There have been moments this year that have sure felt like the universe is conspiring against us as we try to get back into camping again.
And this week was no different. Ugh.
We noticed the last morning of our last camping trip that we had a slow water leak in the basement. Our camping chairs were soaking wet (they thankfully took the brunt of the drip-drip-drip that had been going on all weekend.) So, RDB took the camper back down tot Ron Hoover again for a quick repair. It was in and out in less than two days. Awesome! But the moment it was parked back in our driveway, this.....
RDB had parked it in the driveway, went to drop the leveling feet and she sprung a leak. (Sensing a theme here, ya'll). With the hydraulic fluid line leaking (and actually disconnected in one spot) there was no way to raise the feet and take it back down to Ron Hoover. This time, they were going to have to come to us.
Thankfully, they sent Jesse to us Thursday afternoon (we had this trip scheduled for Friday) and he was able to fix the problem right on site and quickly. Ron Hoover's really showing us the white gloves customer service - I'm still incredibly impressed with them.
With all that behind this, we left out for Lake Corpus Christi State Park Friday afternoon. Pulled into the site before dark (yeah!) and started to set up (yeah!) and then realized that I had booked a 30 amp site (and we need 50 amp (boo!)) So, off we go to Walmart to find an adapter.
And the closest Walmart? Had every kind of RV amperage adapter except the one we needed.
Without an adapter, we can't run the A/C or the fridge. And without the A/C or the fridge, we were heading back home to Houston, another +3 hour drive after we had just driven +3 hours. Good thing about Walmarts, though, they're a dime a dozen... so we found another one, drove another 45 minutes (praying the whole way) and:
Our luck has changed! With that simple $8 part we can camp! (And, actually, we bought two. If we can ever save someone else's day by having an extra, it's the least we can do!)
Well, I thought our luck had changed, but for whatever reason I've developed an allergy to ragweed this fall and it's miserable. So, Friday night found me hacking and sneezing and eventually leaving our comfy bed for the recliners in the living room so that I could sit upright, try to sleep, and maybe, just maybe, breathe. Thank goodness for Claritin and Benadryl.
After a slow moving morning, RDB and I left Diesel in the camper and drove over to Corpus Christi. We love camping for the ability to check out the surrounding areas. So, we found a fun place for a late breakfast on Yelp, put it in the GPS, made a wrong turn (ugh), and ended up at Blackbeard's for lunch. THAT was a great misadventure - because the banana cheesecake was the absolutely BEST dessert I think we've ever shared.
From there, we rented a few LIME scooters and rode up and down the Northbeach beachwalk enjoying the beautiful fall weather. We rode over to the pier alongside the USS Lexington. It's overwhelming how large these ships can be when you take a few moments to get up close to them. Though we didn't go into the museum this time, it was really neat to be so close to something so historic.
Yeah for a fun adventure. Boo for my luck. Some where along the way (probably on the scooters) I lost my prescription glasses. The only pair I brought. And my favorite pair with purple frames. Bummer. Almost as much of a bummer as coming home to a sick dog - both vomit and poop - in our camper. (I'll spare you that picture.)
So, if you're keeping track: Universe - 6 Us - ?? Oy. And it's only Saturday morning. This trip is starting to remind me of our "A Thousand Reasons Not To" trip. But, just like I said after that trip, if you let the thousands of things that can go wrong keep you from camping, then you'll miss out on moments like this:
Seriously though, aside from the hot water heater not getting hot (THAT's a refreshing discovery) and the panel that tells us our black.gray tank status not working (Universe - 8, Us - 0) I think we were done with the miss-adventures. (Fingers crossed!)
Sunday we traveled back into Corpus Christi (praying that the pumpkin we gave Diesel with a small serving of breakfast would keep him, well, contained) so that we could head over to the Texas State Aquarium.
It. Was. AWESOME!
We were both really impressed with the set up at this aquarium- lots of tanks and several types of fish we hadn't seen before. They have several interactive touch tanks, and bubbles that "immerse" you into the middle of the action.
