Texas is Home for the Winter

  After our hopes of enjoying Austin in the winter were deflated by bad weather, we licked our wounds and decided to head towards Shreveport, LA for Randy's next assignment. After all that drama, we were ready to say goodbye to Texas! Before we left the area, I was able to find a little respite at South Shore Park.  It is located just north of Bastrop, Texas and less than 30 minutes from where Randy and I were currently finding refuge from the floods.
  The park is one of a handful of natural areas maintained by the Lower Colorado River Authority. South Shore Park was a great find, and because we stayed during the week, it was pretty quiet.  I nabbed site #12, a spacious spot that had plenty of privacy and was waterfront to Lake Bastrop.  Hiking, canoeing and fishing are big draws for the park and I wish we had more time to enjoy everything.  We did, however, hike to North Shore Park which is also owned and maintained by the LCRA. It was the longest of about a half dozen nicely trails on the ground. As long as you don't attempt to hike in the dark like Randy, the trails are clearly marked.  Roundtrip, we totaled close to 10 miles of hiking that day  through the woods and along the lake's edge.  Randy climbed a very tall pine tree while I watched and waited to call 911, but he got down triumphantly with no mishaps...not bad for an "old" man!
  While we were staying in Bastrop,  Randy discovered on Facebook that one of our Gulf Coast Diplomacy guests, Bashar, was visiting the Austin area with his girlfriend.  It was such a nice surprise that they were able to drive over and visit us while camping at South Shore.  Unfortunately, because we were headed out of town, there was only time for us to share a glass of wine.  I hope that we continue to have serendipitous meetings with old friends when we travel, and I have a hunch that we will see those two again.
  Since we planned on overnighting somewhere on the way to Shreveport, I navigated us toward an Airstream park a friend at Tennessee Cumberland Plateau (TCP campground) recommended. Willis is a long time Airstreamer that is our neighbor in Tennessee's Airstream park.  He previously owned two lots at Texas Airstream Harbor (TAHI) and suggested we stop by there to see if it might be suitable for us as a winter base camp.  Based on his description of the park,  I was not sure if I would like the place.  As a matter of fact, when we arrived at TAHI,  we were immediately underwhelmed.  Although the park sits on the banks of a tree-lined 140,000 acre lake,  the sites themselves are not heavily wooded and seem rather small.  Many tenants have corrugated metal cabanas and parking structures in addition to an Airstream.  As a result, he park has a very industrial feel and doesn't exude much charm.
  After just a few days, the neighborhood began to grow on us.  It is a gated community with about 100 sites in addition to a large clubhouse with the usual amenities of a commercial kitchen, dining area, meeting room, library and laundry.  However,  it was our initial impression of the people that made us fall for TAHI.
  Our arrival coincided with a Texas Gulf Coast rally and it was suggested that we park next to the clubhouse with the hopes that we would find an interest in attending.  Not long after we had parked and made ourselves at home, someone drove up to our site and loaned us a golf cart for the duration of our stay.  Someone else invited us to a potluck that evening and told us not to worry about bringing anything because his wife was bringing two dishes. Yet another person dropped by to admire Peggy and Beau. We quickly figured out that the neighborhood was very dog friendly....we were smitten.
  During dinner that night, Randy inquired about the availability of memberships in the park.  We were introduced to the neighborhood president and he gave us a tour of the streets and available
sites.  There was one site in particular that we fell in love with immediately.  It is flanked by large trees and has a wonderful water view of the lake.  We found out that it was one of the sites that Willis had owned previously and that was all we needed to know to cement the purchase of the lease.  We have found our winter home.

Our neighborhood waterfront at Lake Sam Rayburn.

Peggy enjoying a wade at the lake.

Our "Lot by the Lake."

Our lake view.

Ranman teaching me how to back up the tractor to load raked leaves.

San Marcos, Texas

  Okay, we have finally arrived in the Austin area. This has been a dream destination for us for quite some time. Unfortunately, I did not do my homework and didn't inquire about a park for the Tin Zen Den until about a month before we were leaving Tennessee. Big mistake! Apparently, there are what is known as Winter Texans.  Hundreds, maybe thousands of people,  all have fleeing to Texas from the cold weather on their minds.  We refer to those kinds of people as "Snowbirds" and I thought they all came to Florida!  Because of this fatal error, Randy and I found ourselves in San Marcos, which is about 45 minutes south of Austin.
  Our first night in San Marcos, Randy and I went out to try barbecue at Black's, a famous Texas style barbecue joint in Lockhart. The barbecue was delicious, and we especially loved the beef ribs. We were hoping that the smoked brisket would make us say "AAAhh, this is what all the fuss is about" but I guess we are just not brisket lovers.

