Yep, we’re still here. The weather though… ugh. Awoke to light rain that was not forecast. Result: the walk was wet today.
Because of the lack of rain in the forecast we decided to leave our chairs and outdoor rug outside overnight. They are wet and full of sow bugs and beetles. Yuck.
Breakfast was leftover pancakes and bacon with maple syrup. Mmm.
After lunch we accompanied our friends, the Milddogs, on a walk to a few of the interesting sites within the park. We started by walking to the upper falls and then to ‘Old Baldy’ a large and very old Bald Cypress tree. Then onto a cave in the riverbank that was a prehistoric home. By this time the rain intensity had increased to that of being uncomfortable and so we returned to our campsite to dry off.
Upper McKinney Falls
After drying off we returned to Camp Milddogs for some late afternoon banter and drinks before returning to the van for dinner.
After dinner we hosted the Milddogs for a final evening of cards before they and us each head in our own directions tomorrow to conclude our camping trips. It’s been fun catching up with good friends and being able to swap ideas and tips that we can use while traveling. Bon Voyage mon amis.
Our evening was concluded by getting a jump on preparing for departure tomorrow by loading the bikes and putting away a few items. It is supposed to be a warm 17C overnight, so no heaters or heavy blankets will be required. Tomorrow the heat is supposed to arrive. Stay tuned.
Another chilly start to the day with the temperature being only 6C outside the inside of the van was only 11C. So, turned on the heater before getting up for the day.
After a cup of coffee it was time for my morning walk which took me 4.5km around the campground on a mixed-use trail. It was fairly easy walking with a few hills and one steep descent. The area has mixed hardwoods as well as some cactus and lots of wildflowers. It looks like it does in May at home yet I’m constantly reminding myself that it’s only March. I came across an entire meadow of Texas Bluebonnets (state flower).
Texas Bluebonnets
Back at camp, we cooked pancakes and bacon for brunch and enjoyed it outside at the picnic table.
After brunch we got our bikes out and rode them about the park exploring other sights, including both the lower and upper falls which we concluded are probably very popular in the hotter months as places to come and cool off.
McKinney Falls (lower & upper)
Flora about the park
Our friends, Mr & Mrs Milddogs arrived later in the afternoon and we caught up on what we had seen and found.
For dinner I tackled grilling steak, onions & peppers. The steak was sliced and chopped and the mixture applied to buns and smothered in provolone cheese which was then toasted. Mmmmm, cheesesteak sandwiches.
The day was finished up playing cards with the Milddogs in their van. Tomorrow looks to be rainy, so we’ll have to see what we’ll chose to do.
Another chilly and windy morning awaited us today. Overcast conditions persisted; however, we were heading inland today, away from the coast so maybe it will warm up and be a little nicer.
Goose Island State Park, Day 2
The morning walk was shorter than usual, but as I met and walked with Mr. Milddogs it was faster than my usual pace. That was enough for the morning as I felt I would do a little more after arriving at our new destination later in the afternoon.
Packing up of the van went well and we were on our way just before the noon checkout time. We started by retracing our drive North for about half an hour before heading NorthWest towards Cuero, TX where we stopping at the municipal park and ate lunch next to the lake where we were joined by some ducks and geese.
Heading North towards Tivoli, TXCuero, TX
From Cuero we headed to Luling where we found the water tower painted as a huge watermelon. Next, and most importantly, can Lockhart, TX. which is evidently the BBQ capital of Texas. This can be proven by the number of BBQ restaurants/takeout places in the town. We got gas, groceries and finally BBQ brisket dinners before continuing.
Luling, TXTexas BBQ from Lockhart, TX
About 30minutes further along the road we arrived at our destination for the next 3 nights, McKinney Falls State Park, Austin, TX.
The sign at park entrance stated “Campground Full” so we were glad to have reservations. Our campsite is a drive through designed for large fifth wheel trailers or motor homes, our campervan had plenty of options as to where and how to park.
McKinney Falls State Park, Site 9, Austin, TX
As the evening drew to a close the “Campground Full” sign came back to mind and I wondered where everyone was. The sites here seem huge and thus the title of this post ‘…there doesn’t seem to be anyone around.”
Another chilly (not chilli) morning. A coffee and a muffin to start the day and then off for a walk about the park. It was cold and drizzly so I opted for sweatpants, sweatshirt, rain jacket, hat & light gloves. It really is that cold (or so I thought).
The walk was nice and it wasn’t long before I realized I had over dressed. It was intermittently raining so the jacket was required but I could have done without the sweatshirt and gloves.
We are staying at Goose Island State Park for another night but have to move a few sites to the right as the current site is reserved for someone else.
