We’re Baack!

Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Gulf Waters RV Resort — Port Aransas, Texas
Temps: Hi 73F (23C) / Lo 71F (22C)

Actually, we returned from our trip to Europe on 14 November.  Hard to believe it has been nearly two weeks since we left NCL Jade in the Port of Houston following a 16-day cruise across the Big Pond.  We’ve been keeping busy with “getting settled again” chores, so perhaps the quick passage of time shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Hello Port of Houston!                                                                 

Before driving south to our home pad in Port Aransas, we stayed in Houston for a few days to provision the Phaeton — still no Costco in Port A.  As usual, we booked a site at Advanced RV Resort, but this time we were assigned site 113 … in what I think might be the older section of the park.  They actually have more mature trees here, which is great for shade.  Mui was concerned about getting a satellite signal, but we pulled up close to the front of the site and had no problem in that respect.

Site 113 at Advanced RV Resort in Houston.

Another reason for our stay in Houston was to have new tires installed on the Phaeton.  We had hoped to put this expense off another year, but when Mui noticed some weather-cracks on the tires, the decision was taken out of our hands — safety always comes first.

Using FMCA’s Michelin Advantage Program, we gained a small discount on the purchase of the tires.  This required giving FMCA a credit card number and email address to register for the program.  Then it was just a matter of working with a tire service company — we chose Beasley in Houston — to secure the tires through FMCA/Michelin and have them installed.  We had made our appointment for the install before leaving the US, and Mui finalized the remaining details remotely while we were in Turkey to ensure the tires would be in stock when we showed up at Beasley on Monday, 16 November.

[As an aside, Mui looked at other tire brands, discussed the options with Beasley, and did some additional research on the web before committing to the Michelins.  Yes, there are less expensive options out there, but for the weight of our coach, the Michelins proved to be the best match.]

Phae gets new shoes!

In to the service bay at Beasley at 8:00a as promised, the tires were balanced and installed, and the front end alignment completed, within the three hours we were told the job would take.  We found the guys at Beasley-Houston to be very professional and efficient, and would recommend them to anyone who is looking for similar service.

Our original intent had been to stay overnight in Houston after the tire install and drive to Port A the next day.  But the forecast for a major storm with heavy rains and strong winds had us revisiting our plans and leaving Houston as soon as the tire install was completed.

Leaving Houston for Port Aransas a day early — overcast, but no rain or wind.

The drive to Port Aransas is a fairly straight shot for us.  This one was no different … uneventful except for a delay between Houston and Rosenberg due to construction.  By 4:30p, we were in Aransas Pass, making our way to the ferry for the crossing to Port A.

Driving down Hwy 361, we’re greeted by an offshore oil rig — in for maintenance?

The overhead displays on Hwy 361 showed the standard 15-minute wait time for the ferry, but our wait was negligible — just long enough for the ferry to dock and the loaders to determine the balance of vehicles.  Within minutes we were on our way across the Corpus Christi Channel.

Phae is in the middle of the Corpus Christi Channel on a ferry …

… not unlike the one that we see crossing from Port Aransas to Aransas Pass.

Can’t resist a quick shot of the mural we can see out the driver’s side window.

The sun is starting to set, but we still have time to …

… get off the ferry and make the short drive to our GWRVR pad before it gets dark.

The days since have been filled with chores — both indoors and outdoors.  We gave ourselves a few days before resuming our daily beach walks, but have found our rhythm now and walk about three miles each day.  Our medical/dental appointments have been lined up and will be completed before we leave on our winter road trip.  In other words, we’re settled into the “we’re at home” routine.

It’s a jungle out there!  Our landscaping flourished over the summer, giving us lots of
privacy from our neighbors; Mui has his work cut out taming all the plants and trees.

Forget about the dental appointment, let’s enjoy a delicious key lime pie at Doc’s.

With winter at hand, the small birds that used to visit us are no longer around.  But fear not.  The usual suspects — snowy egrets, little blue herons, great blue herons, gulls, and of course, grackles galore — come around every day, including our very own 747.

This Great Blue Heron — nicknamed 747 for the way it comes
whooshing in to fish at our pond — is a daily visitor at our site.

And thus this post catches us up with where Phaeton Journeys is now.  Since we’re here through December, I can officially post an overview map to wrap up our 2015 Phaeton travels.

The Phaeton traveled 3,307 miles (5,291 km) in 2015 — in Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico.
The lowest price we paid for diesel this year: $2.29/gallon (~60¢ per liter) in November.

With the new year, we will begin our fourth year of fulltiming.  We will start it off with a road trip.  As things stand now, the plan is to explore the Big Bend area of Texas with our friends, the Zs.  We will then go our own way to do a short loop that will take us into southern New Mexico before we return to Port A by the end of March.  Admittedly, it will be a short road trip, but it will get the wheels turning again.

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For those interested in our international travels … I have committed myself to at least writing about the three weeks we spent in Rome this fall.  The first post is here if you care to follow along on my Two to Travel blog; two other posts are already up.  If you’d rather just see some photos, check out the September archive for “Post”cards uploaded in-real-time starting with this post.

If time permits, I’d like to write about the rest of our fall travels of course — the Mediterranean cruise on Oceania’s Nautica; this year’s month-long family visit in İzmir, Turkey, which included a weekend in Chios, Greece; and the TransAtlantic cruise back to the US aboard NCL’s Jade.  But only time will tell if I get to them.  In case I don’t, however, I have linked to the summary posts for each above.  And let’s not forget Mui’s family trip to Switzerland — the one and only post for that is here … it will have to suffice since he refuses to sit down and write about it ;-)

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