09/15/2021
Departure from Rockport and Arrival at Texana Park
Well, today was a very interesting day. I got up relatively early for me just so that I could get an early start on the road. We did the usual walkies and breakfast and then I went through the final stages of getting ready to move which basically consisted of storing things inside the RV so they wouldn’t shift while travelling. It take’s me longer to hook up the Jeep than it does to get the RV ready for the road but I finally managed it and with a last look around, drove out of Rockport Resort RV Park. We left around 11:00 am. This is a very nice park with a lot of long time residents but it does not have much in the way of trails. BTW, I never did reach the Gulf seashore.
The trip was actually uneventful and was a pretty straight shot and took almost 2 hours. Horribly boring countryside, very flat, not many trees and come to that, not much traffic. I passed several oil refineries belching out smoke and flames and finally arrived at Lake Texana and this park. Trip was almost 100 miles. I had to use my phone as a mapping system but it worked pretty well. Maybe not so much if there were a lot of twists and turns and changes of streets but this one was a straight shot.
This used to be a State Park and now it is handled by LNRA- Lavaca-Navidad River Authority. I stopped by the office and squared away before driving to my allotted site which I immediately disliked, did a U-turn back to the office and asked for a different site. The Park is almost empty and they have over 250 park sites but I guess many are reserved for weekenders as the person I was dealing with only had a dozen or so open sites. I chose a different one with a partial view of Lake Texana which is within walking distance. So far, I have no close neighbors but that will change come the weekend I expect as those weekend warriors come in..
Setting up was a piece of cake with a quick back in after unhooking the Jeep and the push of a button to level the rig. Hooks ups were close by and easy and in no time flat, the A/C was running, cooling the place down. We took our first walk around the park venturing close to the lake to take a look. Lake Texana itself is huge as is this park. It is actually comprised of two separate but adjoining parks, Brackenridge and Texana Park which is the one we are in. The campsites are spaced well apart from each other with lots of grass and many trees providing shade and cover.
There are deer all over the place in all shapes and sizes causing Mikey to have a fit when he sees them. There are also signs up to watch out for snakes and crocodiles. Hope I get to see both although at a distance. So when we are walking on the grass, I have to keep watch just in case. We did get to see an Armadillo when we were out walking but I didn’t get a good picture with my phone. I need to start carrying my big camera with me with the telescopic lens. My site is almost next door to the trail entrance. Couldn’t be any better.
09/16/2021
I don’t mind him being there…
This was a very strange day as I didn’t wake up until 10:30 and when I did crawl out of bed, I felt like crap. I took the dogs out for a walk and then went back to bed I felt so rotten. I got up later in the evening to take the dogs out and feed them before feeding myself, the first meal of the day feeling a lot better but still a completely wasted day. No idea why I felt so bad.
09/17/2021
Today, we were up bright and early for us which actually means waking up around 8:30 or so. I am sleeping really good so it must be that I have a clear conscience and that this outdoor life is good for me. Our first trip of the day with the dogs was towards the lake and on the way, we discovered another trail leading back to our campsite which we explored. It brought us out just below where we are camped. We all had our leisurely breakfast although in the dogs case, it is wolfed down in 10 seconds flat. They get more enjoyment licking out the food cartons than the bowl of food so nothing gets wasted.
I watched as two new neighbors pulled in. I have yet to meet them although it appears that they know each other and I imagine they are regulars here. Both are older couples and the men look as old and decrepit as I am but they still are able to do what is needed in setting up camp. Both are hauling regular hitch trailers and both had no trouble in backing up although to be fair, they did have wives to assist in the backing process, directional wise. If I had a companion to help, I probably would have kept Eagle Two for the extra room but it is no fun in setting up alone.
Internet here is a bit of a problem as the park doesn’t have WIFI or at least, one that is working. Consequently, I am having to rely on my Netgear booster which works well but is expensive to purchase extra gigabytes of service. It costs roughly $10.00 to watch a movie. Still, needs must. I drove into Ganado, a small little town but it has an ATT store which was serviced by just one person. She was very knowledgeable and had the fastest thumbs of anyone I have ever seen on a cell phone and tablet. I wanted to buy a tablet that I could use in the RV until such times that I can get the radio unit fixed. Something a little bigger than my phone. I waited at least 30 minutes while she dealt with a young couple who couldn’t make up their mind and eventually, directed her attention to me. After purchasing the tablet, I talked to her about my internet problem and the fact that I am burning through gigs of service at an astounding rate. The Netgear unit comes with a 100 gigs of service for $55.00 a month. Extra gigs can be purchased at five at a time for $10:00. I figured out that 5 gigs lasts about two hours, enough for one movie. I didn’t have this problem back at Henly because they had a good working internet service. She offered some advice and fiddled with a few things so we need to see what happens.
The drive back to the park was uneventful and fast as the speed limit on most of the roads is 75mph with hardly any traffic. It was late when I got back and the gates were closed. I forgot to bring the passcode and had to make a call but I couldn’t get the gate to open. Luckily for me, a car pulled up behind me and a young lady got out, punched in the code and without a word, got back in her car. I thanked her anyway and drove back to the RV to take two very excited little dogs out for their evening walk.
09/18/2021
We got up late for no reason other than we slept good and took the dogs out for their early morning walk although by that time, it was 10:30am. I decided to walk one of the trails which was close by and we covered around 1-1/2 miles by the time we got back. It was uneventful but enjoyable although I am much more aware of what might be on the ground in front of us. There are a whole series of these trails all interconnected so we have a few to choose from.
One thing we noticed is that there are quite a few more RV’s and several tent campers filling the spaces. Most people so far are pretty friendly. The gigabyte problem has not cleared up so I decided that I needed to visit the ATT store one more time and at the same time, find a store for some grocery shopping. I drove back into Ganado and chatted with Imeeda, the same lady as yesterday but even after much research, was unable to help me. She did give me the case off her tablet in lieu of finding a suitable stand that I could purchase. She kindly directed me to a Dollar General where I purchased some of the food that I needed.
On the way back, I decided to drive into Edna which is a little bigger and actually a bit closer to the campsite to see what it may have in the way of grocery stores. Lo and Behold, it has a small HEB where I very happily was able to get everything that I needed. I also took the time to drive around this park just to see what it contains besides RV sites. It has the usual comfort rooms and a Community Recreational Center but unfortunately, the washing machines are broken in the laundromat so it means a trip back into Edna for this. So, so far, no WIFI and no washing machines. Hmm.
When I got back and was unloading the groceries, one of my new neighbor stopped by, introduced himself and offered a hand with the unload. Very nice of him. We chatted for a bit before going our separate ways, me back to take the dogs walking and him back to his wife and family. Actually, he and his family are visiting their parents who are the ones in the RV. My evening ended by watching the English Premier League and going to bed at a somewhat reasonable hour, to sleep like a baby.
Written 09/19/2021
Read my other blog at https://pondblog2011.com
Wow I can’t get over how expensive it is to have TV when there’s no Wi-Fi. $10 and watch a movie it’s a little more than I ever want to pay.
The original plan it $55 for a 100meg of service. Additional costs are $10 per 5 meg which is bout one movies worth. I had already used the 100 meg at the last campground hence the need to buy all of those extra megs. Luckily, here at ST Ives, there is perfectly good wifi service.
BTW, you would pay more than $10 if you went to watch a movie
Neat place! Deer and armadillos! Wow!
The deer are almost tame or at least they don’t run away even from the dogs (on leash). Can’t say that about Armadillos as the minute they realize someone is close, they take off immediately.