We Love Rock & Roll, and Amusement Parks!

Our next destination in Ohio was Lighthouse Point Campground at Cedar Point, located in Sandusky, Ohio.  This campground is a part of the Cedar Point Amusement Park which is adjacent to Lake Erie.  The website advertises it as “camping with the coasters” and they aren’t kidding.  We could literally see (and hear the screams) from the roller coasters nearby, including one that was most visible from our RV site called Steel Vengeance with a 200-foot drop at a 90-degree angle.  The audible “click, click, click” of the roller coaster climbing to the top of the first drop, followed by the screams as it dropped, constantly repeated during the three days we were there.

Cedar Point Amusement Park opened in 1870 and is the second oldest still operating amusement park in the U.S.  It has 18 roller coasters, second in number only to Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California.  It is the only amusement park in the world with five roller coasters that exceed 200 feet in height.  Cedar Point has many options for places to stay, including hotels and the Lighthouse Point Campground.

Our RV site at the Lighthouse Point Campground was a concrete pull-through site.  It had a picnic table and grill, but no fire pit.  Our site faced Sandusky Bay, and Lake Erie was just a short walk away.  Our water pressure was a little lacking at our RV site, so we chose to shower in the nearby shower facility.   After arriving in the early afternoon and hooking up, it began to rain; but when it subsided, Tim did some laundry while Pat searched for a mobile repair person to fix our issue with the windshield blind mechanism.  

On our first full day at Lighthouse Point Campground, it rained off and on.  During the off times, Pat did some laundry and Tim took a walk around the RV park and the nearby hotel on the beach.  That evening, we watched LSU WIN the College Baseball World Series.  Tim said it was the most baseball he has watched over the course of a couple of weeks ever!  

On our second full day at Lighthouse Point Campground, we took advantage of the early entry tickets that Cedar Point provides for campers to visit the amusement park.  We were at the park for most of the day, except for a brief midday break (nap for Pat) which is an old Disney strategy of ours for avoiding the highest temps and the largest crowds in the middle of the day.  We are limited in what we can ride together at amusement parks (Pat doesn’t like heights, Tim doesn’t like going upside down or in circles), but we rode several roller coasters, including the Iron Dragon (a suspended roller coaster with no tracks on the bottom, with each individual car swinging side to side through various curves including one that does a complete 365 loop at the end); Gemini (built so that two roller coasters could race each other side by side, with a 125-foot drop and double helices at the end); and Cedar Creek Mine Ride (one of the oldest roller coasters there as it opened in 1969).  We also rode two water rides before returning to the RV in the afternoon: Snake River Falls (a boat ride that ends with a 50-degree drop at 40 m.p.h. down the “falls” and into the river below for a big splash) and Thunder Canyon (think white water rafting that ends with a guaranteed soaking).  Another perk of our afternoon break was that it allowed us to change into dry clothes!  We also rode other rides at the amusement park that weren’t roller coasters (bumper cars, river ride, carousel, etc.). 

At the end of the evening, we enjoyed the show called “Summerbration,” which was very professionally done and included singers, dancers, acrobats, a light show, and fireworks.  All in all, a great last night at Lighthouse Point Campground. 

The next morning, we started our drive eastward with a stop at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  We parked a few blocks away in the parking lot for First Energy Stadium where the Cleveland Browns play.  The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1995 to honor the history of rock & roll and the music that has evolved from that history.  We spent a few hours at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, but we could have gone there every day for a week and still not seen and enjoyed everything on display.  In addition to thousands of items of clothing, instruments, pictures, etc., the exhibits also feature films, video, interactive kiosks, reading materials, and music you can listen to at listening stations.  You could spend an entire day (or more) just listening to all of the music they have available.  We really enjoyed our short visit and wished that we had more time there; oh, and we voted for Cher to be inducted into the Hall of Fame next (can you believe she isn’t there yet?)   

Leaving Cleveland, we stopped to fill the gas tank on the way to our next destination: Sun Retreats Geneva on the Lake in Ohio.  Still on Lake Erie, this campground was a big change from Cedar Point.  Our RV site was gravel, with a picnic table and fire pit/grill in one (we wondered why more campgrounds don’t have those).  We didn’t have any shade to speak of at the RV site, but there was a lot of room between sites.  It was also very quiet.

