Alamo River Ranch RV Park- January 2013

Well, this was almost a spur of the moment tip of trip. I suddenly realized that this was a three day weekend on Monday, so I called and made a reservation for this park. As I have said before, I like it because it is an easy twenty minute drive from my house. However, once I get here, I feel like I am way out in the country. You can see the pictures for yourselves to see why I feel that way.

I left straight from work to come on this trip. I stopped at the Shell to buy gas with the gift cards I bought off my boys. They got them for Christmas, but since I pay for their gas anyway, they preferred the cash. After that, I went straight to Packrats, where I have to admit I had a hard time hitching up. The sun was shining in my eyes, making it hard to use the rearview. On top of that, the truck was casting a shadow on the hitch so bad, that I couldn't even use the camera. I finally put the yellow balls on, but even they were hard to see in the shadow. There were some guys mowing grass on the lot next door. They seemed pretty entertained. I was about to call one of them to guide me, but finally got it lined up after about 100 tries. I think I lost about 25 minutes! By then I was so rattled that I didn't put the chains on OR the electricity for the signals and brake lights. Fortunately, I always go through my multi-item obsessive compulsive checklist. That caught all of those disasters in the making.

I came into the park a little too fast. They have a beautiful new electric gate now that stays open all day. I didn't even notice it. Unfortunately, it has a little metal lip which knocked one of my stabilizers a bit. It was already a bit wonky. Now it is worse although it does still do its job. I'll probably have to get it replaced. I'll ask Jack Funkhouser what he thinks.

By 4:35, I was set up enough to go for a sunset (or almost sunset) hike. It was really nice. The trails were dry, with not even a trace of the usual humidity. There were a lot more deer this trip. I couldn't believe my eyes at one point, when I walked up on a white doe. I thought it was the sunlight shining on her strangely, but, as she ran off with her buddies, it was obvious that she was white. Not white like ladies' gloves. More of a very light grey- noticeably different from her peers. I also saw a poor little black squirrel. It fluttered into the trail right in front of me. I thought it was a bird taking flight, but it wasn't. I think it might have hurt itself when it tried to run back into the woods because he rolled on his back with his legs kicking like a dog that wants its belly rubbed. Then it flipped over and sort of limped off. I hope it was alright. Of course, it may have already been like that when it first came out. I really don't know. I was so surprised by how beautiful its fur was. I have never seen a black squirrel up close. They usually hide quickly when you come near them, and rarely appear in trees.

Back at the Colby T, I finished setting up and bringing in my things. As soon as I was kitchen ready, I enjoyed a nice supper of chicken breast on tortillas. I used mustard with liquid sucralose to mimic honey mustard. I drank some great Obsidian coffee with it. As I ate, I fiddled with the Wi-Fi and was sad to see that my phone didn't automatically connect. I tried my kindle, but couldn't remember the password. I went over to the office and got the password and learned that I needed to log into a different connection. I usually have a site by the bathhouse and use the bathhouse router. At this end (I'm in 133), you use the office router. Oh well. Once you set it up, it switches between them automatically when I go to the bathhouse. Unlike other RV parks I have been to, the Wi-Fi here is excellent.

I turned on the League Pass app to see if the Spurs would be on for me here. They showed up as a future event. I was excited. I watched the news and something else until close to the time for the game to start. I went back to the app, and the game wasn't listed. It is blacked out here even though the servers are housed in Castroville. I got my new deluxe CC Radio out and got the game tuned in. I spent the evening surfing the net and listening to the game. At half time, I went to the bathhouse. When I finally got back, I expected to have missed some of the game. Fortunately, they had some kind of rim problem that caused them to totally replace it. That took almost half an hour. Anyway, the Spurs won the game. It was too early for bed so I hooked my Kindle up to the TV with the HDMI cable I bought recently and watched a movie off of Amazon Prime. It was in some middle eastern language with subtitles, but I enjoyed it anyway. I was about to nod off by the end, so I went to bed as soon as it was over.

