Texas State University is in San Marcos, Texas, and it is where my youngest son attends college, so we have visited several times.  I also spent three weeks there for three consecutive summers back in the early 1990s for graduate level classes on geography that were free for teachers and provided lodging.  It’s a great campus and is located about half-way between Austin and San Antonio.

            On the way to San Marcos, we grabbed some barbeque from a roadside place we had never heard of before – Diamond A Goss Bar-B-Q. Yes, they are inside a convenience store.  They advertise that their BBQ road trip worthy.  The chopped beef sandwiches we had were very tasty and we recommend you give them a try.  They are located at 18484 TX-80, Belmont, TX 78604, which is about halfway between Gonzales and Sequin and south of I-10. 

            Leisure Camp and RV Park in Fentress, Texas was our home for two days after leaving the beach in Port Aransas.  The camp is along the banks of the San Marcos River and since we planned on tubing the river (a popular activity for the area), it seemed it would be perfect.  The park was nice, but they charge for guests, so Patrick’s visit for a few hours cost $8.00.  That seemed a little steep since we were paying to camp there.  They are in the process of expanding the campground with a new section and a new entrance office. Small cabins are available for rental if anyone is interested in that option.

            We picked up Patrick at his apartment our first evening in order to give him some “stuff” from our downsizing and to take him to dinner.  He suggested a small place called Taiwan Bowl; so off we went only to discover it and his next suggestion, a Japanese place, were closed on Mondays. While trying to decide where to eat, I saw the sign for Grins and remembered being told that was a great place to eat.  Patrick had also heard the same thing, but had not eaten there, either.  Decision made.  Upon entering, we saw signage indicating they were famous for their Chicken Fried Steak, which is a favorite in our family.  After being seated, we noticed how hot it was. We ordered drinks and mentioned the heat to the waitress who brought our attention to their clothing in order to beat the heat. They were wearing skimpy work-out clothes in which the pants had been cut off to make shorts. She then proceeded to tell us it was always like that in there. The three of us ordered their “famous” Chicken Fried Steak and tried to cool off with our cold drinks; alas, it was futile. The Chicken Fried Steak was nothing to write home about and thus Grins is not a place I would recommend. At the end, Frank said, “Let’s get out of this sweatbox.” 

            The plan was to float the San Marcos River the next day, but it was cloudy and overcast in the morning due to some rain during the night.  We determined that around 3 pm would be a better time and Patrick would come out to the campground so we could float from there or at least figure out a plan.  When investigating the camp’s floating service, we found out they let people off at a bridge up the road that would cost $20 to park if we did not use their shuttle.  To use their shuttle was $7 a piece or $21 for the three of us.  Not knowing a better solution for that stretch of the river, we decided to go on the shuttle.  There were some people in the water at the let off point, but we were really the only ones floating down the river.  It was quiet and peaceful but there were some downed trees and sandbars along that way that caused us to lift our bottoms or paddle to avoid the obstacles. Patrick had brought three tubs and we hooked them together with carbine hooks with me in the middle.  At any time at least one or two and sometimes all three of us were floating backwards.  When trying to avoid some overhanging branches, I did get dumped out and lost my favorite hat, which I had purchased in Greece in 2016.  Darn it.  

            We gradually made it down the river to the campground and then just hung out in the shallow water talking for a while before making our way back to the motorhome. Frank went to the front office area to buy some pizzas they were selling on to discover they were closed, therefore, he went on to Luling to pick up a couple of pizzas from Pizza Hut.

            It was a nice time to spend with Patrick and we enjoyed our stay. The campground was clean, but there was no wi-fi, which meant using our own.  (We’ve already gone over our limit; guess we will be looking into a better plan with more wi-fi data.)

Texas State has a nice campus in San Marcos and you can get a workout walking the hills.  There are good places to eat in San Marcos and on a previous trip we had a great burger at Gil’s Broiler and their famous Manske roll (cinnamon roll) for dessert.  We’ve also gone to a small mom and pop place for good Mexican food, so don’t let one bad experience spoil you on San Marcos (or any place) and its food scene.

Until next time,

Beth

Come Explore with Us!

