Posts from the ‘texas’ Category

Oct 13

Texas Times – From the Desert to the Delta

After departing New Mexico in late February we had little in the way of plans other than to get to the Gulf of Mexico in Florida by mid March. That left us about three weeks to get across Texas and towards the bayou.

By this time the lack of marketing gigs at I-10 truck stops (not exactly tourist hotspots) meant that we could generally go wherever, rather than where the work was.

We hit up two state parks in West Texas, got off I-10 for a while to explore the Big Bend area, and well, I’ll let the best and worst list cover the highlights. Photos below too.

The worst of Texas:

Dust storm. Spent an entire day trapped in Balmorhea, Texas while winds of 70+mph ripped at the aging seams on the outside of the RV and shook it like a leaf on a tree. Glad to have decided not to drive that day.
Fort Davis, Texas RV Park manager guy. Laura really pissed him off when she counted the quarters he gave her for laundry, in front of him.
Got all the way to a “no reservations” state park after a day of travel. It was full.
Austin, Texas. People are simply way too hip there. It’s overwhelming.
Ran our batteries dead on a cold night in Austin. Slept in the front seat of the RV with the engine running for heat.
Kaylin’s stroller got a flat tire. Better than the RV I suppose.

The best of Texas:

Met a couple with a baby from Canada. They were towing an old trailer and seeing the states on their maternity leave. Camped with them for a few days in the Davis Mountains.
Wildlife. West Texas is quite rural with interesting topography. Deer and javelinas (little hogs) everywhere.
The angry park manager guy in Fort Davis. I found him to be intellectually challenging. Like a game of Jenga.
BYOB Mexican restaurants within walking distance.
Kappy made a miniature dog (that could not swim) jump off the end of a dock simply upon viewing him. (Not a lot of huskies in Texas I guess)
Saw our old friend Jess from college.
Took a shower and enjoyed electricity (for free of course) after 3 days of boondocking. Best shower of the trip.
Met some of the “Judgement Day” folks. Asked them if they had retirement funds.

Most of the best photos from Texas were on the western side. If you have no idea how this story starts or ends, click the RV category or a state name in the tags to find out. We lived in an RV for 3 months moving from Oregon to Vermont, then sold the beast.

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Mar 8

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Southeast Texas Camping – Gulf Coast RV Resort

We left Tucson about 2 weeks ago and have since spent time in the Florida (pronounced flor-i-ta) Mountains of New Mexico, the Davis Mountains in the Big Bend of Texas, the Hill Country of Junction and Austin and now find ourselves just a few miles from the Gulf of Mexico. The grass is now green, it’s humid, and there are many signs for alligator attractions, which is a nice change of pace. After boondocking in Austin to see our friend Jess (and running out of battery power on the last night) our current spot is feeling like an oasis of amenities.

Welcome to the Gulf Coast RV Park on the west side of Beaumont, Texas. This is a stopover/monthly park just off I-10 adjacent to the massive Ford Park entertainment and athletic complex. It’s in good shape, has modern amenities, and is very straightforward. Beaumont is not a tourist hotspot per se so the park focuses on being exactly what the traveler needs. Everything is clean, orderly, works well (even the wifi is fast) and there’s a free breakfast. It also has a new website that is only 5 pages in total. It’s bare bones but functional – so we gave it a boost. The video capsule below can be featured throughout the site and will allow guests to feel at home before they get here, which is a major factor for RV’ers trying to decice where to roost. This will be on their homepage shortly.

Next we are headed east for quick stops near Baton Rouge and Mobile, before seeking our next longer term video trade spot on the Florida Gulf Coast. If you get an email from me pointing you to this website, ask yourself – what would you like to communicate with video in trade for a single camping slot? Also consider that I’ll be contacting your competition. Embrace the opportunity – don’t let it go down the street. No website is complete without compelling video. So let’s get you some for the cost of simple camping trade.

The other people as crazy as us on the continent

Side note - I’ve been keeping this site to work related posts, but wanted to give a quick shoutout to Jed, Jillian and Juliet from Alberta. We met them in west Texas and spent a few nights camping as neighbors in Davis Mountains State Park. The first and only young family we have run into. Best of luck the rest of the way guys!

They were towing a small antique trailer and were seeing the sights of the west and south over the winter with their baby and pup. Hopefully we busted some American stereotypes along with those we surely upheld. Check out their blog if you like.

Look us up if you are ever headed to Vermont and let’s have a look at those curtains!