  San Marcos is a sizable enough town, having a population of about 60,000 people.  It has all the shopping and conveniences most Americans require, two huge outlet malls, and is the home of Texas State University. The downside is that the RV park where we are staying is along the banks of the San Marcos river.  Why is that a downside you ask????  Well, the park flooded last Memorial Day, Halloween of last year,  and guess what...it flooded this Halloween eve, too.
  Of course, we didn't find out about all the flooding until we got here.  Right before Ranman left for his assignments to the cold and frozen north, there was a close call with a weekend of rain.  Luckily, the river never breached the banks and all was well.  However, the following weekend (Halloween) more rain was expected and I didn't think much of it because in my mind, thunderstorms don't have much rain.  Ha ha ha! I remember the rain starting very early in the morning on Friday the 30th, around 2 am and it didn't quit for several hours.
  Once the sun came up, there was a lot of commotion outside. Someone was driving around in their car and honking the horn repeatedly.  I didn't want to believe it was because of a flood warning, so I got dressed and walked the dogs. Many people were standing around outside, discussing the weather and wondering if it was premature to start thinking about evacuating.  The rain finally stopped and the river hadn't crested the banks yet, so I thought everything was fine.  A few minutes later, the fire department is walking around banging on everyone's door and telling us we needed to leave ASAP.  There was flooding upstream from us and it was expected to happen to our park shortly.
  An older couple that I talked to while walking the dogs sent a park employee over to help me get our rig ready to go.  By the time he arrived, I already had everything packed up inside the trailer and was working on disconnecting our water and sewer lines.  I told him that I have never towed the Airstream before and he gave me a 5 minute tutorial on towing and a "good luck". I was in shock and scared to death and I still didn't know what to do with Austin, my Mini Cooper.  He suggested I drive it over to the office, but I didn't think that was far enough away from the river.
  I noticed two women that were traveling together and I stopped to ask if either of them knew how to drive a manual transmission.  Thankfully, they agreed to help me. I was able to drive the rig (Randy coached me over the telephone the whole way), Angie drove Austin, and Shirley drove their motorhome that was also towing a vehicle.  We decided that the local Walmart was a safe destination and it was just a few miles down the road.  Once we arrived, a local told us that the Blanco River we just crossed to get there, was close to breaching its banks.  In other words, we would be flooded in the parking lot if we stayed.
  The three of us conferred with another camper who said that he was going to Target, another 6 miles down the road.  Our little caravan finally made it to Target and that is where we rode out the storm.   I found out later from a staff member from the park that it had flooded 5 feet in some places and up to 15 in other areas.  As a result of the significant flooding, the park would not reopen for another 1-2 weeks. We were refugees in the Target shopping center with nowhere to go.

  Carnage left after the flood waters receded at the RV park. I am sooo happy Austin wasn't left behind!!!!

  Shirley wanted to eat at Panda Express after we all got situated at Target, so we trudged in the rain across the parking lot to find that it wasn't even open because of the weather.  We came back to the RVs and after I tried to unlock the trailer, it wouldn't open!  Somehow in all the commotion of the stormy weather, the upper lock on the door became engaged before I closed it and I was locked out.  I said out loud "What else can go wrong?"  Shirley and Angie quickly told me that I should never utter those words, plenty of bad things can happen!  Thankfully for us, nothing else did.
  Again, my Louisiana friends save the day because Shirley looked at one of the open windows and declared that she could climb in if I didn't mind having the screen removed.   Having taken "Locked Out of the Trailer, 101" previously in Navarre, Florida with Ranman, I said "Go for it"!  That previous lesson cost us $150 for the locksmith, this one will just require us to replace the screen ourselves for less than $20.
  The next day on Halloween, the three of us went on a field trip to New Braunfels to check out a potential park.  It turned out to not be so nice, but we did have an enjoyable lunch at a German restaurant.  We came back to our temporary home at Target and called nearly a dozen parks.... no one had room for us. Apparently, the parks were overflowing with other displaced campers in addition to having their own regular Winter Texans.
  I was finally able to locate a park that was on the way to my new friend's next destination and the Austin airport where I would be picking up Randy in a few days.   It is in a little town near Bastrop and is 45 minutes from San Marco.  The three of us banded together again and drove to the park, site unseen, that reserved spots for us.  I am happy to say that we all arrived safely and no RVs, cars or people were harmed during the journey.  Unfortunately, the park is not that great but it is high and dry!
  My new friends left the next day after making sure that I was safe in the new hood.  They were so much fun despite all the adversity we were up against. I couldn't have found nicer people than those two, it was definitely serendipity that I had the courage to ask for their help.   I hope to see them again when Ranman and I relocate to Shreveport, Lousiana next week.

