2021-09-27 Rockport Texas

 On Monday, everyone but Jimmie, Pat, and I were headed out. Jimmie had some fishing plans and Pat and I decided to spend some time checking out things in Rockport.

We parked and walked around the downtown area. This shop had all these cute decorations out front.

There were several interesting murals.

We went into several shops with lots of interesting decor. This horse is all made from driftwood.

A chair to relax in if you need a rest......

The Rockport harbor has lots of boats at the docks. Sure could easily live aboard this one.

The Texas Maritime Museum is an interesting place to visit.

The Art Gallery building didn't survive the last hurricane but the beautiful statues outside endured. The Gallery is now in another building downtown but the statues are still in a park area right by the harbor.

The harbor is home to working boats and pleasure boats.

The Big Blue Crab did not survive the last hurricane. It used to be part of a restaurant before it was adopted by the city and located near the Blue Water Swimming Beach. It took some time but this new crab has taken up where the old Blue one used to be.

Now I really am off to Blanco State Park tomorrow morning. It is a small but very busy park and this is the first time I have been able to get reservations even in the middle of the week. Making reservations 5 months in advance just doesn't work for me unless it is for a rally.

2021-9-25 TRR Rockport Rally

What a great day! I'm on my way to a Texas Ramblin' Roses Rally in Rockport Texas. Actually I'm the host which is reason enough to go early and arrive at Wilderness Oaks RV Resort a couple of days before the rally, not that I needed a reason. Ran into several spots of construction along the back roads but nothing that held me up for long.

Wilderness Oaks always treats us really well. It's a great park with a very nice rally room and kitchen and the staff is wonderful. I always tell those ladies new to backing their RV into a spot to please try it here. The guys that take you to your site are so good at directing that they can make anyone feel like a pro and give them confidence on their future trips.

The weather was great the whole time we were there. It did rain pretty hard one night but Harley isn't at all bothered by thunder and lightning. He can't really hear it these days but none of my dachshunds ever paid any attention to thunder and lightning....lucky me. A few ladies were up with their furkids that night. Days were comfortable so we were able to site outside a lot which makes everyone feel more comfortable these days.

Several of the women wanted to go to see the famous "Big Tree" at Goose Island State Park so off we went.

No, this is not the big tree. You are allowed to climb on these and get up close and friendly.

This is the "Big Tree". It has a fence around it and several of the branches have some poles for support.

The "Big Tree" has survived quite a few hurricanes and other disasters. It is actually outside the part of the park that charges entrance fees or a pass.

This butterfly was very busy on this flower.

I had my Texas State Park Pass with me so we took a drive through the park. These pelicans always hang out by the fish cleaning stand looking for handouts.

Back at the RV park.....

These ladies went sightseeing one day and stopped at Walmart for a few items including........

One of the fun things we do at rallies is "christen" any new or new to owner rigs just like a ship. Jimmie used to use water balloons but has switched over to a water gun. This cute little Casita of Mary's is not new by any means but who can tell with a Casita? 

Everyone gets a chance to tell about their rig and most of them have names. 

Carolyn has this little utility trailer all fixed up inside. It even has A/C. RVW women drive or tow from the smallest to the biggest.

Pat had a Class C the last rally but she decided it just wasn't big enough for her and her standard size poodle Rusty. She picked her new to her rig on Friday and drove it down to Rockport on Wednesday. With the direction of the park hosts, she backed it into the slot in one try.

We had lunch out at Paradise Key one day. They have a big outside covered patio so it was a good choice. 

Not a bad view either.

Not the greatest pictures but.......sorry ladies.

Two of our members surprised us by showing up Saturday. I say surprised because they just got home to Houston from a 7 week Rolling Rally in the Pacific Northwest. They upsized their rig last year. This one has a bathroom and counter where they can cook in bad weather.

They really prefer to cook out of their outdoor kitchen which has all the necessities including a fridge, microwave, and stove.

They pulled into the spot right next to me.

Many of our members like to play games especially in the evening. The Farkle game got so rambunctious and loud one evening that I thought somebody might complain......especially when one of the park hosts stopped by. He laughed and said he didn't come by for that. Fortunately the closest RVs belonged to seasonals who were not around, lol. Barb was the winner one night and she snagged a traveling trophy we have for other purposes and said she was keeping it until the next rally. Everyone adds something to the trophy. I think it is finally going to get a skirt and wig.

