April 12, 2013 – “On the Road…..Again”

We departed our winter home in Weslaco on April 4 in route to an overnight stay in Victoria, TX. Our first destination of our travels this season is actually Spring, TX, just north of Houston, but since that is about 6 hours from Weslaco, we decided to break it up into two legs. Why rush things? We wanted to arrive in Spring on Friday afternoon to begin our weekend visit with friends Rodney and Dena, so why hurry?

We bucked a pretty good headwind as we made our way north to Victoria, but other than that, the trip was uneventful as we made our way to the Lazy Longhorn RV Park. It had better than favorable reviews and ratings on our travel “bible” www.RVParkReviews.com. Nice park; clean and well kept, but very narrow streets and campsites made it challenging maneuvering the rig. In fact, the first spot we tried to get in was so tight due to tree branches, we decided to unhook the toad, and move to an adjacent site. We probably would not stay here again.

Last week, as we were preparing to leave Weslaco, we did some regular maintenance on the rig. One of which was servicing the six batteries. Every time I undertake this chore, it reminds me of the fact the engineers and designers at Winnebago don’t own an RV. For if they did, they would not have designed the battery compartment the way they did, making it impossible to service the batteries without removing the door completely from the rig. My knees are not as “supple” as they once were, and almost every time I’m forced to perform work tasks on said knees, they are unappreciative and “talk” to me later. We managed to complete the battery service, and re-attach the door, but they following day my knee was not only talking to me, it was screaming obscenities to boot.

Last Friday we departed Victoria in route to Spring. I was not especially thrilled at the thought of driving in and around Houston, the fourth largest city in the US, but we timed it so we arrived on the outskirts around 1:30 pm. Our Rand McNally for RV’s (we fondly refer to as Randy) routed us on US-59 to the 610 loop north to I-45, since we had “Avoid Toll Roads” active on Randy. If I have it to do over again, I would gladly pay the tolls on the #8 Sam Houston Tollway around Houston. If your RV travel plans include this sprawling metropolis, either take the #8, or plan your travel through on a Sunday morning.

We finally arrived at Rayford Crossing RV Resort in Spring, TX around 3 pm and quickly got settled. After eliminating the stress sweat from our bodies in the showers, we called our friends to make plans for the evening. We drove the short 5 miles to their place, and after an adult beverage (only 1), we made our way to Pappacito’s Cantina for dinner. As frequent readers of our blog already know, CC’s favorite food is Tex-Mex, and her second most favorite is Mexican; and yes, there is a difference between the two. I would rate Pappacito’s as some of, if not THE best Tex-Mex we have ever eaten. Check out their website and look for one coming to your area in the future, as they are part of the Pappadeaux Cajun Seafood group. The food was great and the company of Rodney and Dena were equally enjoyed. We had a great time, made even better when Rodney picked up the check ;-) Thanks buddy!

The following day we ventured to Old Town Spring, had an adult beverage at the Loose Caboose and did some shopping. I hate shopping, so maybe the one margarita I had was stronger than I thought. Or possibly CC knew that una margarita would weaken my will? Yeah, that’s it! (As usual, click on any image to enlarge.)

Late in the afternoon we were back at the rig, where we grilled ribeye steaks and uncorked a bottle of great vino. Good food, good friends, and good conversation; it just doesn’t get any better than that. The last time we saw Rodney and Dena was 3 years ago, and we had a lot of “catching up” to do so it was late when we bid them farewell for the evening, saying “to be continued manana!”

What visit to Spring, TX would be complete without a visit to Old Town Spring? We did that yesterday you say? Well, yes, BUT we didn’t get to see it all, so back we went. First things first, as we lunched at one of the local’s favorites, Wunsche Brothers Grill & Bar.

A short walk down the street was a little shop, The Steel Horse, that in the 1930’s was actually a bank. Not just any bank, but one that was robbed by the infamous Bonnie & Clyde. The shop owners have left the safe intact, and created a mini-museum inside. CC and I couldn’t resist recreating the historic event.

As they say, (who is they?) all good things must come to an end. Our visit with Rodney and Dena drew to a close on Sunday afternoon. Dena had a 3 hour drive ahead of her, and Rodney had some “work” to do for a Monday morning meeting, so we bid our adieus, vowing to stay in closer touch. CC and I are just glad we got to spend the time we did with our longtime friends.

Monday morning we departed Spring in route to Martin Dies Jr. State Park just west of Jasper, TX. As we drove around looking for just the right spot, we decided it was so pretty and peaceful here, to stay for a week. CC could catch up on some of her reading and I could do a little fishing. Here is a bit of free information you won’t find anywhere else, so it more than makes up for price you paid for the subscription to our blog.  At any of the Texas State Parks, after paying the daily entrance fee of $3 - $6, or purchasing an annual pass for $70, you don’t need a state fishing license to fish from the bank, docks or piers. You only need a fishing license if you fish from a boat. Take that to the bank………….….Shampoozie!

That’s all folks! Until next time from an undetermined at this time location; take care and stay well……………………..

ps It's only April 12, and our Verizon air card shows we have already used 75% of our monthly allowance, so we hit the road early in search of a wi-fi hotspot. So, here we are at Whataburger in Jasper, and although the connection is good, it's limited bandwidth makes posting slightly frustrating. (Expletives deleted)