Heading West: First Stop Fredericksburg, Texas

The day finally arrived when it was time to leave Harlingen, Texas to start heading west. Having already voiced my opinion on Deep South Texas, you probably won't be surprised to hear that I was more than ready to leave. But no matter where you are, after you spend four months in one spot, you do end up forming attachments. In our case, old friendships were renewed, and new friendships made; the friendly staff in our favorite Mexican restaurant knew what we wanted without having to ask; we had bonded with the local golf course. In subtle ways, Harlingen, like everywhere else we stay, had taken on shades of "home". So even though we were both more than ready to move on, there was still just a twinge of sadness when it came time to say goodbye.

We left Harlingen yesterday (March 26th), planning to arrive in San Diego on April 5th. This gives us 11 days to get there, about twice what we need, so we decided to meander our way west, stopping along the way for a day or two, here and there, if something looks interesting. Yesterday we got 350 miles and stopped in Fredericksburg, Texas for two nights. Our original intention was to take a day to play golf at the 18-hole golf course attached to the RV Park where we are staying. But unbeknownst to us, today was set aside for a high school golf tournament, so we weren't able to get a tee time. Instead, we took advantage of the Ladybird Johnson Live Oak Nature Trail, also on the park grounds, and were treated to beautiful birds, lazy streams, blossoming trees, and winding trails through a butterfly habitat, riparian woodlands, and meadows of blooming blue bonnets (lupine). The trail abuts the golf course we couldn't play on, and you might notice how forlorn and wistful Dan looks as he studies the course in the picture below. I think he enjoyed the hike anyway! J

 

 

Visit From a Friend

In August, Jim Esarte, a good friend of ours from Sacramento, flew to Michigan to spend a couple of weeks visiting with us. Jim had never been to this part of the country, and since we were here, it gave him a good reason to make the trip. We tried to cram as much activity as possible into those two weeks! We played a lot of golf and made several day trips to nearby towns and tourist destinations. We also attended one of the Elk Viewing Rides & Gourmet Dinners, as well, so Jim could get a feel for Thunder Bay Resort. When Dan and I had work obligations, Jim struck out on his own and explored surrounding areas.

One of our visits took us to Traverse City, "The Cherry Capitol of the World", and the second most popular tourist destination in the state behind Mackinaw City. After spending a couple of hours shopping in the quaint downtown area, we drove on to Petoskey to the Odawa Casino for dinner and a little gambling. On another day we drove to Mackinaw City and took the ferry to Mackinac Island where we spent the afternoon walking across the small Island, exploring and looking for the perfect fudge shop.

Another outing took us to Sault Ste Marie in Michigan, where we stopped by the Soo Locks, then crossed the international bridge into Sault Ste Marie in Ontario, Canada for a quick tour. The Soo Locks allow ships to travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes and pass an average of 10,000 ships per year in spite of the locks' being closed during the winter (January through March) when ice shuts down shipping on the Great Lakes.

The three of us played several rounds of golf here at Thunder Bay, and Dan and Jim went to two other golf courses in the area as well.

We very much enjoyed Jim's visit and are very happy that he took the time to come all the way across the country to spend time with us this summer.

Hillman, Michigan

Two months ago we arrived in Hillman, Michigan. (I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to update our blog!) Hillman is a very small town (population 800), a village, actually, in northeast Michigan, about 25 miles inland from Lake Huron. Last September we heard about Hillman through a job advertisement from Thunder Bay RV and Golf Resort posted in our daily Workamper’s e-mail. The job description read “Summer on Michigan's sunrise side at Thunder Bay Golf & RV Resort. Resort includes RV park, suites, villas & chalets; Championship Golf & our nationally acclaimed Elk Viewing Carriage Ride. Seeking friendly, enthusiastic, flexible Workamper couples to work 36 hours/week/couple in exchange for unlimited golf w/cart, Full Hook-up site, Wi-Fi & cable TV”. Since we had never been to Michigan before, and the lure of unlimited golf was hard to pass up, we decided to apply for the position. Fast forward to May, and here we are along with five other Workamper couples. The “jobs” have been split up among the twelve of us; I primarily help Linda with the gardening on and around the golf course, and Dan performs a variety of maintenance related tasks including splitting and stacking wood for the resort cabin, mowing greens on the golf course, sanding tees and greens, and whatever else comes up.

The weather has been very cool since we got here, and folks tell us it has been much cooler than usual this year. This is quite a change for us, coming from Sacramento and very hot summers! We are lucky to see a day over 75 degrees! I’m not complaining, mind you! I much prefer the milder weather. I’m also enjoying the slower pace of living in a small town. Folks here are incredibly friendly, and it’s true – everyone does seem to know everyone else. Everyday at noon and 6:00 p.m. the church bells ring, and since the church is right next door, I get to enjoy this even when I’m sitting inside my 5th wheel home. Local fruits and vegetables are starting to become available and it reminds me of growing up in Orangevale and eating fresh and local fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Most businesses close on Sunday and holidays, and even the newspaper we subscribe to is only delivered Monday – Saturday. There are some drawbacks – the closest Starbucks is 50 miles away, and we have to drive 25 miles to the nearest “big town” – population 11,000 - to take care of most of our business.

