Rykal's Retired and Traveling: December 2018

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Dec. 11 2018
Well, we are in Los Fresnos Texas, at Palmdale Rv resort. We will be here until the first part of April 2019. It is a nice park with perhaps 200 sites all together. Quite a few park models are on the perimeter rows of the park. Everyone is extremely friendly. We are trying to take part some of the daily activities so that we can meet people and ATTEMPT to remember their names. Ei yi yi. Tom and I are both horrible at remembering names. We are in site 35 for a cost of $525/monthly.
We had a good trip from New Orleans to here with only one incidence with the camper. We were turning a corner to get out of a parking area and caught a garbage can the had a big blot sticking our of it so a hole was torn in the camper siding by the door. Geesh!
Lots of pretty scenery on the way. We tried to follow the gulf coast as much as we could. So pretty! One night we boondock at a shell truck stop in Winnie Tx. and the next night stayed in Bay City Tx at Travelers Paradise Campground. $17.50 a night with PA. An ok campground. Also ate at a good ol boys place down the road. Beer and burgers cheap and lively conversation.
We took a trip to South Padre Island to watch the Packers game at Louie's BBQ sports bar. Neat place and they had a special on bbq ribs for $8 which tom and I split and had plenty, esp with the turtle cheesecake I ordered that all 4 of us split. Todd and Beth came with. Packers won! Also went to Brownsville yesterday to find the airport and the local grocery store that was recommended H E B. The town is big. Going to Progresso tomorrow to see the Mexican border town. Its the only one recommended as safe to go to at this time. Still looking for local bike trails. I have to lap the park about 6 times to get in 3-4 miles. We had to sign up for Spectrum tv and internet. Both parks systems sucked big time!

Los Fresnos campsite #35 large lots with GRASS! and a palm tree!

PRice of diesel in Bay City Tx. Its coming down finally!

Galveston Bay

Our campers first ferry ride across Galveston Bay. About 20 minutes long. Dolphins jumping all over in the bay

Homes right on the gulf

Yep, the road is that close to the gulf. Wouldn't want to be on it during a hurricane!

Todd and Beth's truck and camper and us in WinnieTx. One of us is so much bigger!!! We look like a baby unit!

Monday, December 3, 2018

NOV 12 2018. Lake Shelby

View from bike trail

bike trail

Flowers everywhere

Board walk bike trails

#250 campsite

Tom and John starting a Leinies fire

Nov. 12 2018
Arrived at Gulf Shores State Park on the 31st of Oct. Site #250. Cost $766. for the month including the extra night. Expensive, but the bike trails in the park are so wonderful!! so far I have biked approx. 135 miles in 10 days. Probably won't get out today as it is stormy/windy and predicted to be the same tomorrow. Todd and Beth and Laurie and John got here on the first so we have had many enjoyable moments and lots of laughs. We have found a few new places to go and have a beer. Month is almost half over already.

Dec. 3rd 2018
Wow, its been a while since I last posted but wi fi at Gulf shores was crappy at best. We reserved again for next yr., but changed spots to a place that hopefully will have better internet next yr. #12. Put down our $200 deposit. The weather was cool and rainy for most of the month with a few scattered nice days. We got to sit and walk on the beach twice and I rode my bike for a total of 300.5 miles in 28 days. 6 of those days I couldn't ride d/t rain and/or too cold. We had fun with todd, beth, laurie and john tho.

On nov 30th we left and headed to CW for our scheduled warranty repairs, so the faucet is now fixed along with a new front burner on stove and the trim on the ceiling trimmed and replaced. The front awning stopped working while at Gulf Shores and we had them check that out and of course the motor is shot and they didn't have another to fix it so they turned it in for a warranty fix and said that since it was turned in prior to warranty expiring that Keystone will pay for it no matter when it gets repaired. So Blake Crosby was a very helpful service person and seemed to take great care in doing things right. So off we go on Dec 1 to New Orleans and go to put out bedroom slide and it would not go out. Tom and Todd worked on it for quite a while and finally got it to go out but I question how long it will last. Seriously, how many more things will go wrong!!

Anyway we arrived at Ponchatrain Landing in New Orleans on Dec 1, site # 124. Cost $41 per night with PA. Nice enough place but seems to be in a icky neighborhood. The shuttle driver said it was actually a safer part of town due to the canals on both sides so that leaves less of an escape for thieves. We all went in to New Orleans yesterday and took a Mississippi river cruise and then toured the French Market and Bourbon street. It was a fun day. We may go back this afternoon for dinner and music. We leave tomorrow for Los Fresnos Tx. Seven hundred miles to go! Staying 4 months.