That afternoon, Pat’s cousin, Hal (their mothers were sisters), drove nearly an hour from Eastlake, Ohio, to visit us and see the RV.  Pat and Hal had a great time catching up and reminiscing about their mothers and their childhoods.  It was a great visit and could only have been better if we had more time together.

Prior to our arrival at Sun Retreats, we had called ahead to see if they recommended any repair persons so we could finally get our windshield blind mechanism fixed; and they did have a recommendation.  So, the day after our arrival at Sun Retreats, we had an early morning appointment with Cyclone Mobile RV Repair.  Nathan and his wife were as nice as could be, and Nathan quickly went to work repairing the windshield blind mechanism while his wife was very excited to show us pictures of her handsome gay son!  The repair was all complete after about an hour and we hope that Nathan put enough screws in it this time to keep it in place as we travel on all of those bumpy roads.  

After the repairs were complete, Tim worked on some blog entries for you, bought some groceries at the onsite convenience store, and mailed a birthday card to his Mom.  Pat caught up on paying bills.  In the evening, we went to the onsite restaurant called The Loft Restaurant and Lounge; Tim had the teriyaki wings and Pat had the jalapeño burger.  

It was a short stay at Sun Retreats, but we accomplished a lot; finished a major repair, saw family, and found some time to relax.

Review of Lighthouse Point Campground at Cedar Point

Situated along the shores of Lake Erie, Lighthouse Point Campground features 145 RV campsites, along with 156 cottages and cabin rentals.  RV sites are full hook-ups with a picnic table; 50 of the sites have patios, with many fronting Lake Erie.  All sites are concrete.  

You are literally “camping with the coasters” as the campground is just a short walk to the amusement park, and you can see and hear the rides.  Campers also enjoy “early entry” to the amusement park one hour before the park opens.  In addition, the campground is just a short walk to Cedar Point Shores Waterpark and Cedar Point’s Lake Erie beach, with unlimited beach access for campers.  

Amenities for the campground include a swimming pool, hot tub, outdoor water play area, shuffleboard court, restroom/shower facilities, and laundry facilities.  In addition, there is a convenience store and gift shop. Campers can also parasail, and jet ski rentals are available.  

In addition to the campground, Cedar Point has a hotel on the beach with 669 guestrooms, most with waterfront views and balconies.  The hotel is also home to a variety of restaurants and cafes, including a Starbucks, TGI Fridays, and a Perkins Restaurant.  In addition, there is shuttle service throughout Cedar Point that can take you from the campground to the parks, hotels, restaurants, or the beach.  

Although it rained a lot while we were there so we couldn’t take advantage of the pool and we didn’t have great water pressure, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Lighthouse Point Campground.  We especially liked that the pool, restroom/shower facilities, and laundry facilities were nearby; and that it was a short walk to the beach at Lake Erie and the restaurants at the hotel.  We also liked that there was a convenience store nearby and shuttle service if we got tired of walking.  And of course, we enjoyed having the amusement park in our backyard and spending the day there.  It was a bit more expensive than our usual campground, but we would definitely consider staying at Lighthouse Point Campground again if we are in the area.

Review of Sun Retreats Geneva on the Lake

Sun Retreats Geneva on the Lake (formerly known as Indian Creek RV Camping Resort) is located on the southern shore of Lake Erie.  It is a true resort with most of the amenities you need located onsite or nearby.  The campground is huge, with approximately 421 RV sites (many of these sites seemed to be for permanent or seasonal campers though).  Tent camping is not permitted, but the campground has rentals available.  All RV sites have full hookups, a picnic table, and a combination fire pit/grill.  The RV sites are large enough to accommodate an RV and towed vehicle up to 75 feet.

Amenities include a pool, restroom/shower facilities, laundry facilities, fitness center, a giant “jumping pillow,” and a playground.  Campers can also play baseball, basketball, bocce ball, horseshoes, pickleball, mini golf, and volleyball.  Fishing is available nearby and campers can rent golf carts to more easily navigate this huge resort.  In addition, there is a convenience store, gas station, restaurant, and ice cream parlor.  Campers can also get propane.  Uniquely, there is a chapel and a taxi stand.  The website also boasts of a wine region nearby.

