Roaming 'Round the Rio Grande

We departed Corpus Christi on Monday at noon, arriving on South Padre Island late in the afternoon. What a view! We were camped right along the shore of Laguna Madre. Had supper at a seafood restaurant on the pier that was located a stone's throw away from our RV.

Next day it was up and at 'em as we checked out the beach. Zoe and Benji led the way across the dunes.

They had a hoot, running all over the place, digging in the sand, chasing birds and yes, even venturing into the water with some coaxing from Jim.

Jim even manged to convince me to dip my toes in the warm Gulf waters. Notice I didn't venture out very far and made sure there were no jellyfish floating around that could sting me. What a wuss!

As many of you know, we're not really "water" people, so after two days it was time to leave this "boater/surfer/ swimmer" paradise and head back inland. On Wednesday we arrived at Mission in the Rio Grande Valley, about three miles or so north of the US-Mexican border.

We're staying at the Bentsen Grove RV Resort. There are a lot of people here who stay at this resort all winter long. In fact, I'm sure there are more park model homes than there are RVs. That being said, the campground is quite nice. Never thought I would be in a place where you can step outside the RV and pick your breakfast or snack fruit right off the tree.

Having read books and watched old western movies about the Rio Grande River, we decided to check it out. At a little village called Los Ebanos there's a border crossing that is a little unique; the river ferry is hand operated.

and not one to be left out, Jim had to get into the act and give the guys a hand.

However, all good things must come to end, or at least take a pause. So tomorrow we'll retrace our steps back to Winnipeg. We're going to store the RV in San Antonio. Hopefully we'll be able to resume our journey at the end of January when I have recuperated from my next round of surgery. Man, are our bodies going to go through temperature shock; 30 C degrees above to 20 C degrees below in four days! Oh well.

Jim and Lesley signing off until 2008. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Stalled in Corpus Christi

We arrived in Corpus Christi on Monday to temperatures in the mid 80s. FANTASTIC!! After all, Corpus Christi is all about the beach and the water and enjoying the warm Gulf outdoors. Well that worked well until Wednesday night. Just before bed, the winds picked up (and I mean picked up!) and the rain came. And with that the temperatures plummeted 30 degrees. Not so bad except that the temperature has stayed there, the wind has not gone away and there has been rain off and on ever since. Needless to say, we've not been able to do many of the things we had planned for this area.



Corpus Christi is the home of the USS Lexington museum. Having never been on an aircraft carrier we braved the weather on Friday and toured the ship. Amazing!






and the Navy finally caught up with Jim, more than 38 years after he joined!

We ventured out to the stores on Friday, after the Thanksgiving Day holiday, to take in the full American shopping experience (although we did not get out of bed at 3:00 am to be there when the doors opened at 4:00 am). The crowds were unreal - and the line-ups!! There were great bargains to be had but......

Well, it's off to South Padre Island tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will be more conducive to beach-type activities.

Oh yeah - GO BOMBERS!!!

Still Roaming Around San Antonio

Week two at Fort Sam Houston was quite enjoyable. We played three rounds of golf and did a little sightseeing as well. For any of our fellow RVers who intend to travel to San Antonio, the park at the Fort is very nice. As you can see, the sites are very large by US standards, and the washroom and laundry facilities are well kept. And one certainly cannot complain about the price....



We made it to Sea World, although this time of year the attraction is only open on weekends. We took in all the shows, including an excellent acrobatic performance that included beluga whales and dolphins. Of course, Shamu was at his best....it's amazing what they can get these mammals to do!

There were a number of water rides that we both went on. Of course, my daredevil husband had to try the Steel Eel rollercoaster (I stayed on the ground!). Tried to get a photo of him as he zoomed by but that didn't work so he had to pose.

Just north of San Antonio there are some natural caverns. Excellent specimens of stalactites, stalagmites, straws, columns, curtains and drapes. We walked 280 ft below ground. I can't believe the four explorers that first found the caves actually crawled through the small opening below, not knowing where they would end up or what they would find on the other side or even if they could get out on the other side... I get claustraphobic just thinking about it.

Slummin' in San Antonio

Monday was travelling day once again. Houston faded in our rearview mirror and it was "all ahead full" for San Antonio and our first stay at a DoD camping facility. The RV Park at Fort Sam Houston is very nice, but has no internet access so we've been wandering around San Antonio trying to find WiFi hot spots.

"Remember the Alamo!" An excellent place to journey back in time and realize the importance of the battles fought. The site is well restored and very imformative, well worth the visit.

The grounds were quite impressive, serene and well cared for...

Next stop was the famous River Walk. Spent Saturday afternoon strolling alongside, stopping for a wet or two, and

yes, ET we found Dick's!

Imagine our surprise, and pleasure, in learning there is a large German community in nearby New Braunfels and they were celebrating the sausage with their Wurstfest!

So it was off to the Marketplatz for some bratwurst, German potato salad and of course Warsteiner.

There was also some excellent entertainment. A number of groups were performing but the best by far were the "Sauerkrauts". The performer shown here was extremely talented. He played everything from a trumpet to a handsaw with a fiddle bow to the cowbells shown here.

Of course we managed to get two rounds of golf. Hopefully next week we'll get to Sea World among other activities.