Our Journey to Become Winter Texans

  After a 4 day trip from Tennessee, we have arrived south of Austin, Texas. The trip over was largely unimpressive with stops in Little Rock, Arkansas; Hot Springs, Arkansas; and Tyler, Texas. The one exceptional stay was our first stop in Natchez State Park, located in Wildersville, Tennessee. We had a beautiful site on the banks of Pin Oak Lake with a fantastic view of the Milky Way at night.  It was a short, but sweet stay. The morning of our departure rewarded us with a gorgeous sunrise and mist over the lake-so breathtaking!

Views from my roving yoga studio at Pin Oak Campground

  The most disappointing leg of our trip was Little Rock, Arkansas.  I have never thought much of Arkansas, but my new friends from Monroe, Louisiana assure me that it is a great destination. I took a few photos of the RV park downtown, it reminded me of a prison compound. The dismal neighborhood surrounding the park didn't add to its appeal. We decided against crossing the convenient pedestrian bridge to see Clinton's Presidential library and the downtown area.

Nice view of the city 

Pedestrian bridge to downtown

Riverfront spots at the park

  Okay, so these snapshots don't represent what I was describing, but believe me, you don't want to go there in the summer.  It was still quite hot in mid October and the park is nothing but a big dirt parking lot for camping rigs.  They locked us up behind a gate after 6pm and warned us if we forgot the code to get back in, we were just SOL.

  Hotsprings, Arkansas was equally as disappointing probably because I chose another awful RV park.  The people were very nice and the bathhouse was probably the nicest one we have seen since our tour began, but the sad looking gravel sites sitting closely next to each other just didn't do it for us. The tiny park had nice amenities but zero charm.
  Because we got in so late from Little Rock, there was not enough time to enjoy any of the spas.  We will have to save that for next time.  We did however, have time to eat.  The highlight of our stay was a Vietnamese restaurant that had excellent Pho!  I never would have thought that good Asian food was available in Arkansas.
  Our first glimpse of Texas was interesting. The area around Tyler, Texas doesn't look or feel like what I thought Texas should be.  There were small rolling hills and lots of oak trees. It reminded me a lot of Georgia or Alabama, except for the increasing numbers of ranches we passed.  There were cows, cows, and more cows.
 

Tennessee Cumberland Plateau Campground

  Tennessee has not disappointed us at all, but then again I have always wanted to live near the mountains.  Our current location is at an Airstream park near Crossville, a town located equidistant to Chattanooga and Knoxville.  It is a sizable neighborhood, with almost 135 sites situated on over 350 acres on the Cumberland Plateau.  There are numerous, short trails on the property, a seven acre manmade lake that is in need of repair because it has "sprung a leak," a community garden, a clubhouse with commercial kitchen, a library, a media room, and modern bathrooms with showers.

Snapshots of the shrinking lake

  Most of the sites have ports that cover the Airstream and a covered porch area that usually doubles the living area of the RV.  Randy and I first thought it odd that these huge structures were built to cover the Airstreams, but then we were told that the area gets frequent hail and ice storms. Many sites are landscaped and some even have charming spaces tucked behind the trailer that are "secret" gardens. The "campground" is laid out very much like a subdivision of patio homes, except that it is heavily wooded with many mature trees.  Overall, it is a very lovely setting that I could imagine us staying at often during the spring through late autumn.
  The town of Crossville, itself has an interesting history. During the Great Depression, the federal government created a project to provide farms for hundreds of impoverished families called Cumberland Homesteads. The homes that were built for the farms have a distinct architecture incorporating local stone that is quarried in the area.  Many of the homes still stand today and continue to add to the beauty and charm of the area.
  My Airstream neighbors here are extremely friendly and have taken me under their wing when Randy leaves for his assignments.  I was invited out to a normally "resident only" day trip because I was here alone and for some reason, there is an interest in keeping us happy here.  We ventured out to the Lodge Cast-iron Factory store and then had a pleasant, but not especially tasty lunch at a restaurant, The Cookie Jar Cafe.  There are hundreds of vintage cookie jars on ledges above the dining area and on shelves throughout the room.  It is a very popular dining destination that serves country style home cooking. They also sell cakes, pies, cookies and cupcakes.  You get the feeling that things prepared there are from scratch, but my taste buds told me that that was not the case :-( .

  Cumberland Mountain State Park is within a 15 minute drive. It has some great camping sites; numerous day hikes; a lake for fishing, canoeing and paddle boarding; and a restaurant overlooks the scenic lake serving decent buffet-style meals.

