February 23 - March 1, 2002

Saturday February 23 we succeeded in updating both the main and mirror websites from Corpus Christi TX.  Claire briefly visited the travelling carnival across the street from our Walmart parking lot, and returned quickly; not where she wanted to spend a lot of time.  :-)  The whole area appeared to be Saturday night central, with much activity, lots of chatter, and even some clandestine drinking in the parking lot.  I attributed much of this to the carnival, but do not know for certain that it is not a regular occurrance.

Sunday February 24 we shopped and finished the internet work, then headed to Padre Island State Park.  We found a pleasant barrier island playground, with RV park visible from the road.  The office attendant checked us in, and told us which site to use temporarily for taking on water; we could also use the shower facilities, and any other park amenities until 10PM for our day use fee. We decided to do water and dump chores first, to avoid any possible rush later, then bicycle the beach and area around the park.  We found the beach enjoyable, but wind was brisk off the gulf.  Some RVs were parked right on the beach, but the visible salt spray discouraged us from approaching the water with the RV.

 I could not understand the folks sunning in the wind in bathing suits....brrrrrr.  It was comfortable for us bicycling in long pants, flannel shirt and windbreaker.  Here an offshore oil platform is prominent, with a service ship anchored next to it.  

The sand was a bit loose for bicycling, so we soon retreated to the road and looked for birds from bridges over the narrow "passes" that communicated with Corpus Christi Bay, but petered out before reaching the edge of the beach.  We tired much sooner than normal in the brisk wind; after biking to the beach at another access road, we returned to the RV to walk the cats and enjoy a leisurely afternoon in these pleasant surroundings.  We did observe that a number of trucks on the beach appeared to spin their wheels in the sand;  this beach was definitely not a place to drive our RV.....  We cooked dinner and used the cellphone freely with the free weekend minutes; soon it was dark, and we were using Matt's Christmas gift electric lantern to put the bikes up on the bikerack.  Perhaps we were TOO laid back this day?  :-)  We used the park shower facilities, which were not the best we've seen, but beat using our newly filled water, and drove back to Corpus Christi after dark to overnight next door to the carnival.  This night seemed MUCH tamer than the previous one; perhaps folks had to work in the morning?  Perhaps we were getting used to it?  :-)

Monday February 25 I decided we should REALLY have the spare bike tires and tubes we were thinking of buying for weeks.  The large cacti with long thorns growing near the road, and our thin well worn tires did not seem like a combination for continued success....  I bought them, and asked the checkout clerk if she knew of a laundromat nearby.  She did not, but asked another clerk who did, and gave us clear directions to it that we could actually follow!!!  Folks here sure are friendly and accomodating!  We moved the short distance to the laundromat and found it clean and well tended.  I proceeded to do maintenance chores while Claire did the laundry.  The weather was PERFECT for outside work; sunny, 70's, with a pleasant warm breeze. I filled the coach batteries with distilled water.  They were not yet low enough to expose the plates, but 1/3 of a gallon of water went into those two batteries.  I think it was a chore whose time had come....  While nosing into the battery compartment, located under the entrance steps, I noticed that the vent holes communicated with the outside of the RV.  Hmmmm, the outdoor thermometer has been here since November unused;  Perhaps THIS is the easy way to install it?  The concrete parking lot at the laundromat was very smooth and level, ideal for the mechanic's creeper we carry for just these occasions.  Just a few minute job I say, and proceed to thread the sensor wire through the vent hole, attach the sensor to the RV frame with a tyrap, and tape it so it will not be pinched by the step hinge.  Claire returned with the laundry finished (two hour job she always says) and I was still working. Few minutes, eh?..... Anyway, we stayed to finish the job, and in the process I noticed a wire broken leading to the electric steps which had stopped working a month or so ago.  Well, THIS few minute job would have to wait, but while the creeper was out, I did replace the broken tie on the front wheelwell fiberglass fabric screen that had been loose since we bought the RV.  We need more laundry stops like this; clean smooth level concrete parking pad in comfortable tropical climates; oh yes, and good laundry facilities too!  :-)  We moved on to Kingsville TX, a short 40 miles away.  We passed this field with oil well pumps working on thew way.  

