Out of the rain

Wednesday, March 30, 2011 (day 194)


Well, that was a long night….lots of thunder and lightning, tons of rain, and a train right next to the camp. We kept thinking the thunder and lightning would surely pass over, but it continued all night and into the morning. We even drove Howie closer to the showers so we wouldn’t get too wet going back and forth. So, it was a quick morning routine, and we hit the road, hoping to find the sun again. And, thank goodness we did.

Arriving at Grayton Beach (under blue skies!)



We drove into Mobile a little ways to get books and maps from a AAA office. Then, on to the Florida coast!
We left the interstate and drove on highway 90 which parallels the shoreline. At times we were driving right along the beach, through little towns. At others, dunes and houses were between us and the water. We made a quick stop at Fort Walton Beach for 2 quilt stores and lunch, then continued on down the coast hoping to find an open campsite. We stopped first at Henderson Beach, but they were full. As we passed Grayton Beach State Park, we took another chance, drove to the campsite and yea! They had a few sites left. So we grabbed one, then drove back to the town to find wi-fi service at a Starbucks and made a few more reservations for the next few nights.


The water was "refreshing"



Grayton Beach has 3 miles of white, white, white sandy beach, and when we returned from town we took advantage of it. It was different from other beaches we’ve been on. First, no walking on the dunes. There was a boardwalk to the beach, and many signs and ropes made sure people stayed on it. The beach was beautiful, but very empty of typical sea detritus. There was some seaweed at the tide line, and that was about it. No sea shells, driftwood, rocks, etc. Just sand and surf. At least there was a surf. Not a big one, but still, it makes an ocean sound that’s wonderful to hear.

Artsy shot showing off sugar white sand



Our campground is quiet, and private. There are lots of scrubby bushes and trees between each site, so we don’t really see anyone else. The trees are such an interesting mix of smaller deciduous trees, small pines and even palm trees!

Huge empty bird's nest next to our site



It rained most of the morning, but the afternoon gradually cleared up and we had clear blue skies and sun by the late afternoon, and a high of 73 degrees. It was very pleasant on the beach because there wasn’t a wind.

Judy reading while dinner is grilling



The drive here wasn’t all small towns. A large part of it reminded us of Vegas, of all places. Huge hotels, casinos, shops all along the highway, very touristy. We were glad to leave that part behind us.


Sunset just behind us



It has cleared up, and is warmer, but still humid. We find our towels don’t dry as quickly or completely as they did in west Texas, and the sheets are a bit damp. But so is our skin, so we’re not having to slather on the lotion like we did in the desert.

People often ask us about Howie, and we love to show him off. Tonight a couple from Florida asked us about our rig. They are renting a class C rig, and wondering what to buy for themselves. We always say Howie is perfect for 2 people. We’ll have to amend that to 2 short people. The guy was 6 feet 3 inches, and could not stand up in here. Guess he’ll have to look for a different rig!

Total miles driven today=156

Mississippi Gulf Coast

Tuesday, March 29, 2011 (day 193)

We spent the morning looking for a generator tail pipe hanger for Howie. Somehow, somewhere over the last few weeks, this part has been damaged. We tried many places. No one had it. Plus, our little tom-tom kept giving us weird directions, like telling us to turn right when we could see the place on the left. We were beginning to wonder if it was broken, even though it had been updated just before Harris left. After searching the town of Picayune, we drove on toward Biloxi along the gulf coast on highway 90. We saw miles and miles of beautiful white sand beaches. Unfortunately, the wind was really blowing, so we didn’t want to even get out and take pictures. The sand was being blown across the beach, across the sidewalks, across the roads and across the medians. We didn’t even try geocaching.

Because this area was hit by Katrina, we saw a lot of empty lots, some with the remains of foundations. Many lots were for sale. Then there were many houses with what looked like fairly new roofs. We assumed that if these houses had been damaged, they had been rebuilt. There were empty lots, little houses, and great big beautiful houses. Harris took a picture of 2 houses that were on the same lot…gorgeous houses.
We finally found the part we needed in Biloxi, after trying many places. Harris put it on tonight when we reached our resting place. We also stopped for lunch at a casino in Biloxi that had been recommended to us. It was okay for a casino buffet. Harris enjoyed the shrimp, gumbo and fried catfish. It was late by the time we stopped for lunch, so we sure didn’t need dinner tonight!