I slept soundly all night and woke up at 8:00am sharp. I started a cup of coffee brewing and hiked to the bathhouse. When I got back, I drank my coffee and ate an Atkins bar for breakfast before heading off for the first hike of the day. I carried my Bloggie camera with me and took about sixty shots. Everything looked so different in the morning light. It was such a beautiful sunny day with a bright blue sky full of feathery clouds. It made all the wonderful earthy winter colors pop. I saw lots of deer again and more cardinals than I have ever seen in one day. As I got back to the Colby T, I noticed the new gate that I had totally missed seeing on the way in. It is beautiful. I hiked across the street and out into the cornfield to get a good shot of it. As I passed the office, I ran into one of the managers. They tell me their names every time I come, but I think I have dysnomia. I can not recall their names. Anyway, we must have chatted for at least thirty minutes. I learned all about the history of the park. The people here are really nice and treat me like I am some kind of celebrity guest. I guess they can tell how much I love it here.

I went over to the bathhouse for a few minutes. When I got back to the Colby T, Ann Cameron had called, so I called her back and chatted for a few minutes. Then I sat down and read some of my book. I was hungry and realized it was lunch time, so I ate a lunch of chicken salad on tortillas before heading out for another walk. As I was leaving, the owner of the park came and asked if I had any trash. They pick it up right at your camper every day. I only had half a bag full, but figured I might as well give it to him instead of letting the canned chicken cans smell up the camper. We ended up talking for quite awhile. It was a really pleasant conversation. Once again- the people here are awesome!

I went ahead with my walk. It was a long one. I looped around a couple of times. About mid way, I sat at a picnic table in a shady grove and read my book on my iPhone. I almost finished it, but I wanted to get back on the trail. I hiked some more and was feeling it all in my feet as I hiked back up to the camper. I was amazed at how hot it was in the Colby T. I heard other air conditioners running, but didn't want to use mine. Instead, I opened all of the windows, including the screen door. It was awesome. So light and fresh inside.

I suddenly had a hankering for pork rinds, which I had purposefully avoiding buying before the trip. I get addicted to them occasionally, and the bag count gets too high. There was nothing I could do but go to the store to get some. The convenience store I went to first didn't carry them, so I ended up running to the HEB in Lytle, about ten miles away. While I was there, I bought some precooked shredded chicken for dinner. I had planned on an Atkins bar. What can I say? I saw a Twin Liquor store and bought a bottle of cheap scotch and some diet ginger-ale. I don't usually buy cheap scotch, but this time I am on a budget (big trip to Austing coming up) and planned on mixing it with diet ginger-ale anyway. Before hitting the highway, I even considered a trip to Bill Millers for some ribs, but enough is enough!!!!

I dropped everything off in the camper and headed for walk number three. This time, I planned to use the Charity Miles app. I had forgotten about using it until I saw my friend Kristina posting about it today on Facebook. Unfortunately, it didn't work! When I went to save what should have been about a two and a half mile hike, it said, “The minimum distance for a workout is 0.1 mi. Please try again! I was not a happy camper. (I love that phrase!). I decided that I would continue to use Map My Run and just write a check for Autism Speaks!

I went ahead and got my dinner ready. Another Spurs game was coming on at 6:00. I tried the app again, but it wouldn't refresh to today's listings. I went into the League Pass support chat, but it updated all of a sudden. I guess I was logged in too early. Once again, the Spurs were blacked out. I got the radio out and plugged it in only to find out it didn't work! I kept trying to fiddle with it getting more and more annoyed. I was having trouble seeing the dial, so I turned the light on and SNAP it started working. I turned the light off and it stopped. I have no explanation. A few minutes later, I discovered that the radio has its own light. I would have probably given up on the game, if I had use it. Anyway, all is well. I am listening to the game, writing this blog, and sipping scotch and ginger, which is surprisingly good. Who would have thought a $9.00 bottle of scotch would be good. Mom's friend Marion taught me to appreciate scotch. I usually drink it neat, but occasionally I like with ginger-ale or milk. Yes, I said milk. Marion taught me that one, too. Pure heaven in a glass. Well, not if you don't like milk.

The Spurs won the game. I put a movie on called Super 8. It was one of those citizen sees the alien-army tries to stop the word from getting out. It wasn't all that good. I was surprised to learn that it was done by Steven Spielberg. I guess even he can have an off day. After the movie, I was ready to sleep. Actually, I think I was sleeping through some of it, which may be why I didn't think it was all that great.

