The Journey Has Begun!: July 2014

June 13th and time to leave Texas and head west to New Mexico.....but getting there seems like FOREVER!!

So long Dallas and friends! Time for the dessert and a state I've never been to! But I20 west is just long! The further we got the more decilate! All and any campgrounds were full due to "workers" that filled positons across southwest Texas! "Workers" move around the country hauling their homes behind them. And when they find jobs, as it does so many, they drop their campers and live there until the jobs are done. Then they pick up and move on to the next.....

So here we are in "no where' Texas with no where to stay! We finally came upon a town called Midland and a Walmart!! Can you believe it?! Thet will put a Walmart anywhere! But we were quite pleased! We could settle before the storms rolled in! And boy were they some storms!

The next morning came and the skys were clear! We continued west toward interstate 10. Along the way we saw old deserted towns, rv graveyards (we'd always wondered where they went to die! ;) and tall white windmills that have become popular for getting electricity the "green way". They turned in sync with each other and there were hundreds of them! Reminded me of something right out of a Stephen King book! The Langaliers!

Finally I 10 and El Paso!! I always thought El Paso was barren and desert but I was soooo wrong! The city,the traffic,the hussle of the city was beyond anything I'd thought it was! While sitting in traffic I see something quite different than the "norm" (depending on what one thinks normal is....). It's a small narrow strip of water, a river perhaps, and beyond was a hill of shacks and dirt roads! No cars or signs of life really? So I pull out the map to investigate and low and behold it's Juarez,Mexico!! Tim and I both sat there with jaws dropped in pure amazement! Never ever did we realize we were on the Rio Grande! Nothing "grand" about this river! And little did we know that Mexico would be 1/4 of a mile from the edge of U.S. soil in El Paso! Ahhh! No wonder boarder patrol was everywhere! Duh!

Sorry El Paso, nothing makes me want to come back to you again!

We reach the New Mexico boarder and more eye openers that had never occured to us! To be continued in the next post!

windmills in sync

storms brewing

a long long drive!

imagine living here?

we're moving along

hard living

ghost towns

cemeteries

Mexico

On our way to Dallas,Texas but first a detour to Alvarado....to look at a coach for sale.

A quick stop in Burleso,Tx near Alvarado. We stayed at a trailer pk/rv pk called Mockingbird Hill Rv Resort. Clean, many "long stay" folks and mobile homes. but very friendly and well kept. At $30 per night, it was just fine. But the new coach idea didn't work out and on June 11th it was time to get to Dallas!
I failed to tel you about the Tx road designs!! Omgosh! Something very different for us to get use to! The freeways exit ramps lead straight to the service roads,that run along side of all the freeways, without yielding to oncoming or approaching traffic! So if you are ever on a service road and the sign says "yield to oncoming traffic"?......you'd better YIELD! Yikes! Oh! And don't make the mistake by missing your exit! Just try and get back on going in the opposite direction! It's all do-able....just figure out how!

June 11th! And onward! We arrive in Dallas at Sandy Lake Rv Resort/Pk due north of the city. Nice park. Pool, dog park, some long stay folks, and close to Linda and Ken! After all these years we got to see where they live, their beautiful house and gardens and get gourmet meals! LOVED our visit! However, we didn't do uch touring around Dallas but we plan on a longer visit there next time! Thank you Linda and Ken, for a nice relaxing time with you guys! And Becker thanks you for letting him swim in your pool! :) PS- The BEST fish tacos Ever!!

Welcome!

Dallas

Gourmet Kitchen

Visiting with Linda Poolside

Visiting with Ken poolside

afternoon swim

evening swim

mosaics beautiful!

Hi Linda!

June 6th- Austin, Texas! Land of cowboys, ranch's.......NOT!

More like land of Music and the arts!

So I wasn't extatic about the campground we stayed in. It was more like a tight parking lot of an RV dealership with full hook ups at each site. But that's okay. It was a friendly place and near Austin. And at $30 per night you could'nt go wrong! Crestview Rv Pk in Buda,Tx.

Loved Austin! There are several sections to this city, as there are in most cities, but I tend to lean towards the artsy/bohemian sections! Maybe I'm just an old hippie at heart! ;)

There are food courts made up of airstream bullet trailers where the foods offered range from salads to fried chicken, from asian cuisine to the all American burger! There's pastry trailers and ice cream trailers! Everything that suites your desires! If you plan a trip to Austin, be sure to get information on the places to visit. It's fun and full of life! The active feel of artsy people and places makes it feel vibrant! ( visit S. Congress, S.1st, w.5th st are a few places to visit)

Then we had a day to take a drive and we chose to drive the "hill country" to a place called The Oasis! Wow did we luck out! It was just gorgeous! Who knew that Texas would have beautiful rolling hills?! And then to end our great ride at a place igh on a hill that overlooked a huge and beautiful lake! The Oasis is a large complex of eateries, outside/inside dining, shoppes and beautiful art and landscapes!

nd don't forget the large seperate bldg off the other end of the parking area that sells the most unique and wonderful pieces of home decor/furniture (new and used) and yard art! It's just a wonderful treasure hunt!

Oh yes! Austin, we will be back!!

trailer food courts everywhere!

trailer food

more trailer food

and more trailer food

downtown Austin

dine at the Oasis and get these views to die for

speaks for itself

a MUST walkthrough! Treasures galore!

Oasis courtyard

beauty abounds

enter The Oasis

Add caption

almost there! or is it an "OASIS"!

Not fancy,No frills but a must try cafe!(was on the show Diners,Drive-ins and Dives)

June 8th and now it's time to get moving. Hey let's head to Dallas, Texas and visit some family! Linda and Ken here we come!

June 1 and on our way to the Lone Star State!

First night was just a stay over night in Beaumont,Tx. Gulf Shores RV Pk, a clean little place not far from theme restaurants. Pull thrus just off the hwy. At $32 per night it was a good stop with full hook ups to clean out, reload and get back on the road first thing in the am.

San Antonio bound the morning of June 2. Checking into the Alamo KOA not far from the Spurs Stadium/Arena and 10 mins to the downtown area at $48 per nite we felt that it was the most convenient for what we'd planned on touring. The park was big, clean, good security and friendly. And it had a great little dog park!
Loved the Riverwalk! Though I'd heard about it, I never pictured it being below street level! Restaurants, Bars, Shoppes, Hotels,etc. A tourist trap, yes, but a must see still! I so enjoyed walking and exploring the huge area along the river. The smells and sounds and walking bridges to cross over to the other side..... And the riverboat tour, while a touristy thing to do, gave us much insight on how this all evolved.
Just above the Riverwalk lies the Historic Alamo! Also a must! To tour the buildings and grounds wasn't enough. To sit through the guides speaches and just listen, gave me soooo much more knowledge of how The Alamo came about!
The downtown area was nice with old hotels with history and places to dine,etc. Find a parking lot and just pay the rate to park because parking is not easy to come by. Or take public transportation (bus) that picks up and drops off just at the campground entrance. Just remember,like any other city, be smart of your surroundings go into and coming out of the city.
A great time and experience in San Antonio.....except for our a/c replacement at $1500! June in south Texas is hot! I found that out the hard way! Oh the RV living can be full of suprises! ;)