Wadsworth, Texas (GA379)

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 5,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

I’m currently in my 23rd year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

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The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails Thunderbird RV Resort in Monroe, Washington. I’ll depart here June 25th.

 

Since my RVing life is changing (see above), I’m starting to re-visit previously visited places. So rather than constantly re-blogging past entries, I’ve decided to do something different.

 

In 2011-2013, Mary and I did a 682 day, 12,679 miles in the motorhome and 8,000 miles in the Bronco, circumnavigation of the United States, which I called The Great Adventure. I called it so because other than my oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in June in Connecticut, I didn’t know where we would be going or when we would be there!

 

So, unless I do something really different and unusual warranting a new blog entry, I’ll be posting entries from that trip.

 

 

 

This entry was posted January 26, 2013…

 

 

 

Yesterday we drove the motorhome the about 20 miles from Palacios, Texas to the Farm To Market Road 521 Colorado River Trail parking area along the Colorado River near Wadsworth, Texas where we spent last night. We are visiting with some folks who belong to the WIN (Wandering Individual Network), my ex-singles RV group of which I was a member from 1997 to 2007…my BM (before Mary) days. We’ll move on later this morning.

 

 

You may have noticed recently that we have been slowly moving north and as we follow the Texas Gulf of Mexico Coast…east. The reason is because on February 6th, we have reservations to enter Sam Houston Jones State Park at Lake Charles, Louisiana for a one-week stay while we enjoy Mardi Gras!

 

 

Here are some of the photos that I took. With the exception of the last photo who are WIN’s, all other people in the photos just happened to be fishing here along the river…

 

 

 

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every afternoon afternoon at 4:00 PM, Win’s have a social gathering. Including Mary and myself, yesterday’s gathering had a total of eight travelers…

 

 

Meeting up with old friends is another joy of the full-time RVing lifestyle!!!

 

 

Here’s a Google Earth image of our location. The X marks our location…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Texas. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…(look closely on the Texas coast…)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

 

 

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

 

 

 

 

 

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! MARY WROTE A MANY GREAT BLOGS…SO WHENEVER SHE PUBLISHED A BLOG POSTING THE SAME DAY THAT I DID…YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ HER BLOG BY CLICKING THE BELOW LINK! DO IT NOW!

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/a-meet-and-greet-with-wins/

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

Forecast for today is partly sunny and 84 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Washington. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

 

 

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

 

 

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 700 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://get.google.com/albumarchive/110455945462646142273?source=pwa

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

 

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2018

FREEPORT TEXAS

Yesterday, when I got up, the moon was shining through  a bank of clouds. The mist off the river gave the park lighting a misty yellow glow.

The whole campgrounds looked surreal and beautiful.

Then, the sun struggled  through the mist in pink and purple hues.

The WINs were already finished with their hugs and mugs gathering  by the time I was finished with my therapy exercises I do each morning.

Paul, Garth and the two pats decided to visit Bay City.

Arlene handed out some persimmons she found. They are very small and of an oriental type I’d never seen before. Pat, on the left,  will be parting from the group after Mardi Gras New Orleans, but will rejoin them again before they head west. We all hugged goodbye and bid them a fond farewell.

We arrived in Freeport and  got permission to stay for a night at the VFW. I liked Harvey’s hat and took a picture. This is a very active club and we learned that clubs that only serve beer are open to the public. If they serve booze, they are considered private. That is a Texas State rule.This club has computer gambling, as well, and is very active.

Freeport is a very industrial city and doesn’t have much to see, but we always head for the local museum. The city was organized around its sulfur deposits by Dow Chemical. Dow bought acreage and sold housing lots cheap and got a workforce. It grew from there.

A maritime  industry developed.

And, from museum to museum, it is a given that you will see hurricane damage and a town rebuilding. Freeport also straddles the Brazos river and has weathered floods over the years.

As usual, I find something interesting I’d not heard  before. An all woman Supreme Court?

If you travel with kids, this is a great museum for kids. Fun and educational.