We really liked all that Sun Retreats had to offer, especially the large RV sites, pool, convenience store, and restaurant.  It was a bit of a walk to the convenience store and restaurant since the resort is so huge, but we could have rented golf carts to make the distance less taxing.  We didn’t stay at Sun Retreats for very long, so we missed out on taking advantage of the mini golf and pool; but we would certainly consider staying here again in the future if we find ourselves in this area.

A Visit with Family

Our next stop was at the home of Pat’s first cousin, Diana (their mothers were sisters), and her husband, Tom, in Mineral Point, Wisconsin.  Diana and Tom live in a historic home that was built as a brewery in 1850.  They have turned the bottom floor into a pottery gallery called Brewery Pottery and live on the upper floors.  They have been creating art and making pottery since the 1970s, moved into their historic home in 1992, and opened the gallery downstairs in 1994.

Diana and Tom also recently purchased the house next door to their home.  It was not being used during our visit so it was there that we parked the RV.  Tom and Claire (Tom and Diana’s daughter) helped us to plug into an electrical outlet in the garage (we would use our freshwater tank for the toilet and sinks, shower inside the house, and dump sewer at our next campground).  This was the first time we had plugged into a regular 110/120-volt household electrical outlet, so we weren’t sure how much power it would provide to the RV and didn’t want to overload the circuits.  Reading the RV manual, we learned that most of the plugs and lights work off of 12-volt DC power, while the larger appliances like the air conditioner and microwave require 120-volt AC power; but nothing in the manual told us what we could run at the same time and not overload the circuits.  We chose to keep it simple and not run big appliances like the air conditioner or the microwave.  We had no trouble with plugging phones, laptops, and other devices into the RV electrical outlets, and running the television and refrigerator at the same time; good information to have for the future.

After we leveled the RV and plugged in, we went to the historic home and chatted with Diana, Tom, and Claire.  Pat and Diana reminisced about their mothers, and we all chatted about an endless number of topics (you would have thought we all had known each other all of our lives instead of just Diana and Pat).  Diana made us all dinner, which included mixed salad and ravioli (with a delicious homemade sauce).  We had fruit and chocolate for dessert.  We returned to the RV with full bellies and huge smiles on our faces from the wonderful company.  

The next day, Diana was gracious enough to give us a tour of the entire historic building! The historic building sits upon caverns and a natural spring.  The building has many rooms that are tucked into the caverns where the brewery used to store the materials for making the beer and ultimately the finished product!  Diana explained that there are bats that live in the caverns, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources comes annually to inspect and track the bats.  In fact, Diana, Tom, and Claire have many hilarious stories about the critters that they’ve found in their home (mostly when they were first moving in and renovating).  Diana also gave us a tour of the gallery and pointed out the various products that they created and purchased from other artists for sale in Brewery Pottery. 

Then, Diana helped us make bowls of our own.  We used lace that Diana got from her and Pat’s grandmother, Lucy, to create the design for our bowls.  Then Diana showed us how to smooth out and cut the finished bowls on a potter’s wheel.  We put our initials on the bottom of our respective bowls.  Diana and Tom will need to bisque fire the bowls in a kiln and glaze them before the bowls are ready for use.  Diana said she would send the final products once these processes are complete.

That evening, Claire’s boyfriend, Bill, joined the five of us, and Diana ordered pizza.  We all chatted for hours again about our lives (and other people’s lives).  

On our second full day in Mineral Point, Tom kindly let us borrow his car so we could drive to the home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright, which is located nearby in Spring Green, Wisconsin.  Wright called the property Taliesin (pronounced Tally-ESS-in), which is a Welsh name meaning “shining brow,” a name that symbolizes Wright’s intention to create a home that was “of the hill,” not on it.  Taliesin includes Wright’s 37,000-square-foot home, studio, school, and 800-acre estate.  In 1976, Taliesin was designated as a National Historic Landmark and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019.  We took the two hour “highlights” tour, which included his studio and home plus the Hillside School that Wright designed for his aunts; the Romeo and Juliet Windmill Tower he designed; the home Wright built for his sister; and the barn that is adjacent to Wright’s home.

