Alamo

April 9 2015
By Traci

     Today we go to San Antonio to visit the Alamo. Afterwards we will ride our bicycles to the Missions. We will not get to all of them. Today is special, it is my birthday! To celebrate, a stop at Lulu's for a three pound cinnabun roll. It is exciting seeing something new. I just hope Anthony doesn't ask where the basement is at the Alamo. It's from a movie, I am sure somebody reading this will know which movie. I did not.
     So we finally get to the Alamo. The grounds surrounding the Alamo are just gorgeous. We went through the various exhibits and buildings. The Shrine was not what I was expecting. There was a lot of displays, most looked like they were donated from private collections. Lots of guns. Some personal items were shown, made me think what there life was like before the Alamo.
     After the Alamo, we go back to the car and get our bikes. We ride the River Walk to Mission Concepción. We get turned around some and spend extra time getting there. Not a bad thing, the riding along the the River Walk was so beautiful. The River Walk is a real gem. We arrived at Mission Concepción hot and tired. I was in total amazement with the Mission. We spent more more time here than the Alamo. The Mission was built in 1755, the exterior is unrestored. The Chapel is still used for worship. The whole place is just amazing. By the time we were ready to leave, we were to tired to continue on to the other Missions. So back to the car, by the roads instead of the River Walk. It wasn't that bad riding through downtown.
     We get loaded up and head for Lulu's. On the menu for us, the SAPD Special Queso chicken fried steak and a three pound cinnamon roll. I think it was what Man vs Food ate. Not sure, but he was here. We took the cinnamon bun home, of course. We got it in place of a birthday cake for me. Yeah, it's my birthday! The food was really good and later the bun was good too.
    Our trip to San Antonio was a good one. Wish we could have seen all the Missions and seen more of the River Walk. Only so much we can do in a day. I would definitely go back.

Alamo, no pictures inside. 

Some of the gorgeous grounds of Alamo. 

Mission Concepción

Mission Concepción

Chapel

River Walk, San Antonio

Three pound cinnamon bun, bigger than a paper plate. 

Out for a walk

April 7, 2015
By, Traci

     Anthony and I went for a hike today. I found this trail the other day when I went for a bike ride. I rode to the town of Canyon Lake to see how far the Dollar General store is from camp. It has been over a year since I had pedaled hills like around here. Let me tell you, I was hurting!  Anyways, right beside the dollar store was the road to Canyon Lake Park. So I went to check it out.
     Near the top of the hill is Madrone hiking and biking trail. After going to the gate and talking to the camp host, I headed home. On the way home a liquor store catches my eye. I whipped my bicycle in and five minutes later I am on the road with some strawberry cider. They didn't have my Woodchuck Amber Apple cider.
    The next day we go back, in the Xterra of course, to see about the trail. We do the smaller loop of two and a half miles. There is also a six mile loop. Combining the outer parts you would wind up doing almost nine miles. The terrain was up and down and pretty rough at times. It had been a long time since we been hiking and we both got winded at times. The scenery was beautiful. We will definitely go back.

View of Canyon Lake

It's steeper than it looks

Side trail to lakeside

Trail map two, at mile one.

Travel day

April 4, 2015

     We have finally left Houston. Our destination is Potter's Creek Campground on Canyon Lake. It should be about a 250 mile drive. Though we loved where we were at, it will be exciting to be back on the road. The plan is to stop off at a rest stop along the way and boondock for a night. We are in no rush to get anywhere.
     The drive through Houston was rough on me. It was my first time driving in traffic like that. Anthony doesn't seem to mind. The advantage of learning to drive in New York City I guess. I was happy to get past Houston and the traffic die down. We stopped at Colorado safety area for lunch and I took a nap of course. We then drove the rest of the way to the Guadalupe rest area.
     This was the first rest stop with a walking trail I have visited. The trail was wooded and had markers showing the names of various plants. We ran the generator some to cook in the microwave and watch the news. Anthony has to see the weather, his is old like that. There was little traffic and we slept pretty peacefully.
     The next day we finished driving to Canyon Lake. Got our campsite and set up the RV. Now time to relax for a couple of weeks. We do plan on a trip to San Antonia to visit the Alamo and Lulu's Cafe for a three pound cinnamon bun. That should be fun. We do love the RV life.

Nissan loeded and ready to go

Almost through Houston

Guadalupe rest stop

Our front porch view for the next two weeks

Space Center Houston

April 3, 2015
By, Traci

     Anthony was so excited!  Going to the Space Center Houston, was something he was wanting to do since we got here.  Driving by the place almost every week, didn't help.  I do have to say it was amazing!  I was surprised how much there was to see.  If your in Houston, go see it.
     We spent about four hours there and still didn't ride the red tram tour. We did do the blue tour which went to the Vehicle Mock-up and Saturn Rocket. The rocket was so enormous! The engines are just massive in size. Hard to imagine the noise they make taking off.
    Before leaving Anthony got a NASA shirt, which I am sure to borrow. Afterwards we went to our favorite place to eat, Slices and Ices. It's a New York style pizza joint. The pizza is so delicious! The guy is from Long Island, so him and Anthony talked a lot about New York City.
     Our last day in Houston was really fun, but we are excited about hitting the road again. We have been sitting still too long.
We are heading for Potter's Creek on Canyon Lake. It is located northeast of San Antonia. I'm looking forward to new roads and new places to see.

Engines on Saturn Rocket

Capsule on Saturn Rocket

Mock-up vehicles

Orion

Flight deck of Space Shuttle

International Space Station

Wasn't open yet.

Year sitting idle, about to take off!

April 3, 2015
By Traci:
     I can't believe it has been a year since we arrived in San Leon, Texas.   We stayed two months at Latitude RV Park before moving to Kemah RV Resort in Bacliff.   Towards the end of May, I got a job.  I had no choice, there was repairs on the RV we needed to do.  Anthony called my job a, "social experiment".  It wasn't all bad.  My coworkers were really fun to work with. There was many a night I was crying from laughing so hard.
     Our first major repair was the water heater.  I am always nervous doing repairs, but it cost too much to go to a shop.  Then we tackled the engine running hot issue.  After replacing the clutch fan, hoses, belt, thermostat, and flushing the coolant; it runs a lot cooler at slow speeds.  What a relief!  We also upgraded the converter charger to a 60 amp.  This makes running multiple DC powered equipment less frustrating.
     The last place we stayed was Galveston Bay RV Resort.  I had a blast here.  Meet some wonderful people. Did a little too much drinking and partying.  It had been so long since we hung out we other people. I do miss them and wonder what they are doing.
So we are going to the Houston Space Center before leaving.  Anthony has been wanting to go forever. No way we are leaving without going on a tour!

Sunset at Galveston Bay RV Reort