Heading South in Texas

Thursday, 19 December
Somewhere on TX-35 South

After four nights in Pensacola, we’re on the final leg of a five-day trip that will end in Port Aransas today.

We didn’t do much more than chores and errands while in Pensacola.  Using a run to Joe Patti’s to stock up on fresh fish and shrimp as an excuse, we did squeeze in lunch at McGuire’s Irish Pub into our schedule — yummy Senate bean soup and naked fish & chips as good as always.  We had hoped to share that lunch with Chuck and Anneke (of Goldenshoe RV Trip fame), but since both Anneke and I were nursing colds, we postponed the meet-up until the next time our paths cross.

We left Pensacola bright and early on Sunday, 15 December.  The lack of traffic made for an easy day of driving.  We were unfortunately witness to two sad events en route.  The first was a pick-up truck in flames along I-10W; at least the driver and passengers were standing safely outside the vehicle — something for which to be grateful.  The other was a man on the “wrong” side of the railing on the Horace Wilkinson Bridge in Baton Rouge.  The eastbound lanes of the bridge were locked down with traffic backed up for a couple of miles while the police were attempting to talk the man down (no pun intended).  I searched the web the next day hoping for news that they were successful, but the only item I found seemed to indicate that the man did in fact jump.  One has to wonder what would drive someone to take such a drastic step during the holiday season.

The first three days of our trip covered 548 miles (877 km) from Pensacola, FL to Houston, TX.

We drove 329 miles (526 km) on Sunday to overnight at the Frog City RV Park in Duson, Louisiana.  Tucked in behind a Super 8, and with easy access to I-10, this Passport America campground welcomed us not only with warm chocolate chip cookies, but a special Christmas treat as well!

Welcome treats from the Frog City RV Park!

We found Frog City to be quiet, clean, and well maintained with decently spaced pull-through FHU sites ($20.17 Passport America rate).  In fact, we would consider basing ourselves here to explore the Lafayette area when our travels take us back to Louisiana.

Phaeton settled into Site 14 between Green Frog Lane and Mystery Frog Lane.

After a good night’s rest, we were up Monday at 5:30a for what we hoped would be an early start to our next stop — Beaumont, TX.  After all, the reason we had driven all those miles the day before was to hopefully carve out some time on this day to stop by and say an unannounced hello to Judy (of Travels With Emma fame) at Anahuac NWR.  One look at the 35F (1.6C) on the thermometer had us delaying our departure until the temperature rose to a more comfortable 50F (10C).  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen until 10:00a, thus changing our plans for the remainder of this travel day.  (Sorry, Judy; we’ll catch you another time.)

The 128-mile (205 km) drive on I-10W was another easy one.  The only stop we made, other than to top off our diesel, was at the Orange Visitor Center just over the LA/TX stateline.  After picking up a selection of brochures and maps, we extended our rest break with a walk on the short boardwalk that leads out to the Blue Elbow Swamp.

Glimpse of the swamp and the end of the raised boardwalk at the Orange Visitor Center.

Our mid-day timing was less-than optimum for sighting any wildlife.  Nonetheless, we enjoyed the short walk in the sunshine, taking the time to read the informative panels along the way before returning to the coach for lunch.

Informative panels like these provide interesting information as one walks the swamp boardwalk.
[click for more legible versions if interested]

It was after 2:00p when we rolled into the Gulf Coast RV Resort in Beaumont, TX.  Could we have pushed onto Houston, our destination for the next two nights?  Absolutely.  However, we had a service appointment at Beaumont Freightliner the next morning.  Hence the overnight here.  Our reservation netted us a pull-through end site in the front row where we joined the rest of the transients for a one-night stay.  The $36 rate (with a 10% Good Sam discount), included breakfast in the club house served between 7-9:30a.

Little did we know that there was a Phaeton convention at the campground!
(not really, but that’s what it felt like with two other Phaetonites in the sites to our left.) 

After we were settled, Mui hopped in the car to go find the Freightliner shop.  Should have guessed things weren’t going to go the way we had planned when he returned to say all was good, but that there were only two RVs in the parking lot.  (More on that later.)  Anyway, as it was already 4:30p by then, we headed out for an early dinner at Pappadeux Seafood Kitchen nearby.  I neglected to take my camera, so no photos of the calamari and grilled flounder we shared; or the chocolate cake we doggie-bagged to eat at home later.  Suffice it to say that the food was good — if a bit overpriced for the area.

Tuesday morning we were up at 5:30a.  Again the temperature was 35F (1.6C).  Since we had an 8:00a appointment with Freightliner, however, we didn’t have the luxury of waiting for the day to warm up this time.  At 7:00a, we walked over to the club house to avail ourselves of the self-serve breakfast, which included biscuits and gravy as well as make-your-own waffles.  By 7:30a, we were parked at the Freightliner facility just a few miles down the road from the campground.

The Phaeton waiting for the Freightliner service bays to open for business.

