Christmas 2004

Saturday, December 25, 2004

Merry Christmas to all!  Since we have already celebrated Christmas with the various families, today was a opportunity to see the two grand-kids with their 'Santa Claus'.  We first went to Austin's home, arriving about 8:30 and found him just getting out of bed and opening his first gift from Santa.  Austin is now just over 4 1/2 and is just the right age for maximum excitement.  And excited he was!  We stayed about 1 1/2 hours, snacking on Sausage Balls and watching him experiment with all the new stuff.

Then back home to finish loading the motorhome, and hit the road for Houston where little Courtney lives.  We left Lufkin about 11 am, and headed south on Us 59.  We stopped at the Flyin J in Splendora, and enjoyed their Christmas Buffet.  Lots of folks doing the same thing.

We stopped about a mile from Courtney's home, parked the motorhome in a Sears parking lot, and took the little truck to their home.  Courtney was really surprised to see us and actually allowed me to get close to her as she drew circles on a little flip card thingy.  She did, however, refuse to get in my lap.

As we drove off, she stood in the yard and waved for a long time.  David (her dad) emailed me later that she seemed sad that we had left.. just waved and waved and waved.  My Sister, Sharon, who was also there, called later and said after we left, Courtney would pat the chair where I was sitting and say 'Poppa', then pat the chair where Donna was, and say 'Nonna'.

We left there about 4:30, taking Hwy 6 to Us 59, then south toward the Valley.  The further we went the more snow was still on the ground.  On Christmas Eve South Texas got its first White Christmas in over 100 years.  Have heard as much a  foot of snow in some parts, and we have seen it 6 to 8 inches deep.   We tried to find the Wal-Mart in El Campo, but it was not where my Street Atlas said it was, just an old Wal-Mart store, now occupied by Sutherlands.

So we went on down the road to Edna, a small town, with a small Wal-Mart right on the freeway.  The store was closed so no problem parking.

We have not really decided where to go next, maybe Rockport, maybe on further south.

Sunday, December 26, 2004

We left the Edna Wal-Mart about 8:45, traveling FM 111 to Tx 35 on the way to Rockport.  Still lots of snow even as we traveling southward, but was very little in Rockport.  As we arrived in Rockport, we started looking for a park that Mac and Lena had stayed at many years ago.  Before we located it we spotted a brand new Wal-Mart Super Center.  Decided to check out their Christmas Bargains, and asked one of the employees if overnight parking was allowed.  She said it was ok, and there was even some long spaces at one of the building for RV's.  Another free night!  Well, not exactly free, we spent nearly $50 on marked down Christmas decor. 

Donna is cooking gumbo for lunch, then we will probably go back in Wal-Mart for a few more groceries.  Then go exploring, probably to Goose Island Park.  More later.

After lunch we again went into the Wal-Mart to buy a few groceries.  Then we went to Goose Island State Park.  Really a pretty interesting place with three campgrounds, two of which were right on the Bay and the other, and larger one, was in a huge grove of Live Oak Trees, some really big trees.  But not as big as The Big Tree located just outside the park. 

This Live Oak is believed to be about 1,000 years old, is about 35 feet around the trunk, about 40 feet tall, and a spread of about 40 feet.

We then did  a little more driving around, came back to the coach and took a nap, then went to 'Charlotte Plumber's' restaurant for dinner.  Pretty typical little place right on the boat docks, with excellent seafood.  Donna had Shrimp and I had Mahi Mahi.

Monday, December 27, 2004

We left the Wal-Mart this morning about 8:45 and headed toward Ingleside to try to find our old buddy Bobby.  First, on the way we found the Palm Harbor RV park where Mac and Lena stayed one summer many, many years ago.  Scott was just a kid and stayed with them for quite a while. 

We had gotten Bobby's address from a search on internet White Pages, used the Delorme Map to get directions and headed out.  The only problem was his street number had recently changed, which threw us a curve ball.  We drove by it several times, but didn't recognize the truck, then as we drove down another street, we saw him on his deck, from across the water.  He looked at us drive by but didn't have a good enough look to recognize us.

