Magnolia Beach to Port Aransas, Texas

The Office.

Today's drive was nice and short.  No problems. Left Magnolia Beach at 11:00 this morning and arrived at I.B. Magee Beach Park at 2:00 this afternoon.  Boy... things have changed.  Can't park where I used to.  They have sectioned off a small portion of their huge beach for vehicles - the rest is for day use.  The beach has suffered as well.  Not as nice as before.  I stopped and asked a fellow who was sitting outside of his Class A near the roadway, how high the tide was last night.  He said it covered most of the beach and that's why he was parked near the road.

I went to the office and got a permit and said I would just be one night.  The very nice worker gave me the pass and said "No Charge" just to come back tomorrow to check in to the RV park.  I've decided to park on the beach during the day and stay in the park at night for electric.  The forecast is giving rain for the next 4 days so I'll be better off there.

Riding on the ferry.

Glad to be in one place for awhile.  Can't wait to use their bath house.  Gonna cook me some supper now.  Having Ribeye and baked potato.   Then to bed.

Nighty night.  

Surfside Beach to Magnolia Beach, Texas

Lots of campers here today.

Another stressful day for me.  Started out great.  Had a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs and coffee.  Then it went down hill from there.

I noticed that my water pump kept coming on and off which is what it does when water is being used.  Went outside to check and there was lots of water under my RV.  Looked for the source and found it.  Water was dripping from the outside shower which is where I cleaned off the dogs yesterday afternoon after their swim.  I turned off the hose but not the faucet which is what leaked.  So the water had been dripping all night.  I checked my wall panel and it was marking half full.  That's a lot of water lost out of my fresh water tank.  I hooked up the water hose and filled the tank again.  One down... more to go.   

Then I walked the dogs in a grassy area as I did not want to take them back to the beach to get full of sand again and was planning an early departure after their potty walk.  Well, I forgot about the burrs in the grass here in Texas and all of a sudden neither one wanted to walk and were holding up their paws.  So pitiful.  I tried to remove the burrs but there were so many that I just carried the dogs back to the RV where I removed them all.  My poor babies.

Now I'm ready to break camp and turn off the A/C and pick up the electrical cord and water hose, etc.  While I'm outside walking from storage bin to storage bin, I placed my keys down inside the RV and left the door open.  When I was finished and all storage bins were locked, I locked and closed the RV door.  Yes, you guessed it.  I locked myself out... once again.  My keys, phone, and my babies were all inside with no air and it was hot.

The park manager does not stay onsite but has his phone number on the office door if anyone needs him.  Well, I didn't have a phone.  Just at this time, as I was about to freak out, the fellow next door came out of his RV and I told him what happened.  He offered his cell phone but I could not see the screen without my glasses which were in the RV so he did it all for me.  He called the manager who called the Locksmith who was there within 30 minutes.  It took him 30 seconds to open the door.  Fifty dollars later I'm on the road again.  

The night before, the park manager only charged my half price for the spot - $20.  I was so pleased that I saved all that money.  Well, now it cost me $70 for a one night stay.   

Left Surfside Beach at 11:00 this morning and arrived at Magnolia Beach at 2:00 this afternoon.

 The wind gusts were pretty strong today but no rain.  Still had trouble keeping my RV in my lane.  I just want to stay in bed for a week. I'm wasted.  I feel like I've been beat up and every muscle in my body hurts.  The chest pains finally let up.  The stress is killing me.

I did experience some joy today when I watched my little Cha Bu run into the Bay and wasn't afraid.  She kept going in and coming out.  I'm starting to think it's the wave action of the Gulf that scares her but she likes the Bay.  It's a shell beach here so not a lot of cleaning up to do to their feet.  

After their swim.

I'm running the generator now for A/C as it is hot.  Not sure if I will run it all night.  Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler.  I'll be leaving early in the morning after breakfast.   

Lake Charles to Surfside Beach, Texas - what a long day of driving this was.

Left Lake Charles at 9:30 this morning and arrived at Surfside Beach at 2:30 this afternoon.  Five hours of driving in rain and gusty winds of 20 miles per hour.  It was a struggle to keep the RV in my lane and several times I did veer off to my right into the next lane.   It was white knuckle driving all day.  The rain got so bad I had to pull off into a gas station for a while as I couldn't see the road in front of me.  So glad to be parked and safe.

I didn't have reservations for this campground but took a chance and pulled up to the office and noticed that there was one empty spot.  Manager said to go ahead and park and he would be by later to check me in.  I took the dogs to the beach and let them get into the water.  They had a blast.  I had to give them a shower when we got back to the RV and now they are sleeping next to me - very happy little campers.

It was really windy.

Handy little clothes drying rod.

I'm so tired that I'm not even hungry for supper and that NEVER happens.

Nighty night...

Oh... I forgot to mention that Cha Bu has had diarrhea all day and had an accident on her bed and on the rug by my bed.  Poor little thing.  I've been giving her Pepto and sure hope it helps.

Well, here I go again - Texas bound

Sunday - November 27, 2016

Loaded up the RV and left home at 10:30 this morning.  Arrived in Lake Charles and checked in to the Sam Houston Jones State Park at 2:30.  If I would have gone a little faster than 55mph I would have gotten here a little sooner.  I was so tired when I got here.  Just can't drive for more than a couple of hours at a time.  Tomorrow will be another long day of driving to my next stop.

By the time I got checked in and set up at the campground, I only had about an hour of daylight left.  Took a lot of photos of the dogs.  It was so much fun watching Cha Bu explore her surroundings.  Xi Shi has been here several times but that was before Cha Bu came to live with us.

That's the RV in the distance.

Had left over pizza for supper and enjoyed a cold beer as well.  It's only 6:00 and I'm ready for bed.  Didn't sleep much last night and woke up at 4:00am.  I will sleep well tonight.

My Verizon Air Card is not working so can't post tonight.  Not sure why, as it always worked here before.  Maybe it's time for a new one.

Gonna let Frazier DVDs lull me to sleep tonight.  Till tomorrow...

FINALLY LEAVING FOR PORT ARANSAS

Well, after postponing two times, I am now packing the RV for my trip to Port Aransas.  Will be leaving this Sunday - two weeks past my original departure date.  Medical issues as usual.

I have decided not to take the cats along.  My trip has been cut short due to the late departure and a previously booked dog sitting job beginning on December 16th.  So I won't be gone for the 4 weeks that I had planned.  The cats will be fine with the several containers of food and water I will leave for them. 

It's been a long hot summer and I'm so ready for a vacation at the beach. It's been 7 months since I've been camping.  This will be the first extended trip in my Class B camper van.  I'm finding it difficult to bring the amount of supplies I used to bring in my Class C which had a large refrigerator/freezer as well as cabinets.  I will just have to make more trips to the grocery store.  I have packed so much into the van that I'm sure I'm over my weight limit.

I won't be bringing my electric bike or doggie carriage on this trip.  Plan on doing a lot of walking which my dogs and I desperately need.  

When I get back, and finish the sitting job, I'll be going to the Grand Isle State Park for a week or so.  That's where I enjoy riding my bike and toting the dogs along in their little red cart.

Looking forward to hearing the roar of the Gulf as I fall asleep in my RV near the shoreline.  There's nothing like it.  Texas, here I come.