Mr. & Mrs. Milddogs are joining us at the park tonight and will be on the site next to us. While I was walking the park this morning, I received a text from Mr. Milddogs offering to pickup Texas BBQ lunch for us. We quickly accepted the offer.
We did a quick pack-the-van and backed off of our site by 11:45am. Stopping at the camp office they gave us a new site tag for tonight. We then headed off to look at the parks main attraction ‘The Big Tree’.
It is what the package describes, a big tree. In fairness, it is a ‘Live Oak’ that is estimated to be more than 1000 years old. When compared to many trees like it in the area, it is clearly much larger. The tree has a split rail fence surrounding it to protect its roots and to discourage people from climbing.
Returning to the campground, we setup on our new site and then added a few decorations in celebration of Mrs Milddogs birthday. Yay!
Upon arrival, the Milddogs quickly established their site and brought the BBQ brisket over to our site and we all enjoyed lunch and catching up. It was great to see them and the afternoon passed quickly as we swapped stories ‘from the road’.
Mr. Milddogs noticed another van further along the park as also being from our home area and checked with his cottage neighbor who confirmed that it was his son. So they popped over to say hello for a few minutes before joining us again in our van for an evening of cards. Much laughter & chatter later, we called it evening.
We restored our van interior to our sleeping setup and settled down for the night.
We were awakened at about 4:00am by the rain and wind. The van was being buffeted about and the rain was intense. This kept going for the next 3 hours as we lightly drifted in and out of sleep. At 7:30 I ventured outside during a quieter period of rain to disconnect the van from the pedestals, heavier rain would return and I didn’t want to get completely soaked ahead of our planned 4 hour drive.
We took our time getting going and having breakfast and waiting for the rain to subside enough so as not to be a hazard when driving. We finally were away shortly before 10:00am. The rain was still falling but really now just as showers although there was lots of water laying about along the sides of the roads.
Texas, USA
We stopped in Lake Jackson where we shopped for groceries at the H-E-B store (fabulous). We then drove to Matagorda beach where we had lunch in the van as the temperature was only 9C and the wind was quite strong.
Salt marsh between mainland and Matagorda Island
After stopping at another Buc-ee’s for gas, we continued on to our destination, Goose Island State Park just outside of Rockport, TX. This will be our most Southerly destination on this trip. Our site is right at the waters edge, the sun has returned and has warmed us up, the wind is mostly blocked from our site. The skies are clear and we’re hoping to starwatch tonight.
A sunny but windy start to our relaxing day on Galveston Island, TX. I decide to walk about the RV park and walk on every road and trail within the park. 6.8km – not bad. Barb goes to the beach and is almost blown back to the park by the onshore winds from the gulf. She sees a few Man-O-War jellyfish on the sand and watches seabirds dance in the wind.
Typical beach houses
Galveston Island beach
The day has been set aside for housekeeping type activities and one will be laundry. Quarters acquired for the machines from the office and laundry is done while showers are taken. No excitement here folks.
Our van amongst trailers
Early after lunch Barb decided to go and float in the lazy river pool they have here. She arrived to find nobody else in the river and so stepped into the water. Minutes later she was back at the van exclaiming that the pools are not heated !
The clouds have now taken over the sky as a harbinger of the weather that will arrive overnight. The wind prevents using the griddle and so we cook in the van on the induction cooktop. We enjoyed chicken fajitas for dinner along with margaritas. After dinner a little reading and then we settled in for a movie, tonight the Swedish version of “The girl with the dragon tattoo”. Dark, sinister and so well filmed.
Tonight we are expecting a cold front to come through with wind and rain. The temperature should be cooler tomorrow. Stay tuned.
Early rise (6:30am), cool temperature (6C), the shower will likely take a while to warm up….. Do I have to get up?
We’re off again today, further Westward. We had to make a small repair to the bike cover last evening as one of the cords that keep the cover snug to the bikes broke. With that done it left only the normal electrical and water disconnects to be done before heading out. After a shower and breakfast.
Showers here get a 3/10 for lack of privacy, security and the ‘eww’ factor. The shower buildings are great, and kept very clean but the showers only have curtains (lack of security for belongings), are open to each other top and bottom (privacy concerns) and because they’re open at the bottom water and filth from your neighbour can spray your way. Thus we showered early when everyone else was asleep. Unfortunately that meant that we warmed the water for all who followed. Brrrr again.
Breakfast was light (coffee, banana & yoghurt) and before we knew it we were pulling out of the site. Farewell Palmetto Island State Park! If back this way we will probably stay here again.
