We FINALLY left Louisiana after the mess with the drive shaft breaking & the Ragin Cajun calling the police on us. Bless his heart. We decided I’d be much happier driving the car separately – I was entirely too freaked out over the bridges & the height over the road. And the pups were equally unhappy in the RV. I lead the way & kept my job as the navigator.
Our travels took us north to Baton Rouge to pick up I-10 West. The shorter route would have been to Lafayette but our RV is TALL & the GPS indicated a low clearance was going to be an issue. No way did we want to chance scraping the a/c units off the top of the rig. Once we crossed the border into Texas the road was a mess! LOTS of construction & broken pavement & bouncing around was going on. That mess only lasted for a short while & then the roads were okay.
It was an 8 hour drive to make up for lost time. We had originally scheduled a stop at a campground in northeast Texas but had to cancel our days there because of the RV issue in Louisiana. We made reservations at a Harvest Host location north of Houston to divide the trip up on our way to the next reserved park. We got to H.E.A.R.T Veteran’s Museum right at 6pm & did a quick leveling & put the slides out. We would only be staying for one night so there was no need to get all perfect. Also, there was no water, electric or sewer hook-ups. We turned on the generator for power, the water pump to use the fresh water tank & one night of sewer in the tank would not be an issue. We stepped out for dinner at a “What-A-Burger” which was highly recommended by our good friends, Daniel & Mona Phillips who are native Texans. Fantastic burgers!
We also got a picture of a HUGE Sam Houston statue on the side of the road as we returned to the RV.
Below is a picture from our window in the morning … a prison on the other side of the highway. Just after snapping this picture a few dozen horses filled the pasture in front of the fence to graze. Stunning! I wish I had taken another picture! Makes my heart happy to see the diversity in the landscapes as we move across this great country.
The museum opened at 9am & we were happy to take a guided tour. The fella that escorted us around had tremendous knowledge of the artifacts – he had contributed many things himself. We LOVE museums so this Harvest Host was ideal for us!
We got on the road at about noon with the intention of taking secondary roads to San Antonio instead of the interstate through Houston. However, some of the roads were ROUGH & even more were wavy like I have never seen before – think ocean waves. A 38 ft RV nearly takes flight when riding those waves, no matter how fast or slow you are going. Our first problem was the brackets for one of the awnings broke when the RV was bouncing around. That thing unrolled & was flapping in the wind on the side of the RV going down the interstate. We pulled over into a gas station & Perry broke out the ladder & climbed up to try to secure it with bungies. It was not going to happen. So he cut it off & put it in the dumpster. Then we hit the small towns where the roads were crazy wavy or potholed &, even going slow, produced enough bounce Perry was lifted from his seat on more than one occasion. Remember, I was thankfully driving the car with the pups ahead of him & even I was effected by the uneven pavement. We got to the base later than planned & got seriously lost finding the campground in the maze. Finally found it after an hour. Once in the RV we assessed the damage. The washing machine had done a little jig & turned sideways in the cabinet. It had pushed the cabinet door open & the basket on top of it had dumped out but none of the bottles of detergent, etc leaked. However, the tray cover that pulls out at the top of the washer was broken off. MANY clothes had fallen from hangers but all stayed in the cabinets. The back window shades had rolled up & the valance fell off. I crawled across the bed to get it before extending the bedroom slide or that would have been crushed. Stuff in the medicine cabinet above the sink shifted but all are in plastic bins so nothing fell out when I opened the door. I opened the fridge SLOWLY &, although some things had shifted, nothing was damaged. I secure the dishes cabinet with a bungee on the door handle which probably saved our dishes. The top shelf has a tension rod to secure the glasses on the top shelf. That was down as were all the glasses. I have no idea why none fell out when I opened the door & none were broken. Then there was the roll down shade over the couch. That thing pulled 4 big screws right out of the cabinet above. CRAZY! Last was the stove. We have granite countertops & a two piece granite cover over the stove top. The stove had dropped down in the back & the front bottom was tilted out. This, of course, tilted the covers to slide into the opening a bit. No problem getting them out but now we would have to figure out how to reset & SECURE the stove in place. It’s a gas stove & Lord knows we would need to make sure no gas lines were pinched. Some of the repairs were beyond our capability so we would need an RV Repair Tech. It’s a frequently repeated observation that traveling in a motorhome is similar to a home withstanding a CAT-3 Hurricane. That’s an understatement!