Mui went to the service counter and had the ticket written up for our annual maintenance work.  8:00a came and went with no sign of anyone coming to take the Phaeton into a service bay.  Normally, that wouldn’t bother us as we know that truck centers often run on a different schedule.  This time, though, Mui was antsy to get going as we had business to take care of in Houston, and he didn’t know how long that would take.  So, when 9:00a also came and went with no sign of any movement, he made the decision to cancel the service and move on.  Technically, we have until February-March 2014 to get our annual service done, so we’ll try again after the first of the year — this time at an RV service center.

(Once we’re settled in one place for a while, we will question Gaffney about Beaumont Freightliner’s membership in the Oasis Network.  This network is, in their words, “tailored to the motorhome customer.”  From what we saw, that’s not the case in Beaumont.)

The short 87-mile (139 km) drive to Houston was uneventful.  With helpful hints from the Z’s, our Texas-based friends and fellow-Phaetonites, we navigated easily through the non-rush hour traffic to a campground MBZ had suggested.  Located just off the South Freeway, and 11 miles (18 km) from the Galleria area where most of our business was centered, Advanced RV Resort turned out to be the perfect place for a two-night stay.  The gated facility was well-maintained, with none of the clutter that usually marks campgrounds that have a large resident population.  Our pull-through FHU site came to $45/night with the Good Sam discount.  Yes, a little pricey, but worth it for the convenience and comfort factor.

The Phaeton in site 810 at Advanced RV Resort.

We made short work of settling into our site.  By 12:30p, we were on our way to the Turkish Consulate to drop off the paperwork for a power of attorney and a few other documents that we needed to have verified.  We went there hoping that if we dropped off the paperwork on Tuesday that we could pick up the documents the next day.  Surprise, surprise!  They asked us to wait and we had everything we had come for in our hands within the hour.

The rest of our business in Houston went just as smoothly, and by 4:00p we were back at the campground for a quiet evening at home.

Unlike the beautiful blue skies that had welcomed us to Houston the previous day, Wednesday dawned foggy and overcast.  Neither lasted long, but for a while we could barely see the Houston skyline (seen in the photo above) through the haze.  Undeterred, we headed back into the city around 9:30a for a Costco shopping run before meeting the Z’s for lunch.

My online friendship with MBZ started what seems like ages ago when we exchanged information about past trips.  We had an opportunity to meet the Z’s in person for the first time in 2010 when we happened to be in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to embark on Caribbean cruises leaving within a day of each other.  Having hit it off so well then, we were really looking forward to getting together with them again … if only for a few hours.

At their suggestion, we met up at Danton’s for a delicious seafood lunch that included raw oysters and campechanas (both of which are pictured above).  Alas, we were having such a grand time that I completely spaced out having the waiter take a picture of us.  Oh well, next time.  And there will be a next time … hopefully sooner rather than later.

And thus we concluded our brief stay in Houston.  We were on the road south by 7:15a this morning.  But, that part of the story will have to wait until another time.  We’re about to take the Phaeton for its FIRST ferry ride.  I had better pay attention to make sure that Mui pays attention to the ferry loaders’ directions ;-)

A Mixed Bag

Monday, 17 December
Hunting Island State Park — South Carolina
Temps: lO 59f / hI 67f (15c / 19c)

A mixed bag of a day to be sure — weather-wise as well as the varied places we explored.

We started the day with a gorgeous sunrise and blue skies that were quickly replaced by a thick cloud cover that stayed with us while we were out and about exploring Saint Helena Island and Beaufort.  At least it was dry — until 1:46p when the skies opened up in a sudden downpour.  With a 70% chance of rain forecasted, we were not surprised.  Luckily, we had just arrived at the car after our last sightseeing stop, so we avoided being drenched.

By the time we arrived at the campground, the rain was really coming down.  So we settled in for a cozy afternoon at home.  Not so fast; Mother Nature added a bit of excitement into the mix when a tornado watch was issued until 9:00p.  Oh! Oh!  The good news is that the watch was canceled at 5:30p.  In the end, we only had to contend with a severe thunderstorm, which passed over the area around 4:45p.  It was a fast moving storm, and it didn’t linger long; but it hasn’t stopped raining since.  We sure are glad that our weather radio was on top of things and kept us informed even as we searched the weather radar sites for more information.  (The white arrow in the above radar image points to our approximate location.)

But that’s the bad weather news, and rather than dwell on it, I’ll go back to the simply glorious morning we woke up to.  A beautiful morning that invited us to take a walk on the beach even before we had breakfast.  Food can wait — got to make hay while the sun shines … isn’t that what they say?

A word about the bottom right photo … no there aren’t huge cliffs here at HISP;
Mui shot this photo of the edge of a tidal pool from a low perspective because
it reminded him of the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica — admittedly a very dirty ice shelf!

How's that for warming things up?

We walked as far as the “River Jordan” to see how it was doing.  I wanted to get a video of it when the tide was coming in, and then duplicate the scene as the tide went out this afternoon.  Needless to say, with the thunderstorm that came through, I didn’t make it back out there today.

19 seconds as the tide comes in.

