in Vegas.

 

John had Wednesday afternoon off so we took a drive out to the Valley of Fire State Park about an hour out of Vegas.  This park was beautiful as you can see from the pictures.  I was looking at my Maps app on my phone for possible places to see around Vegas and saw this park.  When I pinned it on Maps it brought up a description of the park and some pics and I was amazed at the beauty of it.  The drive out was nothing very pretty to see but once you actually drive up into that mountain area this gem of gorgeous just shows up.

 
On Thursday, while John was in meetings, I found me way to a laundromat in Vegas and washed a lot of dirty clothes.  Then found a Walmart to stock up on cokes and snacks along with some other items we needed.  It was nice to have clean clothes. 

The meetings went on through Friday with a big gala dinner that night but we decided to pull out early and the hotel allowed us to check out early without additional charges.  On Friday John did attend another class but we were able to hit the road about 12:30 pm.  We headed to Flagstaff, AZ for the night.  We didn’t see much of Flagstaff but what we did see seemed very nice.  I think I would like to spend some more time there at some point.  Wonder what their winters are like.

 

On Saturday we headed to Santa Fe to spend a few nights before heading home on Tuesday.  We arrived at their La Quinta and we were given what used to be a manager’s room.  It had a large living room with a sofa bed, two sitting chairs, a work table and two chairs and a credenza and TV.  The bedroom was enormous as well with a king bed, large credenza, TV, sitting chair and a huge walk-in closet.  The bath was also twice the size of the usual hotel bath.  It also had the usual microwave, coffee maker and refrigerator.  The large amount of space was nice for three nights.  That night we found our way to Posas for dinner.  It was a kind of fast food Mexican place.  You have to walk in but you order at the counter and then find a seat.  They had wonderful homemade tamales.  They make several thousand of them fresh daily and do mail orders. 

On Sunday we had breakfast at the Flying Tortillas restaurant then took the girls and headed out to Pecos and up into the Santa Fe National Forest.  It was just one road up the mountain but it was beautiful.  There was more snow the further up we went and the road got pretty narrow.  At the top we stopped and let the girls run a bit.  They enjoyed the stream running down the mountain and proceeded to walk into it and drink.  It was sunny and in the 50’s but the wind was blowing so it was nippy and they were wet from running in the snow.  April kept jumping in it and sticking her nose in the snow.  Thankfully we had a small blanket in the Jeep so we wiped them down and got the heater started.  A lot of the land along the road was privately owned and had some nice homes/cabins on it.  After that we headed over to a walking trail that allowed dogs – Atalaya Trail.  Once you are out on the trail the dogs do not have to be leashed but our girls cannot be trusted to come when off leash – especially if they see a wild critter.  It’s like their hearing just shuts down.  So they were kept on leashes.  We ran into lots of large dogs, many of which were off leash that would run up to the girls.  I was amazed at how well they did.  They didn’t get mouthy nor did they seemed scared.  The large dogs were all well behaved as well.  April is normally very mouthy and loud and they can both act like wild mad dogs as if they are going to kill but not today.  All was quiet and well behaved.  We need to do that more often!

In the afternoon we traveled without the girls down to the old plaza in the town square.  We were looking for a place to eat and to just walk a bit without the dogs.  We found our way into the Thunderbird Grill in the upstairs of one of the buildings on the plaza.  The general manager came by and introduced himself.  He was very nice and had lived in Oklahoma at one time.  John ordered their green chili steak enchiladas and said they were the best he had ever had.  The green chili was very good.  We opted out of dinner that night as we had just eaten too much.  Instead we opted for some ice cream.  Would have preferred DQ but had to take Baskin Robbins.  

On Monday, our last day in Santa Fe, we chilled out in the morning.  Slept in late which was awesome.  It seems our biological clocks have reset and are in sync with the time zone we are in.  I was still not hungry so had coffee for breakfast while John ate.  Then I hit the hotel’s laundry to do 3 loads.  Just didn’t want to arrive home with a bunch of laundry to do.  At noon we met the Fines for lunch.  He was one of my old bosses at OU.  I went to work for him when he took the Chairman of Medicine’s job and was with him for five years when he retired.  It was great to see him and his wife.  They hadn’t changed a bit.  They have lived in Santa Fe for many years now and love it.  Both are very involved in volunteer work. 

On Monday afternoon we grabbed the girls and drove up the mountain to Ski Santa Fe.  It was about 15 miles up the mountain through the Santa Fe National Forest.  The drive was beautiful.  A sunny afternoon with lots of tall pine trees and snow.  There wasn’t much to see at the top of the mountain so we made several stops on the way down to get some photo ops.  The views overlooking Santa Fe were beautiful as were all the Aspens toward the top of the mountain. Toward the bottom we walked around outside in the snow a bit with the girls to let them run around.  

We hit the road for the long drive home on Tuesday – 547 miles to cover.  It took us 9 hours but we arrived home safely.  I read 2 ½ books while gone which was great as I often have no time to read.  Our next trip is in April when we head to south Texas.