Texas - A BIG Place (Part 1)

On April 11, 2016 we arrived in Terrell, Texas around 1:00 p.m. (Central time). After checking into the Bluebonnet Ridge RV Park, we set up camp and waited until our traveling companions Ralph and Janet arrived in their own coach. We had traveled another 250 miles and had been on the road for 4.5 hours since leaving Louisiana.

 

Once Ralph and Janet settled into their own site located next to ours, we chilled for the remainder of the day and cooked burgers for dinner that night outdoors. Once together, we shared ideas on plans for the upcoming adventure. One thing we did begin using was an Apple app called RV Parky that was useful in finding campgrounds to stay at. We agreed we would plan our trip as we go and only make reservations a week in advance. Another handy tool the guys began using when driving the coaches to our next destination was a $29.99 Walmart walkie talkie set that advertised a 14 mile radius. It was perfect for communicating while on the road and better than texting or calling on cell phone because many parts of our trip were in "no service" zones.

The next day greeted us with temperatures in the 70'sF (21C) but actually cooled to the 60'sF (15C) as the day progressed. Janet woke up with a bad cough so Rick, Ralph and I went out to breakfast at a local café. Then we went back to the campground and I took a walk to explore the campground. I found a swing set over by the camp pool so I felt like a kid again while I swung for a bit. There were geese squawking nearby as they waddled around freely. It was another easy day as Janet mended her throat. That evening, it became quite cool as it dropped into the 50'sF (10C). 

Dealey Plaza and the 6th floor Texas School Book Depository in the historic West End District of downtown Dallas was our excursion for the next day. As many Americans know, this was the now famous location of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy which occurred on November 22, 1963. The 6th Floor of the brownstone depository building houses a museum dedicated to facts surrounding the incident. The admission was $16.00 per adult or $14.00 for seniors and includes an audio or ASL guide. We spent a couple hours walking through this detailed exhibit that explained in chronoligcal order the facts leading up to, including and after the assassination. The view from the 6th floor window where Lee Harvey Oswald fired a rifle that killed the President offers a vantage point of an "X" on the street below (circle in red). 

 

Once we got back to street level, we located that "X" on the road (circled in red). This "X" marks the exact spot where the President received the fatal shot while in the back seat of a convertible that was part of a motorcade. The also famous grassy knoll is along the side of the road. Standing there where this tragic event took place still casts an eerie, somber feeling. Even the skies grew grey and gloomy.

 

On April 14th our stay at Terrell, Texas ended. Our plan for wheels rolling at 10:30 a.m. was on time and we were now a caravan of two coaches headed to our next destination.  Four and a half hours and 265 miles later we arrived at the Katy Lake RV Resort in Katy, Texas . We were now about 20 miles west of Houston, a convenient drive by car to scout the area.. The daytime temperature was 55F (13C) with overcast, cloudy skies.

Upon checking into the Katy Lake RV Resort, we were each given free neoprene beverage Cooleys that advertised the campground and packages of homemade cookies. What a nice touch!

 

That night under a starry sky we ate steamed artichokes, lamp chops and baked sweet potatoes that Janet and Ralph had prepared. Delicious!

The next morning, Rick, Ralph and I were off to visit the USS Texas, a second class battleship that took part in some of the most significant naval battles of the 20th century during both wars. On the way, we passed (what seemed) endless miles of gray, rusty piping of oil refineries along the Texas 225 highway. It created quite an ugly landscape. However, I was reminded that Houston is the world's petroleum capital. Some huge holding tanks had beautiful murals painted on them depicting moments from famous Texan battles, such as the Alamo.

 

The USS Texas now sits in the Houston Ship Channel as a floating museum.

We walked her weathered teak decks and absorbed the atmosphere while appreciating the cramped, minimalistic space sailors worked in during those times.

 

Dentist quarters 

Canteen (general store)

Laundry room

 

Head (toilet stalls)

Sick bay

Operating room

Engine room

  

Barber shop

Up on deck...

   

The Mexican influence is very strong and evident in Texas. Most obviously, it appears in the food. I ran across this organic diet cola option I tried called Maine root Mexicane Diet Cola. It tasted (to me) no different than Diet Coke minus the artificial sweetener.

The next day we drove to the coastal city of Galveston located on Galveston Island in the state of Texas. Sitting directly on the Gulf of Mexico, the community is approximately 209 square miles. Unfortunately we were there as the weather grew gray and winds became gusty. Sea foam was blowing up and onto Seawall Boulevard, which was the main road that ran along the beach. There are almost 30 miles of beaches that draw tourism to the area. Along with that there is an amusement park on a pier, a National Historic Landmark District downtown consisting of mainly Victorian-era buildings turned shops and restaurants, a Romanesque Revival style Opera House, art deco and stilt style beach houses plus a botanical garden.
   
That night Katy, Texas experienced some very severe weather. Getting a good night's sleep was very difficult due to buffeting winds shaking our motor home and quarter size hail pelting outside. In twelve hours, Katy received 20 inches of rain and flooding became an issue. Little did we know that we had experienced "The 500 Year Flood", a once in five lifetimes weather phenomenon. Our departure from Katy was delayed by 48 hours and even then, we had to detour to leave Katy to avoid streets and parts of highways that were still underwater. Crazy!!!

San Antonio was our next destination and we arrived safely around 3:00 p.m. on April 19th. At this point we had traveled 1,527 miles since leaving home. The weather greeted us with a temperature of 84F (28.8C) and hazy, cloudy skies. We had reservations at a campground called Riverwalk RV Resort on the outskirts of San Antonio. As we pulled into the "resort", Rick and I immediately got a bad feeling. This place certainly didn't look like a "resort": roads were full of potholes big enough to swallow the front end of a car, sites were muddy and uneven plus the pool area was closed. Ralph and Janet were getting the same vibes too. However, their rating were very good and plentiful so we persevered. Check-in was easy and the people were friendly. We were each taken to our respective sites via golf cart by a staff member to show us where to go and how to pull in. Once we saw our site, another "red flag" went up for Rick and I when we had to ask for concrete blocks to lower our jacks onto because the dirt at our site looked way too unstable. Okay, sites seen and prepped so then we got into our coaches and we followed behind Ralph and Janet to these respective sites. Then it happened! Ralph drove into his campsite first as we watched. Ralph and Janet's 26 ton home got mired in mud! Ralph couldn't move forward or back - this wasn't good. Long story short, trust your instincts. The staff had to shovel gravel under Ralph's wheels so he could roll out of the mud. Rick and I weren't about to even try to drive onto our site. That was it - we were granted a full refund of our monies and we drove out of that "resort" as fast as our wheels could spin. Luckily, we found availability at the San Antonio/Alamo KOA just down the street and it was wonderful. And, I say "luckily" because it was Fiesta San Antonio Week (unbeknownst to us) and most places in the area were booked solid.

Ccontinue this journey with us by clicking on the next episode: Texas - A BIG Place (Part 2))