Hmmm, I spotted this by a tree when Harley and I were out taking a walk. Relax, he's not dangerous. The rally was over and just a few of us were left. Yes, I stayed longer too. Tuesday morning I was on my way to Blanco State Park.

2021-08-17 Relaxing in Louisiana

Woohoo, headed out to join the Heart of Dixie chapter for a rally in Bogue Chitto State Park near Franklinton, Louisiana. First a trip to the storage building in the backyard. Not a good surprise, hubby got rid of my tub of summer RV things and the small lawn chair I saved for sitting in the river. So the water shoes and canvas floats are gone because they were in the tub. Someone is in big trouble. Of course, no one has water shoes now as they have moved on to fall and winter things.

Picked up the RV on Thursday and headed out Friday morning (5 August). No big rush as my plan was to drive only as far as Beaumont TX and stay at Gulf Coast RV Resort, a Passport America park. Saturday I headed east to Butte LaRose to my friend Carolyn's house. One night there and then off to Bogue Chitto State Park for a Heart of Dixie Rally (RVW). 

This is a nice state park. I have been to about 5 different Louisiana state parks and they have all been nice. And, what is even nicer, is that you can actually get reservations at them unlike Texas where you need to be on the computer 5 months in advance. The rally was Sunday through Thursday and the park was about 1/3 full. Seniors camp for half price and others can get the "Welcome Back" 15% off price. Sweet deal.  A little trip around the park. First my site. It was a pull-through along the creek across from a pond. Far from the best site in the park but it was close to the others attending the rally and I reserved last minute.

Lots of hiking trails in the park. It's a big park with two different camping areas each with several loops. We were in Bottomland area with Electric and Water. The Upland loops have full hookups.

They have horses for rent and equestrian trails.

Looks like they also have yurts for rent with nice outside patios.

It looks like the horses are only available Friday through Monday.

A trail just for kids.

Mountain bike trails too.

Frisbee Golf.

The Interpretive Center.

Sunday night we all got together for a Meet and Greet. Everyone brought nibbles. There were 9 RVW members and one guest in 7 RVs. Three of the RVW members joined Heart of Dixie chapter during the rally. Monday, 4 of us decided to go Tubing on the Bogue Chitto  River.

Here we are ready to go. The nice young man pulled us in a trailer down to the start of the run. He said he would look for us to arrive back at the tubing stand area in two hours.

Off we go.

The river was a little lower than normal so there were a lot of snags from the flood earlier this summer. Carolyn was headed into the limbs here but she made it out okay after getting off the tube and swimming it out. The current was pretty strong so we all got a good workout. 

We saw three tubes on the shore and found out after we got back that those tubers called for a boat ride out but we tuffed it out. The current was so strong when I got off my tube at the end, it pushed me forward onto my knees. Getting up was real fun. Some of the ladies thought they might try kayaking it the next day as it would be easier. That evening we heard that two tubers drowned the day before further down the river. They had small tubes and no life jackets but we passed on the kayaking.

We opted for sitting in the creek instead.

This was Carolyn's site.

Mary was right in front of Carolyn and that is where we all gathered.

Viola loves to fish. She tried several different kinds of fish but they just weren't biting so no fish for dinner.  She did catch and release a good sized turtle. The resident alligator also swam past her.

Viola and her little dog also put a few miles on her bicycle. 

We had a grill night and a potluck night. One night Carolyn and Mary, the hosts for the rally, made Shrimp Creole with Rice and the rest of us provided sides.

All in all, it was a great rally. Texas Ramblin' Roses rallies are usually at least three times this size but there is also something very special about small rallies.

I got up Thursday morning to find a flat on my toad. Fortunately, we didn't have to leave until 1:00PM so I called Roadside Assistance. Once they changed the tire, I took the toad into town and had the tire repaired and put back on the car and we were off back to Carolyn's.

I stayed at Carolyn's for several days. One morning I fixed breakfast for us in my RV. Another day we drove into Lafayette and met two friends for lunch. It was really great to see them.

If you ever see this RV going down the road, be sure you wave. It's Carolyn, my Cajun friend  and president of the Heart of Dixie chapter.