Two houses on 1 lot that withstood Katrina



Our little misguided tom-tom took us right to a quilt shop in Ocean Springs. So, it does know how to navigate! Sad to say, the quilt shop was no longer there (it was turned into a bar—go figure), even though the awning still advertised it as a quilt shop. Oh well.

Spring is definitely here in the south. There are beautiful azalea bushes blooming everywhere we go. There are even roses blooming! The weather has been beautiful until today.
Tom-tom couldn’t find our current RV park,(Johnny’s RV park outside of Mobile, Alabama) but the directions in our camp club book took us to it. Good thing Harris plugged the leak, because there is a lightning, thunder and rain storm going on. We’ll see in the morning if it’s still dry.

We asked for a site away from the highway, so we’re way in the back by a small lake. It’s very quiet….until we heard a railroad train go by! Turns out that there is a RR track not 50 yards from us.


(FYI…you should know. We’ve seen many billboards along the way over the last few days that say the world is ending May 21, 2011. You’ve been warned.)

Total miles driven today= 140

Revisiting New Orleans

Monday, March 28, 2011 (day 192)



Red Dog Saloon cap that reminded us of our former home



We woke up early this morning because 1) we were parked next to a busy road that filled up early with commuters and 2) the RV next to us started up their diesel engine and let it run, and run and run before they finally left. So, a quick breakfast and off we went for New Orleans!

St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square



We drove about an hour to the city and it seemed as if half of that was over another causeway or trestle or bridge or whatever over bayous. It went on for at least 30 miles. Tall trees, lots of water, and even some houses that obviously used only boats to get in and out.

Cathedral ceiling



We drove to an RV park very close to the French Quarter of New Orleans. It was full, and offered us the option of parking outside their gates for $50. Ummmm, we declined. We drove a bit more and found some free street parking just a few blocks outside the quarter. The French Quarter is the oldest part of New Orleans and is just chock full of people, shops, bars, restaurants and music. We were here several years ago with our kids and did several tours so we knew our way around.

pipe organ in the back



We were just interested in seeing if it had changed much, and if hurricane Katrina had left much damage. There wasn’t much permanent damage inside the quarter. It hadn’t changed all that much, but it did seem a lot dirtier than before. We walked and walked and walked, enjoying the sun and music pouring out of shops, bars, restaurants and even street performers. We ate lunch in the French Market district, which bills itself as America’s oldest Public Market. Harris had a great crawfish pie, Judy had a sandwich. We sat in a park in the shade and listened to some musicians in a nearby restaurant. We also went inside St. Louis Cathedral, which is on one side of Jackson Square. Like most huge, old cathedrals, it is very gorgeous and elaborate inside.


street musicians aplenty



Since we couldn’t stay at the first RV park we had stopped at, we went on to Picayune, Mississippi. Our park, Sun Roamers Resort, is outside the town and seems a lot quieter than last night’s. When we arrived, we had time for a quick mini golf game (Judy won) and a dip in the pool before dinner. It’s even a bit cooler, which is nice for us Northwesterners. The great thing about this RV park was that it took the good part of state parks (trees and very little concrete) and combined it with some RV amenities (free wi-fi, Olympic size pool, putt putt golf).

carriage ride, festive balconies, pirate flag (must be New Orleans)





This was really good!





Ah...the advantages of driving small



We drove 140 miles today

Goodbye, Texas!

Sunday, March 27, 2011 (day 191)


Louisiana visitor center



We drove to a new state today, Louisiana. The landscape gradually changed again. First we noticed a lot more trees, with a few evergreen mixed in. They aren’t huge trees by our standards, but a lot taller than we’ve been seeing. The general landscape is green as well. But it is flat. Flat, flat, flat. So flat that parts along the highway are pure swamp. Think bayou. Swamp land, swamp water, swamp trees and vegetation. In fact, just across the state line we stopped at a visitor center for maps and information. It was located on a very pretty lake with signs posted all around: No swimming, beware of alligators. And: Beware of snakes. So, no more scorpions….just watch out for those gators!

Welcome to Louisiana!



We drove east on interstate 10 for most of the day. We crossed many small bridges all along the way. And then we came to a big stretch of bridge. If we had known it was coming, we would have kept track of the miles. It was at least 15 miles of bridge over swamp land. Think of the “trestle” between Lake Stevens and Everett….and you’ll get a small picture of what we saw. Every once in a while there would be a small dry patch of land with a house on it, but most of it was water of one sort or another. There was a lake, a river, an inlet, another lake, etc, etc, etc. It just went on and on.

