Still unable to upload photos !
Sunday ; Eunice, Louisiana to Rainbow's End SKP RV Park, Livingston, Texas
Cloudy, mild, humid, raining intermittently in Louisiana, raining steadily in Texas. GEEEEEZZZZZ ... Louisiana swamp mosquitoes are HUGE ! ! ! Makes them puny little things up in Canada look like amateurs !
Before leaving the Wal-Mart parking lot this morning I had to deal with some maintenance issues. And they seem to come in multiples. First of all, the propane tank that was in use ran out during the night. Very early this morning I went outside in the heavy rain and switched over to the full tank. Then ... thanks to all the rain and extremely high humidity, the fridge burner would not re-ignite. Components were damp, condensation had formed on everything. So ... back out into the rain I went. I had to partially disassemble the fridge burner assembly in order to light it manually using a barbecue lighter. It worked fine for the rest of the day. However ... when I stepped back into the camper ... I had been wearing sandals outside ... my feet were completely covered in mosquitoes. And they were all having a feast ! Then ... I discovered a leak around the Fantastic Fan trim ring. I removed it and could see that there was only a small amount of water behind the trim ring, and given the heavy rain, and the fact that we had purposely left the MaxxAir cover over the Fantastic Fan open overnight, I wasn't concerned. I left the trim ring off to allow the ceiling to dry. Then ... when Joanne went to light a stove top burner to make tea, the stove igniter broke. < sigh >
We have not travelled "east" much in the last few years. We had forgotten how crappy the eastern weather can be, especially here around the Gulf of Mexico. And how "immune" from really bad weather both Yuma, Arizona and the Okanagan Valley of B.C. are !
We refilled our freshwater tank at the Murphy's USA Fuel Bar before leaving the
Wal-Mart in Eunice. We decided that it would probably be more pleasant to drive west on Hwy. 190, passing through rural Louisiana and Texas, and every little town on the way, than to take the faster but certainly less scenic and less interesting Interstate a bit further south. Just after crossing the state border from Louisiana into Texas we stopped at a rest area to have lunch and I had a brief nap.
We arrived in Livingston, Texas around 4 PM and turned south on Hwy. 146 for ten miles or so to reach Rainbow’s End SKP RV Park ...and Escapees National Headquarters. We registered in the office and drove to our assigned “dry camp” / unserviced site. As I drove in ... Lanoire and Elsie just sunk down into the “lawn”. Deeply ! I stopped, shifted into 4WD, and backed out. The rear dually wheels kicked a lot of mud up onto the truck and camper < sigh >. And I really tore up the “lawn”. Sorry ! But ... not really my fault ! We returned to the office and were reassigned to a different “dry camp” / unserviced site.
Joanne did laundry. I worked on the computer. It rained and rained and rained !
We both couldn’t help but notice that Rainbow’s End SKP RV Park ... the Escapees “flagship” park ... has deteriorated noticeably since we were last here about ten years ago. Is that a function of the Escapees organization management changing from the first generation of the founding family to the third generation in the last ten years ? !
Monday ; Livingston, Texas
Mostly cloudy, mild, humid. We spent the day doing chores, running errands, and doing repairs.
Before leaving Rainbow's End SKP RV Park this morning we disinfected our five gallon water jug, doing that in a laundry tub in the laundromat. We went to the Activity Center and took a look at what was available on the "bargain table". All SKP parks have a bargain table where people put unwanted items and other people "buy" them for whatever they feel the item is worth. Proceeds are usually used for group activities like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Today I picked up a pair of golf shorts.
We drove north on Hwy. 146 towards Livingston. I stopped at West RV & Automotive to look for some RV parts I needed. The only item that I needed that they had was a shower hose ring guide. Next door to West RV & Automotive was Arena Veterinary Clinic where we had Bo neutered eleven years ago. I asked Bo if he wanted to go in and retrieve his lost testicles. He excitedly said "yes" ! HA HA HA !