This morning I did my usual morning things: coffee, bathhouse, breakfast, and tidy up the bed. Then I went ahead and stowed the heater, coffee pot, and television, since I knew I was done with them for this trip. I decided to go ahead and finish this blog post up and get it on the site so I can do other things when I get home. Saturdays are my house cleaning days. I was here at the park, so I guess that will take up my Sunday afternoon today. That will free up my Monday off for whatever comes up. I would like to take the dogs to the park for a nice long walk, but I can't handle the two of them that well. Maybe N2S will go this time. He always says he will then backs out.

Anyway, my next adventure in the Colby T will be my longest ever. I am going to the TCEA conference and will stay at the Lonestar RV Resort. It is almost incomprehensible that I was in the popup last year! I barely remember what being inside it was like. Last year, I only stayed in Austin for three nights. This time it will be four. I made a mistake when I was registering for sessions and booked a full lineup for Tuesday. I planned on going up on Tuesday after work. Since the sessions start at 8:00, and I have to park the Colby T at Lonestar as soon as I hit Austin, I had to book another night. That's fine with me. I will get another evening to relax or hang out with N1S.

Anyway, that's it for this trip. If anything unusual happens on the way home, I will come back in and add it.

You can see all of my photos from this trip here:  My Photobucket Album

Palmetto SP, December 2012

Well here I sit in the Colby T, back at one of my absolute favorite state parks, Palmetto. I am situated in site number 12, which I am almost positive is the same one I had when I brought the popup in the summer of 2010. This is the first time I have ever been here in the winter, and it is totally different. I'll tell you more about that later. Right now, however, let's go back a bit.

It doesn't take much for me to run off in the Colby T. It is such an effortless thing to do. I simply make a phone or Internet reservation, pack a few clean clothes (most of which I never seem to use), grab some bottled water and a few dry goods, and go. I can be ready to hit the road with the Colby T in tow, within an hour of getting the notion. I love that. This time, though, I had a plan in place for a few months. When Stacey and Randy bought their Cougar, they planned this trip. That was a few months ago, at least. I decided to join them and booked three nights. After all, it is Christmas break. We have 16 days off. There was, and is, plenty of time to get other things done.

I tried to wait patiently for the break to get here. I almost made it, but Stacey and Randy went camping in San Marcos and posted about it on Facebook. That gave me a serious case of camperlust, so I made a quick getaway to Guadalupe River State Park. Then, there was nothing to do but wait.

A few weeks before the break, my sister told me that she was going to be coming down here for the Alamo Bowl. She got a chance on some tickets and jumped on it, only to learn that it was going to cost way too much to fly down here over the holidays on the spur of the moment. Instead, she decided to give each of my boys two tickets to the game for their Christmas presents. That created a bit of a problem. Neither of the boys really wanted to go to begin with. N1S is a UT student, but doesn't care much for all the hype at the games. He won't even wear UT orange. N2S hates football. He will tell you he has seen enough games while playing in the high school band to last him a lifetime. There were other issues. My first night of this trip was supposed to be the 29^th, which, of course, was the football game. The boys wanted me to go so we could all ride together. That led to determining who the fourth would be. That alone was a bit of a problem, but N2S asked a friend, so all was well.

Anyway, to get on with the story, I cut my trip one day short. The boys and I went to the football game. On Sunday morning, I got up at 8:00 am, drank a cup of coffee, and headed off to Palmetto. By 8:45, I was on the road, headed toward downtown. From then, it was smooth sailing all the way here. I pulled into the park headquarters at around 10:30. Much to my surprise, there were only two sites to choose from. I didn't really think there would be that many here for New Year's Eve. I was kind of right. This is the 31^st, and about half of the sites are now empty. My choices for sites were 7 and 12. I chose 12 because the ranger told me 7 was not very level.