We returned home before the incoming tide made the point near the campground impassable.  The temp was comfortable, and the sun was still shining, so we enjoyed a simple breakfast at the picnic table before heading out to explore sights nearby.

For a change of pace, we skip the trails and go to Fort Fremont and historic Beaufort.
(1) HISP [green]; (2) Fort Fremont [Yellow]; (3) Beaumont (red)

Fishing trawlers at the Gay Fish Company on Saint Helena Island.  Mui stopped by here on
Saturday to pick up some fresh shrimp and grouper to cook at home.  Hmmm, Hmmm good!

Our first stop was at Fort Fremont, which dates back to 1899.  We didn’t know what to expect of this place; just decided to go there because we saw a brown sign pointing to it near the intersection of Hwy 21 and Martin Luther King Blvd (aka Lands End Road).

MLK Boulevard — aka Lands End Road — is a lovely drive with beautiful oak trees
reaching out from either side to create a natural tunnel.

It turns out that the fortifications are within a preserve.  Unfortunately, they are not in the greatest shape.  In fact, there are signs at the entrance warning visitors to explore at their own risk.  So we did.

From what I have since read, at the onset of the Spanish-American War, a clapboard hospital that stood on the site was demolished and replaced with a concrete building and the fortifications we saw today.  The fort, which was designed to protect Port Royal Sound, was named after General Charles C. Fremont, a leading figure in liberating California from Mexico.

According to Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, “Fort Fremont is said to have
been the most expensive of all beaufort area forts and perhaps the most useless,
because no shot was ever fired from the fort.”

The Batteries are overgrown with vegetation and the walls are covered with moss and graffiti.

Pictured in the bottom right is Battery Fornance.  The guns that once armed this
battery, and Battery Jessup as well, are long gone.

Our next stop was an unexpected find not far from the fort — Chapel of Ease.  Constructed around 1740, this was apparently a place of worship built as sort of an annex to the main parish church in Beaufort so that local planters and their families could attend services on a regular basis.  The chapel, which was made a church in its own right after the Revolution, burned down in a forest fire in 1886.

A glimpse of tabby walls through draperies of Spanish moss invited us to stop and explore.
(Tabby is a mixture of shell, lime, and water; it was used by lowcountry planters for construction.)

Scenes from around the ruins of the Chapel of Ease.
Mui decides the Spanish moss makes nice pigtails!

According to the National Register, “the church was virtually abandoned when the
planters evacuated the area in the fall of 1861.  During the Federal occupation of
Saint Helena, the church was used frequently by several of the northerners who
had come to the island to educate and train the freedmen.”

From here, we drove to Beaufort.  Initially, our plan was to just find a hardware store so Mui could pick up some EternaBond to repair a small crack in one of the rails of the Phaeton — he found something else at a marine shop instead.  Anyway, seeing as how we were so close to the town’s waterfront park, we decided to check it out.  Despite the overcast, it turned out to be a good place to eat our packed-lunch before spending an hour wandering the national landmark historic district.  Oh, and yes, somewhere in there we got some chocolate fetish ice cream from Southern Sweets.  The name says it all … and all I can say is, yummm!

The Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park is all decked out for the holidays.
The gentleman with the gold lamé neckwear is Thomas Heyward Jr, one of the
signers of the Declaration of Independence and a favorite son of the state.

Originally constructed in 1799, the Beaufort Arsenal is home to a museum as well as
a visitor information center; we stopped by to pick up a map from the latter.

Left: Built in the 1800s, the William Elliott house was renamed “The Anchorage”
by a retired naval officer who bought the house in the early 1900s.

Right: The maxcy-Rhett house is known as “Secession House” because it was “the scene
of many informal discussions and formal meetings  during the 1850s by the Rhetts and
their allies advocating secession and southern independence.”

Our last stop in the city was Saint Helena’s Episcopal Church, established in 1712 and celebrating 300 years as a place of worship.  The docent who greeted us when we stepped inside for a quick look-see explained that the church, which was was erected in 1724, gained its current size in 1842.  Local history has it that the church was used as a stable by the British during the Revolution, and as a hospital during the Civil War.

The wooden altar was carved by the crew of the USS New Hampshire while
the warship was docked in the harbor during Reconstruction.

According to the docent, of the 1000 graves in the attached cemetery, 800 or so have been identified.  He also pointed out that amongst those buried are two British Revolutionary officers and three American generals.  As well, we saw several graves marked with flags to honor veterans who were interred here.

The grave in the top left photo dates back to 1776.
the bottom middle photo is the oldest grave in the cemetery; it dates back to 1724.

This is about when we started feeling a light sprinkle, but the downpour kindly held off until we were back at the car so that we wouldn’t be soaked.

Not wanting to end this post at the cemetery, I left my favorite photo from today as the last one.

A tricolored heron and a great egret keeping company in the swamp.
These birds were quite distant, and the heron blended into the environment
so well that I didn’t even notice it until I looked at my photos later.

Well, this brings us to the end of our stay at HISP; tomorrow is moving day.  If one is to believe the weather forecasters, the rain is supposed to end overnight and we’re supposed to have a dry day to continue our way south.  We shall see!