Our route zig-zagged us across country towards I-10. We saw thousands of acres of flooded fields and couldn’t figure them out. The water levels were at times higher than the roads we were driving. Google solved the mystery, they are rice fields from which the farmers harvest crawfish (crayfish). Evidently commercial crawfish farming began in the 1980s when a farmer could make a good living on several hundred acres, now at least 1000 acres is needed to make a go of it. The farmers bag the crawfish in 40lb bags which is the most commonly purchased size.
Crawfish farming
Texas!
Our first stop of the day was at Space Center Houston (SCH) located adjacent to the Johnson Space Center where all NASA astronauts train and all space flights are managed and monitored.
Problem: we retirees forgot that it is March break and the place was crawling with kiddies and their families.
As we had previously visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida some years ago, many of the exhibits described the same events. There is of course new items and stories from the ISS, JWST, Artemis and the future Mars program so it was easily still worth visiting. We also got to see a Space-X Falcon 9 booster up close which was cool as was the tour of the 747 that ferried Space Shuttles across the country after they landed in California.
Space Center Houston, Houston, TX
We were scheduled to take a tour of the astronaut training facility but the stupid mobile/online registration system unexpectedly cancelled our reservation and it was too late in the day to book another.
From SCH we headed South, wait, which way? Yep, South to a Buc-ee’s in Texas City. Buc-ee’s is a chain of truck stops in and around Texas known for their cleanliness and size, Texas-sized.
Buc-ee’s, Texas City, TX
We started at the gas pumps where we got fuel for a good price from one of what appeared to be 100 or so gas pumps. Never went to see how many truck pumps they had on the other side of the building. The ‘store’ looks more like a Walmart super center when you walk in. HUGE. They appear to sell anything and everything. Lots of food from snacks to hot sandwiches, fresh baked goods, soda pop fountains, coffee (lots of coffee), housewares, camping goods, art, clothing, alcohol, tobacco, bags of ice (ice machines surrounded the building). It was reported to me that the bathrooms are also immaculate and spacious. You can also have a shower here should you need one.
Anyway, we got a few snacks and a couple of hot brisket sandwiches for dinner and headed out towards Galveston island, our stop for the next couple of nights. Barb had snagged a site at the Jamaica Beach RV Resort that became available when someone cancelled. Barb would finally get some beach time.
A cool morning awaited us, it was almost 8:00am and neither of us really wanted to get up because it was just 14C in the van. First up would power on the ceramic heater but the floor would be cold, as would the toilet. Oh well, let’s get at it. Brrrr.
We’d spent the night at Palmetto Island State Park in Louisiana. It really feels like the middle of nowhere, the park is essentially in a bayou on land just a few feet higher than the water. It has the promise of being a place of solitude and peacefulness, that would be if the Texan neighbors with the 4 dogs tied to a post directly across the road would have trained them NOT to bark at anything that moved. Instead they seem hyper-sensitive to movement and bark incessantly.
Palmetto Island State Park, Abbeville, LA
The morning moved slowly and little was done about the van. Breakfast was had, brunch was cooked and enjoyed outside in the cool air but warm sunshine. Bookings were made for the next several nights, and then it happened! The Texan neighbors started packing up! Checkout was 1:00pm and they seemed intent on using every minute they were entitled to before heading back to Houston.
Shortly after lunch the world changed. The Texans pulled out and the park came through in spades with the solitude and peacefulness a place like this promises. Although there are many other sites occupied here today, we could now hear none of them. I think everyone was enjoying that same sound of silence we were experiencing. Bliss!
We untracked our eeee-bikes and decided to ride them about the park, exploring canoe and boat launches, and the cabins that are also available for rent. In all we rode about 12km and relished the beauty and silence of the park. It has to be one of the most peaceful places I have ever experienced.
In the bayou looking for alligators
No. of alligators spotted, zero. Disappointing really as I would have thought we’d see at least one.
No. of black bears spotted, also zero. Also disappointing given the number of warning signs dotted about the park warning people that bears frequent the area.
Light rain moved into the area later in the afternoon just as I was out for my daily walk (7km today), I got wet. We grilled burgers for supper and reloaded the bikes onto the rack ready for the journey tomorrow. The rain returned and we retreated to the warm interior for the evening. Much reading was done today.
Join us again tomorrow when you’ll hear us exclaim …..
Well, the RV gathering at the brewery did not turn into ‘The Burning Man festival’ but there was a fire-pit and much communal gathering amongst some in attendance. We even had a couple of late arrivals filling more of the lot. All in all though, a good nights sleep.
On the road by 9:15am heading West through New Orleans heading deeper into Louisiana. The first stop would be Berwick, LA to look at an old lighthouse. It had been built in the mid-1800s and stood in the Gulf at the entrance to Atchafalaya Bay warding ships away from the many sandbars. Built of steel and boiler plate, the square shaped lighthouse is evidently one of only a few of that style built. A nice unique find for the day.