The Super Walmart was just where I had guessed it might be, although the map program could not precisely locate it.  The gas price is 96.9, and there is plenty of room in the parking lot.  Claire cooked Gumbo rice, and it was DELICIOUS!  The Cajun cookbook does really work (with suitable modifications ala Claire, of course)!  While Claire was working on dinner standing at the sink, she suddenly jumped and let out a small scream.  ??  I saw the lower drawer had opened several inches to hit her bare foot. She looked puzzled, then reached down to open the pot cabinet; out strode Purry, who evidently had gotten into the cabinet when Claire removed the cooking equipment, and neither of us noticed. He evidently pushed on the drawer from the back, either in an attempt to crawl in that direction or to signal us to let him out (he really is a smart cat).  Here he is just AFTER escaping;  the experience does not seem to have affected him much.  

Fortunately the culinary effort was not affected either;  Mmmmm  Mmmmm good!

The cats both are FASCINATED by the cabinets in the RV, but we forbid them access, as they all communicate in the rear, next to the RV outer wall, and have much wiring, plumbing, and equipment that they could mess up or possibly get hurt with.  Well, Purry found a way to satisfy HIS curiosity..... I wonder if he will want to go back in there?  :-)    We decided to walk to the Rt 77 bypass highway visible down the road, and found a convenient exit to this Walmart that would have avoided 10 miles of travel on business 77;  oh well, Street Atlas cannot know EVERYTHING;  the look of the concrete shows this exit to be quite new.  We walked until we came to the Kingsville Naval Air Station ID checkpoint, and decided it was time to turn back.  We arrived "home" as the sun was sinking below the horizon.  A baseball game was starting on the field next door under the lights.  We found a small crowd of parents watching high school age teams;  It was interesting but we found ourselves underdressed for sitting in the cooling breeze of evening.  We stayed through the fifth inning, then decided we would be happier sheltered from the breeze and returned home to finish the dishes and retire for the evening.  The breeze increased as the evening progressed; the RV was "rockin N rollin" and toward morning I noticed the tyemperature start to drop rapidly;  Maybe this outside thermometer is NOT what we want....  :-)

Tuesday February 26 it felt good under the covers.  The temperature was falling steadily in high winds;  tonight is forecast below freezing (28F) in the Kingsville area and by 10AM the outdood temperature has fallen to 42.5...brrrrr.  The cold draft blew in the stove hood vent and made my seat at the dinette table uncomfortably cool between furnace cycles. Time to head further south and closer to the coast!  Claire took the trash out, and I must put on the fuel (that's the deal...).  I dress with hooded heavy jacket, and we pull to the fuel pump.  This always takes a while, as the top 10 gallons goes in quite slowly; we wanted to fill fully as this was the last Walmart/Murphy gas for quite a while;  we've learned to trust it's quality, and it is usually the lowest price around with the 3 cent gift card discount.  I sure got some strange looks from the locals in their sweatshirts and baseball caps as I stood pumping with hood up and gloves on, but the wind was down right C O L D!  Here the culture seems to be "Ignore the cold; it will go away".  I guess so, but I do not LIKE being cold, and there IS something I can do about it.....  :-)  We headed out to King Ranch via the Post Office to mail some letters and packages.  We found this Post Office boarded up (like the one in Bay City was too, until we found the nearby new one).  Claire spotted the US flag and Post office trucks a block away, so we pulled into barely adequate parking and transacted our business.  We then continued to King Ranch a few miles away.

Inside the ranch main gate we found an interesting visitor's center with a gray haired Mexican cowboy demonstrating his rope working and leather working skills and tools.  

