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Phyllis’ Journal

 

Phyllis’ Journal 2008

This is a chronicle of 4 Morgans:  Larry, Phyllis,
Roscoe (male miniature Schnauzer), and Harpo (female miniature poodle)

This page covers our fourth full year on the road

Areas visited include :

 

Page Last Updated: June 22, 2008

<2006-B

 Enchanted Rock State Park in the Texas Hill Country was beautiful.  The Rock is a gigantic pink/red granite hill (BIG HILL).  My knees and my fear of the heights didn't allow me to go all the way up.  The dogs thought it was a piece of cake.

 

Perdenales Falls State Park (also in the Texas Hill Country ) was fascinating with the way the cascades (falls) had carved almost stair step rock formations as it flows downhill.  These are places to return to and enjoy multiple times.

 

We visited the Alamo and other Missions in San Antonio (beginning of South Texas). The missions were an entire community structure with working farms, cattle and water systems to support the community.  Each mission had its fortifications as well as its church.  The southern most mission had the neatest aqueduct.  The aqueduct was engineered a lot like the early bridges in PA, where there is no mortar used, just perfectly matched stones set together to form an arch.

 

We finally got to Fredericksburg and check out several Texas wineries.  We got some peach wines, a mead, and several others to take back to IN to share with our kids.

 

Larry and I are continuing our search to find wonderful restaurants.  A lot goes into making a meal enjoyable;  the food of course must be exceptional to make the Morgans journal.  Atmosphere is critical.  Now for example, just south of San Marcos is an old German town Gruene (pronounced Green by the locals).  In an old Cotton Gin building (its huge) is the Old Gristmill Restaurant (left).  We ate here on Christmas Eve of 2007.  The food was perfect, the waitress was engaging, our table overlooked the Guadalupe River.  After eating we walked around town.  There were musicians out playing.  It made a very satisfying afternoon. 

 

Another of our favorite places to eat is the River Pub and Grill.  It overlooks a damned area of the San Marcos River where kayakers paddle over a rapid section.  There are trees on the banks where the roots are exposed and look like concrete ripples on the banks.  Now I call this atmosphere.  All you need is a good steak and life is good.  The steak is this case is a flatiron that is fixed to perfection.  There are other goodies on the menu, so you taste buds don't get bored.

 

Larry and I like to relax after a busy weekend of campground work so we often do take out from Jason's Deli.  We love their wraps.  I particularly like the fruit nut salad.

 

Just before we left San Marcos we tried Valentino's.  It is a pizza place on the Square.  They actually have whole wheat crust pizzas.  Our chiropractor suggested this.

 

Our friend Marie visited us for a few days.   This is the friend we went to Rockport to see last Spring. She has the coolest dog--Blaze, a brown and white Dalmatian. 

 

We met another couple (Jim and Sandy) last year. They are volunteer workampers in TX for the winter.  We were able to visit with them this year over lunch.  It is one of the many blessings in this lifestyle to meet people from all over the country, make friends, and maintain relationships.

 

While at Pecan Park we shopped for RVs.  We wanted to go to the Houston RV Show.  Fortunately it covered some weekdays.  David (the owner of Pecan park) ask us to work the show and we would also have a chance to look at RVs.  Larry and I have narrowed our RV search; so we can eliminate a greater majority.  We thought last year we had found our RV but the manufacturer discontinued it.  We were really disappointed. 

 

We looked at the top of line in travel trailers and we found areas where they cut corners that

a normal observer would pick up on; if they cut those corners what else didn't they do.  Well we looked over the Show and found an RV that we had not heard of before.  This RV offered a king bed.  We investigated further and found the manufacturer was unwilling to make changes for us; however, we discovered this very RV just 10 - 15 miles from us and the head of the

repair shop was willing to work with us and accomplish the changes.

Now on our way to Houston, on I10 overdrive went out our truck.  We went much slower than the rest of the traffic.  While in Houston, Larry thought the truck was starting off from a stop much slower.  By the time we got the truck into a shop, we had lost 1st, 2nd, and overdrive.  This mechanic in San Antonio was wonderful.  We had several electronic problems that created a big mess.  It took him 3 weeks to track down each problem, but the end result was our truck is running great.

 

We found the right RV, our truck isn't working what are we to do.  Well, in situations like this, Larry and I have found waiting and going slow works best.  Plus at this time we had 3 to 4 weeks before we need to leave.  Then the dealership sold the trailer.  Larry and I decided we needed to wait until this coming Nov.  By the way, I haven't mentioned that David and Rachel invited us back for next winter, here at Pecan Park.

. 

Oh, remember the 110 degrees in Bowling Green--that has paid off for us.  That was a KOA.  We were able to land a May 15 to Oct. 15, 2008 job at Twin Mtn. KOA in NH, 15 miles from Mt. Washington.  Hopefully, there will be more adventures that follow.

 

Right now, it is April 10 and this is our last weekend for this season at Pecan Park Campground.  We leave here on the 15th of this month to stop at Camping World to have regular maintenance done on the trailer.  Then it is east and north.  I'm not positive of the route.  It is spring and we have to watch for storms and such.  we are headed for Indiana to see the kids, then on to NH.

 

We are currently in Memphis, TN on our way to IN.  The wildflowers have been delightful.  Larry and I rate TX number one on their highway wildflowers.  I've got to bone up on my flowers.  The bluebonnets are good this year; last year with all the rain they were better.  Then we have seen some deep salmon colors and then red.  Today in MS there were carpets of deep, deep red all along I55.  This is a rest stop for us. We are just taking a few days out of the truck to rest and catch up on laundry.

 

Big mistake!  Our stop in MS was not as advertised.  We had to stay one night; it was just too late.  We didn't rest and didn't do laundry.  The next morning it looked like rain. 

 

We decided to head up I55 to Memphis, TN to a park we had stayed at before.  It is right across from Graceland.  Roscoe and Harpo like it here.  Our last 2 stops they were not comfortable. We slept in and had some business to attend to and then we played tourist.  We found a shirt for our son Paul and then had ice cream cones.  This evening we ate at Marlowe's--delicious and it had atmosphere.  We were driven there in a pink  Cadillac limo.  It was fun.  Tomorrow I get to do laundry.  Monday we head for Jackson, TN to a fabulous shoe store.  I get there about every 4 or 5 years.  We are due in Indy on Wed, Apr. 23.

 

More later!

Note: Phyllis is Continuing her “catch up” on the winter of 2007-8 and Spring of 2008 travels.

PJ Main Page ><2007