We went back, found the house, and surprised him., shocked him is more actual.  We visited at his home for a while, then went a few blocks up the street to see his shop and TOYS !  He has 3 cars, a Cushman Scooter he is rebuilding, and a Go-Cart that he races.  Bobby raced against the LaBonte's back in the "Old Days", and has never gotten the racing out of his blood.

Then we went to Bobby's 'hang-out cafe', Floyd's, for breakfast.  On the way he pointed out the 'World's largest jack up drilling rig' being built with two drilling platforms. 

Was really a great time catching up on all the things we have missed in the last few years.  I think the last time I saw Bobby was at Texas Motor Speedway, in 2001, I think.

After spending a couple of hours with Bobby, we drove back to Rockport, picked up the motorhome and headed south, with no real destination.  Before we knew it we were in Brownsville, about 4:30, and parked at the Sam's / Wal-Mart Super Center.  We drove around a while, looking at various parks, and basically determined there were none here at which we wanted to stay.  They were all old, small site, mostly mobile homes, and no real appeal. 

As we got back to the motorhome, the left front tire on the truck went flat.  Thank God for Good Sam Emergency Road Service.  They were here in about 30 minutes, put the spare on, all at no charge, except the tip!  Will go to Discount Tire in the morning.

Guess tomorrow we will look around some of the surrounding area.

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

First thing on the agenda this morning was a trip to Discount Tire to get the flat fixed.  Major problem, however.  The tire was actually split is several places, and no longer usable.  We checked the other tires and found they also had signs of splitting.  The store manager also pointed out that the tires were manufactured in 2000!  And, my truck is a 2002, which I bought new in August of 2002.  All of which means the dang tires were way over a year old when I bought them, maybe over 2 years old.

While I was gone, Donna reviewed some of the information that I found last night in the Trailer Life Directory and on the internet, and when I got back we discussed plans for then next few days.  We decided to drive over to Mission and stay in a park called Bentsen Palm RV Resort.  I called and made reservations for the next three nights.

We arrived here at the park about 11:00, quickly got set up and Donna is now fixing lunch.  Guess we will do a little exploring later this afternoon.  More to come.

We drove around some this afternoon, first going to the Camping World here, a smaller version than most we have been to.  Then we found the 'downtown' commercial area.  We bought gas at HEB for $1.479, about 30 cents per gallon cheaper than at home.  We then headed south of Mission, and found a really nice County Park right on the Rio Grande and right across the river was a Mexican Park, barely a 100 yards away.  The County Park on the US side was immaculately clean, while the one across the river was strewn with trash everywhere.

We also happened upon an old stone building, which appeared to be abandoned, but maintained.  The sign said it was Saint Joseph and Saint Peter Seminary.  Not sure exactly what it is or was.

As we drove around we also spotted some migrant workers gathering a couple of different crops.  One really interesting point was that both groups had a truck pulling a trailer with two 'Porta-Pottys" on the trailer.

When we got back to the coach, there was a note to come to the office.  It seems that my wireless network inside our coach for the satellite internet system was showing up on other people's network when they attempted to connect to the park's wireless internet.  The park's ITT guy suggested that I set my router so that it does not broadcast my SSID, which I will do as soon as I figure out how.

We later drove around some more, then back to the coach for a bite of dinner and a game of Phase 10, which Donna won, and now leads 3 - 1.

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

When we got up this morning about 7 or so, we were really socked in with fog.  Visibility was about 50 feet. Donna fixed a great breakfast of Eggs, Bacon, and Biscuits.  By 9:00 the visibility was still only about 200 feet, so we just hung around for a while before trying to get out and do any sight seeing.

We left the park about 9:30 or so and got to Nuevo Progresso about 10 or so.  We decided to go ahead and drive across the International Bridge, rather than park on the US side and walk about 1/2 mile or more. Was not a bad decision, although parking was difficult.  We went several blocks without finding a 'free' space so we paid 2 dllrs for a spot in a parking lot.  Actually was probably better because if we parked on the street, people were always walking between cars, maybe getting scratched.