The following morning we set to work on repairs. I got the tongs & pulled out the little drawer where the rinse stuff goes on the washer (couldn’t grasp it with my fingers). I clicked the front cover’s pins back into place & put it back in the slide. We would have to get the RV Tech to fix the lint hose through – it had disconnected & we couldn’t reach it. The park manager gave me a number to a reputable RV Tech who would come fix the rest of the stuff later in the week, including replacing the awning. Thank goodness there are people who make “house calls” on RVs!
I planned to rest for the day so I got my feet all pumiced & oiled & was sporting my socks in my slippers while all comfy in my nightwear. Perry laughed at me! I told him I hoped the surrounding campers didn’t see my sexy self & get all jealous.
He then went in search of the store to get groceries. I texted him my list which included Bayer Asprin. But I wrote Bayer Ass. Gotta keep the fun in things, right?
While doing the fixes we felt we could handle in the RV after the Shake, Rattle & Roll episode, we were having a time getting the oven leveled & properly reattached. Two screws had popped out of the bottom front which allowed it to pitch forward at the front & drop in the back. I used a trusty wooden spoon to pull the unit forward & Perry used pieces of wooden toothpicks to fill the screw holes some & get the screws to secure. We also had some awesome neighbor campers come to the rescue in pulling the back of the stove up while the other fella contorted into a fetal position to drive the screws in. That is one of many things that is fantastic about camping. Fellow campers jump right in to lend a hand without hesitation! The younger fella was a US Marine pilot, just over visiting family for the day. The older fella was a recent retiree from Vermont. Great people!
And then there are the funny things that pop up in your window view … The neighbor across the street had an inside – out blue plastic bag on his hand, walking slowly across his patch of turf, on the lookout for his dog’s poop. Once spotted, he grabbed that pile up, inverted the bag & tied it closed. Done. But he had two large dogs so another blue bag was put into the position & the hunt started again. Got it! But the second pile must have been a whooper so he got a third bag & went at it again. I told Perry we are getting really weird on this journey. Even watching folks pick up dog poop can be amusing to us these days. Lawdy!
Most of the day was spent planning our adventures further down the road. We want to spend at least a week in each of the lower 48, then Alaska & parts of Canada over a five year time frame. Our adventure may stop then but it may continue. Only time & health will tell. We have traveled through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana & now Texas. As the summer season rushes in we will head north – because we can – to avoid the climbing temps. I had a few more campgrounds booked but added more – called & reserved them & got confirmations. It’s surprisingly confusing & pretty time consuming. We have had great luck finding spots even though camping became most popular during COVID. May our luck continue!
We had several things we wanted to see while in San Antonio but the repairs we had to do & coordinate on the RV killed much of those plans. We did get to the Alamo for a fantastic tour. We also made it over to The River Walk for a boat ride in the rain. It was cooling & refreshing & we laughed the whole way.
Back at camp ….
We drove around the base – Ft Sam Houston – & found some very cool old buildings, still in use over 100 years after their construction.
The RV Repair guy came out on Friday to replace the awning we lost during our last move. He told us he replaces awnings like ours a lot – I guess they don’t always react well to the wind. He also cleaned out the dryer vent & resealed it. He was very professional & knowledgeable & we were grateful to have found him.
On to new adventures!