Byrd Lake at Cumberland Mountain State Park

This bridge was the largest project the CCC built during the Great Depression

A glimpse of the backside of the bridge during a hike at Cumberland Mountain State Park

The outdoor seating area of the restaurant overlooks Byrd Lake

  

We have joined a local mycology club to learn about foraging for edible mushrooms. The focus of the club forays emphasizes the science of mushrooms, but there is plenty of education about what is safe to eat.  There are several fellow Airstreamers that also have our passion for gathering edibles and last week we were given a sample of Chicken of the Woods. It is a shelf mushroom, more scientifically named laetiporus sulphureous. It is supposed to resemble chicken in taste, but to me really just has the texture of chicken and the ability to take on flavors of other foods it is cooked with- much like chicken.  The large plate of mushrooms I was given was a little more mature than I would have personally harvested, but I was able to salvage the outer edges that were still tender.  I sautéed them in olive oil and then briefly cooked them in chicken stock before adding them to a homemade chicken pot pie. The results were really delicious! 

A mushroom found on one of our club forays

The pics don't show it very well, but this mushroom has a baby blue cap and violet blue gills. Believe it or not, it is
completely edible!

Chicken of the Woods

Kentucky Horse Park

  Randy has completed his first two week assignment in Gallipolis, Ohio. We made an appointment in Jackson Center, Ohio to take care of some warranty issues with the Airstream and to repair some miscellaneous damage we have incurred on our journey so far.  The good news....
1. There were some very minor warranty repairs that took less than a day.
2. We got to stay for no charge at the Terraport since we were having repairs done.
3. The Airstream factory tour alone was worth the trip.
  The bad news....
1. Damage to the body that occurred when Ranman customized the TZD with Andy's barn will cost $6000 to repair (Yikes!)
2. Replacing the damaged awning arm that I caused when attempting to lower it (as Randy was coaching me over the telephone) and the damaged stabilizer jack (caused by Randy scraping the bottom of the trailer in a ditch) was a mere $875.
  Randy has decided that he is not going to get the body repaired since it is hardly noticeable to anyone that looks at the trailer and the impact did not affect the integrity of the body.  LOL, if anyone out there wants to contribute to our repair fund, we will gladly accept donations!
  Our midway stop on the way to Tennessee Cumberland Plateau Campground was just outside of Lexington, KY.  It is a short 3 hour drive from Gallipolis and I was just anticipating a short overnight stay since neither of us are big on horses.  The Kentucky Horse Park was a very pleasant surprise!  It is owned and run by the state and is an amazing concept. There is an indoor arena for various events...the Bluegrass Classic dog show was going on and the park was full of hundreds of dogs, a Rolex sponsored outdoor arena, polo fields, horse stables, a race track, a horse museum, a saddlery museum, restaurants, a dressage complex, and last but not least....a  beautiful campground.
  The campground has primitive and modern sites, but no sewer hook ups. There are tennis, volleyball  and basketball courts, playgrounds, a swimming pool, also modern bathhouses and laundry facilities. My favorite amenity was the 9 mile bike trail that starts at the park and takes you close to downtown Lexington.  Randy and I haven't been riding much and the hilly terrain and the nearly 20 miles round trip really kicked my butt!  I really need to start riding more...
  We really fell in love with this park and ended up staying here 3 nights. Because of the dog show, the campground was full of participants.  We had to move every day in order to remain there but it was well worth it.  With almost 4 months under our belt, backing the TZD into the campsite is not so stressful anymore.  I am really proud of how far we have come!

Factory in Jackson Center, Ohio

Vintage Airstreams in front of factory

Terraport where we stayed for "free"

Cool Lounge where we hung out while they worked on the TZD

Gallipolis, Ohio Region

A large meadow in our RV park

 Well, the TZD tour has been idling here in Racine, Ohio for a week now. This is the longest time we have stayed at one location since embarking on our awesome journey. It has been really nice not having to pick up and go as frequently as we have during the last month or so.