We continued into Livingston. We found our way to Livingston Propane and had an empty propane tank refilled. Then we found a self-serve car wash and washed the truck and camper. What a lot of road grime ! And mud from yesterday's attempt to get into Rainbow's End dry camp area C. We went to Acres RV where I bought an igniter assembly for the camper's stove. Next stop was ... AHHHHH ... Catfish King for lunch. Great catfish place ! We were introduced to Catfish King eleven years ago by Rodney, a C.A.R.E resident who treated us to lunch at Catfish King in appreciation for some dog care assistance we gave him while he was at C.A.R.E. recuperating from a heart attack.
After lunch we drove to Wal-Mart, only to discover that it was ... HUH ? ... closed for renovations this week ? Parking lot full of cars, no signage ... nothing to indicate that it was closed until Joanne reached the entrance doors and they were locked. Joanne broke her key off in the camper's entry door lock ... < sigh >. I refilled with diesel at the Murphy's USA Fuel Bar adjacent to Wal-Mart. Lowest diesel price so far at just over two bucks a gallon. We drove over to H-E-B and did some grocery shopping.
Since we were parked in the H-E-B parking lot very close to Burger King I decided to stay parked there and get some online work done using Burger King's free Wi-Fi. Despite "connection" data showing otherwise, their Wi-Fi was terrible. I was unable to upload my weekly blog entry. I got tired of wasting my time and we drove to the mall next door and I tried again using Lowe's free Wi-Fi signal. Same thing. Apparently good connection, but unable to accomplish anything. I have heard complaints recently about poor Internet performance here in Texas due to the heavy rains and flooding over the last couple of weeks. I spent about an hour "spinning my wheels" with Burger King's
Wi-Fi and Lowe's Wi-Fi before giving up in frustration and heading back "home" to Rainbow's End. We got home about 5:30, just as it became dark.
Joanne cleaned a mildew problem I discovered this morning in the camper, thanks to the incredibly high humidity we have been experiencing lately. I reinstalled the Fantastic Fan trim ring. I installed the new igniter assembly on the stove. And discovered that it wasn't only the igniter that broke, but also the control knob. I had not noticed this morning that the knob was also broken. < sigh > I installed the new shower hose guide ring. I glued the cracked igniter control knob. I don't know if that will work. I'll test it tomorrow. We had a late, light supper.
Tuesday ; Livingston to rest area near Victoria, Texas
Mostly sunny and warm, less humid.
This morning we dumped our waste holding tanks, refilled our freshwater tank and departed Rainbow's End SKP RV park, heading north on Hwy. 146 back to the small city of Livingston. On the way we stopped ( again ) at West RV & Automotive. No, no ... the stove igniter knob glue repair did not work. I bought a stove igniter knob and entry door latch assembly, and installed both while parked in their driveway.
In Livingston we went to Pennzoil Livingston Quick Lube where I had an oil & filter change done on the truck. By the time were leaving Livingston it was after 1 PM. We headed south on Hwy. 59 towards Houston. We stopped to have a late lunch in a
Wal-Mart parking lot in Cleveland around 2 PM. We had been hoping to reach and drive through Houston before afternoon rush hour. I'm not sure we did. We reached the north edge of Houston ... "H-town" ... about 3:30 PM and were coming out the south end about 4:30 PM. The traffic was heavy but moved along fairly quickly most of the time.
attach pic 1592
I was driving fairly fast trying to reach Victoria before dark. Didn't need to ! Found a large highway rest area about twenty miles or so before reaching Victoria, and we pulled in there just before 6 PM, with a few minutes of daylight left.
After arriving at the roadside rest area and selecting a parking spot, we went for a walk. We all needed some exercise. We walked around the large highway rest area. I took Bo for some Bo-gility in the children's playground. He is always eager to go on a playground slide. HA HA HA ... what a funny thing for a little dog to like. I found a patch of wild mushrooms and picked one to take back to the truck and camper to identify.
I succeeded in identifying it using my Mushroom Hunter book. It was a poisonous Green Spored Lepiota.
Wednesday ; rest area near Victoria to Harlingen, Texas
Partially sunny, very warm, extremely humid.
This morning we left the rest area near Victoria and continued southbound on Hwy. 59 briefly, then continued southbound on Hwy. 77 all the way to Harlingen in the Rio Grande Valley.