On the way back to Diana and Tom’s home, we stopped to buy some groceries.  We tried to get some cheese curds in a shop downtown, but it was closed that day (sadly, we never got cheese curds while we were in Wisconsin).  When we got back to Diana and Tom’s home, their daughter-in-law, Christie, was there with her son (Diana and Tom’s grandson), Torin.  We gave them a tour of the RV and it made Christie really ready to start her RV adventure (if she can convince her husband).

That evening, we went to a restaurant called Corralejo Mexican Grill for dinner, along with Diana, Tom, Claire, Bill, Christie, and Torin.  This was a new Mexican restaurant in town and the food was delicious!  Tim had a chicken burrito and Pat had enchiladas verdes.  

The next day, we had to say goodbye to Diana, Tom, and Claire.  Diana and Tom’s son, Parrish, came by with his son, Torin, and we gave them a tour of the RV.  Torin had us all in stitches pretending to drive the RV and getting stopped by the police for falling asleep at the wheel (he got off with only a warning though).  It was sad to leave, and we vowed to see each other again soon.  We look forward to getting our finished bowls that Diana helped us make as a beautiful memory of our time spent with our wonderful family.

A Visit with the Middle Son (and MORE Family & Friends)

After leaving Austin, we drove north to see our son, Matt.  We feel so blessed to have been able to visit all three sons during our time in Texas.  On this visit, we stayed at Hidden Cove Park & Marina in Frisco, Texas.  On the way to Frisco, we stopped at another Blue Beacon Truck Wash south of downtown Dallas, since it had been nearly two months since our last wash, and we had been through a lot in that time!  We also stopped to buy groceries.  We made it to Hidden Cove late in the afternoon, set up, and took some time to relax.  

On our second day, we got to have lunch with Matt, our middle son, who picked us up at the Hidden Cove.  We drove to a nearby restaurant called Water’s Edge Café, a home cooking restaurant.  Pat had chicken fried steak; Tim had a grilled chicken club sandwich; and Matt had grilled fish with okra.  After lunch, Matt drove us back to the RV and we gave him the tour of the RV.  We were lucky enough that Matt took the day off work, so he was able to spend the entire afternoon with us as we caught up on what he had been doing and we described our RV travels.  It was great to spend some quality time with Matt. 

About 30 minutes after Matt left, Pat’s brother, Danny, and our sister-in-law, Susan, drove up to the RV to take us to dinner.  After giving Danny and Susan the tour of the RV, we drove to a restaurant called WB’s Table.  It was a small restaurant, and the owner (and chef) was working the tables alone as he said his wait staff had called in sick.  He had a fun, dry humor, he was very helpful with our many questions about the menu and he is a winner from the Food Network’s show, Chopped.  Everything was delicious.  We started with deviled eggs with spicy bacon.  Next, Tim had Cajun Bowtie Pasta and Pat had Tuna Provencal with couscous.  It is always fun to spend time with Danny and Susan as there is never a lull in the conversation and we laugh a lot as we sort of all have the same sense of humor.  We share a lot (probably overshare), but we have a lot of fun doing it.  We didn’t even stop visiting long enough to take a photo so we grabbed one below from Danny’s Facebook timeline.  After dinner, Danny and Susan drove us back to the RV and we went to bed with full bellies.

(from Facebook)

On our third day, we slept in and then caught up on emails and the blog.  The wind picked up that afternoon and we mostly stayed inside until our friends Rob C. and Bruce came over for a tour of the RV.  Rob C. and Bruce are also RVers and had lots of questions as they look forward to expanding their RV travels.  We got to spend at least an hour with Rob C. and Bruce before dinner, which we cherish because we don’t get to see them very often.  They have been our friends for over 25 years, and we have shared some destination decade birthday trips, several holiday events and other fun times together.  

After the tour, they took us to dinner at Tender Smokehouse.  Our friend, Rob L., also joined us for dinner, which was really great because we hadn’t seen Rob L. in at least 10 years.  Rob L. sang with Tim (and Pat joined them a few years later) in the Turtle Creek Chorale when Tim lived in Dallas; so, we got to spend time with another friend that we have known for over 25 years.  At the restaurant, Tim had beef ribs with mac and cheese, and Pat had brisket, baked beans, and potato salad.  As a dining recap, during our time in Texas, we got multiple chances to have Tex-Mex and Barbeque, and we grilled steaks; since we got all three of our favorite Texas foods (plus Whataburger, of course) while we were there, we were two very happy campers (is that where that saying comes from?).

