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.