Near Corpus Christi we received a telephone call from our Connecticut friends Bill and Lynne, who are currently in Colorado, and will be meeting us here in the Rio Grande Valley in about a week. We stopped to refill with diesel in Odem. WOO-HOO ... paid less than two bucks a gallon for diesel ! ! ! We stopped at Love's in Kingsville to have lunch in the camper and refill the camper's freshwater tank. Then we drove a couple of exits south to the Wal-Mart in Kingsville for a bit of shopping. While Joanne went into the store I tried ... again ... to upload photos to my blog. And failed ... again. And failed again and again and again in Harlingen, using three different Wi-Fi signals in three different locations. Wi-Fi / the Internet has been dysfunctional ever since Branson, Missouri due to flooding in Texas. I think there is a problem with damaged fiber optic cables ... or some such technical problem.
We reached Harlingen and arrived at the Texas Visitor Information Center just before its 5 PM closing time. Joanne quickly collected some brochures, maps, local newspapers, etc. I walked over to the nearby Burger King to use Wi-Fi. Dysfunctional ! We drove to the nearby Cracker Barrel to assess its suitability for overnight boondocking. We drove to the nearby Wal-Mart mall and ... WOO-HOO ... found a PetsMart ! Bo LOOOOOVES shopping at PetsMart. We didn't need anything there, but took Bo "shopping" just to give him a thrill. We decided to boondock overnight in the Wal-Mart parking lot. But first ... we drove over to an adjacent mall where Joanne went shopping to Dollar Tree while I tried yet again to accomplish something on Wi-Fi. Dysfunctional !
Joanne wanted to have supper at Cici's Pizza Buffet Restaurant. I was too tired to resist. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA ! After eating way too much pizza ( for less than six bucks each ) we drove "next door" to the Wal-Mart and got settled in for the night.
I used Wal-Mart's Wi-Fi signal to upload my weekly blog text, but was unable to load any photos.
Whew ... eight thousand km. / five thousand miles from Thompson, Manitoba to the Rio Grande Valley ( and the Mexican border ) in Texas. I need a rest !
Thursday ; Harlingen to La Feria, Texas ( about 10 miles )
Sunny, very warm, brutally humid.
This morning we left the Wal-Mart parking lot and with just a teensy bit of difficulty found our way to a nearby Bank of America where I wanted to deposit our U.S.$ traveller's cheques. We have driven all the way from the Canadian border to the Mexican border, searching for a Bank of America the entire distance. We saw three branches, and we passed by all three of them after closing hours. So ... I felt it was essential to find the branch in Harlingen and get those traveller's cheques deposited to our account already.
And ... I regret it ! The service at the Harlingen branch of the Bank of America was the worst customer service I have ever encountered, with the sole exception of the United States Post Office in Yuma, Arizona at Christmas time. After waiting in line ... third in line, to be precise ... for over half an hour ... I began to loudly throw a hissy fit. There were three tellers. Two were only able to work on administrative desk work, until the manager "opened" them to serve customers. The one teller serving customers was tied up serving a high maintenance customer for the entire half hour. Not her fault. The manager ... a Hispanic high heeled fashionista was strutting around ignoring the growing line up.
Since ALL the other customers were Hispanic, and I was the only gringo, and I will never need to be in that branch again ... I thought I could get away with throwing a hissy fit, and bullying the manager into getting her act together. And ... I was right ! It worked ! I loudly bullied her into finally getting more tellers functional, and left her intimidated. Bravo for me ! She doesn't deserve to be a manager ! She's not "managing" ! ! ! AND ... the old Hispanic man in line in front of me actually thanked me for throwing the hissy fit and getting things moving.
From downtown Harlingen we drove about ten miles or so west on Hwy. 83 to La Feria where we checked into Kenwood RV Resort. Joanne had found an advertisement of theirs for a special rate of $199 for the first month. And we only want to be here for a month. And the same with our friends Bill and Lynne who are arriving in a week. So ... the $199 monthly special is perfect for all of us !