Along the 15+ mile interstate 10 bridge/trestle between Lake Charles and Lafayette



Our only real stop was in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana. We had read about a few touristy things to do, and wanted to go to the “old” capitol building, but it was closed. We did go to the “new” capitol building, built in 1932 completed in14 months! It was so impressive in detail, craftsmanship, and how quickly it was constructed. It is the tallest capitol building in the country. (450 feet high) The main floor has the house and senate chambers, then there is a tower for offices that goes up 34 stories high. You can go to the 27th floor, where the observation deck is.

Tallest state capitol building in the US



The architecture is amazing, and because it was built long ago, of course the workmanship is as well. There are stone carvings, wood carvings, murals, statues, craftsmanship everywhere. We arrived just before the observation deck was closing, so only got a brief view up there, and then had a little time to view the main floor before we had to go. Flags of the various nations which have ruled Louisiana hang from the balcony above: Castile and Leon, Bourbon France, Bourbon Spain, England, French tricolor, 15- star U.S. flag, flag of the Republic of West Florida, Louisiana State flag and the modern U.S. flag. Arriving on Sunday afternoon has its perks, though. Very little traffic through downtown!

One of several casinos visible from "The Tower" of state Capitol



East Texas was a lot more humid than the desert, and Louisiana is another level of humidity above that. Must be all the water. Harris says we are just getting slowly acclimatized. Judy’s not convinced it’s even possible, but we’ll see.

Tug VS 2 tugs with barges



We’ve stopped for the night in at Lakeside RV Park, a little ways outside Baton Rouge, in a town called Livingston. It was nice of the group that had all the lakeside sites to leave today and give us an unobstructed view of the lake.

Huey Long statue viewed from the Tower



The fancier senate hall of the capitol



Temp varied from 62 to 83 within 70 miles and within 1 hour this afternoon!

Our camp site for the night @ Lakeside RV





Total miles driven today= 230

Southeast Texas State Fair

Saturday, March 26, 2011 (day 190)

This RV park serves a continental breakfast, so we availed ourselves of it first thing this morning, then went on a walk. We went down the road a piece to the Southeast Texas Fairgrounds…yep, it’s going on this weekend. They were setting up the rides and checking them out when we were walking through the grounds. There were also lots of 4-H kids with their animals. We saw long horned cattle, goats, chickens, and lots of adorable bunnies. The fair grounds are right next to several ball fields, and there was a girls’ softball tournament going on, so we stopped to watch for a short while.

Trophies lined up to be awarded!



When we returned, Harris asked the park owner where he could find some Dicore, because we’ve been dealing with a leak in the bathroom. (an on-going saga) We found the place, bought the stuff, then headed to a nearby small town Nederland. Judy found a quilt store there to visit, and Harris downloaded some caches to do. After a picnic lunch, we started looking for some nearby caches. After 2 did-not-finds, we were beginning to wonder if we’d lost our geo mojo. But we did find the next two, so at least it wasn’t a total loss.

A not-impressed bull winner



We came back to the park and went to the swimming pool. Obviously, these south Texas parks believe in solar heating…ie, no heated pools. And why would they with the temps they get in the summer? But in March, that water is cold! Harris was hot after working on fixing the leak in the roof, so he plunged right in. Judy took a little longer to get all the way in, and Harris wanted this fact recorded for posterity. (Cuz usually, it’s the other way around.)

The most popular ride (it spins you upside down)!



After dinner we waited for the dark and cooler temps to come, then took another walk down the road to the fair. Most of the animals were gone, except for the winners who are there apparently for a week. The midway was huge, with many, many rides and huge crowds of people. We were surprised by the long backed up line of cars coming off the freeway for the fair. One of the guards told us that, yes, it’s all for the fair, people come from all over because they are starved for entertainment.

Another popular ride




Tomorrow we’re heading east to Louisiana…finally through Texas!

Total miles driven today=40

Houston Space Center

Friday, March 25, 2011 (day 189)


Shuttle Mock up used for training



We got up a little more leisurely this morning, since the Space Center didn’t open until 10 AM. Harris had decided to come here, saying that as we were going to the space shuttle launch, we ought to see where mission control is as well. As we drove up to the gate, we noticed a sign that said “Parking $6”. (We had thought it would be $4). Sigh. But we didn’t really want to walk a long way to the Center, since we anticipated a lot of walking once there. We were very pleasantly surprised when the attendant just waved us through! Free parking! We don’t know why, but we took it.

