Texas Catch-Up

We've been in Port Aransas, Texas on Mustang Island for about two weeks now, and have settled into a routine. This post is a catch-up on some of the events getting here and more recent.

We've been told that a 14' alligator lives along the trail we walk for birdwatching. Have yet to see the critter, but we don't doubt that he exists.

Some of the scenery we saw at Benbrook Lake (near Fort Worth) on the way down. This is a sunrise.

The ferry from Port Aransas only takes about five minutes, but sometimes the traffic is heavy and there can be a wait. Large ships pass through the canal between Corpus Christi and The Gulf.

This little dove showed up in our yard in Port A. It was abnormally friendly.

Thanksgiving dinner at our RV resort was a cooperative effort. The resort owners provided and prepared the turkey and ham. Other guests provided the other fixings.

Pat with a couple of our neighbors.

There was NO shortage of food, and someone did remember Cranberry sauce this year. No green jell-o, but there was jell-o of other flavors (or colors, if you prefer).

Tomorrow, Friday, is another day off. Oh, I guess all of them are days off for us. We're taking the guided beach walk to see if we can learn a thing or three about what we're finding washed up on the beach.

Dallas/Fort Worth

We've been enjoying the solitude of Holiday Campground at Benbrook Lake, Texas for five days. It's an Army Corps of Engineers park, and while not flush with facilities it is nonetheless comfortable and adequate. The sites are large, the wildlife plentiful, and the lakeshore vista very scenic. Plenty of birds to watch here.

Pat & Dave at Grandbury, Texas.

We spent some time with Jerry and Joan Martin, who live in Benbrook and spend part of the winter in Port Aransas which is where we met them. Last Sunday we all drove to Grandbury, Texas just to wander the shops and play tourist.

Joan & Jerry Martin

The Courthouse in Grandbury, Texas.

Pat & Joan "shopping".

Wednesday, Veterans' day, we will be leaving this area for San Antonio. After a brief visit there, it's onward to Port Aransas on Mustang Island for the winter.

Enroute to Texas

This post comes to you from Oklahoma City OK. We're staying at the Twin Fountains RV Park, a new park just a short distance from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. We had hoped to see the Cowboy Museum last spring, but our route didn't allow for it in the time we had. We made sure we had time for it this fall, and can report that it's a world-class facility that is well worth the time for a visit.

Outside the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

At the Twin Fountains RV Park. It's new, it's nice, and it's reasonable.

Through Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma we touched parts of the original Route 66 from time to time.

This is the original "End of the Trail" sculpture (restored), and you can see it at the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City.

Pat with an old friend.

Hey, we were there, he was there, it just seemed like a good idea.

How early Americans decimated the American Bison in just a few years. The Museum has many excellent dioramas to help interpret the history of the west.

Over 13,000 samples of barbed wire are on display.

Yes, it's Ronald Reagan.

Another excellent diorama, this one showing the western chuck wagon.

Summer's over; job at KOA Hixton is done.

Time has been just aflyin' and our faithful blog-followers have been looking at old news for over a month. It's been a busy time for us. The summer in Wisconsin didn't happen when it should have. We had a couple of weeks of nice weather in September, and lots of fall color, but the seasons just didn't seem to be 'traditional' this year. After leaving Wisconsin, we stopped for a couple of days in Roscoe IL to visit daughter Angel. After that, it was on to Scott Air Force Base at Mascoutah IL to see son Steve. Our trip from Scott AFB to Port Aransas TX will take close to 2 weeks as we have some stops to make along the way. You can read about the rest of the trip here on our blog.

One of the many, lovely maple trees at KOA Hixton.