Texas,Texas and Texas

The first of 3 Texas destinations was Houston West RV Park, a long 332 mi drive for the day.

Traffic was heavy with several slowdowns (some as long as 3-5 miles) due to accidents and construction areas which made the miles drag out and frustrated the Bus driver, Kevin, as he could not maintain his ideal speed nor cushion between vehicles. The obstacle avoidance sensors at speeds above 30 mph would sound a long high pitch as other vehicles squeezed in front of the Smitanic invading the established safety gap. On the drivers console a red light would show a bright red image of a vehicle until the proper gap, one vehicle (Smitanic size) was obtained. This gauge also displayed the gap distance in vehicle lengths which helped Kevin assess the ideal spacing.

The back ups continued, as Theresa monitored any upcoming yellow or red zones on Google maps.

Five miles before the exit for the campground there was another stoppage. Theresa found a alternative path on a Highway that parallel the I10. When given the choice between an unknown route and sitting in traffic, Kevin usually selects the latter. However the frustration of the day warranted the risk and avoid yet one more delay. The alternative route successfully bypassed the slowdown and the Smitanic rolled into the first texas campground around 3pm. With a one hour time change the days drive was whopping 7 hours without stops other than diesel! 

The clubhouse grounds had an old KOA ‘A’ frame building with an office, a pool, a non-functioning hot tub and a nice pond with ducks and a fountain and path around it. The park was full of mostly full time folks with gravel roads as well as gravel sites.

Pleasant temps made for a nice sunset walk prior to Theresa’s 50 burpee commitment and settling down for the night.

Kevin opened his bedside window to let some of the fresh cool air in for some sound slumber after his long days drive.

In the AM Kevin discovered that he could not get his finger in between the day/night shade rollers and the window handle to reach the lever to release and shut the window. Theresa tried her smaller fingers as well with no success. This was a poor design but was not critical to the departure since the window was on the bedroom slide and would not prevent the slide from retracting for travel. Theresa would research the issue as time allows on the way to the next destination while also navigating and co-piloting. 

One of the final steps before departure was entered into the GPS ,Junction South Llano River Park in Junction, TX. This revealed a distance of 271 miles for the day. I10 in the central part of Texas was now smooth sailing with some rolling hills and an increased speed limit of 75 MPH. This made the ride a bit mesmerizing at times. Theresa fought the urge to doze off. However, the monotony of the undulating roads was interrupted by a Wind generator blade and water tank being transported. Each had a lead and tail pilot vehicle that communicated with the main truck to move to the far right shoulder of the road for any passing Semi or RV. Kevin guided the Smitanic thru the allotted lane that the demanded inclusion of the left shoulder of the road. Theresa closed her eyes and cringed as the Smitanic mirror narrowly missed the oversized object and she heard the sound of the RV tires going over the warning rumble strip on the shoulder. See video.

Very alert now, Theresa called to be sure the RV park, which advertised its suitability for large RVs, had an available site for the night. The GPS exit for the park was under construction and had just one narrow lane open on the bridge over the freeway. After the experience of passing the large objects during the drive this was a nothing for Captain Kevin! The park was virtually empty so the dockage for the night was selected out of a plethora of choices and all vital systems were made ready.

The crew recalled a previous stay in Junction, TX and a mouth-watering BBQ place that they would visit for dinner provisions. Lum’ s BBQ was a hopping place and the smell of the meat roasting, lewered patrons inside. Kevin was insistent on buying one of each of the savory meats, but settled for a mix of ribs, brisket and sides of potato salad and coleslaw. He also insisted on an entire chocolate pie and a Lum’s hat to represent the establishment. The counter staff was easily entertained as Kevin made some new friends. With much anticipation the connoisseurs returned to the RV to consume mass quantities.

Thank goodness the temps were again pleasant because the bedroom window was still stuck open with no resolution. So the evening breeze was again enjoyed.

In the morning, the new camp hosts Butch and Eva stopped by to chat. They seemed fun and very sociable. The conversation turned to Men and their toys. Butch lamented he always wanted a boat to do the Grand Loop. This then lead Kevin to discuss the subject of maintenance on all of his man-toys. Kevin described his skill level to Butch proclaiming, “I don’t even know how to fix a toothbrush”. Then Butch’s reply was “he who posses is possessed “. Continuing in the conversation Butch then described where he lived in Minnesota as “you can through a rock to Canada from my porch”. The convo turned to choosing the qualities of a mate saying that up north in MN “if you ain’t good lookin you better be handy”. Butch was very handy. After about 20 min of Butch’s backcountry wisdom, it was now time for the Smitanic to get under way.

The rest of the departure tasks were completed and the toad attached for the days drive.

The destination of Fort Stockton RV Park in fort Stockton TX was a short 192 miles away. This park was well known to the Smitanic crew as it is the only suitable park in the vastness of the west TX dessert and frequented most every trip whether East or West bound.

An early arrival of 1pm made check in easy as the park had lots of opening sites. It also left time for a short hike on Six Shooter Trail adjacent to the park that included mountains of tumbleweeds, a dump for rejected RV appliances and parts as well as a pet cemetery. 

The bedside window was still stuck in the open position for 3 days now with no resolution. Theresa had consulted the Tiffin FB group and had tried every suggestion without success. Then while she was contorting to examine the under mounting of the window she noticed 4 phillip's head screws that held the window locking bracket! She hollered at Kevin to fetch the appropriate tool. Once the screws were removed, the lever to release the window lock was exposed allowing the window to finally close! Reattaching the bracket, she was careful not to exceed the window’s first locking position. Once the bracket was secured, Kevin was instructed to not open the window all the way again, ever! Which they both agreed was a design flaw and would be added to the warranty list.

The park had a quaint restaurant called The Roadrunner Cafe whose nightly special was “world class chicken fried steak”. Two orders were served and mostly consumed. It was quite tasty but not in alignment with the customary lean-clean-eating Smitanic menu so it would not be ordered again.

Dusty, winds picked up during dinner and there were stream of various sized RVs that arrived for shelter. The evening tasks turned to blog updates and laundry for the rest of the night!

The plan was an early start and to finally exit Texas the next day. 3 days in Texas was enough!