That is a stream but only when it rains a gully washer.
Another late rising day. Who cares? Certainly not me or the dogs. I guess that is what my camping is all about, total rest and relaxation and not a care in the world except mundane things like WIFI service and where will I go next or should I stay here longer. Stuff like that. We did our usual thing with a quick walk around the park and then I got into trouble when one old guy came out and told me that the area I was walking in was off limits. He got a little excited about it but I just let it go and turned back and took a different route. Stupid old man…Wait a minute, I might be talking about me. We finished our short morning walk and followed our usual routine of breakfast and blog writing before working on a few more pictures which took up most of the day.
My new neighbors pretty much keep themselves to themselves except to say Hello. They do not have any pets but they did go walking out on the trails for a bit. Hard not to see what goes on close around you. We went for a longer hike but before that we walked around the park. We passed one guy walking his dog with a black cat following along behind. He told me the cat who is a member of the family, always comes along on their short walks. Kinda cute to watch. Our longer hike took us over trails we have hiked before but was still very interesting and we covered about a mile. When we got back, we sat outside for a while enjoying the peace and quiet before heading back inside for food and our evenings entertainment.
Well, going to bed early didn’t help with waking up any earlier as it was still 9:30 am before we crawled out. Interestingly enough, neither of the dogs show any inclination to get up or to wake me up. It didn’t really matter as we have nothing planned for today except the usual things like taking the dogs out walking and making breakfast. For the morning walk, we strolled around the park and not going on any of the trails. I had new neighbors pull in yesterday, actually two of them. Luckily, I am on the end of the row and have one side clear although the RV’s are spaced out and are not on top of each other. Both have small towing trailers so they may be weekenders.
I spent some time working on both this blog and the pictures that I have taken so far. Two of these were of Moose taken in Maine by my friend B.J. Lucky her as I have yet to see a Moose out in the wild. Lots of deer but no Moose. There is not the abundance of wildlife here at this park or at least, I haven’t seen anything. Very few birds and the bird feeder sits there forlornly waiting to feed somebody or something. I know it is Fall and a lot of birds have migrated but even so, their should be something out there.
In the afternoon, we went for a longer hike on the trails and covered a little over a mile mostly in densely wooded areas. The trails are wide with fallen branches and trees here and there and of course, lots of pine needles underfoot. Not difficult walking at all except for stumbling over a few tree roots but very enjoyable. When I walk alone without the dogs, I always use two walking poles to help maintain balance amongst other things. Up till now walking with the dogs, I stopped using the poles because I was not sure if I could handle both dogs and poles at the same time. Yesterday, I took one pole with me and it helped considerably with balance and stumbles and such and we were able to work things out accordingly. So I guess that I will continue with the single pole routine in the future. BTW, I read somewhere that using two walking poles can increase both distance and speed to us older guys. There is still one more long trail to walk.
Back at the RV, we sat outside for a while before retiring inside for the rest of the evening. While out there, I watched as the Park Super was playing with his daughter in the sandpit just across from me and they were having a fine old time. Nice to see and hear as she was squealing with delight. Back inside, I fed the dogs and then concocted something up for myself before settling down with a glass of wine to watch the television. For the first time, reception was poor going in and out and I had to resort to my WIFI Booster for a stronger signal. Even then, I ended up watching the Premier League on the computer which I guess, doesn’t need as strong signal as the TV, Just surmising here as what the heck do I know. As long as I can watch on something, I am happy.
We awoke to yet another beautiful day with the sun shining and blue, cloudless skies. With the weather already cooling down, the days are much more enjoyable when we are outside. We went for a short walk and spoke to a few park tenants who mostly are very friendly and then after breakfast, adjourned to Miss Daisy to work on the blog and on the pictures that I have been taking. I got to thinking about it and decided that we would stay for another week and I walked over to the office and made the arrangements and we are all set. The date we leave is now November 1st.
We had nothing planned for the day except the usual dog walks and writing on the computer. I took some time to work on photos that I have taken using one of my favorite programs, Photo Shop. I like to make sure that colors and textures are as good as they can be before adding my watermark to the pictures. I have been using my Iphone to take most of the pictures rather than my camera mainly for the simplicity and ease of carrying around. The camera with a long lens on it can get heavy after a while and I probably need to trade it in for a lighter model. It should be said that the pictures that the Iphone takes are of excellent quality.