After dinner, Rob C. and Bruce headed home, and we went with Rob L. to a restaurant where Rob L.’s son and Tim’s godchild, Seth (a.k.a. Evan) works.  We had a few drinks there (except for Rob L., who is sober) and got to spend some time with Seth, although he was working.  Afterwards, Rob L. drove us back to the RV where he got the RV tour and we chatted a little longer before he had to get home.

We soon went to sleep as we were leaving early the next morning because we had a long drive to our next stop, and we wanted to get out of DFW early as the weather was predicted to get severe and extremely windy.  We had a great trip to Texas,  Now, westward to New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

Review of Hidden Cove Park & Marina

Hidden Cove Park & Marina, located in Frisco, Texas, on Lake Lewisville has approximately 99 RV sites.  The sites have a concrete pad; however, our site was a little unlevel and it appeared that other sites near ours were also a little unlevel.  Some of the RV sites have full hookups and others have electricity and water only.  Most RV sites include a fire pit, picnic table, and grill.  It is a gated campground that requires a pass to enter and a code to open the gate after 8:00 p.m.

Hidden Cove has bathrooms/showers available, but no laundry facilities.  In addition to RV sites, Hidden Cove has cabins for rent; bunkhouses that sleep 14-20 persons; and a marina for boat storage.  Tent camping sites are also available.

Hidden Cove has a large variety of amenities, including boat and jet ski rental; paddleboards; kayaking; canoes; fishing; swimming; skiing; picnic areas; playgrounds; hiking; volleyball; and horseshoes.  There is also a store with food and beverage items.  There is a restaurant located on the property called, “Rockin’s Bar and Grill”; however, it was closed during our visit, and it is unclear when it will reopen (no information on the website but the Facebook page says March 2023).

Hidden Cove is located north of Dallas in Frisco, Texas, but close to Little Elm and The Colony, Texas.  There are many restaurants and bars within driving distance, but not within biking distance.

We loved our view of Lake Lewisville and the quiet of Hidden Cove (although there was some construction happening on the road at the entrance to the RV sites during our visit that would start around 8:00 a.m.).  We even caught a glimpse of some wild turkeys wandering through the RVs.  We also loved that Hidden Cove was located close to restaurants and bars within driving distance (or by Uber).  We would consider returning to Hidden Cove if we were staying in the area, to try out some of the amenities, including the restaurant (if open). 

Visiting the Youngest Son (plus Lady Bird & Lyndon)

Before we left Houston, we had called the next RV campground where we made a reservation in Austin, Texas: Pecan Grove RV Park.  We called because we didn’t know how long it would take us at Allstar Glass and we wanted to know what time the office closed at Pecan Grove.  The manager could not find our reservation, which we made in April 2022 (and for which we had an email confirmation).  The manager explained that the previous manager had been fired in August of 2022 and took with him the laptop that contained all of the reservations, which is why he couldn’t find our reservation.  He told us that the RV Park was full.  We were furious.  After pleading, arguing, screaming, and the use of a few choice words and threats, the manager finally recommended another place southeast of Austin called the Austonia RV Resort and Community.  We immediately made a reservation with the Austonia, as we had looked at several other places that either did not have availability since it was SXSW (South by Southwest) weekend or were too far away from Austin.  Note to readers: DO NOT EVER GO TO PECAN GROVE RV PARK as they are incompetent.

We drove from Houston to the Austonia RV Resort, which is located in Del Valle, Texas.  It is a brand new RV Park, and they are still building out more sites.  Our RV site was very large, with a concrete pad and full hookups.  We were happy with this arrangement, even though we had preferred to be closer to Austin.

On our first night there, our youngest son, Kevin, picked us up at the RV and we had dinner at B Cooper Barbecue; a food truck located in East Austin.  This satisfied our barbecue requirement for Texas (although not our last BBQ in Texas).  Tim had pork spare ribs and Pat had Mangalitsa pork ribs.  After dinner, the three of us returned to the RV and watched Women Talking, one of the Academy Award nominated movies.   