Hanging 'round Houston

This week was moving week - Dallas to Houston in about four hours. Despite the fact that Houston is the fourth largest city in the US, we've managed to find a serene and rustic campground in the little town of Manvel, about 20 miles south of Houston.

with extremely friendly ducks

and for all intent and purpose, our own private swimming pool. At 80 F, it's too cold for the locals.

We took advantage of the hot temperatures and relaxed environment to lounge around and not do much of anything this week. We found a little nine hole country golf course, where for $7 each, we can golf to our hearts content so needless to say we got in a few rounds.

But a trip to Houston would not be complete without a visit to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center so Sunday we headed out. Took a tour and saw the original Mission Control Center. Other displays demonstrated how astronauts live in space, gave an update on the International Space Station and current and upcoming shuttle missions. Even tried a simulator land ing of the shuttle. Think I'd better stick to managing the money! More than 14,000 people work here.

We saw a mock up of the Saturn V rocket and the International Space Station.

We finished the week with supper at a seaside restaurant in Galveston. Tomorrow we're off to San Antonio. Our stay at Houston was nice but the traffic....OMG!...don't think we'll be back anytime soon.

Doin' it in Dallas

Before I get started on this week's blog, I wanted to share this picture. Remember last week I joked about having to "park our horse". Well, this shot was taken as we turned off a main thoroughfare in downtown Arlington.

Our week in Dallas had a definite sports theme to it. It was here that we kicked off our NHL journey. (We hope to see a game at every NHL arena). The Stars welcomed the Ducks into their home and then soundly kicked their Duck butts, winning 3-1.

Next it was on to Arlington and a visit to the Legends of the Game Baseball Museum, which includes artifacts on loan from Cooperstown, and a tour of the home of the Texas Rangers, Ameriquest Field. The tour included a visit to the locker room,

and a chance to sit on the home bench.

Of course, no sports trip to Dallas is complete without checking out the Dallas Cowboys. Tried to get tickets to their home game - HA! They're sold out through the 2008 season. Did get a picture of their new stadium. Projected building cost is now up to $1.2 Billion, yep billions not millions

And of course, we still managed to squeeze in another round of golf. This shot is of the 10th hole at the Chester W. Ditto course in Arlington.

We found an off-lease park for the pups about a five minute drive from our campsite. Not quite like the one at home that wanders around an open field and through a treed area.

This park is wide open and has an entrance that resembles getting into jail, complete with a locked area that the dogs must pass through before getting unleashed, and designated areas for small and large dogs. Well worth all the effort once inside, though as there are always other dogs to run with.

The week was not totally dedicated to sports. We took in a little history with a tour of the Sixth Floor Museum, located in the former Texas School Book Depository. For those non-history buffs, this is the site where Lee Harvey Oswald fired his rifle and assassinated President Kennedy. The exhibit is quite educational and details the life, death and legacy of the 35th President of the United States. A must see when you visit this city! Unfortunately, no pictures are permitted inside the museum.

We also took a little side trip to the town of Grapevine. The town has restored 75 buildings to turn of the 20th century condition. All along Main Street are signs of the old West.

We ended our week by taking in a show at Johnnie High's Country Music Revue on Saturday night. The show has been voted best live country music show for the past four years and features a cast of 20 singers and musicians.

Living it up in Fort Worth

Welcome to Cow Town, USA. There's no doubt in my mind that Fort Worth is worthy of this distinction. All it takes is a trip to the famous Fort Worth Stock Yards!

But first you have to park your "horse"! No advanced technology here. Instead you just fold your money until it fits through a hole about as thick as a US quarter and then you stuff it in, using your keys to make sure it goes in all the way.

First, we took in the sights at the Cowboy Hall of Fame. A little bit of a bust from our perspective as we are not knowledgeable about the rodeo, which was the primary focus of this museum. That being said there were some excellent replicas of the various horse-drawn wagons and carriages used over the years, including a stage coach and a hearse.

Of course, there's nothing like seeing the real thing, and Fort Worth aims to please. So outside we went to witness a live cattle drive complete with trail boss and the famous Texas long-horned steers

We're told no trip to Fort Worth is complete without a trip to Billy Bob's Honky Tonk, the largest honky tonk in Texas, if not the world. Being the good troopers that we are it was off to see for ourselves on Friday night.

And man, is this place big! Sits about 6000+, has a restaurant, dance floor, concert stage, casino, billiards, about eleven "watering holes". Everyone from Willie Nelson to Styx have performed here at one time or another. Music plays continuously so there's always someone on the dance floor. Tracy, you would love it here!

and.....

Yep - a live bull riding arena! Now I realize the pictures are a little dark, but th young man riding the bull below is just 14 years old and he hung on for six seconds! Guess he's going to have quite the future as a rodeo star.

Of course, no week is complete without a round of golf. This week we tried a local municipal course called Lake Arlington. A nice venue with lots of trees and some water and no sand - you got to like that!

We're staying at the Treetops RV Park in Arlington. It's quite nice. Has a swimming pool and air conditioned laundry, which is really nice given that the daytime temperatures are in the high 70s to low 80s. There's a fair number of trees to provide shade but no good area to walk the pups.

The view from the patio ......

and checking e-mail