Later in the afternoon, we went out for a longer walk on trails with names like Charlie’s Trail, Ashlee’s Path, Camper’s Lane and Jonny’s Street. Several of the trails interconnect and all eventually end up back at the park. we covered about a mile and a half. On our return, we sat on the wicker couch for a while and listened to an Audiobook story drinking a sparkling water which I have exchanged for the beers that I had started drinking lately. The water has zero calories and I wasn’t getting anything out of drinking beer anyway except extra weight. Guess my tastes have changed quite considerably since being a younger man. Thinking about it, the drinks I consumed a few years ago were basically just to socialize while out with my friends as I never really had a real taste for the stuff. As it was, I learned my lesson the hard way. Now, my drinking is restricted to a glass of wine in the evenings whilst watching the television especially if my favorite teams is playing poorly.
Nothing but trees
We went to bed an hour earlier than usual in the hope of waking up earlier in the morning. I guess we’ll see.
One of the trails. Notice the abundance of pine leaves and cones
We woke up at what now appears to be our usual time of 9:30 am and took a short walk around, There were people out and about and I got to chat to a couple of them and Sandy got to meet their dogs which in general, she approved. Mikey, not so much. We followed this with breakfast and decided to try out the WIFI connection which incidentally, had worked very well for the TV last evening. It appears to be OK with a few pauses and slow spots but not enough to be a problem. My views out of the windows are very nice and the pine trees are somewhat soothing, standing tall in their grandeur.
I completed yesterdays blog and worked on a few pictures that I have taken, posting a few of them on the blog. So far, this looks like a very nice park especially as it is covered in very tall fir trees. We are in East Texas Piney Woods after all. We took a look at the trails and walked short one as it was late in the evening. I didn’t have trail map yet and memories of hiking at Pedernales State Park a couple of years ago when I managed to get turned around and ended up hiking twenty one miles, a lot of it in the dark, reminded me to be more aware. Luckily, I always carry a flashlight or I probably would still be out there stumbling around.
The short trail that I chose was not that easy to walk on due to the large amount of pine needles that covered the ground. That and the tree roots which protruded all over the place. Guess I need to get used to it if I want to hike. The dogs didn’t care as they were just happy to be out walking. When we got back, I stopped by the office and acquired a map of the trails and posted it on my Iphone making sure I would not get lost in the future. Well maybe I could still get lost but at least I would be able to find my way back.
View of the woods
The people here all seem pretty friendly and several have stopped by to talk or have talked to me as we walk around. Most are long termers as you tell by the way they have their campsites set up. We have also got to meet a lot of dogs that are tied up outside of their RV’s, some friendly, others not so much and all of them barking their fool heads off. Sandy, of course will not be outbarked so it get noisy. Mikey actually joins in with the barking but he is all noise and if it came to it, no action. I noticed that there are also a few very old RV’s still in use. At least this park allows them.
Late in the afternoon, we went out for another walk and this time chose a couple of the longer trails for a distance of a little over a mile. The trails are wide and well marked and as I said before, not the best of walking. Still, all very good exercise which is badly needed as I spend so much time writing and working on photos.
We finished off the evening in the usual way, food for the dogs and then me and then watching the English Premier League going to bed around 11:30 pm.
A short walk, breakfast and then a fight to get the internet up and running. That was how the day started and to a writer like myself, having a working internet is really important. I think somewhere there must be some sort of weird connection between my decision to move on because of the lousy internet service as today was the very worst it has been so far. It was so bad that I had to jump in my car and drive around the park until I found a spot that allowed me to actually make a connection so that I could pump more money into the system or at least as much as it allows ($30.00 for 15 gigs) which will last me until tomorrow when I will have to do it all over again. That is why I am leaving as I have already spent over $320.00 or so on trying to get service here.
One of the many deer in the park
I returned to the RV after making the connection and completed writing the previous blog before starting this one. I spent time working on the pictures although, the ones taken by my iPhone need very little work, the camera is that good. By the time we had finished this, it was time for walkies as Sandy keeps reminding me. We went on another trail walk and covered almost a mile and a half at breakneck speed until retuning back to sit in the outside wicker couch to cool off and drink a beer. Very relaxing. I got a call back from St Ives, the next park on my list and we completed the arrangements for us to move on at the end of the month. Of course, the first thing I asked them was about their internet which they claim is good. I guess we will see. This time, I have only booked for a week but I can always change that If I like it there. So, counting today, we have four more days left as I drive out on November 1.
09/28/2021 As is our usual custom, we went for a short walk around the park. It is very quiet here with all of the RV’s moved out and just a few along the lake. Following breakfast, I sat and wrote and watched as a very large tractor/mower combo pulled into the area of the trails hopefully to cut down the long grass. I don’t like walking in it as I can’t see any snakes that might be hiding there plus on our early morning walk, it is wet with dew and gets the dogs pretty soaked resulting in them having to get toweled down before we can go back in. Either that or sit outside for a while which we generally do anyway.
