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| Each comments entry box in the guest book is limited to approx. 250 characters including spaces. For longer messages please e-mail us at morton@rmortonc.com |
Mexico) On February 1st we took a trip through the wildlife-protected areas of Galveston Island State Park (see photos), then through the city of Galveston (see photos) to look around. When we arrived back at the campsite, the weekend campers had arrived in full force. Lobo wasn’t very pleased and neither were we that our peaceful setting had been disturbed and would be that way for the weekend. On the following day (Saturday), one of the Mardi Gras parades scheduled in Galveston for that day was to start at 6 PM. We stood for several hours on the side of the street and watched the parade (see photos / slide show). It is amazing how aggressive people can be over a bunch of cheap plastic beads. We didn’t try very hard to catch them, but a string of beads that had been thrown from one of the floats hit Renée directly in the mouth and gave her a swollen lip. When the parade was over, we looked around in the crowd and found kids with very few beads, then gave ours to them. What do the other people do with the beads after the parade is over? On Sunday we prepared for our planned departure and on the following day we left the island, driving through Houston (see travel route and photos) to Huntsville State Park (see photos) where we planned to spend a week. That evening we called Jeany Olden to set up a time to meet and pick up our mail that Michael had sent to her address. On the following evening we met in Conroe at the “Cinco de Mayo” restaurant and had a delightful meal with Jeany and her husband, Peter, whom we met for the first time (see photo on the left of this page). |
through the mail. In the afternoon, we visited the Sam Houston statue (see photos) (< - -please click), then drove to Huntsville to go shopping. On the 7th, we drove to Conroe to finish our shopping, and then on to the W. Goodrich Jones State Forest which was supposed to have a campground. This turned out to be a false report. February 8th brought much warmer weather and a bouquet of red roses for Renée’s 61st birthday. Most of the day was spent answering the phone when well-wishers called and in the evening we celebrated at The Junction restaurant (< - - please click) in Huntsville. As we normally experience, the state park was quite full on the weekend. We spent the time getting out summer clothing and packing away some of the heavier winter things. In the evening we had a campfire and a grilled supper. Monday morning we left Huntsville State Park, driving toward Lake Somerville, spending a night in Navasota on the way, where we had a sewer connection to do several loads of laundry. Most of the Corps of Engineer Parks (where we were heading) and the Texas State parks (where we were coming from) do not have a sewer connection. We spent the next two weeks at Lake Somerville; the first week at Yegua Creek Park and the following week at Rocky Creek Park. We took several outings while at Lake Somerville, including a few bike trips (see photos). Our first bike trip was from Yegua Creek Park to Rocky Creek Park (about five miles). On the way there we were surprised by a sudden rain storm without the possibility for a place to wait it out. While at Rocky Creek we were able to dry out a bit, but on the way back, it was even worse, with the water flowing out of our shoe tops just from the down pour. As soon as we came home, we immediately took hot showers to counteract the cold and shivers. We did not have to worry about getting Lobo’s thick coat dried because he is no longer able to take the bike trips with us. He gives out after about 500 yards. He turned 13 on February 19th. On our subsequent bike trips we had better luck with the weather! With the truck we took a trip to the famous painted churches around Schulenburg, TX that were built by the German and Czech settlers in the 19th century (see photos and slide show). In the surrounding towns of Oldenburg, Brenham, Round Top and somewhat in Giddings, one can see the strong German influence (see photos). Through the Mainzer Adelsverein (1842-1848) (< - - please click), approximately 7,380 Germans immigrated to Texas between 1844 and 1847. On some days we just stayed at the park and took walks along the lake with Lobo and on the 27th we left Lake Somerville, driving north of Austin to Round Rock (see travel route). There we stayed at the Old Settler’s RV Park for a week. We had unbelievable luck in getting the best spot at the park. The rest of the sites were crammed together in a row but we managed to get the site on the end that gave us several acres of old trees and a meadow without a neighbor in sight. The site on the other side of us was only 30 Amp and was not occupied the entire time. On the 28th we took a trip to Fort Hood to get a prescription refill for Lobo’s thyroid medication and to go to the Commissary. That evening we had a splendid Italian meal at Carino’s in Round Rock. On the last day of February, our thoughts were with Renée’s first cousin, once removed (Helga) in Colorado. She had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing a mastectomy. The operation went without complications and with the help of her adopted daughter, Jeany Olden, who came up from Texas to be with Helga, is on her way to recovery. That evening we went to IKEA in Round Rock and found the solution to our lighting problem in the RV. Fluorescent lights are such a pain and a poor form of light. They are now replaced with a string of halogen spot lights that can be individually aimed to where the light is needed. They also are 12 volt so can be used with or without a utility hookup. To be continued…… |
Travel Journal February 2008
Our Motto: Home is, where our RV is.
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| Renée's 61st Birthday |
| At "Cinco de Mayo" Mexican Restaurant with Jeany and Peter Olden |