I drove on to the camp site. I got to #12 and tried once to back in. I could tell it wasn't going to work out, so I drove around the loop and got Randy and Stacey to help me. I was going to let Randy back it in for me, but he gave me some tips that I wanted to try. For those of you who read these posts, Palmetto SP is where I jackknifed and dented the Colby T trying to back into a site with the boys and a park host giving me directions. That totally undermined my backing confidence. This time I thought that, if I did it myself with Randy's tips, I would regain a little of that confidence. It was really only two simple little changes to what I had originally tried. First, I sort of turned in toward my site. Then, I pulled as far away diagonally as I could. That lined up the camper better and made it easier to back on in. I was happy. Honest to God, you learn something every time you take a trip. You just have to realize that almost everyone else has more experience and knowledge base than you do when you first start a new activity. Let them help you and teach you.

Stacey and Randy went on over to their camper and left me to get settled in the Colby T. It wasn't leveled very well, but It didn't matter that much to me right then. I got everything in its place and grabbed a quick cup of coffee. Then I headed over to see their Cougar. They were sitting outside with a gas campfire. That was really cool, but I was there to take the camper tour. Now in case you haven't figured this out, yet, I LOVE THE COLBY T. I do not want anything else. BUT, if the Colby T is a fine hotel, their Cougar is a frapping 5 star Resort on a private island!!! It is gorgeous. There are so many things about it that would put the Colby T to shame, if I weren't so head over heels in love with it. That's all I'm gonna say about it. Just trust me, it is extremely luxurious and well designed.

After the tour, we took about a two mile hike with their dogs. It was nice to walk the trails in winter. Everything looks so different this time of year that it almost seems like they were different trails all together. Only my knowledge of the layout made them seem in any way familiar. At one point, the dogs found the muddiest part of the swamp to jump around in. They were covered in mud. Stacey decided that they needed to go down to the river on the way back to camp and get cleaned. They had a great time jumping in the water and chasing the sticks that Randy would throw for them. One of them, Dakota, got covered in cockle burrs. Randy had to hand remove them later in the camper.

I came back to the Colby T and set up my TV with hopes of watching the Spurs play the Mavericks later in the evening. Unfortunately, it wasn't televised locally, which meant I wasn't going to get to watch or listen to it, unless I went out and sat in the truck. The Internet radio services don't stream the NBA games. You can get WOAI, which is broadcasting the game in my truck, but it streams some sports talk show instead of the game online. I hoped to find the game listed on the schedule of one of the Austin or Victoria channels that I was picking up, but they had other things scheduled. I kind of lost interest and decided to level the camper better with my BAL leveler. It is a device you put around the tire that is on the low side. When you crank it, that tire is listed up to level the camper. That way, all my blood doesn't go to my head when I sleep. They say you have to keep the refrigerator level, too, but mine was chilled to 34 degrees before I ever started to level anything. I have a bottle of champagne in there that we will have with our New Year's Eve dinner of “black-eyed pea chili” which I have been invited over for this evening.

I decided to take another longer walk by myself. I have not been following the low carb plan over the break. That has meant a small TEMPORARY weight gain. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to burn some calories. Unfortunately, I left my compression shorts at home and do not seem to have any body glide with me. That means chafing, which is exactly what happened. Since I wanted to walk more trails the next day, I decided to make a run to Walmart to either buy a pair of compression shorts or some of the Gold Bond Friction Defense. Of course, the Walmart in Gonzales didn't have either of them, so I went to the new HEB. They had every Gold Bond product but the one I wanted. I bought another bottle of Merlot out of spite and picked up some mustard for Stacey and headed back to camp.

I took the wine and went over to the Cougar. They invited me for a delicious steak dinner. Stacey had sauteed some onions and mushrooms and baked some huge potatoes to go with the steaks. I had a ribeye (I got to choose between that and a T-bone). The steak was wonderful. The meat came from the Shudde Ranch, and Randy knows his way around a grill! I stayed and talked with them for a while before heading back to the Colby T. I didn't want to impose on their evening too much. That and the fact that I LOVE being in the Colby T.