I called the new campsite both to confirm that they will accept forwarded packages and then I called PostNet to make those arrangements as I have a package there containing a unit that I would like to get installed in my Jeep. It will save me money on insurance and I will only get charged for miles driven. The Jeep tends to sit a lot often for days on end. At the same time, I changed my allotted campsite to a different one that is on the end giving up shade for privacy. Thanking them very profusely and after them saying they will se me on Friday, I hung up.
I sat here thinking of the past and our current life and how much it has changed. Now, my time is my own to do as much or as little as I want. There are chores of course, cleaning the RV and taking care of the tanks, laundry and shopping which both involve going into Edna and then of course the walks, without which I would hardly be moving. Sandy won’t allow that to happen of course as she is pretty demanding. Her body clock starts going off about 2:30 for the afternoon walk which is much too early by my standards as it is still pretty hot and uncomfortable out there. I prefer it later in the day when the sun is lower in the sky. So, I tactfully ignore her and don’t make eye contact as that gets her tail wagging and I feel bad at the hopeful look in her eyes. Mikey is much more laid back and nowhere near as demanding. Difference between the male and the female just like in real life with humans. Sorry, just my view on women. That’s why I have been a bachelor for these past 30 years as on some things, I find it very hard to compromise.
I wonder if at the end of all this my future life will be filled with bliss or will I turn around and look at the world and say to myself as my thoughts unfurl I made a mistake in choosing this life just as I did in having three wives but like them the only way to find out was to get rid of one and give another a shout when she didn’t work out for me in a few years she was history and wife number three came on the scene and for fifteen years she was my queen until one day she had her say goodbye so long I’m on my way and so for almost thirty years in spite of having a lot of fears that another wife would find her way into my home where she would stay disrupting my life so carefully planned with nothing ever out of hand under control in every way from dawn to dusk I had my say and now I’m about to change all of that instead of growing old and fat living in my house with my two dogs doing as we please without much loss of thought as we go about our day doing things the same old way and now the house is up for sale in Eagle the RV we will prevail travelling around from place to place joining others of this human race who like me just want to be free and live our lives in an RV at least I have many memories of time spent with wives some of it bliss but I never enjoyed the married life which is why I no longer have a wife I have myself for company along with my dogs making us three travelling around from place to place not staying too long just in case we may get bored and need to move on the happy campers singing their song of life and travel on the open road In the Eagle and truck which is pulling the load as the miles pass beneath us as we drive along happy to finally be playing this song.
When Sandy takes us walking in the mornings and evenings while we are at the park, I always take the time to check out some of the RV’s and talk to their owners if they happen to be outside. I like to find out where they are from and where they are eventually heading really out of curiosity rather than nosiness. I chatted to an elderly lady today that had just pulled in and they were on their way to Florida coming in from Minnesota. We were discussing books as she happened to be reading one when we came up to them. Not too many people read hard cover books anymore as it is mostly done electronically by Kindle or Audiobooks.
In our conversation I mentioned that I was selling my house and that is the reason I was here in the park. She responded by telling me that the reason to visit her Mother was to close down her Mother’s house in which she had lived for the past 45 years and put her in a Nursing Home. Very sad but I guess at 95, it is very difficult to live alone.
Bidding farewell and good luck, we moved on with our walk although today, I didn’t plan on letting Sandy take us too far as for some unaccountable reason, I had a very sore and stiff neck which is most unusual for me. I wondered if it was the after effects of the Covid shot but that was 4 days ago. Today was a very restricted one in terms of physical activity.
I had to buy a new phone as the battery would not hold a charge in my old one. It seemed like a good idea at the time but in retrospect, I could have just had the battery changed as the new phone I have is identical to the old one. I even used the old phone cover. I guess the thought of having a new toy is what decided me. One of the strange things with the transaction was that if I bought it outright, it would have cost $400.00 but if I bought it over time, it only costs $300.00. Seems most unusual as normally, extending the payments costs money not saves it. I spent most of today trying to get both the indoor camera and the link to my truck radio working as both are on the phone which was a very frustrating event. I finally accomplished what I had set out to do but only after several hours of effort. I guess the new phone has more bells and whistles but they probably won’t get used. It does have a better camera which I do use a lot. Stupid phone.
On our walks around, we always check out who is new and who has left. Some of the RV’s and Motorhomes are really nice and obviously very expensive. Many of the motorhomes are huge and I noticed today that some of them have ID plates designating them as Veterans. Quite a lot of the people I talk to are of the older generation although we do get our share of people with young kids like my next door neighbors. They have a 13 and 15 year old both girls and they are homeschooling their kids. Several, including them, are permanent residents and a couple have vans and trucks designating the business they are in. People are coming and going all of the time.
