Places We've Stayed -- Part II -- Day 62

It's been a little over a month and 1600 miles since I first posted a Top Ten list of our favorite places. When I made that list, we hadn't even stayed in 10 places yet! Oh how quickly things can change ...

I have learned so much in the last six weeks since that post that it boggles the mind. I attended the Escapees RV Boot Camp, which was an amazing daunting experience. We celebrated Thanksgiving with random strangers in Bay City, I had my birthday at a nudist resort down in Edcouch, and we got to see Star Wars during opening weekend back in Irving! Then there was the scary brake failure in Grand Prairie, and Christmas with my son. That's a LOT of adventure for such a short period of time!

There were 11 stops over the last six weeks, 3 of which were repeats (Hico, Lake Park, and our son's apartment.) Of the 8 new places, 4 were only for a single night and of those 4 only 1 made us wish we could stay longer. It's also interesting to see how priorities have changed with our experiences, and that influences the enjoyment of the stay. This Top Ten list will only be places that we stayed since the last list was made.

From worst to best (based on my enjoyment of the stay):

10. The corner of Skyline Rd and Center St -- Grand Prairie, TX. If you have read my other posts, this is where Fezzik came to rest after the brakes failed. I would be happy to never this intersection again for as long as I live.

9. Mustang Island -- Port Aransas, TX. As part of my birthday celebration, I wanted to hit the beach, see the ocean, stir up the spirit of my island heritage. This is not the place to do that. At least not in winter. It reminded me of the Oregon coast we used to visit when I was a child. Cold, windy, gray. No ocean view from the RV park, and no electricity in the first place that we were assigned. Nobody liked it here, and I don't see us coming back. 

8. Cedar Hill State Park -- Cedar HIll, Tx. Located just the other side of Lake Joe Pool from Loyd Park, which we loved, we were excited to try this park out. One of the top rated disc golf courses is just a few minutes away, and it's close enough to civilization to visit our loved ones. However, the roads were so bad I thought I was going to tip the rig over, and the camp sites were so uneven that we couldn't run our refrigerator! We ended up only staying one night, thanks to the brake issue, but we were not impressed.

7. Lake Park Campgrounds -- Lewisville, Tx. Still the least expensive option when staying in DFW. They even got their WiFi up, which was adequate. Internet access was limited though, so no YouTube or Netflix, and the disc golf course was closed because of the flooding. We'll still stay here for the cheap, but this was the least fun we've had here.

6. City of Hico's Bosque River RV Park -- Hico, Tx. Down from the former top spot, Hico was really put into perspective for us. Yes, the internet is still the best we've seen. Yes, it was cool that since we arrived late on Friday we didn't have to pay until we left on Monday. BUT the "Koffee Kup" restaurant that is one of their "famous" landmarks was terrible, and the disc golf course is not really that good. 

5. Mother Neff State Park -- Moody, Tx. Sleepy little town with a really well-kept state park. Great, level, concrete pads with crushed granite surroundings. Electric, water, and sewer for only $25? Plenty of trees for privacy, and even though the thunderstorms were violent, we felt safe and secure. Wished we could've stayed longer!

4 60 North RV Park -- Bay City, Tx. I'm not gonna lie, this is an ugly park. It's like a big parking lot, with only a few trees near the entrance. Having said that, we really had a great time here! We came during Thanksgiving week based on the online reviews stating fast internet. The internet was nothing compared to Hico, but the manager had her three kids with her the whole week. Zoe had playmates! The manager also invited any guests that didn't have plans to join her family for Thanksgiving dinner, which was really awesome. I doubt we'll come back here, unless we know the kids are out of school.

3. Lake Corpus Christi -- Mathis, Tx. Beautiful and serene, just the way we like it. Not very crowded, and plenty of wildlife to enjoy. We hiked and geocached, Zoe went fishing with some Brits she met. This was one of those magical places that we love to discover. We loved it so much that we opted to spend an extra day just relaxing in the peaceful atmosphere.

2. Randall and Jason's apartment -- Irving, Tx.  Our son Jason and his roommate Randall always let us crash at their place when we're in town. This time it was after the rescue of the brake failure. They were so gracious, and giving. It really makes a parent proud, ya know? Amenities included: hot showers, super fast internet, lots of video games, and pizza. Zoe would have loved to stay forever.

1. Nature's Resort -- Edcouch, Tx. To be fair, we haven't been staying in resorts, so the other places are at a serious disadvantage. Pool tables, darts, petanque, horseshoes, shuffleboard, pickle ball, two heated pools and a hot tub? Yeah, this was the best birthday present. We loved it so much, we talked about renting a spot for a YEAR (it was only $2300!) Calmer heads prevailed, as we realized that it's going to be hellishly hot in the summer months. But we're definitely planning to come back whenever we can.

The one place that I left off the list is our final stop, Independence Park in Gonzales, Tx. We just got here last night, so there isn't much to go on. I will say that although the park appears a bit older and the roads are pretty beat up, the campsite is one of the most level we've seen and it's quiet. There is a disc golf course 2 miles away that we're going to check out either later today or tomorrow, and THAT will determine where this spot lands on the next Top Ten list. Stay tuned!

The Force Awakens -- Day 52

People want to describe me as a huge Star Wars fan, but in deference to the true fans out there, I have to confess that I’m not. Just because I own two copies of the original trilogy (the original and the digitally remastered) as well as copies of the awful prequels (just to complete the set) all of which I’ve watched multiple times, does not make me a huge fan. I know people that have Star Wars tattoos, have watched the movies HUNDREDS of times, and named their children after characters. Those are the real fans, I’m just a casual fan.

However, I was super excited to see the newest movie opening weekend with my family. Excited enough to drive away from warm, sunny south Texas 600 miles so that we could all be together. It’s all about priorities.

