Layover In Alabama

We were on our way to our New Year’s Eve destination in Florida and needed a stop between Louisiana and Florida to cut down on driving time.  So, we stopped for two nights at an Escapees Campground, Rainbow Plantation, in Summerdale, Alabama.

There was a lot of space between us and our next-door neighbors at this campground, giving us a feeling of solitude and privacy.  We spent the time we were there taking care of little things we had neglected to do during Christmas.  We did some laundry, caught up on emails, and “spatially organized” gifts we had received at Christmas.  We didn't allot enough time to snapping photos around the park so we only got two random shots. It was a short but relaxing stop.

Review of Rainbow Plantation 

We receive many amenities from our Escapees membership, including discounts at RV campgrounds owned by Escapees; Rainbow Plantation is one of those campgrounds.  It is just outside of the quaint Alabama cities of Daphne and Fairhope, which had many shops and eateries; too far for walking but we could have possibly taken an Uber.  Gulf Shores is also just 20 miles southeast of the campground.  We enjoyed how much space there was between sites at the campground; however, it was not a peaceful stay as our site was located next to a main road that had a lot of traffic.  The campground had activities such as a dinner on the day we arrived.  It also had a pool and laundry.  We could possibly return to this campground because of the discount if we needed a one-night stop between Florida and Louisiana, but we doubt we would ever stay at this campground for an extended period of time due to the traffic noise and lack of stores/restaurants within walking distance.

Visit With Louisiana Family on The Way to Florida

Leaving Sugar Land, Texas, our next destination was Florida; however, we broke it up with a few stops on the way, including one in Henderson, Louisiana, near Lafayette, where most of Tim’s family resides.  This was only a two-night stay, so we didn’t have much of an opportunity to do anything in and around the campground, except laundry.  The campground is also in transition to new owners, so most of the amenities were under construction and/or unavailable.  We did see a beautiful sunset on the lake that is a part of the resort.

We also had a chance to visit with Tim’s Mom on both nights that we were there; and, we had our gift exchange with family, including Tim’s Mom (Sugie), Chris, Barry, Daniel, Hope, Cindy, Toby, and Brian.  Tim also had an opportunity to take care of transferring his sister’s car title back to her (thanks for the “loan” car Chris) and Pat drove to Texas to get his driver’s license process finally completed.  Too quick of a visit, but we will be back in Louisiana in March.

Review of Cajun Palms RV Resort

Cajun Palms is in transition to its new owners, Camp Margaritaville RV Resort.  Camp Margaritaville is a very famous RV resort owner, with locations in various states.  Based on what we observed, when the renovations are completed, this will be an awesome RV park.  We are considering having this resort as our stop before and/or after tailgating for LSU games.  Not much to say about the RV resort at this time though since most areas are under construction and are closed.  We will be back when it has fully transitioned..

Christmas With the Kids and Grandkids

We stayed four nights in Sugar Land to spend Christmas with our oldest son (Tod), his wife (Leah), and their kids...our grandchildren (Ella & Alex).  Kevin, our youngest son, also drove over from his new home base in Austin, Texas, to join in the holiday fun.  Everyone got to tour the RV for the first time.  Three-year-old Ella was intrigued by what she called the "car-house" even though we had been bombarding her with toys that were travel trailer/motorhome themed for over a year!  She made us a Christmas Tree decoration when she got home and told us we had to put it on our fridge, so we did!  

 

As we shared in an earlier post, we ("we" meaning practically the entire country) had a "generational freeze" event. We had decided that our water hose would freeze solid if we connected to city water, so we used our heated freshwater tank instead.  We also did not use our sewer hookups the first few days.  We had prepared by filling our propane tank before we left Mission, Texas, so we had plenty of propane to run the furnace during the freezing temperatures, which dipped as low as 15 degrees our first night there.  It was warm enough by the third day to connect to "city water" and sewer.  Kevin was supposed to stay in the RV with us BUT Kevin decided to stay at Tod & Leah's house because while we could keep our bedroom very warm during the freezing temperatures, it was a little colder in the bunk bed he would have been using at the front of the RV over the driver and passenger seats. 

We rented a car and drove to Livingston on our first full day in Sugar Land.  We needed to get our mail and Pat still needed to get his new driver's license (turned out the DMV was closed).  Tim also needed to buy a new heavy coat to prepare for the freeze (he threw his old, torn one away in Brooklyn thinking he wasn't going to need a heavy coat anymore).  But almost all of the rest of our trip to Sugar Land involved holiday activity related to two things: kid watching and food.  