We found the earliest tour that was not sold full was leaving at 4PM, and we decided to opt out. We really wanted to move south to Harlingen today; we expected the added 100 miles would mitigate the predicted freeze tonight. How much of a ranch the size of Rhode Island could we really see on a reasonable length tour anyway?  The video that King Ranch offered seemed like a suitable substitute for the bus tour on this gray blustery day, and the bulky humpbacked brown Santa Gertrudis breed (named for the creek the ranch headquarters was located on) of beef cattle that the ranch was justifiably proud of developing grazed within view of the visitors center.  These big guys have much shorter horns and more meat and than the famed tough Texas Longhorns that were driven over a thousand miles to market in earlier days.  They were bred for insect and heat resistance, ideal for the South Texas climate.  They could thrive on the dry pasture of the ranch.  They would not have to be driven to market; the railroad ran right onto the ranch.  

We headed out to Harlingen about 2:30 PM. The wind was VERY strong from the north as we drove, but as it was behind us had little effect on the handling of the vehicle.  The RV's engine  heater ran full hot the entire trip, and soon had us toasty warm.  Street Atlas had routed us confusingly south of the Walmart then back North.  We opted to find our own way thru the confusing downtown area, and spotted a convenient large parking area just off the highway exit to stop and regain our bearings.  It turned out to be a Texas Info Center, and we happily took the opportunity to find new pamphlets on the Rio Grande Valley that we were entering.  We continued, noticing the traffic was building and the time was near rush hour.  We were quite happy to find the Walmart only a few blocks around the corner, and settled in for a COLD night.  We carefully parked so the drivers side of the RV was facing downwind.  The temperature was predicted to go to 31 or 32 and we wanted to conserve as much heat as possible.  I noticed right away that the draft from the stove hood vent was gone;  HAPPY days!  Another successful easy fix!  :-)  The outside thermometer was not going down fast;  It was just below 45 at bedtime.  I doubted it would reach freezing.

Wednesday February 27 dawned with little wind.  I checked the outside thermometer; minimum was 40.6 degrees F.  I do not know if the RV heat kept the temperature just under the vehicle warm, or if the parking lot surface stored heat preventing the undercarriage from cooling, or if the freezing temperatures really did not materialize as predicted; our holding tanks are happily liquid and we were comfortable through the night.  Claire opted to clean the bathroom then cut some citrus, while I banged my right index finger on the keyboard  (I sometimes wonder if I could type faster with two fingers...but then I type faster than I think now....  :-)  We bought a few things at Walmart, but were able to find  only medium salsa, not Claire's favorite "hot";  there goes a bit of south Texas' fire breathing spicy reputation.  We drove the short distance to Brownsville, and well before we expected to see the Sams Club we were seeking, a brand new combination Sams Club/Super Walmart appeared.  We found our way back from the next exit and felt welcome immediately; there was a string of long pull through parking spaces and a sign pointing RVs and trucks to them.  This would clearly be our choice for overnighting for Charro Days in Brownsville.  It was a bit far out of town, but brightly lighted with Walmart's usual security patrol.  We decided to check out the other Sams Club and Walmart locations in the city, and explore other parking options in the downtown area.  We found the Brownsville Tourist Information Center, and were directed to the activity locations we sought.  The correlation between activity locations on the Charro Days schedule, and the maps we had were near zero....  We found both other Walmart locations closed, and the Sams still operating. Sams was too far from downtown to be convenient for a daytime parking place, so we decided to use the Sunrise Mall recommended by the Tourist Bureau.  It had plentiful public transportation and was expecting daytime Charro Days visitors to use it for parking.  We stopped at two parking lots near the bridge to Mexico and inquired about parking the RV; one refused, the other said it would be $30 a day during Charro Days, and that we MUST arrive early. He suggested a $10 cab ride from Sunrise Mall as being better.  This seems pretty consistent advice; Sunrise Mall it is!  We needed to be careful near the bridges to Mexico; the main roads lead there, and it looks awkward to turn around once you enter the checkpoint lines.  We proceeded to an authentic Mexican restaurant recommended by the lady in the Tourist Info Center.  It was early, but Los Brasos was open and had ample space for the RV.  They had only a few customers and presented a lunch menu in Spanish only;  the waitress explained our choices as well as she could.  The dip served with the corn chips was spicy!  The food was good; I wish I could tell for sure what dish was what, but it was good!  The Border Patrol drove through the parking lot twice while we ate.  I guess the food IS authentic.....  We were quite satisfied, and the check totalled under $20 for the two of us, tip & tax included.  We returned to the Super Walmart for the night.  We intend to check out Sams Club  to see if it is better than Costco for us.  There are many more Sams than Costcos it appears.  If Sams has things we buy, we'll switch.