I poured a little Jameson's and turned on the TV. There was nothing I wanted to watch at all. I knew that the Spurs were playing, and it was really making me angry missing it. I ordered a great radio the other day that will be able to pick up the games within about a hundred mile radius of San Antonio, but it won't come till later in the week. I had even considered buying a radio at the Gonzales Walmart, but that was too idiotic even for me. Instead, I kept hunting on the Internet looking for some bootlegged broadcast or something. Then I came across the NBA League Pass. I must have seen something about it before, but it never dawned on me that it was what I needed. For $39 you can watch every single NBA game for the entire season on any Internet capable device. I got it on my iPhone and watched the second half in absolute bliss! Just think how many games I missed during the 31 nights I was off camping this year! There's another game on tonight. I will be watching it on my phone. People say, “How can you watch things on your phone?” All I can say is, when the phone is there in front of your face, you see the same sized screen you do when you look across the room at a 50 inch TV. I had no problem seeing any of the action.

Not too long after the game, I got into bed and started reading for awhile. I kept nodding off, so I finally just put the book (actually the iPhone) down and went on to sleep. I slept really well. I left my box fan on low to circulate the air and the heater set on low to keep the chill off. I would have made it through the night, but my nose got stuffed up, and I couldn't breath. I broke down and allowed myself two snorts of Afrin and went back to sleep.

I first woke up at 5:30. I looked at the clock and knew I didn't want to get up yet. I just laid there relaxed until six, when I just gave up and got out of bed. I decided to run over to Buc-ee's and gas up. I figured I could grab something for breakfast at the same time. I pulled over to the bath house to clean up a bit, then headed off. It was a bit foggy and misty and very dark. I drove slowly, because there were several dear along the way. It was only about a three mile drive so speed wasn't going to do anything to get me there noticeably faster.

I drove up to the pump to get gas first. There were only about four other cars getting gas, and maybe twice that parked in front of the store. I pulled up to the side entrance after getting the gas. Inside, the place seemed deserted compared to how it normally is. In fact, it also seemed strangely smaller when you were able to walk from point to point without going around the hordes.

I didn't expect to find the Gold Bond stuff, so I wasn't too disappointed when they didn't have it. I took advantage of the emptiness to really look at what all they do have in a Buc-ee's. I found a huge bag of dried apple rings that looked good. Then I got some jalapeno sausage kolaches. I already had them in the little white bag when I stumbled upon Hipporitos. I think that's what they are called. They are breakfast tacos with egg, cheese, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and beans. Who could resist? I grabbed two of them. I figured I could put one of each in the fridge for tomorrow morning. Fat chance! One taste back at the camper, and I scarfed all four down in minutes. That just made me feel guilty, so I decided to take a walk. That idea just made me feel tired, so I laid back in bed and watched TV for awhile listening to the tap tap tap of rain on the roof of the Colby T.

Sometime in the morning, Stacey sent me a text saying her son, Chris, was on his way, and they were taking a hike across the river when he came. I went ahead and dressed, shaved with my battery operated razor, then headed to the bathhouse. Then I went to their camper and waited for Chris to get there. Randy drove up to meet him at the headquarters, and then we took off for a hike. Chris was wearing a new backpack that he got for Christmas, filled with 20 pound weights to break it in.

We crossed the San Marcos River, which was down enough that we did not even have to wade across. The water was below the bridge. We went through the tent camping area, then followed the trail around the lake. It was pretty quick, so when we got back across, we went on the short interpretive trail. The dogs found the one little mud spot on, so we headed back to the river to let them swim and clean themselves off. I left the group at that point and took the long way back to the Colby T. It added about ¾ of a mile to the walk for a total of 3.32 miles.

Back at the Colby T., I processed the flip videos I had taken and started working on this blog. I ate an Atkins bar for lunch and had a nice hot cup of green tea. It suddenly dawned on me that I was exhausted, so I laid down to read for awhile. That wasn't enough of a rest, so I decided to just go ahead and take a full blown nap. As soon as I laid down for the nap, I realized I wasn't tired anymore. Maybe the green tea kicked in... I don't know. Anyway, instead of a nap, I walked a really fast 2.47 miles. The chafing was pretty bad, but I pressed on, punishing myself for eating all that Buc-ee's food! The whole time I went between, “My crotch is on fire” (from the chafing, don't get nasty on me!) and, “Man... I really have to pee!” Then, when I got back to the Colby T, I forgot I ever had to go. As stated previously, I am such an idiot.

