2021 Trip To Texas

[Sir Henry]

10-4 .... even though I don't have to use one, I feel better having a cane when walking over rocky or rough surfaces

As a young mountaineer I never understood the need for sticks. Now that I’m older, much older I now understand.

[JEBar]

As a young mountaineer I never understood the need for sticks. Now that I’m older, much older I now understand.

understood .... it was that way for me as well

[markiver54]

Not just for rough terrain and compromised agility. A good stick can be a formidable weapon. Granted, I don't expect to win a battle with a charging bear, OR knock bullets out of the sky...just sayin', would rather have it than nothing.
In reality though, I always have my EDC with me. Even walking here in city limits, it's not uncommon to see a bear.

[JEBar]

big day .. .. scheduled to meet the gunsmith who has been working on our Remington 700 .... with my right shoulder's torn rotator cuff it will be a while before I get to fire it and I'm certainly looking forward to doing so ..

[JEBar]

another beautiful morning on the banks of Lake Conroe .... its hard to believe that two weeks from right now we should have been home for a day .... a drive down to Conroe to Sam's is on tap for this morning .... the wind is still coming out of the north, hopefully, it won't be as strong as it was yesterday and we can spend some time outside

[JEBar]

hands down the most unique gooseneck 5th wheel toy hauler we've seen during our 2021 winter trip to Texas .... note the rear levelers .... it was seen at Thousand Trails Lake Conroe .... as best I can tell this is the website for the company which makes them ====> http://www.teensycastles.com

[markiver54]

Very unique indeed! French doors and all.

[JEBar]

I've seen them on park models but no on campers that are towed from place to place .... based on past experience, I'd bet they will leak when towed through a rain storm

[BigAl52]

Nothin aerodynamic about that house

[Hatchdog]

Nothin aerodynamic about that house

Nope,I bet it punches a big hole in the air. Looks like those rear levelers are just your typical utility/car hauler tongue crank jacks. Pretty clever.

[JEBar]

our string of beautiful days continues .... more to get out a bit than for any urgent need we drove over to the post office in Willis .... it was already closed so it was easy to maneuver through their parking lot .... after our return, a neighbor who we went through the week of life threatening cold back in February stopped by .... they will soon be returning to their home in Colorado .... the second week of spring break begins tomorrow and the number of youngsters running around seems to be growing .... from what we've seen and heard, fishing in Lake Conroe seems to be getting better .... we've booked an appointment for Tuesday morning for our truck to have a minor issue taken care of .... hopefully all's good to go

[BigAl52]

Thoughts on my first winter away from the home fort.
1. You better make sure you and the wife are in tune. Cause there aint much space to go to should there be one of those disagreements. There isnt a man cave to go hide in awhile and let things simmer. I kinda found it was easier to say yes dear.
2. I truly love my 2 dogs but they can hold you back from doing other things. There isnt a dog door so they can go out like at home. Just when you think you have them figured out on a outdoor schedule you will be scratching your head. Why is it that when its raining like hell or colder than hell one of them needs to go out at 3am to potty. Jasmine does it every time there is crappy weather. It ended up costing me 350.00 one night taking the dogs out as I lost my grip on the hand rail.
3. I should of listen to my scout master. Always be prepared. Wouldnt you know the first year we are out Texas gets one of those 10 year cold snaps and we are right in the middle of it. Sure glad there is still some great people left and we met some very nice people in the park. Im looking forward to seeing them again in December. I sat up all night one night with the truck running to keep things going with the 5th wheel. I also waited in line for propane. As I look back on it now I was lucky to be where I was at and it all worked out ok.
4.Im pretty lucky to have a neighbor good enough to watch the home fort. He collected my mail and took care of the house. Without him I dont know if we could do it. I also do make it right with him through the year. Nothing is taken for granted.
5. We had a great time and my wife said she didnt want to come home. Traveling with the RV is fun and there is good and bad. Living in one for a few months is alot different than taking one somewhere for 2 weeks. I never thought I would be doing it but I do like it. We have reservations Dec 1 for the same place. Then at the end of Jan 2022 we will move to Brownsville where we will stay until March 20th. Im looking forward to it.