When thinking about going camping or RVing, there are lots of groups on Facebook that provide insight and are helpful.  There are groups devoted to RV Renovations, Full-Time RVing, Texas Camping, etc… When we first started planning our journey to full-time RV living, I joined several groups, along with reading several books – I was and always will be a teacher. As we were talking about our first trip, Frank mentioned spending a few days on the beach below Corpus.  As I was researching some campgrounds on RVParky.com, someone in one of the groups asked for recommendations in the area.  Several people popped in to recommend Gulf Waters RV Resort west of Port Aransas.  After some investigation, I made the reservations, and we were both pleased with the resort.

            All the spots at Gulf Waters RV Resort are privately owned but the owners can choose to rent them out when they aren’t personally using them.  In my opinion, we were given the best spot.  The front end of the motorhome faced a pond, and we were just steps away from the boardwalk to the beach. It was a little startling the first morning to look out the large front windshield and see water.  We quickly found ourselves going for walks on the beach about twice a day. 

Our first night, we decided to eat seafood in Port Aransas.  I looked up recommendations and Fins was at the top of the list.  We drove around Port Aransas a little and saw a line out of Fins, even though it was just 5:00.  The line convinced me it was the place to be, so we parked at an off-site parking lot, walked over, and added our names to the list.  It was hot; it was humid. I was sweating and their frozen “Miami Vice” looked good. It was good! It was half Pina Colada and half Strawberry Daiquiri.  I think our total wait was about an hour. The bar tender recommended the Mahi Mahi stuffed with crab cakes.  Frank ordered it and I ordered some shrimp for us to share.  I wish I could say it was great and lived up to its reviews, but sadly it did not.  Everything, even the coleslaw, had too much pepper.  Now it is one thing for me to say it was too much pepper, but when Frank agrees, it is seriously too much pepper. He adds pepper to everything. (Good thing he didn’t this time.)

            A few years ago, we did a southern drive from Houston to Corpus Christi spending time in Rockport and on Mustang Island.  We booked a deep-sea fishing trip to catch red snappers.  It wasn’t like I had imagined.  We sat on a bench and rode for well over an hour.  The captain announced we were about to fish as he slowed the boat down and positioned it directly over a pipeline.  (We couldn’t see it; he just told us it was there, yea for GPS.) The helpers handed us the rods and reels and the bait.  As soon as the line went over and went deep enough, bam, we had a red snapper.  The limit was two per person so that quota was quickly filled and then we started the ride back.  My image of throwing a line out and reeling in and throwing it out and getting a bite and fighting it, nah, that didn’t happen.  When we returned, they offered to fillet the fish for us so we could take it home.  I don’t see how they could know which fish I caught versus someone else.  (They were all thrown in together, so no, there was no way to say it was the fish I caught.) By the way, the place we booked the deep sea fishing is right next door to Fins restaurant.

            Since we had the experience of deep-sea fishing out of Port Aransas, we thought we’d try just local fishing from a pier or jetty this time.  Afterall, Port Aransas is the fishing capital of Texas. We scoped out a long jetty late one afternoon.  It was a little treacherous walking in places due to the odd levels of granite, some crumbling concrete and not being a mountain goat.  After our long hike on the jetty, we decided we could just fish off the banks in a nearby park the next day.  We had no allusions of catching a lot (if any) fish.  Frank investigated the tide situation, and we were to leave the next morning at 9ish due to high tide at 10:30. However, the next morning was gray, drizzly, and very gusty.  Gusting wind is not ideal for fishing.  Knowing my lack of expertise in casting a line with a rod and reel, it is a good thing we junked the fishing plans.   I grew up fishing with a cane pole and a bobber in Louisiana lakes, so there was a good chance I’d just hook myself or Frank. Oh, well, I’m sure we’ll fish somewhere as we travel.

            We knew that people could park on the beach, but we didn’t expect to see people camping on the beach in tents and travel trailers.  It was quite crowded on the Saturday before Father’s Day, but rather vacant on Father’s Day, remember – very gusty wind. Travel trailer, ok, I could have done that, but a tent with a separate small tent for a portable toilet, eh, NO!  Not my cup of tea.  I think I would also be afraid the tide would wash us away in the night.  I like solid ground for camping and water for swimming.  Call me picky. 😊            

Port Aransas is a nice place for fishing and hanging out on the beach.  A lot of visitors rent golf carts or bring their own. It is also a great place to buy fresh seafood, which we did before our departure. I heard some good reviews of some other seafood places to eat, so we’ll probably try them whenever we head there in the future.  We will definitely keep Gulf Waters RV Resort on our list for a return visit.   