 

We fixed our traditional Christmas Eve gumbo at Tod and Leah's house and got to spend the day making cookies and playing with the kids.  On Christmas Day, we volunteered to cook the entire Christmas meal, consisting of turkey, rice dressing, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, and chocolate pecan pie.  We spent the entire day at Tod and Leah's cooking, watching football, and playing with the kids.  What a great way to spend the Christmas holiday!

Review of Sugar Land RV Park

Hi, this is Pat.  Up until this entry, we have collaboratively written each blog post; however, Tim's sole input into the review of Sugar Land RV Park is that he hates it and never wants to stay there again!  We didn't take any pictures of the RV park but there are a few from our earlier stay here.  

It is definitely the worst RV park that we have visited in our limited travels BUT it is a SEVEN MINUTE car ride to the grandkids (and eleven minutes by bicycle when we get those).  There isn't much short of damage to our motorhome that would keep me from staying at this park.  

I pleaded my case to Tim...

Layover On the Waterfront

We were headed from Mission, Texas, to Sugar Land, Texas, for Christmas.  The trip was a bit too far for one day, so we had a “layover” in Rockport, Texas, at the Goose Island State Park. 

We were only there for one night, however, our campsite backed up to the Gulf of Mexico (well, it’s Aransas Bay but Gulf waters)!  We had a beautiful view of the “Gulf”, along with some encounters with deer near our campsite as well as many waterfowl, thousands of schooling fish and just one little jellyfish. 

Review of Goose Island State Park

We got some good pictures, but we can’t say too much about Goose Island State Park since we were only there for one night; however, we can say that it is someplace we would like to spend more time in the future.  It was our first experience without a sewer hook-up at our site, but we learned how to use the dump station (yay?🙁) on the way out.  The sites are very isolated and quiet.  The view of the water is mesmerizing.

We will definitely return!

A True Resort

The trip from South Padre Island to Mission, Texas, began with some teeth-clenching driving; we had to drive through some very windy conditions, with sustained winds around 25 mph with higher gusts.  If you’ve ever driven a car in windy conditions, you know how the wind can push the car a bit as the wind gusts.  Well, try doing that in an RV!!  It got us to thinking about how windy it would have to be for us to decide to get off the road altogether (most RV forums say gusts of 55 mph, but we think 35 mph is more likely for us).  

We made it safely to our new campground, which was our first 55+ adult RV resort, Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort.  We loved it from the moment we drove in.  The reception desk gave us an activities calendar, with an activity scheduled for an hour after we arrived – a Margarita Happy Hour at the Clubhouse and a food truck with brisket and pulled-pork sandwiches!  

The people were so welcoming; and as unfamiliar faces, everyone could pick us out as newcomers.  We immediate met Ellie, the activities (unofficial chairperson?) and she continued to take care of us and remind us of upcoming events all week (we already have plans to meet again down the road).  The following day, there was a happy hour at the pool with more drinking (the first two days were warm, but it turned cooler later in our stay); and Pat took advantage of the “Christmas Cookie Exchange” (Pat baked two dozen cookies and then everyone who went to the exchange got to take home two of every cookie that was brought to the exchange).  

The resort is located next to Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park on the Mexican border.  On Friday, we used a resort perk of free bikes and a free pass to the State Park; our first State Park visit while full-time RV traveling!  The state park is one and the same as the World Birding Center.  There were many beautiful birds in the park, but the exotic Green Jay was the most beautiful to us.  Neither of us had ridden bikes in decades, but true to the saying, you don’t forget how to!  We rode our bikes around the State Park, stopping at various points where there were bird feeders or lookout towers to see the birds that live in the park.  

That night, we were entertained in the Clubhouse by Cookin’, a hired musical act that included a female singer and her ex-husband (LOL) on the synthesizer.  

Saturday was Bingo night, and Tim won the first game!  There were about 48 people playing and the game was a dime ante, so $4.80 was his prize!  On Monday, we took an Uber into town to get haircuts.  We had to pick up some prescriptions from Walgreens and had lunch at a Mexican restaurant nearby called Theresitas; some of the best Mexican food we have ever tasted!  On Tuesday, we bought fresh vegetables from a truck that comes to the resort once per week.

During our stay, we got our RV ready for the upcoming freeze by sanitizing and re-filling the freshwater tank in the RV.  This was necessary because we were cautious about connecting to city water at our upcoming campground since the hose would likely freeze (temperatures are expected to drop to the mid-teens), so we will have to use our freshwater tank instead.  There is an “electric blanket” around all of the holding tanks.  In order to sanitize the freshwater tank, we also had to find the water heater turn-off valve, which we finally found in an unlikely place (under the bed).  We also put together our new gas grill, and “re-engineered” the propane line to connect directly to the RV with great help in the resort woodshop from some of the residents.  We didn’t try grilling on it yet, but we did get our new table for the grill while we were at the campground and will grill as soon as the weather gets warmer.