We enjoyed the Gulf of Mexico exhibit first, then made our way over to the Caribbean Journey.
Where we were pleasantly surprised with waterfalls....
... and parrots...
...turtles...
...and flamingos!
If you get a chance to hang out with the flamingos, you should! It was hilarious to watch them interact with each other and the guests, prancing around and preening their feathers. Such weird looking birds!
They had an incredibly large shark tank (I think I counted 6 sharks) that you could view from various angles - standing up on the balcony over the top of the water, seated in an amphitheater style area in front of the tank, or even walking thru a tunnel that had a portion of the tank above you. Such a cool experience to see these incredible creatures from different views.
Though you can't get in the tank, you can still get up close and personal!
It was a great afternoon and we'd highly recommend a visit if you find yourself in the area. On a Sunday afternoon it wasn't crowded at all, was very easy to social distance, and everyone inside - both guests and volunteers - were respectfully wearing masks. Even the river otters out front were following safety protocols!
Back to the camper, hoping and praying that we weren't going to have to clean up another mess (we didn't! yeah!), a simple dinner made for a great end to a perfect day! RDB made me smile as he poured the last of our Rodney Strong into my glass: "It's always kinda sad when the bottle ends." (I agree, Babe!)
Monday morning was slow and enjoyable; I made the last minute call Friday morning to go ahead and take the extra day off. With the pandemic, and my 15th anniversary at work (our service award is an extra 5 days vacation), I have a fair amount of paid time off that I haven't taken, and need to use up. Adding on to our camping trips with an extra day is the BEST use of that time.
We jumped in the truck and drove back over to Corpus Christi for one last meal out - finally making it over that the breakfast-all-day diner we were trying to get to Saturday before the wrong turn took us over to Blackbeard's. We thought about it again on Sunday, only to find out they were closed ("for church" so says their menu). Persistence pays off, though, because lunch at Sandi's Diner was OUTSTANDING! Check out our Yelp review in the link, and trust us when we say the cinnamon bun/roll is HEAVEN!
One last adventure as we drove back to camp - you'll notice driving down towards the coast that there are fields of wind turbines. I had mentioned to RDB that I'd love to chase one down someday just to see them up close (he's done this once before in his car camping adventures in the Hybrid Hotel).
So, Sunday on the way back from lunch, we took a turn off the main road, "Just keep them in your windshield and keep turning towards them," found ourselves down a dirt road, into a field (no gates, no fence, no trespassing, right?) and at the base of this giant energy producing machine.
They are SO MUCH BIGGER when you're standing under them that I had ever realized!
The one we were checking out wasn't actively moving it's blades but it was making odd noises.... I'm not sure how to describe it other than imagine the sound aliens make in movies when they're trying to communicate off the planet to the waiting fleet ready to swoop down and destroy us? It sounded like that. LOL - just kidding! I'm sure J2 won't harm us!
Back at the campsite, and eventually we'll pack up and head home. We really enjoyed having the extra day on Monday to enjoy a long, full weekend (and booking the site thru till Tuesday morning so we can actually stay all day Monday). Looking forward to our next trip - as we head back to the DFW area and Cedar Hill State Park next weekend. Even if we may not have the water heater fixed by then, we'll just have to, well... stay positive!
We were at Lake Corpus Christi State Park, Opossum Bend Camping Loop, Site #17. Remember, these are 30 amp loops (Javelina is full hook-ups, so I'd assume they're 50amps). The site had zero shade, but that was probably a good thing - the trees down here are scraggly and short, and we certainly wouldn't have been able to pull our big camper under some of the limbs over other sites in this loop. Be aware as well, the grass out here is covered in sticker burs. We were worried that Diesel would have a hard time with them, but surprisingly enough, his adult dog foot pads had no issues. Also, the ground out here is really sandy - I was vacuuming nearly every afternoon. But all that aside: this campground is a great jumping off point for days of fun in nearby Corpus Christi.
For more camping pics, go here.