We did have some stops along the way, since I don’t really like to drive more than 150 miles in a day. Lake Corpus Christi State Park was gorgeous, and actually enticed us to stay two days. We had also planned a stop at Blanco State Park, but they were completely full so we pushed on to Hico (our favorite small town in Texas.) We spent four days catching up on emails, youtube, Netflix and other internet needs (because they have the best WiFi of any park we've ever seen), before the final leg that put us back at the Lake Park Campground in Lewisville. We like this campground because it’s close enough to the people we love, it’s cheap, and it has WiFi and disc golf.

Well, it usually has disc golf. Apparently there is has been some flooding prompting construction in the park and the disc golf course is closed until February! Never being one to let the circumstances get us down, I discovered another gem of a course in The Colony a short drive away. Really nice course that more than satisfied my disc golf needs. I can’t wait to share Bill Allen Memorial Park with the rest of my golfing buddies.

Nothing could temper my excitement for this movie.

Finally, Friday morning arrived and we drove Fezzik to the Irving Mall for an 11:30 AM showing of The Force Awakens. It was everything that I wanted from a Star Wars movie, and my inner child was thrilled beyond expectations. Being able to share the moment with my wife and both of my children (all of whom really enjoyed the movie as well) was icing on the cake. I offer no review, no spoilers, and no commentary on the film itself, but I encourage you to go see it. It is a fantastic experience, even for a non-fan.

Hanging out with our friends and seeing the family this week has convinced us to stick around for a little while longer. We had originally planned to leave the day after Star Wars, but now we’re going to stay through Christmas. It just seemed appropriate for the season and all.

May the Force Be With You.

Places We've Stayed -- Day 21

When we launched this Grand Adventure, we all expected that it was going to be a one-way trip to Portland, Oregon for a semi-permanent living situation. Doing it in an RV was supposed to make it easier to travel, and less hassle to find a place to live once we got there. As we were preparing for that life-changing event, it occurred to us that we don't really like cold weather. Not even a little bit. I have been quoted as saying that I would not want to live anywhere the high temperature is lower than my age. As I get older, this makes the options fewer, and farther south.

After much discussion, we opted to wait a bit before heading north. This gives us time to get our rig optimized for our personal use, making sure that we have everything that we need, and that all of our systems work. Driving shorter distances has given me much needed practice, as handling this behemoth is very different from the little sedan that I was used to. Also, it is rough on the youngster to be separated from friends and family at this age. We've moved cross country before, but this was the first major move where she had a bunch of friends that she had grown close to.

So, here we are, three weeks on the road and barely 950 miles under our belts. This makes me the perfect person for a Top 10 list of Place We've Stayed. Except I only have eight entries.

From worst to best (based on my enjoyment of the stay):

10. Walmart Supercenter, Huntsville, Texas -- for those of you that don't know, Walmart will often let RVs and big trucks park overnight in the parking lot for free. We actually hit this place up on two occasions, as the convenience of resupplying and staying for free appealed to us. The parking lot is not overly large, so the odds of a big rig parking right next to you and running his generator all night is higher than in other places. BONUS: free WiFi, though the connection was a bit sketchy.

9. TBA

8. TBA

7. Sunset RV Resort, Bee Cave, Tx -- We only stayed here overnight, so I don't have a lot to say. The staff was very friendly, and accommodating considering we were arriving just at closing time. Office is closed on weekends, which struck me as a bit weird. Still, the facilities were nice for the short time that we were there. WiFi was decent.

6. Johnson Branch State Park, Lake Ray Roberts, Tx -- I love lakes (as you can tell by the list) and this one is beautiful. The park had multiple playgrounds for the kids, and tiled shower facilities. The parking pads were severely slanted, and cell reception was unreliable. But if you're trying to get away from it all, I would recommend this place. (When we go back, I'm angling for site 13 in the Juniper Cove, lake view with trees for privacy.)

5. Rainbow's End, Livingston, Tx -- Headquarters of Escapees, and the location of our mail center. Great park, lots of helpful people. The WiFi is pay by the day, and not super strong, but the other amenities make up for it. Swimming pool, clubhouse, and All-You-Can-Eat pancake breakfast on Saturdays!

4. Lake Park Campgrounds, Lake Lewisville, Tx -- Beautiful lake, and really inexpensive! Short walk to the disc golf course, and a short drive to Dallas. Internet was unavailable while we were there, but lake views (campsite 30) and some geocaching made up for it.

3. Loyd Park, Joe Pool Lake, Grand Prairie, Tx -- this was our first stop, and we didn't realize how good we had it! Very nice campground, friendly staff, flat site, very private. Nice bathrooms, lake views (site 59). We stayed there right after the flooding, so some of the lakeside sites were unavailable. The staff was diligently repairing and cleaning them while we were there. I would love to come back again!

2. Inks Lake State Park, Inks Lake, Tx -- Park Ranger recommended site 92, and I have to say that she nailed it. Gorgeous views of the lake, and privacy on one side. No internet, being a state park, but tons of lake based activities to distract!

1. City of Hico's Bosque River RV Park, Hico, Tx -- by far our favorite stop. Quaint little town within walking distance that has a 24-hour laundromat, a historic area, and a couple of restaurants. The park has full hookups, amazing WiFi, and a disc golf course! This is going to be a stop for us, any time we're in the area. The one drawback: the flies. Literally a daily battle. At one count we had 30 in various parts of the coach.

And there you have it. Our next scheduled trip is to the Escapees RV Boot Camp, in Livingston this weekend. Once we have that knowledge in hand, we're planning to head south for the winter. We're thinking Corpus Christi, or maybe even Brownsville. We still want to see Portland, but that can wait until Spring. I need at least two more places to round out my Top 10 list!