On our second day, Kevin came over in the afternoon and we grilled steaks and potatoes for the three of us, while we watched The University of Texas basketball team win the Big 12 Championship on our outdoor television.  After the game, we retreated indoors (as the RV Resort manager had advised us that rattlesnakes had been seen near our site on a previous evening after dark) and caught up on some of the television shows that we used to watch together when we lived in Brooklyn together.

On our third day, Pat and Tim took an Uber to the LBJ Presidential Library.  We waited about 10 minutes for the Uber and the ride to the library was about 25 minutes, at a cost of about $25.  Visiting Presidential Libraries is one of the things we want to do while traveling the country in our RV.  Although we have visited other Presidential Libraries together and separately, this was our first visit to a Presidential Library while full-time RVing.  The library contained many videos, pictures, recordings, and other memorabilia from LBJ’s time in office; and the limousine he used after leaving office.  It is amazing how much LBJ accomplished in his short time in office: the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Voting Rights Act in 1965; the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965; Head Start; Medicare and Medicaid; plus major expansion of the Space Program, to name a few.  Five-year-old Pat campaigned door-to-door in his neighborhood for LBJ and Virgil Caraway (Hardin County Precinct 2 County Commissioner) in 1964 unbeknownst to his family of Democrats.  His Great Aunt Dickie volunteered at the Hardin County Democratic headquarters so when she brought Pat along, he picked-up a few stickers and cards plus a few policy points.  So, Pat "obviously" feels "partially" responsible for all of those great legislative accomplishments.  

We also got to see a limited time, special exhibit on Lady Bird Johnson.  Pat’s Mom, Dorothy, was very proud of a photo she took with Lady Bird and Rosalynn Carter at a Texas Municipal League convention in the 70s so it was an extra treat for us to learn more about Lady Bird. 

We spent the entire afternoon at the LBJ Presidential Library.  When it closed, Kevin picked us up and we all went to eat more Tex-Mex at Matt's El Rancho.  We started with a "Bob Armstrong" and then Tim had beef Tacos al Carbon and Pat had Green Enchiladas; we all enjoyed margaritas.  When we returned to the RV, the three of us watched the Academy Awards.

Despite the rough start with the lost reservation at that RV park we won’t mention again (but boycott it), we really enjoyed our time in Austin; particularly all of the time we got to spend with Kevin.  We are off to north Texas next, to visit the middle son, friends, and Pat’s brother and sister-in-law.

Review of the Austonia RV Resort and Community 

The Austonia is a new RV campground (the sign isn't even finished).  It currently has 114 large RV sites with concrete pads and full hookups but is adding more RV sites.  It is located in southeast Austin, about a 25-minute car ride to downtown.  Each RV site has a large concrete pad with enough space to park the RV, use as a patio, and park a car.  The RV sites do not have picnic tables, fire pits, or grills.  The campground has a lot of tree coverage and green space.  There is no laundry or bathrooms/showers.  The park manager is very friendly and helpful and explained that Uber Eats and others would make food deliveries to the campground.  We are eager to see what the campground will look like in the future after the addition of more RV sites and some amenities like laundry and showers/bathrooms.  We would consider staying at the Austonia again when we find ourselves in Austin.

Texas Bluebonnets starting to bloom.

A Visit with the Oldest Son's Family

After dropping off the rental car at the Lafayette Regional Airport, we headed toward Texas.  Our first stop was Escapees in Livingston, Texas, where we have our permanent address and receive our mail.  We picked up our mail, and several packages, and drove south to Houston, Texas, to visit our oldest son, Tod, our daughter-in-law, Leah, and our grandchildren, Ella and Alex.  

This time, we stayed at the Lakeview RV Resort in Houston, instead of at the Sugar Land RV Park, which delighted Tim (for more on why Tim hates the Sugar Land RV Park, see this link to the blog post on December 26, 2022, entitled, Christmas with the Kids and Grandkids).  On our way to the RV Resort, we picked up a rental car at a Hertz Car Rental in a strip shopping center.  Tim drove the RV into the parking lot of the shopping center, dropped off Pat, and then drove out the exit on the other side.  The exit had a steep decline and Tim experienced the back of the RV (possibly the bike rack) hitting the concrete as he exited the parking lot and entered the street.  This freaked Tim out a bit, but Pat explained that this is a common occurrence with the RV travelers he follows on YouTube.  

