2023-6-7 Anniversary Trip

I wanted to take a little trip for our anniversary and the trip together was more important to me than the location so I asked my husband Dave to choose. He chose Wichita Falls and San Angelo TX which really didn't surprise me. We lived in both those places before we moved to San Antonio. Getting his picture taken is not his strong suit.

I made reservations at the Baymont Inn in Wichita Falls. Harley was traveling with us and they are pet friendly.

Dave wasn't too thrilled about Harley traveling with us but Steve and Helen were out of town and Harley is an experienced traveler even tthugh most of his travel is in the RV. He sleeps most of the time while you drive. We arrived at the hotel, checked in and headed up to our room on the second floor. Harley handled the elevator like a pro.

He checked out the lobby from the hall balcony.

And then headed down the hall to our room I think he pictures himself as the next Crusoe if you are familiar with the famous dachsund traveler. He was always ready to greet anyone who wanted to give him a pet and believe me, he was very popular. He never barks or has an accident so he is a welcome visitor. We were disappointed that the hotel no longer has a hot tub but we enjoyed the pool and had it all to ourselves both nights we were there. Dave also used the small fitness room. Breakfasts put on by the hotel were pretty good with waffles, scrambled eggs, and bacon as well as cereal and pastries.

Of courses, Red River Harley Davidson was on Dave's must visit list. We spent some time with the owner Jimmy and Dave still saw knew some of the other long time employees. We used to ride our Harley on most of the weekend supper runs while we lived there.

The dealership used to be located in Iowa Park but is now closer to Wichita Falls. We drove around town and checked out all the old places and were surprised at the all the new places. We ended up at a chinese buffet for dinner and were very surprised when the waitress told us that the people in the booth next to us paid for our dinner when they left. 

The next day we drove out to Sheppard Air Force Base where we lived when we came to Wichita Falls the first time. Our house on base is long gone replaced by much newer housing. the golf course which was such a popular place for military coming to Sheppard is also gone. All the old buildings are gone replaced by newer brick ones.

Harley enjoyed a long nap while we were out. 

We also drove by our old house on Palmetto. The neighborhood isn't quite as nice. Then we drove out to Turkey Ranch Road where we lived before moving to San Antonio. The current occupants added a building for a business but the RV storage building and the cute little barn were still there. Dave put a silhouette of a horse looking out a paddock door on the front of the barn and it was still there freshly painted which was nice to see. We were surprised to see that the house was for sale. Dinner that night was at Hunan's.

Wednesday morning we headed south to San Angelo which is the first place we lived in Texas after returning from a tour in Japan.

We stayed at the Pearl on the Concho in San Angelo. I chose a room with an outside entrance here and was so glad that I did that. The room was nice but the hotel needs some updating. The rooms on the inside are all around an atrium where the pool was located. The smell of chlorine was overwhelming. We didn't use the pool there as it felt like you were on display and again, the chlorine was too strong. We picked up a couple of salads for lunch after driving around to see all the changes here. Our grandson Cameron goes to college in San Angelo but we didn't get to see him this trip as he was tied up with training for a new summer job and a trip back home to Brownwood.

 We drove past our old house here but the neighborhood has really gone downhill badly some 48 years later. We also drove out to Goodfellow AFB. It has changed a great deal too but much more to the positive. Many new dorms and other buildings. We had dinner at the Texas Roadhouse which was very good and got a god nights sleep before we headed home Thursday. 

It was a busy day after we got home as I picked up groceries and got the RV out of storage to head out for a rally Friday morning.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable trip together and I am already looking forward to the next one,

2023-5-23 Camp Verde Texas

 This is an interesting place to visit. There is a lot of history as well as a general store with lots of things to look at and a very good restaurant.

As you can see, history of this particular store goes back to 1857 and the unique experiment to bring in camels adds to the story.

Our group dinner didn't quite live up to expectations as we were at about four different large tables. The food was great as usual but two of our tables had a waitress that really had no clue how to take orders and get people served. The manager actually gave us a discount because it took so long to get our food that our other tables were done eating by the time our food came out and they all arrived after we did. A couple days later some of us went back and received the same great food and service we have always gotten in the past.

There is also some interesting history with the Indians in this area.

5-26-2023 Old River Road RV Resort

 The rally was held at Old River Road RV Resort. It's a nice park with a lot of RV sites, many cabins, indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs, fishing on the river, large rally room.

The river was low in some places.

And flowing in other places.

Interesting sign to remind everyone to slow down in the park. Cars all went slow but a few of the many golf carts were a little too speedy.

Our members travel in all kind of RVs. Teri has a cute vintage that she full-times in.

Many of us travel with pets. This lucky pet has his own yard.

We have some avid fishermen.

We took advantage of some steps out in front of the rally room to take our group photo.

Saturday night the park hosted a huge fish fry for the whole park which was delicious. After the meal, there was a band playing in the basketball court. Many park residents attended with their golf carts. We sat back by our RVs to listen because the music was loud but finished by quiet time.

5-25-2023 Kerrville Rally Brunch

 Our rally hostesses chose a different route and chose to have a brunch instead of a potluck.

And what a brunch it was!

The food was fantastic.

And the presentation was awesome, so professional.

From the beverages to the food, there was something for everyone.

After the brunch as well as hours here and there throughout the rally, a small core group were immersed in a particular card game. Rumickub was also a fun passtime but not a consuming passion.

5-24-2023 Sculpture Prayer garden

 Some of us went to take a look at the Coming King Sculpture Garden. It is a religious undertaking but anyone could enjoy the peaceful view of the sculptures and view out over Kerrville from the top of the hill.

The cross can be seen for miles. It's huge and amazing how they got it in place.

The sculptures are beautiful. 

Everyone is invited to leave a prayer or message on a rock.

The view from overhead is very different from what you see on the ground.

The sunset was beautiful!  It was a nice end to the evening.

2023-5-24 Stonehenge at Ingram Texas

 I headed up to Kerrville for a Texas Ramblin' Roses Rally on Wednesday. The rally check in was actually Thursday but it's always nice to have a little extra downtime.  Arrived about noon at the Old river Road RV Resort and got all set up. My sister-in-law Elaine arrived about an hour later. We decided to head up the road to check out Stonehenge II. We had stopped at Culver's for a quick lunch. It's no longer on my list of places to visit in Kerrville. Food was luke warm when finally delivered. Burgers were burned and they definitely didn't use their famous butter burger buns. they werre the same as the cheapest ones available at Walmart.

Doug Hill built the Stonehenge replica in his backyard and finished it in 1989. He eventually retired and sold his ranch and donated the sculptures. It is now located at the Hill Country Arts Center. 

The replica is obviously much smaller than the original and it is built with concrete, plaster, and wire frames cemented in place.

There are also two Easter Island statues.

We also got a tour of the inside and outside theaters. They put on some great productions for future reference.

Much later we had ribs that Elaine got from Aldi's. I cooked them in my convection oven. They were fabulous. We had a very relaxing visit to the ht tub before bed.