The Murals of Downtown Harlingen

At first glance, there isn't much about Harlingen that makes it stand out from any other small town in south Texas. The warm weather is the primary draw for most people who flock here during the winter months. But as is usually the case, there is a hidden gem or two everywhere you go if you just take the time to look for it. For us, it was the murals painted on the walls of buildings in downtown Harlingen. Dan and I took a walk one day with our camera and map, and went on a mural treasure hunt. Below are some of the pictures we captured that day.

Tropic Winds RV Resort, Harlingen, Texas

The Rio Grande Valley, located in the southernmost tip of South Texas, lies along the northern bank of the Rio Grande River, which separates Mexico and the United States. The Valley is a haven to Winter Texans, which consist mostly of retired people who migrate annually from the cold North American climates to stay for varying lengths of time between October and May each year. Approximately 150,000 trekkers make the Valley their temporary home each winter in the 300-400 RV Parks located here.  

We chose to make the Tropic Winds RV Resort our 2012-2013 Winter Home in order to reconnect with other RV'ing friends and play lots of golf in the warm southern climate. Warm it is, but windy too, with more windy days than not, which neither Dan nor I liked at all. And although we probably won't return to this area in the future, we were able to take advantage of this location to golf, take day trips to Mexico, visit South Padre Island and Port Isabelle, and most of all spend time with friends.

Here are some pictures taken at Tropic Winds RV Resort.

 

Harlingen, Texas (Winter 2012-2013)

We are often asked "Where do you spend your winters?" One of the absolute perks about this lifestyle is the ability to take your home where the weather suits your clothes (to quote Harry Nilsson), so as much as we love being Up North in the summer, come wintertime, we definitely start heading Down South. So far, we haven't settled on one location that we return to each year. We've been to Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas for one reason or another over the 6 winters (counting this one) that we've been traveling full time. This winter we returned to the Rio Grande Valley, or as the locals call it The Valley, or The RGV, in deep Southern Texas.
 
We spent about six weeks in the RGV our first winter on the road in the town of Mission ( Mission, Texas ). This time we are about 40 miles further east, in a town called Harlingen, which sits right on the Gulf of Mexico. Initially this sounded great to me! I was thinking "oh wonderful, tropical climate, warm days, nice sea breeze, and easy living!" But in reality there are a lot of hot and humid days (or freezing cold), and many days with high winds, as opposed to gentle breezes. So much for the fantasy…

But we are also here to be with some of our RV friends, to play lots of golf, and renew old friendships, and this is a definite positive. I also decided that if the world gives you lots of wind, then a pinwheel garden is an absolute must!