Category Archives: Airstream Travel

Saguaro National Park

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May 5, 2020

Tucson, AZ

During the pandemic, we looked for ways to get out of the house now and then. Saguaro National Park was just a few miles away from where we were staying, so we took a couple of trips there. The first day we went, it was overcast, but the wildflowers were in full bloom.  There is a nine mile drive through the park where you can stop along the way at the parking turnouts to take photos.

The second time we went, the main park drive was closed for repairs, but we found a trail that was open in another area of the park. The trail was a paved pathway. We only walked a short distance. I love the way the sun back-lighted some of the cacti.

You can see the start of blossoms on the far saguaros.

The saguaro blossom is the state wildflower of Arizona

Saguaro family

Barrel Cactus

Take a look at the fishhook needles on this one.

This large cholla cactus and the prickly pear cacti show the variety of cacti in the park.

I love how the rows of needles are lit by the sunlight.

There are different varieties of cholla (or jumping cactus) seen in this photo.

The yellow blooms of the palo verde tree on the right are just beginning to show.

Prickly Pear Cactus

The beautiful wildflowers were plentiful this day.

The long arms of an ocotillo cactus (on the right side of this photo) is beginning to bloom.

This saguaro has a funny face!

Close up of Saguaro needles

I hope you enjoyed our tour of Saguaro National Park. There are so many beautiful cacti in the park and so many beautiful mountain vistas. It’s really worth a visit, especially in the spring when the cacti and wild flowers are in bloom.

USS Lexington, Corpus Christi, TX

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April 3, 2020

USS LEXINGTON

We like history and historical museums. One of the museums we saw was the USS Lexington in the harbor at Corpus Christi, Texas. Corpus Christi was a good halfway stopping point between south Texas and Columbus, so we took a day to visit it.

Ray’s dad was in the Navy for 20 years, and ended his service on the USS Hornet, an aircraft carrier like this one. The USS Hornet is docked in Alameda, California just west of Oakland. Touring this ship makes one appreciate the work and dedication of men who serve in our Navy.

The ship is so long, it took two photos to get the entire length.

There are 5 self-guided tours covering 100,000 square feet and 11 decks. After watching a short film about the ship in the Mega theater in 3D, we toured the flight deck. Here we could see where the high-speed catapult launched the aircraft. We learned the stories of men who flew the vintage aircraft displayed on the deck, and saw the massive guns used in battle.

This gives you an idea of how high the deck is off the water.

The Foc’sle or Forecatle tour is the forward upper deck area that extends to the bow. What you see here is where the ship is guided.

The interior of the ship is a maze of “tunnels”.

Being a mom of 5, I was fascinated by this!

The maps to guide the ship across the vast oceans.

This is the hangar deck. This is where the planes were stored. Today it houses many exhibits along with a gift shop and snack bar.

I had to include these photos of the bridge being built and the harbor.

Yes, the water is green.

We enjoyed our day touring the ship. It gave us lots of exercise climbing ladders and walking the hallways. One caution for anyone who parks in the parking lot across from the museum; be sure you have a locking gas cap for your vehicle. We had nearly a full tank of diesel fuel stolen while we were in the museum.

Categories: RV Travel, Texas Travel Tags: Corpus Christi, Full Time RVing, Navy history, Navy Museums, Places to see in Corpus Christi, RVing, South Texas History, South Texas places to see, South Texas sites to see, Texas, Texas History, Texas Museums, Texas places to see, USS Lexington

Iwo Jima Monument and Museum

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March 25, 2020

Located in Harlingen, Texas, on the campus of the Marine Military Academy is the Iwo Jima Monument. This full-sized plaster model was used to create the molds for the bronze statue in Arlington National Cemetery. This working model was donated to the Military Academy (across the street) as an inspiration to the cadets. The humid climate of south Texas is the perfect atmosphere to preserve this plaster statue. The figures are 32 feet high raising a 78 foot high flag pole. The cloth flag flies 24 hours a day.