Progresso main streets are paved, but the side streets are not totally paved, hence there is a lot of dirt and, sometimes, mud on the main street.  The main tourist area is only about 4 or 5 blocks long, with mostly Dentists, Pharmacies, and Hair Salons. The dentists and haircut were extremely cheap; the pharmacies, I just don't really know.

Compared to previous trips to Progresso, there were very few young kids soliciting sales on the street. I did see one sign posted by the Police that said: 'If you purchase from kids on the streets, you are keeping them from school, and they get no education'.

After returning to the coach, and taking a short nap, we headed to Wal-Mart for a couple little things.  We couldn't believe it, but they had gasoline for $1.359, and we thought $1.479 yesterday was a great price.

Tomorrow we have to deal with a problem with our Black Tank Valve.  Will be calling James at Foretravel for guidance.

Thursday, December 30, 2004

First off this morning, I called the factory to determine if there was anything I could do to repair the problem with the valve.  I talked to Donnie, he told me how to 'maybe' access it, but was not too encouraging about me doing it.  I asked if I could take it to a Camping World nearby, which was approved by Donnie, but I would have to pay, and then be reimbursed by the factory.  We then went to Camping World and made an appointment for tomorrow morning when we check out of here. 

From there we headed west on Hwy 83 to do a little sight seeing.  First interesting was a little side trip to the south and a little town of Los Ebanos, which is the location of the only government licensed, hand-pulled ferry on the US Border.  Apparently this was an ancient Fjord, with first recorded usage by Spanish explorers and colonists under jose De Escandon in the 1740's. 

We then headed on further west to Rio Grande City, and fair size town west of Mission, about half-way to Laredo.  There is also a border crossing there just a few hundred yard south of the Highway.  The town across the borer was called Ciudad Camargo, about 5 miles inside Mexico.  We decided we would drive over and do a little sight seeing.  Typical of many border towns, the area was quite trashy and dirty in many respects, with a few really fine homes, but with lots of shanty type homes surrounding them.

When we returned to the US side, the Customs officer asked a few questions, checked our Driver's License in the computer ( we think), then sent us on our way.  Several vehicles were pulled out of line for further searching.

Then back to the coach for a short nap before a quick trip to Mission for ice cream.  Never found an place with hand-dipped ice cream, so we settled for a Diet Coke for Donna and a coffee for me.

Depending on how things go at Camping World tomorrow, we may be heading directly home, rather than taking a leisurely trip back.

Friday, December 31, 2004

We woke up about 7 this morning, and got all disconnected and headed to Camping World for our 8am appointment.  They got us right in the first thing, and it took about an hour to get it fixed (we hope).  We then hooked up the little truck and left Mission about 9:15 going through McAllen, then taking US 281 north toward Falfurrias and San Antonio.  We stopped for fuel in Falfurrias, and then stopped for lunch a few miles north at a Picnic Area.

Not much else of interest as we traveled on up US 281 and then onto US 59 at George West, heading toward Goliad.  Got to Goliad about 3pm, deciding to stay at the Goliad State Historical Park.  A fairly small park, as  number of sites go, but really nice and roomy.  We did a little driving around, and saw the old historical court house on the square.  Donna talked to her mother tonight, and her mother confirmed that she had lived here when she was in the 8th grade.

We will do some exploring tomorrow and see some of the sights that are of a historical nature for Texas, such as the Fannin battle ground, and a couple of missions, one of which is here in the park.

Donna insisted that I report the Phase 10 scores for this trip.  She now leads 4 - 3.

Saturday, January 1, 2004

We got out about 8:30 this morning to explore the area, although it was very cloudy and lots of fog.  First we went to the Presidio xxxx, to check it out, but it was not open so we just drove around the fort walls, and took a look at the Fannin Memorial.  We then drove over to the Coleto Creek Battleground, where Fannin surrendered his troops to the Mexican Army, prior to the Battle at the Alamo.

We then went back downtown to take a few pictures of the courthouse and square.  We even took a picture of the 'Hanging Tree'.  Then back to the Goliad Park, and a tour of the xxxxx..  The Chapel has been restored to a pristine condition, and we also visited one of the out-buildings where a couple of volunteers were giving demonstrations of spinning yarn and weaving rugs.  This was really interesting and informative.