  Our campground is at a privately owned park that occupies 90 acres.  It is a very bucolic setting with nicely manicured expanses of meadows, a swimming area, and three stocked fishing ponds. The infrastructure is a little worn and tired looking but has some real potential.
  One thing I have observed and find amusing is the nightly parade of golf carts that occurs in a private campground.  People will pile up with their dogs and/or children to drive around, waving at everyone they encounter.  Randy and I have always enjoyed a long stroll in the evening when the weather permits and we wonder what our neighbors think about us walking.
  Ranman is about an hour away from his account in Gallipolis, which is the maximum amount of time he is allowed to respond to an emergency here.  That may seem too far, but the Perfusionist in charge of the department also lives an hour away.  Most of the cases here are scheduled, so I assume that the liberal response time is a reflection of that.  This would certainly never fly in Pensacola!
  The hospital is an institution of about 150 beds that serves the surrounding areas. The population of Gallipolis itself is around 3500 people, so you can imagine that it is not a very busy heart program.   A contract perfusionist is required here because no one can be bribed with enough money to stay here permanently.
  This rural area doesn't have much going for it in terms of quality of life for a city dweller, but it is very beautiful. Rolling hills, farmland, and green pastures are everywhere you turn. The Ohio river flows through the landscape and everything looks very lush. The saving grace of being here is the college town of Athens, home of Ohio University. I just learned today that there are a number of famous names that have graduated from OU, Matt Lauer being the one most people recognize.

The list of offerings at a great local pub, Jackie O's

My first sourdough loaf baked in the TZD

Penn Wood Airstream Park

  After a complicated stay in Eastern Pennsylvania, we quickly moved on to Penn Wood Airstream Park. It is my favorite Airstream village so far and I think Ranman would agree.  Penn Wood's location is in a beautiful wooded glen in Limestone, PA. A small creek runs nearby and a roughly maintained trail follows it for a short distance to an artesian well.
  The largest city nearby is Clarion, a small college town that doesn't have much else going on.  R and I walked around downtown today to run errands and it took about an hour to see that the shops and businesses didn't have a lot to offer. No matter, a decent grocery and a laundromat is the minimum requirement for our TZD tours. Our recreation is usually hiking, biking or paddle boarding so a nearby state park often provides an area to do those types of activities. 
  Yesterday, we did a couple of hikes at Cook Forest State Park. Cook Forest is known for its very old trees and the forest cathedral is spectacular. Several trees in the forest are 300-400 years old.  When we first arrived, we watched a local fellow catching brook trout with minnows and now I have an itching to go fishing!  Since we are not local residents, the fishing licenses for us in public water are pretty expensive.  I think we will just hold out for a stocked private pond :-).
  The first day at this campground did not start off well. After driving all day to get here from waaaay on the other side of Pennsylvannia, the task of finding a suitable campsite and parking the TZD still had to be completed.
  Our usual parking routine involves the use of walkie talkies and a lot of hand gesturing.  The sites that were available to us as visitors were not that desirable and are pretty closely spaced.  After a few minutes of discussion about where to place the trailer in relation to the hook ups, we started to park.  After a few backup attempts by Randy, we finally had the trailer going in a direction that looked right. Just about the time, we thought everything was in place, a neighbor across the street comes out of his trailer and starts telling Randy that he is not parked correctly.  Well, being the hothead that I am sometimes about being "bossed around," I was not a happy camper! Where was he when we needed some input about how we were expected to park? Then, after Randy parked the way the first guy told him to, another one comes around and says that the first guy didn't know what he was talking about and suggested another position.  Aargh!
  Other than that, the "village" was looking promising because of its beautiful location in a secluded glen.  A creek runs through the property and there are numerous sites in the trees that had great views of the pond.  The park has a nice meeting hall with a full commercial kitchen, library, laundry facilities, modern bathrooms with showers, a playground, and an outdoor patio with plenty of seating.
  The second night there, Ranman and I were invited to happy hour and we got to meet some of our other neighbors. It turned out that everyone was very friendly.  One of the couples was especially interesting because they were retired teachers that were accomplished musicians. The wife was an Opera singer and an artist.  Her husband was quite chatty and made us feel very welcome.  There were a few people that enjoyed cooking and I was given a sourdough starter after I mentioned that mine died last year.  Poor Lyle, may he rest in peace.

Supervising Norm and Rusty while they plant some spruces behind the visitor  sites.

This was my first cake made on the road and with a few modifications, (mainly using less sugar in the frosting), I highly recommend it.


Sourdough Carrot Cake (King Arthur Flour Recipe)

1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1 cup sourdough starter, right from the fridge, unfed
3 eggs
1 cup (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Cream Cheese Frosting

Combine oil and sugar, and stir in sourdough starter. Mix in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Fold in pineapple, carrots, walnuts, coconut and vanilla. 

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring just to combine. 

Spoon batter into greased and floured 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes, or until cake tests done. Remove cake from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before frosting. 
Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 to 1/2 cup (1/2 to 1 stick) butter, at room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups (1 pound) confectioners' sugar
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 cup minced candied ginger, or 1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional) 
milk

Combine butter, cream cheese and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy. Add sugar gradually, beating well. Stir in nuts and/or ginger (if desired). Add milk, a little at a time, until frosting is a spreadable consistency.