Review of Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort in Mission, Texas

Filled with palm trees, Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort is beautiful and peaceful.  The spots on either side of us were empty, so we felt that we had a lot of privacy.  We were located close to the Clubhouse, so it was easy to take advantage of the activities there.  The activities committee offered multiple activities, meals/snacks, games or crafts each day.  This was our first 55+ RV campground (there are many across the U.S.) and we really loved it.  It was comforting to be with people around our own age, and these people loved a good party as much as we do.  As mentioned before, the resort offers free bikes for riding to the State Park or on a trail that goes around the campground and adjacent neighborhoods.  The campground also has pickle ball courts, pool tables set up outdoors, and horseshoes.  The pool is heated and there is a hot tub located next to the pool.  The campground also has a crafts room and a wood shop for people to find new hobbies or keep up with old ones.  The reception area offers some snacks and drinks to purchase, but these are limited.  The laundry room was nice and was located adjacent to the campground bathrooms and showers, which were clean and conveniently located.  It is also a unique campground because it is located next to the Rio Grande Valley State Park, and we were able to easily visit there.  It was fairly easy to get an Uber into town (about a 15-minute wait for the Uber and a 15-minute drive to town).  The only drawback to the resort was that the trash area was a good hike to the back of the campground and there was no courtesy pickup of trash.  This was easy to look past though, as there was so much to enjoy at the campground.  We will definitely be back again and probably for a longer stay.

Beachfront on South Padre Island

We finally did it!!! We arrived in time to set up before sunset! We had a bit of a treacherous journey as we had to cross a bridge (Queen Isabella Causeway) that was under construction and had reduced to one lane that had cement barriers on both sides. Tim was clenching his teeth hoping we wouldn’t scrape either side of the RV, but we made it to our destination without incident.

Our latest campground is Isla Blanca Park on the beach of South Padre Island, Texas. The county-run park has a huge campground, and we had a site facing the beach for 6 nights.

We took advantage of the beach on the second day of the visit; laying out on the sand and soaking in the sun. There weren’t many people on the beach, as it is officially almost winter here like any other place in the U.S., but we didn’t mind having the beach and our 70+ degree temperatures for our own enjoyment. 

On our second day here, we also enjoyed one of the restaurants in walking distance from our campsite – Mahi Nic. We both got delicious Mahi sandwiches and “mangonadas” (sort of a mango flavored pina colada). The fries were huge and oh so good. We quickly learned that we were at the restaurant on an historic night, as the Port Isabel lighthouse was going to be relit across the bay that evening for the first time in 117 years!

Our next-door neighbors at our campsite were from Wisconsin and sold homemade Maple Syrup, so we bought some for a Christmas present. They also warned us upon our arrival of the mosquitos, and they were not kidding. That was one of the negatives about this campsite – the mosquitoes! Not so bad on the beach though!

On our third day, we took advantage of the grills located at the nearby pavilion on the beach to grill burgers and chicken. It was a Saturday, so the beach was bustling with activities including lots of great kites. Grilling is one of the things Tim missed most while living in NYC (along with getting good vegetables). We have a new propane grill that we can plug into the propane located at our RV, but we haven’t gotten a heat resistant table to put it on yet.

On our fifth day at the campsite, we ate lunch at another restaurant located just outside of the campground (Dirty Al's); we had tasty fried shrimp and grilled Flounder. Then we took the free bus (from a stop located right outside of the campground) through South Padre Island. We ran errands at a hardware store, the post office (no holiday stamps), a convenience store, and… a liquor store.

On our sixth and final full day at the campsite, we walked the entire loop of the campground. There is a statue of Jesus memorializing fisherman who died on the nearby waters. There is also a giant Christmas tree made of brushes and wire.

Review of Isla Blanca State Park on South Padre Island, Texas

We really enjoyed our stay at this campground. We liked how there were good restaurants located within walking distance, as well as the bus stop for the free bus taking us into town. We could have gotten pretty much anything we needed taking the free bus, which is great since we don’t currently have a car. There were many restrooms with showers around the campground, but they weren’t in the best condition (clean but old). The negatives included no laundry on the premises; an apparently frequent occurrence of the electricity being cut off for a few hours (it only happened to us on one day for about two hours); and oh, did we mention the mosquitoes? There were activities like bingo and an events center in walking distance from the campground, but we didn’t take advantage of these this time. We will almost certainly come back to this campground at some point though. You can’t beat the view!