[JEBar]

Al, you've come a long way in a short period of time ...

1. there isn't a camper made big enough for two people who don't get along .... yes dear is a good move .... throw in a my you look lovely today every now and again can help

2. you've found out why we don't travel with pets .... for me, it simply ain't worth the hassle

3. on of the basic laws of the universe is you can't be prepared for every possibility ... just don't let the same one hammer you more than once

4. our daughter takes care of the home front for us

5. it speaks volumes when you realize you are looking forward to the next trip before the one you are on ends

[markiver54]

Kudos to Ya both, Al and Jim. I have thought a lot about it, and yes, from my vision, it would take a lot of understanding , patience and love, ( as in " keeping Your Mouth Shut ) love! It.Is something I would LOVE to do, I just dunno.....
I truely wish safe travels to you both!

[JEBar]

nothing major on tap for today but do hope to take care of a few small things that are easy to overlook and can come back to bite you if there's a problem ....

examples :

checking the truck's fluid levels

turning the camper tire monitoring screen to make sure they are all properly inflated

lube the truck's 5er hitch

double check the Garmin to make sure all destinations on our trip home have been saved

should be able to work it all in

[JEBar]

with the above items already taken care of, its been a busy morning .... first stop Danny's Automotive Services in Conroe to replace the bleeder valve on the truck's main air tank .... the one shown in the pictures below is much heavier duty than the one that came on our truck .... over time the spring in ours had weakened to where air pressure could leak out .... not a major leak but most certainly an aggravating one .... from there to McKenzie's BBQ & Burgers for breakfast ===> http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... BQ#p165666 .... on to Sam's to shop for mostly food supplies that we need to have on hand for use from now until we get home

as a side note Danny's Automotive Services is located at 809 Old Montgomery Rd, Conroe, TX 77301 .... Shop # 936-521-2335 .... Cell # 936-252-3519 .... it is a 5 bay independent family own and run garage .... he was recommended to us by a lady we camped beside at Lake Conroe who owns and runs her own hot-shot trucking business .... we had our truck over there three times during Feb and March of our 2021 stay in Texas .... he diagnose and handled the issues with our truck efficiently and at a reasonable price .... during the times our truck was there I saw a wide range of vehicles there for repair .... a late model Porsche, Mercedes, Rt 66 era Corvette, 57 Chevy, Dodge/Chevy/Ford diesel trucks and a host of others .... some business vehicles, most privately owned .... our relationship with him is that of a customer, we whole hardheartedly recommend his company to anyone traveling through the area north of Houston whose vehicle needs repair

[JEBar]

5 days from now we should be on our way to Baton Rouge in the first day of our drive home .... today our last ordered item from Amazon should arrive at the nearest Hub Locker .... literally nothing much on tap for today

[JEBar]

our number of days left in Texas is quickly dwindling .... on tap for today. a trip to Willis to the Post Office .... from there to Conroe to HEB's to pickup food supplies for the next couple days here and the 4 we will be on the road home .... with the weather forecast they say Sunday will be much cooler with some rain so tomorrow will be packing up day .... many weeks of flying in South Dakota and Texas winds has taken its toll on our flag .... another is scheduled to be delivered by Amazon tomorrow .... the somewhat tattered one will be taken with us to Estelline and turned over to the American Legion

[JEBar]

with an increasing chance of thunderstorms on tap for today and tomorrow, we plan to take the first opportunity to take down and store as much of our setup as is possible today .... sure not looking forward to leaving Texas but we are ready head back home

[JEBar]

rainy, windy and cool ....from looking out a window in our camper, it seems clear that our decision to take down and store all but our last minute equipment was a good one .... today is scheduled to be our last full day in Texas .... we hope to be able to spend most of it visiting with folks we've met during our last 9 weeks at this campground but much depends on how the weather turns out .... the only thing on our schedule is to eat out (at Cracker Barrel) tonight and upon our return to get the truck backed up to where it will be easy to hookup in the morning