Full Time RV Travel–Brackenridge on Lake Texana was a Wonderful Experience

I love the water in any form. . .even sitting by a swimming pool or fountain makes me happy. . .

so sitting at the water’s edge at Lake Texana was just perfect. . .how much more relaxing can you get?

The wind would blow so hard that the lake would

have whitecaps, and waves. . .so I would sit out there,

pretend I was at the beach. . .no salt, no sand. . .

heavenly!

and of course you know I’m going to chase down and photograph any butterfly that I see. . .

but, alas, all good things must end. . .

so Friday morning, we loaded up, and headed out through Houston, which would supposedly cut an hour off of our travel time. . .what were we thinking?  Traffic. . . cars cutting in front of ya at 65 mph. . .changing lanes to make sure you stay on the right freeway. . .grrrrrr. 

We lived, and drove in Houston traffic for 30 years.  I didn’t think a thing about driving across town to take a class. . .but pulling  a rig is a whole different ballgame. . .but survive we did . . .

and arrived at beautiful Magnolia Ridge,

a COE park on B.A. Steinhagen Lake. . .

Dad & Mom are coming for lunch. . .
so Dave's getting the grill ready for ribs!

what a beautiful, beautiful place. . .

 

after a great lunch of ribs, potatoes, and baked beans. . .

Dad and Dave are standing outside discussing fishing. . .

more gorgeous fall color in the Cypress Swamp. . .

went alligator hunting again. . .still no luck!

but this red headed woodpecker was putting on quite a show. . .

and after a four mile bike ride. . .

 the perfect end to the day. . .fishing!

Until next time,

Janice

Full Time RV Travel–Lake Steinhagen

We have arrived at our new digs. . .

the rig is backed in to. . .and we are overlooking a cypress swamp

off of Lake Steinhagen, which is close to Jasper TX. . .

Because today was a LONG, stress filled (read pulling the rig through Houston traffic) day. . .this is going to be a short post. . .

but you can rest assured. . .I am still on my quest to see an alligator. . .

so I will keep you posted!

Full Time RV Living: Sam’s Club and Costco Memberships–Are they Worth It?

I was laughing with and telling RV friends the other day, that when we sold the house with the freezer,
and the big pantry, and moved into the RV. . .I wasn’t sure how I was going to stock up on groceries. . .
in fact, as Karen, who writes the FabGrandma blog might tell you, I had a little bit of a melt down about it.

I knew we were headed to Yellowstone, and I was just sure there wasn’t going to be ANYWHERE to get groceries,
and we didn’t have room in the rig for huge supplies.  Knowing Karen and her hubby were working at the
North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which is very remote. . .I sent her a note as to how she handled this issue.

Karen was kind enough to send me a list of essentials that she kept on hand at all times to prevent starvation. . .LOL!
Dried milk
Dried Beans
etc., etc. . .

Now that we’ve been traveling a few years, I know I will definitely be able to find groceries somewhere, and it is no longer an issue. . .which is why I am asking if you think a Sam’s Club or Costco Membership is worth it. . .

My mother, who taught me to cook everything from scratch, (bless her heart,) always had a pantry filled with essentials. . .in other words, if she decided to make most anything, she probably had the supplies on hand.

My mother in law, who was an awesome cook, and taught me many, many tricks to good food, also had a well stocked pantry and freezer. . .

Having a Sam’s Club accessible,  especially when my boys were teenagers, and I was working a full time job, allowed me to keep the pantry and freezer well stocked with convenience items, which allowed the boys to be self sufficient, and made life simple for us all. . .

Soooo. . .when we moved into the RV, I questioned whether to keep the Sam’s Club Membership or not. . .was it really worth the annual fee when I could no longer purchase items in bulk?  Calculating just the savings on coffee supplies. . .coffee beans, splenda, creamer. . .quickly convinced me that it was.

But. . .there’s not always a Sam’s Club convenient to our location. . .so, we have to think ahead. . .ha ha!  Here we are at Sam’s Club. . .how long will it be before we are near a Sam’s Club again?  How much of each thing do we need to purchase to hold us over until we find the next Sam’s Club? 

This trip. . .I guess I miscalculated. . .because a couple of pricey things, like vitamins, are going to run completely out.  So now I must decide on how to resolve the problem. . .do I just pay an arm and a leg at the local mega mart, and purchase enough to tide me over, or do we make the supreme sacrifice and stop at a Sam’s Club this week as we pull the rig through Houston. . .hmmmmm. . .guess I’ll see what Dave has to say.
  
When he is pulling the rig. . .he just hates having to maneuver the mazes that are designed as parking lots these days. . .I’m gonna go do some research with Google Satellite. . .see if there are any easily accessible parking lots on the way. . .

So. . .what do you think?  Do you still use Warehouse Club Memberships. . .or have you decided it’s just not worth the bother?

Full Time RV Living–More Tips for RV Wannabees

I probably receive a handful of requests each week for info from folks

who are interested in the lifestyle. . .and while we love it. . .

and have no plans in the near future to go back to sticks and bricks. . .

I am very truthful when I say. . .this lifestyle is not for everyone. . .

it’s really, really not. . .

That’s why I love to share great articles with great view points when I find them. . .

and this is one of those articles. . .I hope you’ll take the time to check it out:

Is Full Time RV Living Really For You?

and please share in the comments section

any tips that helped you when you were

just getting started. . .

it's time to pass it forward!

Full Time RV Travel–Lake Texana Has Water–I’m so Happy!

We arrived at Brackenridge Recreation Complex and RV Park yesterday. . .mid day. . .

and was thrilled to find that Lake Texana actually has water in it. . .so happy!

This is the best view we’ve had since we left Estes Park in June. . .love looking out over the water!

The water hyacinth, seen here, and the hydrilla. . .

both highly invasive plants in Texas Lakes are everywhere,

so it will be tough fishing from the bank. . .

but we are certainly going to give it a try.

however. . .swimming is NOT on the agenda,

but I will be on the lookout for an alligator to get a shot at. . . with the Nikon, of course.

After my tribulations of not being able to peddle back up the hills

in Columbus, I was thrilled to find a nice, flat bike path here

that meanders it’s way for five miles alongside the lake,

and through the beautiful oak and pecan trees. . .

My plan is to be out there on it everyday. . .

and would love to do the entire five miles before we leave here. . .

More on that later. . .as the week progresses!

Janice

Full Time RV Living–The Hilarious Things We See

Now THIS is the way to take your dogs for a walk. . .

I only wish I could have gotten a better picture. . .

There were three of them. . .he had them running full out. . .

I bet they took a nap when they got home. . .

Too funny. . .

Janice

Full Time RV Living-When Life Hands You Lemons

Life still happens when you live and travel in your RV. . .

some days just aren’t as peachy as others. . .

So, how will you handle THOSE days?  I think Paul and Nina

make some very valid points in their blog, Wheeling It. . .

Read the article:

The Darker Side Of FullTime RVing? 5 Thoughts To Ponder Before Making The Leap..

then leave a comment with your thoughts on the matter. . .

Oh, and be sure to tell them I sent you. . .thanks,

Janice