Thursday February 28 I awoke VERY early, sneezing.  It is definitely SPRING here; flowers are blooming and evidently pollen is flying.  I used the time to locate a propane dealer on the phonebook CD we have; we will need a fill in the next few days, depending on temperature. It dawned to reveal the surface was wet with light drizzle.  Not gonna be much fun at Sombrero days in the park, or at the parade.....  Later I called the propane dealer; evidently we should buy a new phonebook CD, as the number listed in this 5 year old version is no longer current.  I called a campground listed in Street Atlas, got referred to a different local propane dealer; this dealer answered after I changed to the new local area code.  His price was $2.30 per gallon.  Since it was raining we decided to cancel the Charro Day activities we had planned, and we went back to the Brownsville Info Center, a short drive away, for more information on entering Mexico.  I looked at their telephone book yellow pages for propane dealers.  Then the lady at the info desk said "Propane?  Go here...."  It was a short drive, and I called to check their price; $2.00/gallon.  I also called another listed dealer, who offered it for $1.20/ gallon.  He was an hour's drive away, so we opted to fill in Brownsville; it is expected to get cool again over the weekend, and we certainly cannot afford to run out of propane and lose all the food in the refrigerator.  This last fill lasted over 3 weeks and some of the nights were pretty cold and windy.  The tank holds only about 16 gallons when empty, so not a big deal.... I am just irked by the very large fluctuation in price from dealer to dealer in the same area.  We decided to fill propane, then check out Sam's Club, then visit the city dump where the Tamaulipas Crow is said to congregate in large numbers in Winter.  This crow's range does not extend far into the US; it is smaller than the American Crow, and has a decididly different call; more quackish than the common "Caww Caww".  The propane fill was not without difficulty; the fill valve required a few taps to close the fill check valve (for the second fill in a row) to prevent the tank from emptying through the fill valve when the fill hose was removed; that valve may need replacement.  Sam's Club looked OK, except we could not find out how many or which of the clubs had gas stations.  The gas at 5 cents below market is one of the major benefits we can get from a club while travelling.  We do not buy much in bulk for the RV;  storage is too limited.  We arrived at the dump at 3:46 PM, to find that it closed at 3:45.  We were denied access, and decided we would come back another day to see the crows.  On the return trip we saw large numbers of the small crows sitting on high tension wires in the rain; guess we do not have to come back.  :-)  We returned to the Super Walmart for the night, and enjoyed Claire's GREAT kidney beans with pork.  Rain continued....

Friday March 1 dawned with drizzly rain again....this is looking like a BAD trend.  Today we want to visit the park in the afternoon, then see the lighted parade tonight.  This is a key day in our Charro Days plans, and we do not want to miss it...but standing outside in the rain does not appeal much either.  I will save details on Charro Days until next week; I'll just relieve the suspense, and reveal that the rain stopped by noon allowing us to ENJOY this day greatly.  :-)  I apologize for the lack of pictures on the last few gloomy days, but they just did not happen, and we aren't going to go back in time and take them.  I think Charro Days will more than make up for lapse....  :-)