After closing on our house, selling most of our “stuff”, putting antiques and keepsakes in climate-controlled storage, and buying our “new” motorhome, we finished loading the motorhome while “camping” it in for five days and four nights in our driveway.  To be honest, I thought the steps into the motorhome were going to be the end of me.  Thankfully, I made it and realized there was no way I would be traversing them everyday like I had been for the last several days!  On to packing.

We have officially been living in the RV for two weeks and I still don’t know where I put a lot of things.  You know when you move into a new place, and you can’t exactly remember where you decided to store something?  Magnify that by the fact that we have two or three “layers” of depth in the cabinets.  We have said several times, “It’s here somewhere,” or “We’ll find it eventually.” 

When we bought a used motorhome, we knew there were would items that would need fixing.  There is no way I would want to do this journey with anyone else but Frank.  He can fix most things or figure out what parts to order / buy, etc… So far he has: fixed the gauges on the dashboard (a fuse was in the wrong slot), fixed the dishwasher (he doesn’t know exactly how he fixed it, but he fixed it), fixed the toilet, (but at the moment, it is being finicky again), taken out one of the couches and installed two recliners, fixed the central vacuum (again, he doesn’t know what he did, but it works), installed the rest of the blue ox tow bar to the back of the motorhome, installed the base plate and lights for the Explorer, and installed a brake system for the Explorer.  He has been a busy man.  However, he still hasn’t been able to fix the leveling jacks.  He has studied the paperwork, been on forums, called and emailed the factory numerous times, but still no progress.  It’s a good thing we have eight wheels on this motorhome.  I have no doubt he’ll figure it out.  He thinks it is a relay, but no one seems to know where it is located – including the factory.  Hopefully, it will be fixed before we end up at an RV site that is on an incline. 

How are the pets doing? Bailey seems to take it in stride, but if we leave the motorhome, we come back to find her standing in the driver’s seat.  We figured out that she can see out the windows from there, so, I guess she is keeping an eye out on everything and looking for us.  The only problem is she doesn’t have great sight; she is a Shih Tzu and has the typical eye problems.  The 16-year-old cat, Bootsie has claimed the bedroom, specifically, my side of the bed.  If I get up, I usually come back to her lying right in the middle of my spot.  I’m constantly having to move her over. What is interesting about this is she only started entering our bedroom in the house about a week before we moved out.  Before that, she didn’t enter our bedroom because of Frank.  (They have a love / hate relationship. lol)  During travel time, she seems to disappear.  We think she may be hiding in the closet but haven’t looked too hard to figure out where she disappears.

Our plans included a few days in Lagarto, Texas area to visit Frank’s mom. Then we drove to Kingsville for a few days to tour King Ranch and the museum.  We went there several years ago and just missed the last tour, so I wanted to make it this time. A beach sounded good, so we came to Port Aransas to stay in an RV Resort.  It is genuinely nice (and a bit pricey), but we look right out over a pond and are very close to the boardwalk to walk to the beach.  We really like this place and plan to return in the future.  Tomorrow, we head for San Marcos to visit our youngest son who attends college at Texas State.  We are planning on floating the river while there.

Where are we headed next? We will be heading to Waco for a couple of days, then Texarkana, before staying a while in Hot Springs, Arkansas.  We want to check out various areas in Western Arkansas before heading to Branson, Missouri for about 10 days. The arch in St. Louis will be a destination before going to Mark Twain’s hometown of Hannibal, Missouri.  The plan is to make it to my mom’s around the first part of August so we can pick her up to tour northern Indiana and southern Michigan.  Michigan will be the first “new” state for me to visit.  I believe Frank will enjoy visiting the Henry Ford Center and various car museums along the way. 

September should see us in Kentucky and hopefully Biltmore, outside Ashville, NC, and Tennessee will be our October destinations.  November will see us slowly making our way back to the Houston area to be with the kids for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Our goal is to update a map on our website as we are traveling, so you’ll know where we are.  I post a few pictures on our Facebook page – The Texas RV Couple.  I will also start posting some here on our website.  YouTube is in our future (we think), but I have to figure it out.  I’m starting with just my iPhone to see how it works before thinking of upgrading. 

We hope you will come explore with us as we travel our nation.  We are open to suggestions for sightseeing and anything else of interest.

Until next time,

Beth