South Texas Again - Actually all the way down to the RGV

 Our first trip of 2021 - we decided that we wanted get away from the cold, and, since, we never really spent much time in the RGV (Rio Grande Valley), we decided that that was the place to go.

We spent quite awhile finding an RV Park that we liked, but did finally decide on Palmdale RV Park in Los Fresnos, TX.  

We left Plano on Tuesday, January 5th and drove about half way to a little town called Luling.  It was a beautiful day so we were outside after getting setup.

Across the way there was a field of goats - lots of them!

The next day we drove to Los Fresnos, got checked in, and found our site.  A nice back-in with no one behind us.

Judy liked this tree at our neighbors next door.

And what would Palmdale RV Park be without palm trees??

Temps have been nice, with a few exceptions here and there.

They do require masks in any of the buildings - office, library, game room, laundry, etc.

Some people take it a step farther:

I have been walking around the park as much as possible and have noticed that all sites are extemely large.

On Saturday we drove over to South Padre Island to have lunch with Catherine and John.  

Just before you leave Port Isabel to cross over the causeway, there is this lighthouse.

And then the bridge across the causeway.

Cat is a friend of Julie's - they both graduated from Texas Womens University.  We met them here.

Had a nice lunch and then sat and got caught up on their lives here in Brownsville.

After lunch Judy and I took a ride up the gulf road until we came to a parking lot where you could go out on the beach.

It was a nice, sunny day but rather cool out here so we didn't spend much time there.

Last Saturday we met Cat and John again for lunch in downtown Brownsville at the Oyster Bar - one of their favorite places.  And we can see why.  We all had shrimp, their specialty and fries and cole slaw.  It was excellent.  (Sorry, no pictures).

After lunch they drove us around Brownsville to see some of the sites.

No need to explain this one---

We found the U. of Texas (RGV) and saw the area.

There were many other buildings on this campus, but, unfortunately, we only got this one.  Just happens to be morgue, and, the building is on a slant so the blood can run down the drain.  Nice, huh?

Had a fountain for pictures.

This was a cotton gin back in the day.  At the other end of this complex  was another tall building like the one shown here.

Saw this stately house.

We took a short walk down this dry creekbed.

There is a story behind this but my memory is too short!!

I do have to commend John on his knowledge of the area - he grew up here so he is extemely knowledgable.  We were so busy listening to him and looking at everything he was showing us that we had no time for notes!!

On Wednesday Judy and I drove over to SPI again for breakfast at this place - Pier 19.  Its a great place to eat and it sits on a dock.  

A couple of years ago we came down here in October with Dave and Nancy and parked at the KOA Campground that is right next to this restaurant.  So we did eat here a couple of times back then.

Portions are good - Judy had biscuits and gravy with potatoes and I had eggs, potatoes, sausage, and biscuits.  It was excellent.  Total bill with drinks was about $18.

It was very windy and the waves were causing a little movement.  Of course we couldn't get any pictures, but dolphins were doing their thing while we watched!!

Cactus are one of Judy's favorite things so she found a growing cactus in the park and cut off a couple of pieces.  It's amazing how fast they take hold and start to grow.

SpaceX has a launch site here in Brownsville, and, there are launches quite regularly.  We had hoped to at least visit the site but both times we drove over there, we were stopped about 15 miles away becuase they were doing testing.  

Anyway, here is a picture:

SpaceX conducts 3 successful rocket tests in single day in South Texas

Sandra Sanchez

2 weeks ago

SpaceX successfully conducted multiple tests of its raptor engines on its Starship prototype on Jan. 13, 2021. The prototype is similar to this spacecraft, seen sitting on the SpaceX launch pad in South Texas near Boca Chica Beach on Nov. 30, 2020. (Border Report File Photo/Sandra Sanchez)

Would like to have seen one go up, but I guess it wasn't in the cards!

On Monday, 2/1, we leave for Canyon Lake, which is about an hour north of San Antonio, for a week.  We were there last October and liked the campground, so we are going back.