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.