One of the draws to Thunder Bay Resort is the Elk Viewing Carriage Ride. Visitors are taken by horse-drawn carriages through the woods and treated to Elk viewing (a herd of Elk is maintained by the resort owners). Along the way visitors are entertained with stories about the resort, the owners, the Elk, and the history of the area. The ride culminates at the Resort Cabin where guests are served a gourmet meal prepared by Jan Mathias, one of the resort owners. Jack Mathias (Jan’s husband and the other owner) entertains guests with stories about Elk, his family, and will answers any questions visitors may have. Here is a link to Thunder Bay in case you want to check it out: http://www.thunderbaygolf.com/

My next posts will include some of the fun things we have done away from the resort since arriving in Michigan!

P.S. – Dan is enjoying the unlimited golf, and I have taken a few lessons and am beginning to enjoy it!

South Padre Island

Dan and I didn’t really know what to expect when we got here – having never been to this part of the country, and coming here only on the recommendation of other travelers who find the winter weather here very pleasant. And, the weather has been wonderful, as promised. Warm for the most part, a couple of cool days every once in a while, but usually warms right back up. No rain since we’ve been here, and most days are shorts and T-shirt weather. What we have discovered is the “Winter Texan” community. Most of the people at this and other RV parks in the area (and there are a LOT of RV parks around here) come for the winter, usually arriving in December or January and staying through March or April. Many folks are here from the mid-west and Canada. Once here, they form their own temporary community, and some people meet up here every year. Most people have a fixed residence they go back to, unlike Dan and me. There are some full-timers, though.

On December 28th, we took a drive to South Padre Island, the true southern-most tip of Texas on the Gulf of Mexico, to celebrate our “real” retirement date. South Padres is a very small beach community, mostly geared towards the tourist. The day we went happened to be cool and breezy (wouldn’t you know), but it felt like a real ocean climate. We walked on the beach, did a little window shopping, looked at the boats, had a nice dinner out, then came home. I attached some pictures from that visit.

There are lots of activities sponsored by our RV park; we get a monthly activity calendar with many different things to choose from, including outings (movies, lunch, trips to Mexico, shopping), crafts, game nights (Pokeno, Poker, Bingo), line dance lessons, potlucks. You could be busy every single day if you wanted to. Dan and I have participated in a few things – I made cookies for the Christmas cookie exchange; we came to the Christmas dinner potluck; and we attended the New Year’s Eve party. And, as shocking as it was to me, Dan and I sang a karaoke tune together at the New Year’s Eve party!! And, it was my idea!! And, even more unbelievable, this morning Dan and I came up to the club house for line dance lessons. We learned a few basic steps and danced to “Electric Glide” and “Achy Breaky” heart. Six months ago, you could not have told me I would be doing this, I would never have believed you! But it was fun, and great exercise!! Well, like they say, “When in Rome…”. We will be leaving this area in a couple of weeks. Who knows what we will find ourselves doing at our next stop!

Next Stop: Back to Albuquerque, NM, for a brief ski trip in Taos.

Golf in Livingston & a Fond Farewell

Anyone who knows Dan knows that he likes to golf. One thing he will do in a new town is check out the local courses, and if the opportunity presents itself, he will try to play a round or two before we leave the area. Livingston has one golf course, named of all things, Livingston Golf Course, and Dan was able to get in two rounds during the five plus weeks we were here. I don’t play, but Dan tells me this was a somewhat challenging course and that he was happy with his game, especially his last round. I walked through the course with Dan when he was taking the pictures, and I can say that it was very green, tree-filled, and pretty. I attached a couple pictures of the golf course, one of Lake Livingston, and one from the Sam Houston National Park.

We are leaving Livingston on Saturday, December 1st. We spent enough time here to take care of our Texas residency requirements, to become familiar with the Escapees RV Club Headquarters, and enjoy a travel hiatus. We took a brief trip back to Sacramento (by plane) for Thanksgiving, and have spent the time since coming back preparing for our next move. On Saturday we head for Mission, Texas which is in the southern most tip of the state, just a few miles from the Mexican border. The weather in Mission next week is predicted to be in the mid to high 80’s for the highs, and in the mid 60’s for the lows.

We really enjoyed our stay in Livingston, but as Tom Petty would say, “Its time to move on, time to get going, what lies ahead I have no way of knowing, but under my feet, baby, grass is growing, its time to move on, it s time to get going”.