We selected a site, got registered, and I began chores. When I drained the black waste holding tank ... YIKES ... the sewer inlet was plugged and began to overflow raw sewage all over the ground around the inlet. YIKES YIKES YIKES ! ! ! ! ! Joanne went to the office and got a maintenance person ( female ) to come over. This was the second time in the last few days a sewer inlet was plugged and overflowed. It was because of the recent flooding. Mud washed down into some of the sites' sewer inlets and plugged them. We relocated to a different site, leaving the maintenance woman to deal with the mess. Sorry ! But not my fault !
After we got settled into our second site, and got chores done, we gave Bo a haircut and a bath. He hated getting the haircut, and he hated getting the bath, but he certainly loved the results of both ! HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo !
The Wi-Fi here is working well, but ... I still can't get photos to upload to my blog.
It certainly is nice to have electricity, and as a result ... air conditioning ! GAWD ... the humidity is brutal here !
Friday ; La Feria, Texas
Mostly sunny, very warm, temperature in the high 80's, humidity right now ( at 9:30 PM ) is 89%, forecast to be 94% overnight ! ! ! Like living / sleeping in a sauna ! ! !
This morning we removed Elsie the camper from Lanoire the truck. I decided that it was less work to remove and reinstall Elsie than it was to drive around with it on for an entire month. After lunch we headed into the village of La Feria for some shopping and to reacquaint ourselves with the village. We haven't been here since ... < thinking > ... probably 2007 ? Before leaving Kenwood RV Resort we stopped at the front office and
I made a reservation for our friends arriving next week. First stop in town was one of the two panaderias in town. WOO-HOO ... mucho pan dulce por gringos Canadiense. HA HA HA ! We'll have to eat all that Mexican pastry quickly so that we can try out the other panaderia and compare. HA HA HA !
We needed some groceries so we went to the scruffy, medium sized Mexican supermarket in town. We both love shopping in Mexican supermarkets. Bought some of those tiny bananas Bo loves. We call them Bo-nanas. Bought a bag full of key limes for my Diet Cokes. Bought some Crema Mexicana. Joanne wanted me to cook eggs in the thick, sweet cream, then changed her mind. Wants B.C. salmon cooked / poached in cream. HA HA HA ... your wish is my command, my dear. I bought some seasoned / marinated beef finger ribs and barbecued them for supper tonight. Joanne made fresh pico de gallo to heap over top of our potatoes. And she certainly does make excellent pico de gallo. Especially for a vieja gringa Canadiense. HA HA HA !
This afternoon we enjoyed some time in the indoor swimming pool and large hot tub. At supper time I raised the camper's roof top antenna and turned on the TV. Received about 25 channels "over the air". I was surprised. However ... about ten of them are Mexican, about ten of them are ... religion. There were a few English language mainstream networks, and just as supper was ready to be served I found CBS and ... WOO-HOO ... Amazing Race !
Saturday ; Harlingen, Texas
Today started out mostly sunny, very warm and very humid again. This afternoon it began to rain lightly and after some rain fell, the temperature and humidity both plummeted, so that now ( at 7 PM ) it's actually quite cool. I might have to put long pants on. Poor me !
We spent most of the day in Harlingen running shopping errands. We started by going to the regular Saturday morning downtown farmer's market. But ... it wasn't really a farmer's market, more of a flea market. We stopped in at a Methodist church thrift store where I bought a couple of pair of denim shorts ... at 50 cents a pair. I suppose I don't need to get much wear out of them to justify their expense, now do I ? HA HA HA !
I got a key cut at a hardware store. We shopped at Walgreens. We bought dog food at PetsMart. We shopped at Dollar Tree. Joanne bought some hair care products at Sally Beauty. We went for lunch at Mr. Gatti's Pizza Buffet Restaurant. We wanted to compare Cici's to Mr. Gatti's. Each does some things better than the other, so ... it's a bit of a toss up.
Our final stop in Harlingen was H-E-B to buy groceries. Oh my goodness ! Note to self ; do not shop at large supermarket in Harlingen on Saturdays. We're retired ! We're going to have to confine our shopping trips to weekdays when everyone else is busy with work or school. YIKES ... H-E-B was crowded ! < whispering > ... Does every Mexican couple have four young children ? Are we the only two gringos in all of Harlingen ? Did we accidentally cross into Mexico without noticing the border ?
DSK
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