Shuttle's space role is "cargo mover"



The first thing we did was get in line for a tram tour. We didn’t have to wait as long as we thought we would have to. The people working there told us it was a light day. Good thing Harris planned to come on a weekday!

Astro robot for working in space



The tram tour took us on a little drive past many buildings where astronauts train and the missions are managed. We got out of the tram twice, once to tour a facility where training actually takes place, with full size mock ups of the space station. The second time was to tour the “rocket building”, that had a Saturn five rocket and the Apollo capsule that sat on top of it. So incredible to see all the little parts that make up such a huge rocket system.

The new lunar rover



Then it was back to the center for more displays and movies about various space missions, from the first unmanned rockets through the space shuttle missions and even information about what’s next for NASA. We even got to touch a moon rock!

Each tree represents an astronaut who has died



We spent about 5 hours in the center, and saw about 60% of it. About 4 o’clock we were maxed out with info and decided to stop. We headed for Beaumont to an RV park rated 5 stars in Woodall. Although it’s nice we’re trying to figure out why the high rating.

The huge Saturn V rocket





These longhorn (really long) bulls reside at the Space Center





Two tuckered-out visitors at the end of the day



Miles driven today= 105

What a difference a day makes!

Thursday, March 24, 2011 (day 188)

We got up early again, and took a walk on a different trail around the RV park. (It was a balmy 65degrees.) Then we hit the road for a long day of driving (about 400 miles). We started in the desert, full of dirt and sand and cactus and mesquite trees. As we traveled east toward San Antonio, we started noticing the brown dirt slowly turning green with some bits of grass and ground cover. Then real grass and shrubs appeared. Then the trees got bigger and more diverse. Beautiful wildflowers started appearing along the roadside. They were white, then pink, then blue, then orange and magenta! Too bad we don’t know our wildflowers. Our day started out brown, and ended up very, very green.

Entrance to Fort Clark Springs



We drove past San Antonio headed toward Houston. We actually stopped a little south east of Houston, so we could be close to the Johnson Space Center for Friday. (Driving through Houston during rush hour was fun….not!) We pulled up after dark into a small RV park very, very close to the Gulf shore. We could smell the salt water and feel the humidity. From the desert to the ocean!

Another library saves the day for checking e-mail



Total miles driven= 400

Hangin' out at Fort Clark

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 (day 187)


Today was an R and R day….We decided to stay an extra day at Fort Clark RV Park. We got up early to take a walk while it was relatively cool..about 65 degrees. Then we came back for breakfast and laundry.
Fort Clark Springs is in Brackettville, Texas. It’s located on over 1600 acres. From the brochure:
Long a favorite Indian campground, Fort Clark was established on the banks of Las Moras Creek by the US Army in 1852. The fort played an important role in protecting a segment of the lower road from San Antonio to El Paso, and frontier settlers, from Indians and bandits. Virtually all US Cavalry units and many infantry lived, trained, or visited at Fort Clark while patrolling West Texas and the US-Mexico border. Military heroes of both the Union and the Confederacy served at Fort Clark. World War II Generals George Patton and Jonathan Wainwright were among notables who served at Fort Clark. The Fort was closed in 1946 and has since become a haven for those who seek peaceful recreation, resort and residential surroundings.

Now, the former fort is full of apartments, homes, land, an RV park, a huge spring fed pool, trails, trees, etc. There’s even a golf course!

Our morning walk in FT Clark



We went into town to find internet service, since the RV park’s internet isn’t working. While there Harris downloaded several caches. We tried! We honestly tried! We found one, sorta. We saw the container, located in the middle of some thorny bushes. So we counted it as found, but didn’t actually open it. Then we got skunked on about 3 more. We gave up and decided to cool down in the pool. It’s spring fed, and sun warmed…..to about 68 degrees. Which is actually a bit on the cool side, except that it was 90 degrees outside today. Judy plunged right in, but Harris took a little longer to get wet. Everyone said it would be refreshing, once in, and everyone was right.

One of many red birds we saw today





Wonderful lunch Judy made (red is in today)



(Oh, Harris did find one actual cache, in the picnic area by the pool…yea!)
We came back for drinks and an early dinner, and an air conditioned Howie. Judy loves being plugged in on these hot, hot days!


The swimming hole



Total miles today= less than 10

Fort Clark Springs, TX

Tuesday, March 22, 2011 (Day 186)

After a very hot night, we decided we need places to camp that we can plug into electricity and use the air conditioning….at least Judy decided this.