I guess that is what this RV lifestyle is all about after all. No reason to stay anywhere too long especially if the campground or your neighbors are not to your liking. Just hook up the tow vehicle and away you go on to the next one. I can’t wait. Not that I have bad neighbors or such but it would be nice to see the country.
As I have mentioned several times, I plan on spending more and more time in the Eagle at the Henley RV Park while awaiting the Estate Sale and then the final closing on my house. I have reached the point where I no longer need to be back checking on the Koi or the condition of the ponds following the fish rescues and subsequent repairs that I have made and can be away for much longer periods at a time.
While I was back this time, I also met with the Estate Sale company owner and we discussed what to do and where to go from here. We set a sale date of around mid May giving me plenty of time to collect the few remaining things that I plan on keeping. .The last time I was back last week, I collected a bunch more stuff to take with me to the Eagle and as I have mentioned before, there is not a lot of storage room anyway plus the additional weight is not a good thing. Most of what I have this time around are more of my small hand tools and wrenches that I am very reluctant to give up “just in case”. I did bring back another bird feeder pole and the feeders themselves to add to the one that I already have. Love watching the birds.
At last, pictures of trails 2021 style.
Yesterday, I took Sandy and Mikey to Riemer’s Ranch Park where I have done a lot of my walking in the past. I wanted to see how they handled something different than just walking on the road plus how walking two dogs on a single leash would work out on the trail. I had devised a way of hooking the leash handle to my belt leaving my hands free to take the occasional picture and needed to see if it worked. Normally, in the past, I have always used two walking poles for extra traction and stability while out on the trail and they have saved me more than once from a fall. This time though, I decided to leave them in the truck and try it without them. I brought my camera along as I always do but didn’t bring the backpack containing the spare camera and lenses.
Riemer’s Ranch is about a 30 minute drive from the Eagle. One thing I have noticed about this F250 truck is that the suspension is much “harder” and I can feel every bump in the road especially on the country back roads that are not very smooth anyway. Don’t notice it so much when I am towing but that is exactly what the truck was built for so I shouldn’t complain. I paid my $4.00 which incidentally has doubled in price since the last time I was there and chatted for a bit with the sweet young thing wearing a Travis County Park Ranger uniform. She was bright and cheerful and was a very welcoming start to our hike.
I opted for the second parking lot as I knew it had a steep road down to the river which would lead me onto the middle river trail. There are actually three trails that follow the Pedernales River for about 3 miles. One is on top of the gorge and is comprised of either concrete or crushed granite, the second is at the bottom and follows the same distance as the top and is a real trail but with much rougher terrain. The last is the lower trail which at times requires walking on the river bed, which incidentally, is very difficult as it it is mainly loose sand and rocks. We chose to take the middle trail and set off along it as the pictures show. It’s not difficult walking but does require keeping a careful eye out on where to place your feet. Sandy was in her element and her nose was working non stop at all of the different scents she discovered. For such a little dog, it is amazing just how much she can pee as she tries to mark everything. Michael, the little boy dog doesn’t have any of those traits and rarely marks anything and he and I both have also learned not to be in a direct line behind her after she has marked as she also does a little dance movement which involves scratching up huge amount of dirt and gravel.
Another view of the Pedernales showing how low the water is. This is actually the Lower Trail and is normally covered in water as a part of the river.
We made our way along the Lower Trail until we hit a spot that led down to the River Trail. Sandy, who was leading the way, decided that is where we should go so Mikey and I trudged along behind her trying hard not to trip or slip on the rough terrain. I guess I was the one doing the trying as Mikey didn’t have any problems. We headed out over the soft sand to where the river was flowing which incidentally, is the lowest I have ever seen it. Upon reaching the water, Sandy decided she needed to cool down and immediately flopped down in the water. When she had enough and it was time to move, she was covered in dirty brown sand and I had visions of a very dirty truck.
Sandy laying in the water
We eventually headed back to the main trail retracing our footsteps as we slowly made our way back to the truck. The climb back up the concrete hill was actually made much easier as Sandy was a real help in pulling me and Mikey back up. Probably the one and only time that I was glad she was pulling on her leash. Back at the truck, I took a while to brush off the worst of the sand from her which by now had dried and we all piled in and made our way home stopping at Starbucks in Dripping Springs for a latte. Perfect end to a great couple of hours.
We found a few wild flowers showing off their pretty faces.
This particular parking lot also leads to the main swimming area and is very popular for families and groups. There were families with kids, groups of young people and best of all young women in bikinis. We did not cover much in the way of distance around maybe a mile and a half but it was really an experiment to see just what we could do in the way of trail hiking. I think, in order for it to be more comfortable for all of us, we need more level trails like the ones within the park and not the lower ones that follow the river and are of a much rougher terrain. As there are plenty of them, we will return. All in all, a very enjoyable first hike.