We visited the museum located near the statue and watched a very interesting film about the taking of Iwo Jima.  The airstrip on the island served as a landing base for many US planes on their way back from Japan bombing runs. It is estimated that the island base saved more lives of pilots and their crews than were lost in the initial battle for the island. The island was given back to Japan in 1965. Many men who fought there thought it should always remain in the possession of the USA because of the huge cost of lives lost there.

Iwo Jima Museum

The statue is impressive. Near the grounds is the burial place of one of the five men who raised the flag. He was only 19 years old when he died, just days after the raising of the flag. Inscribed around the outside of the stone foundation are all the wars the marine corp has fought from the founding of our nation until present. Afghanistan is one of them with no ending date. It would be wonderful to see the end date inscribed someday soon.

The following photos show more detail of the statue. The sky was a beautiful blue the first day we visited the statue, but the flag was tangled up on the flag pole. The second time we visited, it was overcast and gray. But the flag was flying beautifully and I wanted to capture that. Plus, I wanted to get more details of the statue.

You can read more about this statue here: https://www.mma-tx.org/about-us/Iwo-Jima-Monument/

Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel, Texas Travel Tags: Harlingen, Iwo Jima, Iwo Jima Monument, Iwo Jima Museum, Marine Military Academy, Marines, Semper Fidelis Iwo Jima, South Texas History, South Texas Museums, South Texas places to see, Texas, Texas places to see, US Marine Monument, US Marines

Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum, Texas

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March 18, 2020

Harlingen Arts and Heritage Museum

Harlingen is a one of the many cities in the south part of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV). We explored this museum one afternoon. To my delight, in their rotating art exhibit, they were hosting quilt contest winners from The National Quilt Museum in the Oak Leaf and Reel Competition. We were given 3D glasses that turned the quilts into a unique display. There is a nice gift shop in this building also.

If you step outside into the courtyard, the museum has more buildings arranged in a circle displaying the heritage of the city of Harlingen. These included: the 1904 Lon C. Hill home (the first home built in Harlingen); Harlingen’s first hospital (1923-1925); a replica of the Paso Real Stagecoach Inn (originally built between 1850-1860); and the Historical Museum, which chronicles early Valley life and Texas History. (It was closed for renovations.)

Stagecoach Inn

The Stagecoach Inn housed the General Store and Post Office also.

  Courtyard showing the Stagecoach Inn

The General Store

Home of Harlingen’s Founder Lon C. Hill

Inside the home of Lon C. Hill, you will find many rooms of time period exhibits including antique glassware and dishes, dresses, period furniture and more. You might even see Mr. Hill lurking in the hallway.

   Inside home of Lon C. Hill

 South Texas is cotton country. This is a dress worn by the “Cotton Queen” of 1962.

This is the home office of Lon C. Hill, founder of Harlingen.

Mr. Hill lurks in the hallway.

Harlingen’s First Hospital

Categories: Texas Travel

Port Isabel Museums

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February 24, 2020

Previously, we visited the lighthouse at Port Isabel and the museum. Nearby were two more museums. We visited one, but at the time, the other museum was about to close. We decided to come back and visit it later. If you visit all three museums, you can save money by buying a Combination Site Ticket. Combination tickets are available at all three museum sites.

The first museum we visited was the Port Isabel Lighthouse Museum.

 The Port Isabel Historical Museum is located a block or so away from the lighthouse. It’s tricky to find the entrance. The museums are beside and behind the parking lot to the Event and Cultural Center Building. This photo is taken at the back of the building. The back is actually where the entrance is. Walk around to the left and the door is under the awning.

The Port Isabel Historical Museum houses exhibits on two levels of the building. It is mostly collections of Mexican artifacts from the US/Mexican War.

 To find the third museum, Treasure of the Gulf Museum, follow the arrows on the sidewalk at the back of the Historical Museum.

Below is what the entrance of Treasures of the Gulf Museum looks like. Do you see any signs?

 Treasures of the Gulf Museum spotlights history and artifacts from three 1554 Spanish shipwrecks.

While we were there, we also saw this clock tower and inscription near the parking lot. I thought it made a nice photo, and the inscription is a good admonishment to us about good government.