After getting to the RV Resort and setting up, we immediately went for some dinner.  When we come to Texas, we like to have three things: Tex-Mex, barbeque, and steaks.  Tonight, it was Tex-Mex at a restaurant called Los Cocos Restaurant.  Tim had a chicken burrito and Pat had enchiladas, which were delicious and satisfied our Tex-Mex cravings.

On our first full day in Houston, Tim had an appointment with Dr. Rios for an annual physical.  Now that we are Texas residents again, Tim’s health insurance was moved to Texas, and he had to find doctors there.  We decided that Houston was the best place to find doctors in Texas, since they are well known for having good health care and we will probably be in Houston often to visit the grandkids.  Tim needed to have this appointment now, because he was running low on his blood pressure medication and needed to set up refills.  Tim was very happy with Dr. Tomas Rios, who was friendly and knowledgeable, and his staff was very efficient.  Tim thinks he will probably stick with Dr. Rios in the future.

On the evening of our first full day, Tod and Ella came over to the RV to visit us.  The timing of dinner plus travel was a little too late for Alex so Leah stayed home with the baby and had to miss out on this little slice of RV life.  We grilled burgers and made some fries for the four of us.  Ella enjoyed the lake view that we had from our RV and picked some flowers.  She loved the burger (not so much the bun) and fries (especially the salt from the tray).  After dinner, we introduced Ella to the art of making s’mores.  We had planned to use the resort's community fire pit nearby to make the s’mores, but couldn’t get it to cooperate with us; instead, we used our own grill to make the s’mores.  Ella was especially excited about the chocolate and marshmallows, not so much the graham crackers but after a couple of bites she understood the full paring.  In all, it was a fun evening of first times with our granddaughter.

On our second full day in Houston, Tim made a trip to Walgreens to pick up his prescriptions and Pat got a haircut.  Then, we spent the afternoon doing laundry before heading over to Tod and Leah’s house for dinner.  They ordered in from Torchy’s Tacos and Tim again had a burrito and Pat had two tacos.  We got to spend the evening reading books to the kids and playing silly games.  It was great to spend some time with all of them (Alex has really changed since his 1^st birthday in November) and we probably won’t see them again until the fall. 

On our way out of Houston, we drove to All Star Glass to finally get the rubber seal around the windshield repaired.  After calling several places in Houston to tell them what had happened with the rubber seal, Stan at All Star Glass was the only one willing to try a repair.  He glued the rubber seal back into the track where it was originally attached, explaining that the rubber seal is set in the track originally with an adhesive and once it comes out of the track you cannot simply push it back in and have it stay.  He further explained that gluing it back would be a permanent fix until we needed to replace the windshield glass, at which point whoever did that repair would have to scrape out the glue.  We were fine with this resolution and hope that it is truly a permanent fix.

Review of Lakeview RV Resort

Located in south Houston, the Lakeview RV Resort is a gated property that has 685 RV sites with large concrete slabs and full hook ups.  Each RV site also has a picnic table.  There is a Shell gas station through a special gate, next door to the RV resort, where you can find some food and beverage selections. 

The resort has two lakes, and you can reserve an RV spot that backs up to one of the lakes.  There is a large lake and a smaller lake.  The large lake is the more desirable view, as one side of the smaller lake has a dog park between the RV sites and the lake.  This is the site we were first given until we complained, then they moved us to the large lake (the check-in staff agreed that it was a major error by management to call these sites lakeside).  You can fish on the lake, although you must catch and release.

The Lakeview RV Resort also has a very large laundry room, showers/restrooms, fitness center, business center with laptops and a printer you can use, and a swimming pool with a jacuzzi.  There are several common areas with a grill, firepit, outdoor kitchen, and picnic area.  There are even electric charging stations if you have an electric automobile.  

We really enjoyed our stay at the Lakeview RV Resort.  Despite having to complain to get the site we wanted, we would definitely stay here again when visiting the oldest son and family.