Not quite the Smokey Mts. in Big Bend



We got up fairly early and drove to take a short hike down Boquillas Canyon. This trail goes down to and along the Rio Grande River, until it reaches canyon walls. All along the trail, we saw small heaps of painted walking sticks, beaded figures and metal work that have been brought across the river from the small town of Boquillas, Mexico. Each heap had a jar to put money into, and a price list. The park service newspaper mentions this, and warns that people may approach you to sell you things. They tell you that the Mexicans can be arrested and the items confiscated, so please don’t encourage them. We were only approached by one older gentleman who could have been “singing Victor”, a man who sings in the canyon for entertainment.

Trinkets for sale from the Mexican village across the river



Last night we spent a bit of time talking to Peter and Karen, as we mentioned on yesterday’s blog. They encouraged us to see another part of the park, the Chisos Basin, which has beautiful mountain views. We were tempted, especially by cooler temperatures, but decided we wanted to spend more time elsewhere, so we left the park and drove east. (Sorry, Karen, we’ll leave that area for our next visit to Big Bend. We always leave ourselves something to come back for!)

Unusual sight for us--cactus and trees together!



So, we headed east on highway 90, passing untold miles of cactus and sand and scrub brush. Occasionally we’d see a few head of cattle, even some long horns, but it seemed mostly to be unused and unusable land. When we crossed the Pecos River we did see the greenest river we’d ever seen. Perhaps it was because we were so used to seeing brown rivers in the Northwest and gray rivers in Alaska.

cool (and shady) canyon on our walk
that's the border too




We drove through a few small towns…some very small. All had boarded up shops and crumbling houses, at least along the highway. The biggest town we came to was Del Rio, so we stopped there for gas and groceries before coming to our stopping place tonight. (Fort Clark Springs) Yeah for electric hookups and air conditioning!
One other thing worth mentioning…..Our route has been along the border for the most part. We have seen lots of border patrol police along the highways, some driving very slowly along the shoulders, looking intently at the ground. And there are roadblocks and checks, even on the interstate. All vehicles must stop. A guard asks, “how many people are in your vehicle? Are you all US citizens?” Sometimes they ask where are you from and where are you going. So far, we’ve not been asked for IDs. We know they are taking pictures of each vehicle, and wonder if they are also scanning us with heat seeking equipment, looking for stowaways or something. It seems so weird to us, and almost illegal at that, to be stopped on an interstate or highway for a citizen check. But we don’t argue, as we want to be on our way.

Green Pecos River



Harris says our total miles today was only 276…seemed a lot longer!

Big Bend National Park

Monday, March 21, 2011 (Day 185)


Officer's Row at Fort Davis



We woke up very early and decided to put some miles on before breakfast. It was weird driving in the dark. We decided we liked this view of eastern Texas very much….dark, with the hills sharply outlined in the slowly rising sun. It made the desert landscape seem to go by much easier.

Medical equipment





Match them up!



We stopped after a couple of hours and ate a quick breakfast, then drove on. Our big stop today was at the historic site of Fort Davis. This was a national historic site, so we decided to buy our annual national park pass while there. We walked into the visitor center, and asked the kind lady for an annual pass. We then had to listen to all the benefits of getting such a pass….yes, we knew this, we asked for one! Finally, she sold it to us, then gave us a map of the fort, marked the restored parts and let us go. We enjoyed walking around in the morning sun, seeing officer’s quarters, (one fully furnished, down to the silver and china on the table) the hospital, and the enlisted men’s barracks.

enlisted men's barracks



Then we drove and drove and drove through the desert landscape towards Big Bend National Park. This is in the extreme south east part of Texas, where the Rio Grande River bends, hence the name. Someone in Arizona had told us not to miss this park, so we came here, but honestly so far it doesn’t live up to our expectations. Perhaps because we have been seeing very similar topography the last week or so. Yes, there are “mountains”….hills more like. We’ve been up and down through a pass. High temp at the top was 85…down here where we’ve camped by the river, high temp was 95 today. We even ran the generator for a short time to run the air conditioning, trying to cool Howie down. It’ll be a warm night for sure!

Quilt AND Bakery in one stop!



We met a terrific couple from Connecticut, Peter and Karen, who are driving a Pleasureway van, although it’s not a Sprinter. So, of course we had to go talk to them. Turns out, they spend several months on the road, mostly to Florida and back. We asked them where they like to camp and they gave us several suggestions. We’re looking forward to checking them out when we go there.

Karen and Peter, fellow Pleasure Way owners





Vermillion Fly Catcher




Miles traveled today 258