It has a mini planetarium and we enjoyed it just as much as any kid. You lie back on bean bags and the sky story is narrated above you. (There wasn’t a kid, or another person in the museum.)

The museum had a huge room devoted to U.S. Presidents and elections. A replica of the oval office,  a table sized map of the United States explaining how the electoral college works.

Pictures of presidents and their most famous quotes while their most famous speeches are broadcast on a video. 

I had never heard this one from Nixon. I guess this wasn’t his most famous quote. I’m not sure how the quotes were picked. But, they do tell a story of the times.

We still deal with our liberties today. Have we learned anything from the past?

The museum was a bit short on artifacts, but I loved this gorgeous old organ. What beauty and craftsmanship to admire.

And, as a curiosity, this is the hand washing station in the men’s room. I guess you could call it a big sink. Today, we move to Galveston Island.

A MEET AND GREET WITH WINS.

From Palacios, Texas, we drove north toward Wadsworth where a bunch of WINs were camping on the Colorado River for a few days to go kayaking. WINs  stands for Wandering Individuals Network, a singles group Jim  belonged to for ten years.

When we arrived, the WINs were out, but Jim recognized their rigs.

We wandered down by the fishing docks and watched people fish. This woman said she was fishing for catfish.

Her husband hoped to catch a bass. He got one earlier but had to throw it back because it was too small.

On the next dock, this group said they were hoping to catch trout.

While standing there, the wind blew a plastic container with potato chips off the railing and into the water.

This young woman managed to snag it and drag it back up.

These two guys said they were hoping to catch some time away from home.

When the WINs returned from their daily excursion, we met them for cocktails at 4:00. It is a tradition to bring your drink, and snacks, and have a chat. Ellie is an old-time pal of Jim’s who has been on the road for over ten years full-time. Next to her is Paul, a newbie. Originally from Michigan, then a Californian from Modesto. Just retired and is a full timer.

Pat still keeps a house in Oakdale but travels in her rig for months at a time.

The group celebrated another Pat’s birthday. She is trying the lifestyle out. She is on the left. Arlene, on the right  is from West Virginia.

Garth, at the end of the table, is a retired school teacher and also new to life on the road and enjoying it.

The WINs are huggers and in the mornings they meet with MUGS and HUGS.  They start every day together and end it together before reporting to the privacy of their rigs. No one is required to take part in any planned activities. Ellie is the volunteer leader of this group traveling together as they move East. They plan their stops together and figure out where to dump and water and stay. There is something for everyone in this type of travel. I admire these women who have the guts to go it alone on the road in their respective rigs. I don’t know if I could do it by myself, even with the comfort of a group.

ELKS,PIGS AND WINS

Soggy, soggy, was our day. A bit of clearing in late afternoon sent us out to the Elks Club where a convocation of WINS was meeting. Jim left the WINS, which stands for Wandering Individuals Network, in 2007. Whenever he hears a group of WINS are meeting, he likes to reconnect with a group he really loved. There were ten rigs present at this venue, with more coming. And, likely we will run into them again as we head up the coast starting today. Margaret Murray, left, is a fellow blogger at http://www.mwmnewadventures.com/

Many women are afraid to travel alone and Margaret gives you an idea of what it is like. Check out her great blog.

I’m a new ELK member and was delighted to have a chance visit at the Harlingen Lodge. In their foyer, they have “Lucky” who collects money for Special Needs Children. In our Lodge #1587, Sonora, CA., each individual is given a purple pig to fill.

Every table in the lodge also has a red pig. Jim and I put our change in, but we saw no money in any of them. We enjoyed a couple of drinks with our friends, (you have instant hugging friends  with the WINS).

Then we headed back down 77 Sunshine Strip to pick up my bike at the bike shop. Don’t you just love the name of the street?

Birds gathered to enjoy the clearing weather, or maybe they are getting ready for National Bird Day, that’s today. I hope I can get a few nice bird pictures while we visit South Padre Island.