We made it to our next destination without any complications. We drove nearly all the way on a highway that was almost perfectly maintained. It was glorious! As we left San Antonio, we had to contend with construction but it wasn’t hard. As we passed into the hill country, the landscape was breathtaking! Rolling hills, vibrant greens, meadow flowers, sagebrush, a life size Sasquash in a field … I was expecting to see random cowboys moving herds of cattle. I NEEDED an easy ride, the wide open spaces, cool breeze & clean air! (I really did see a Sasquash – weird – made me laugh out loud.)
It was just getting light out & condensation was heavy on the back window as I moved the blind aside to peep out the first morning. We were backed up to an “open range” area where there was a herd of buffalo not 500’ away, behind a fence. They were blurry because of the condensation but I could make out what I was seeing. However, much nearer the RV was a short, squat, gray & black animal that I couldn’t see clearly. A pig perhaps? I opened up the side door of the coach to get a better look. Ummmm, the beast turned out to be our satellite dish. I needed coffee!
The campground we were staying at was more of an animal/nature preserve. Acres & acres of land that more closely resembled what I envision as the African landscape than the Texas plains. Just beyond the RV parking area was a gate into the wildlife safari. I really thought this would be a bit lame but it was a fantastic experience. The variety of animals was astounding. It took over an hour to meander through the safari in the car to see animals who call it home. There were signs all along the way giving information about the various species & we were able to throw game food (given by the park) to the animals that came up to the car. We enjoyed the drive so much we actually did it three times during our stay. Here’s some pictures of various animals in the park …
The second day we drove over to Waco, Texas to go to Magnolia Market, the compound created by Chip & Joanna Gaines who have a show on HGTV – Fixer Upper. Our first visual was of The Silos at one end of the complex. HUGE silos, left rustic as is the feel of most of the couple’s home improvement designs. A pastry shop was recently added at the edge of the main entrance. A long line of shoppers were patiently waiting to get to the window to place their orders – it must have been good! The main Market building was two floors with a giant warehouse behind & it was a beehive of activity. A large courtyard was next where children & families gathered to play games or picnic. Further in was a restaurant, six smaller shops with great stuff, a mini-ball field & the most beautiful small church right in the center of the compound. Chip & Joanna found the derelict church in a small mid-Texas town, had it disassembled & brought to Waco specifically to restore it. It was stunning – worth visiting just to sit quietly on the gorgeous pews & reflect on the beauty & serenity of the place. Another thing I found really cool about this compound was the MANY bathrooms scattered throughout, all beautifully designed & decorated. Subway tile overload!
I took so few pictures! I must have been really distracted so we will have to make a return trip another time.
After we left Magnolia Market we drove around the city of Waco. It was MUCH bigger than I imagined. We found some great buildings & such to take pictures of but the rain was threatening to fall so we headed back to camp & the pups in short order.
It was a rainy day – all – day – long on day three! So we stayed inside for the duration. Now, our motorhome is considered big, but after so many hours without moving about, it feels small. It did give me the opportunity to find a new recipe that incorporated the chunked chicken I had & the spaghetti squash we got a couple weeks before into a new recipe. I had never made spaghetti squash & apparently never ate it before either. What a pain in the tail that was! And, although the meal was flavorful, the texture of the squash was a turn off to me. No matter, our bellies were full & the squash that had been staring at me for a week or two was gone.
Perry got us some super neat 2-way radios with ear buds while he was off at the store. As we moved into Texas, I decided to drive the car separately for awhile but we needed to communicate on stopping (like when one of us needs gas, a potty break, or a mechanical issue) & using the cell phone wasn’t going to cut it. Especially when the cell phone was being used for directions via GPS. Also, I do my best uninterrupted thinking when I’m alone in the car. And my pups, who ride with me, are pretty quiet. Win!
Life is good for these old retirees! We may have felt we didn’t use our time in Texas as well as we could have so we will definitely plan on another few weeks there in the future!
Not all who wander are lost! #whereswaldocamping