Remember the Alamo???

Well, really I don't remember much about it, having been schooled in New Jersey.  But we visited it today, and I was reminded how little I understand about history.  (Lots of Texan school groups there visiting with us, I noticed.) 

We spent time this afternoon in downtown San Antonio (obviously) and enjoyed a decent lunch at a cafe along the River Walk (though the restaurants there all seemed geared to tourists----tomorrow night we'll be in search of a more authentic Mexican meal!).  The River Walk itself is lovely, aside from the preponderence of restaurants.  We didn't explore it all today and will return tomorrow to see more.

Meanwhile out "urban camping" is going all right. There was MUCH highway noise last night---something we're not used to in Montpelier.  Tonight we'll try sleeping with the AC on and see if that helps. The RV resort is really rather nice.  I went to the pool after our touring today and chatted with some friendly fellow-RV'ers from Canada.  We also have visited with a couple from AZ who were on the same bus heading downtown today.  While there's not a lot of dog space here, it's a pretty good base for exploring the city.

Ranger seemed to survive fine, in air-conditioned comfort, while we played tourists today. 

On the Rio Grande

We have been in Mission, TX for the past few days.  It is in far south Texas on the Mexican border.  It's not an area that seems very attractive, but it IS known for its birdwatching possibilities.  During the season (November through March), the place is busy with birders from all over.  However, now in mid-May, it's very quiet, with all the Snowbirds having gone north. 

We spent the day yesterday in Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park.  It's another park that is dealing with damage from extreme weather: the entire park was underwater last year due to Hurricane Alex.  So there was much construction and repair work going on.  We had to park outside and walk in, then take a tram around the roadways.  Some really unusual birds are in the area, ones that can't be seen anywhere else in the US, and we were able to add green jay, chachalaca, grooved bill ani, and olive sparrow to our list.


It was amusing to go grocery shopping here.  We were in search of (among other things) hummus and bagels.  No such things in this local store.  There were, however, multiple types of peppers in the produce section, big bins of many different dried peppers, and huge bins of dried pinto beans!  Definitely a different culture.

Today we're heading north to San Antonio.

Near Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

Thursday we left the Beaumont area, heading south to the Texas gulf coast.  Just past Houston, the radio started in with “The National Weather Service has issued….”---warnings about severe thunderstorms.  We did indeed run into them, though in the heaviest part of the wind and rain, we pulled off the highway and parked under the road.  When it settled down into just heavy rain, we continued, arriving at Goose Island State Park, north of Corpus Christi in mid-afternoon.  As the rain continued throughout the evening, we were extremely glad to be in our comfortable RV and not setting up a tent in the downpour!

And yesterday we found still another reason to be happy about our RV---MOSQUITOES!  When I walked Ranger early in the morning, I was just about eaten up with them.  They are discouraged, but not totally defeated by heavy doses of bug spray.  Since the park is in a marshy area along three bays, I guess we should expect them.  (But the scenery is great.)  Apparently this park is much used by fishermen, as yesterday morning there was a steady stream of towed boats, mostly those airboats with the big fans on the back, into the boat launch area up the way.

We took a day trip south, went through Rockport and Aransas Pass, and ended up, via ferry, at Port Aransas.  It reminded us of the Outer Banks---lots of motels, hotels, rental cottages, t-shirt shops, and so forth.  It’s also the location of the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, which must be one of the hottest places in the country to do such work----not a tree in sight, just lots of sand dunes.  Just by luck, we ended up at the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, which was the highlight of our day.  After seeing several new birds within the first few minutes, we went back to the RV, fired up the generator and turned on the AC, and left the dog for the next two hours.  The gardens were home to a number of warblers and other small birds, while the boardwalk took us out over the water, to where we saw lots of ducks and other water birds.  Dan’s greatest find of the day: a pair of least bitterns.  He got some great pictures with his new camera.

Then back to the park, where we stayed inside, hiding from all those bugs!

Very little phone service, so no Internet----posting this on Sunday as we prepare to continue south toward the Rio Grande.

On to Texas

Yesterday we left Mississippi behind, bypassed New Orleans, and crossed the state of Louisiana on I-10. The governor had recently called for some evacuations due to the rising waters of the Mississippi River, but we sailed well above it on the highway, crossing it at Baton Rouge and entering "The West".  There are long stretches of I-10 in LA that are above swamp and the waters below are full of egrets and other water birds.  We had a lunch break at the visitors center for the Atchafalaya River/Bayou/Refuge in the middle of it all---good exhibits, free coffee, and a man playing Cajun music in the lobby.

We crossed into Texas in early afternoon and pulled over for the night in Lumberton, just north of Beaumont.  We're at Village Creek State Park, which is small but nice.  Apparently it's a place favored by paddlers, as they can travel along the creek through Big Thicket, just to the north, and pull in here for the night at the tent sites along the water.  Today we'll go through Houston and head for our next stop at Goose Island State Park near Corpus Christi.

Hot in Mississippi

I thought I could deal with humidity, being from Virginia, but the heat and humidity here in Waveland, MS are really intense!  Yesterday, we walked from the campground out to the main road which runs along the Gulf.  By the time we got there, Ranger was more than ready for a nice swim. 

This has turned out to be a great place for birdwatching.  There are red-headed woodpeckers everywhere, and yesterday we added common night hawk and indigo bunting to the trip list.  Our site is wooded behind, so yesterday, during the heat of the day, we relaxed in the shade, read, and watched the birds as they came by.  It cooled off somewhat in the evening, but that's when the insect attack began.  (Note: We will NOT try to eat dinner outside at the picnic table tonight.)  What a treat at the end of the day to get into the RV and turn on that air-conditioning so that we can get some sleep! 

This morning I walked the dog at 6:30, and it was already 72 degrees.....and oh, yes, VERY humid!

Tornados in the South

We spent Saturday night at a nice park (Sherling Lake) between Montgomery and Mobile, AL.   This was not the area that was affected by the recent tornado that went through Tuscaloosa; however, it WAS hit by the tornado about two weeks before that.  Many trees were down and they have a massive clean-up ahead, but the camping area was spared.  The managers were extremely friendly and apologetic about the limited access to walking paths and so forth.  All in all, it was a good place for an overall stop.

We've traveled on to the Mississippi gulf coast and will be staying at Buccaneer State Park (Waveland) for the next few days.  The entire park was destroyed by Katrina----remember Katrina, before the tornados and the earthquakes and the tsunami?   So the one camping loop that is open for business is all brand new.  Today we'll start exploring the area.

Being in Mississippi in May, we had the "opportunity" to test out our air-conditioning last night.  What a relief!

300 miles behind us

We woke up this morning near Spartanburg, SC, after a fairly uneventful day of driving yesterday---other than the thunderstorm at lunchtime that left the dog cowering back by the bathroom.

Ranger was glad to be at a campground with a dog play area after hours of riding, and we enjoyed a quiet evening with much privacy; there seem to be few people out camping at this time of year.  I'm curious to see if that continues to be the case.  Today we're off to Alabama.