Berwick, LA
From Berwick we continued West on SR-90 towards New Iberia where stopped to reprovision a few grocery items. The area is quite agricultural with the Winter crop being onions, thousands of acres of onions are almost ready for harvest this month.
From New Iberia we headed a few miles westward to Avery Island. The island is really the top of a huge salt dome pushing up through the marshland of the area and is one of several. Avery Island was purchased in the early 1800s by the McIlhenney family where they established a company that produces a product for which they are known worldwide, Tabasco pepper sauce. The family stills owns the company today and all Tabasco sauces are made here in Avery Island, LA. The property houses a museum which is open to the public and a self guided tour allows you to see the entire production process. A second unique stop for today and one we highly recommend for those visiting this area.
McIlhenny Co., Avery Island, LA
Our final hour of driving took us just South of Abbeville, LA to Palmetto Island State Park where we will camp for the next two nights. Come back again for an update on how we like the park.
DST kicked in this morning so it feels early, earlier than normal early. We’re leaving Pensacola today so I’ve got some time for a short walk and quick breakfast before we strike camp. The short walk turned into a medium walk and suddenly we were a little later leaving than maybe we wanted. All good though and still on the road before 10:00.
We started the day heading across country on some State roads towards Fairhope, AL. Missed a few turns along the way which only adds to the adventure. The GPS knew where we wanted to be so simply corrected my mistakes.
Fairhope is a very pretty town, with lots of old oak trees lining the streets in front of orderly clapboard houses. Picket fences, trimmed hedges, all very orderly. Clearly the town had not suffered the wrath of a hurricane head-on.
Located on the East side of Mobile Bay the town has long sand and pebble beaches and a 1400’ long pier, this we walked out and back as you do on a pier. Local fishermen had taken up their favorite spots and locals out for a run also joined us on the pier. A popular spot.
Fairhope, AL pier
From Fairhope we traveled North where we joined I-10 West. This would take us into Mississippi and onto Louisiana where we would be staying a night at the Faubourg Brewing Co. in N’awlins (New Orleans), LA. The brewery is a member of Harvest Hosts, establishments that allow RVs to stay the night on their property. Cost? Visit their business and buy something. A brewery….. easily done.
The drive out of AL and across MS was uneventful and easy. The interstate was fairly busy but was flat for the most part as it crosses the marshy southern lands of this part of the continent. There were a couple of impressively long bridges that seemingly suspended the interstate above the bayous and river deltas that we passed through.
Arriving at Faubourg Brewery we were not alone. First, this ‘craft’ brewery is huge, easily as large as any commercial brewery I’ve seen. Second, because of this size, the parking lot can accommodate large numbers of RVs. Until tonight we had only visited Harvest Host establishments that could accommodate no more than 4 or 5 visitors, here we were among 20 or so rigs of all sizes and styles.
Faubourg Brewing Co., New Orleans, LA
However, getting past the number of people joining us tonight, the brewery is amazing. They have lots of styles of beers to try as well as a very good kitchen from which we purchased lunch that we enjoyed while sitting outdoors on the large patio in the sun. It was 29C and breezy, a far cry from the cold of the North.
We took an Uber ride from the brewery into the French Quarter of the city to be like tourists for the remainder of the day. Having not been here before we really weren’t sure what to expect beyond what we’d seen in videos. Sensory overload would probably be a good place to start.
Anyone for hot sauce?
So, very busy, lots of tourists with cameras and lots of street vendors. There’s an amazing vibe and I can easily see getting caught up in that vibrancy and partying the night away. We made our way through the streets dodging the drunken hen parties and sidewalk bucket drummers looking for a place to get supper. Bourbon Street is the heart of the French Quarter, a jostling street party that appears to be going all the time. The noise is quite unbelievable, the aforementioned bucket drummers (5gal plastic pails) competing with bicycle/tricycle equipped rolling beatboxes turned to 11, all trying to outdo the street bands for your attention and donations. Ah, but not to be outdone, the eating/drinking establishments also were vying for your auditory attention by outdoing all of the street noise with noise of their own from massive sound systems clearly aimed out at the street. It was all bit numbing to be perfectly honest.
We chose not to try an eat downtown, places wheee there were lineups for tables (probably the better establishments) were incredibly noisy, dark and we suspecting not very clean given the state of the clientele. Food? I think not. Drinks? Again, hard pass.
French Quarter
We did find a place for an ice cream and then we picked up an order of Beignets and took them with us in an Uber back to the brewery, they’d be tomorrows breakfast.
We caught up on some YouTube viewing in the van before heading to bed. Our neighbors seemed intent on partying into the early hours, we were done. It had been quite a day. Good night.