Stacey had invited me to come over for black-eyed pea chili at 5:30. She decided to serve it early so I could watch my Spurs game. I was happy about that. Watching the Spurs is not a social activity for me. I sit glued to the screen shouting at the players and helping Popovich coach. Other people watching with me are distracting. Besides, when you watch it on your phone, you don't really want to share it with a crowd. Anyway, I got back from my walk at about 4:45 and texted her to say I would be cooling down for awhile, then I would come with the champagne.

I forgot all about using the restroom. I changed clothes and washed up a bit. Then, I took the champagne, a bottle of Merlot, and my wine glass and put them into one of those IKEA bags to carry over. I had meant to go to the rest room on the way, but with carrying the wine and all, I decided to wait. We drank champagne, ate the awesome black-eyed pea chili, and talked outside in the rain. Randy put the awning out. It is electric and just comes on out by itself! I told you- 5 star resort. Anyway, when it was time to head home to watch the Spurs, I had my little camp chair and didn't want to go to the bath house with it, so I went strait to the Colby T. Since I was late getting to the Spurs game, I decided to wait to go to the bathhouse until halftime. When halftime came, it was raining a little heavier, so I decided to wait until after the game. I almost made it, but something told me I better get to the bathhouse quick. That's when I remembered that I was watching the game on my phone. I could carry the stupid thing with me and watch it the whole time I was going to, using, and coming back from the bathhouse. I am sooooo frapping stupid sometimes.

Anyway, I headed to the bathhouse. There was someone in the shower, but the curtains were all closed up for privacy, so I was pretty sure I wasn't going to get “cruised” as my friend Perry called that last episode at Guadalupe River State Park. Trust me, the sounds coming out of me would have scared that other guy off. Those Hipporitos did not leave me in a quiet way!

The game ended on the walk back. The Spurs won by about thirty points. I came back in and started working on this blog a bit. It is still raining outside. So far the predicted thunderstorms haven't happened. I don't mind them in the Colby T. Even the winds that set the camper rocking don't scare me like they did in the popup. Man, a storm in that thing was like a rough ride on a stage coach. Anyway, it is now 8:22 on New Years Eve. I guess I will have a few more shots of Jameson's. Then it is early to bed.

Since Mom and Dad passed, New Year's Eve just makes me sad. They always threw a party. Patti even flew down here to help Dad do it after Mom died, even though almost nobody came anymore. Besides, tomorrow is New Years Day- Mom and Dad's anniversary. I kind of hate it now. It is hard to be the baby of the family and have to deal with the loss of parents. I was never prepared to handle this type of thing. Now, I chug through life dreading parental dates of importance (birth/death/anniversary) and holidays in general. All of them are still a little too raw for me.

Well, I ended up going to sleep before midnight. No big deal. I had already toasted the New Year in with Stacey and Randy. It was warmer, so I didn't need the heater at all. I woke up a few times during the night to the sound of loud rain on the roof, but never saw any lightning. I guess the thunderstorms never really materialized.

I woke up for good at 8:00 am. I started the Keurig and headed over to the bathhouse. I saw Randy walking around his camper and figured they were probably getting ready to leave. I drank my coffee and started getting the Colby T ready for departure, too. I had more trouble getting on the hitch than usual. The back up camera had water drops on the lens that I was too lazy to get out and clean off. I guess that made it harder to see where I was. Just as I got it done and started to put the chains and electric on, Randy and Stacey came over with the dogs. They were packed and ready to go, but wanted to hit the trails one more time. I told them I was gonna pass. I needed to finish going through my obsessive departure checklist. I ended up sweeping and mopping the camper floors and wiping down all of the counter tops. I remembered how I had skipped that once with N2S and had to start my last getaway doing it. It is always nicer to start out with a clean camper.

Stacey and Randy were back from their walk as I was finishing up with my check list. I sent Rachel a text telling her I was leaving. Then I started up the truck and headed up to the dumpster to drop off my trash. The Cougar was already gone when I drove past their site.

I had planned to drive home on Alternate 90 as far as Seguin, but it was wet and icky. I decided it would be easier to just take 10 the whole way. It was an uneventful trip, except that there was a cross wind out of the North that was bugging me enough to keep me under 60 MPH. Now, the Colby T is safely back in its spot at Packrats until next time. Trust me, even if it is just to Von Ormy, it won't be long!