You can find out more about these museums here: Museums of Port Isabel

Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel, Texas Travel Tags: Brownsville, Museums of Port Isabel, Places to see near Brownsville, Places to see near Port Isable, Port Isabel, Port Isabel Historical Museum, Port Isabel Lighthouse, Port Isabel Lighthouse Museum, Port Isabel Tower Clock, Port Isabel Treasures of the Gulf Museum, South Texas places to see, South Texas travel, Texas, Texas History, Texas Museums, Texas places to see, Texas sites to see, Texas travel

Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge

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February 5, 2020

It was a beautiful, but cloudy afternoon when we visited the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Alamo, Texas. We were able to use our National Parks Pass for admission.

This area of Texas is situated at the very tip of Texas state in the perfect location for migratory birds both from east to west, and from north to south. The refuge covers 2,088 acres and touches the Rio Grande River on the border of the US and Mexico. There are 14 miles of trails for hiking, or you can take the tram ride when it is in operation. (It was not available when we visited.)

Every morning there is a guided bird walk. Apparently, 400 bird species have been spotted here, but on the day we went, we didn’t see any birds except a few doves near the visitor’s center. It must have been the wrong time of day for the birds to be out.

Soon after you leave the visitor center you go up over a levee and shortly come to a pond.

A little further on, there is a pond on the opposite side of the pathway.

There are also 450 types of plants and half of all butterfly species have been found there. We saw plenty of plants but no butterflies. The Spanish moss is plentiful. We enjoyed walking under the shade of many trees.

A short walk from the visitor center is a suspension bridge.

The banner at the bottom of the suspension bridge shows the sizes of the largest birds. The largest one is the California Condor. The orange color represents the bald eagle.

A short walk away from the bridge is the observation tower. I didn’t count the steps up to the top, but I got my exercise that day!

From the top of the observation tower, I could see views of nearby lakes in the preserve.

Looking the opposite direction, I could see all the way into Mexico. I didn’t include that photo, because all you can see is trees.

Walking back, we saw more Spanish moss.

Spanish Moss close up

Our pathway back

Even though we didn’t see many birds, it was a beautiful area with lots to see.

Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel

Museum of South Texas History

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February 4, 2020

This museum, located in Edinburg, Texas, chronicles the history of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico.

Museum of South Texas History, in Edinburg, Texas

The building lobby is beautifully and stunningly decorated in Spanish-Colonial style architecture, ornamental tiles, metal railings and furnishings.

Museum of South Texas History Lobby

The story begins on the second floor. Like the Rio Grande River, the museum flows through history from room to room beginning with ancient plant and animal fossils and a magnificent replica of a Mammoth skeleton. These exhibits tell the story of the Rio Grande Legacy with artifacts and multimedia. Spanish colonial artifacts, pioneer life, the cattle kingdom, and steamboat days are some of the things you’ll learn about in the interactive displays.

Mammoth skeleton

Early Spanish wooden cart

Indian display and Steamboat theater

Chuckwagon for cattle drives

 Downstairs the story continues with a replica train station, irrigation history, horse and buggy, war history and ending in the post-WWII displays. Across the courtyard from the main building is the 1910 jail and the Will Looney Legacy Park with sculptures, windmill and a pathway through native plants.

Horse and buggy transportation

 My favorite thing about this museum is imagining what life would be like in this area many years ago. Without electricity, running water and motorized transportation, life would be incredibly hard. Yet, there were people who dared to make a life here and left their mark behind. During this time, we were also listening to Robert Caro’s book called “The Years of Lyndon B. Johnson, Volume I”. The beginning of this book chronicles much of the early history of Texas pioneers. It is fascinating.

Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel Tags: Edinburg, Full Time RVing, Mammoth, Mexican history, Museum of South Texas History, RVing, sites to see in Edinburg, South Texas History, Spanish history, Texas, Texas History, Texas Museums, Texas places to see

Ingram, Texas – Stonehenge II

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Ingram, Texas – Stonehenge II

January 26, 2020

Stonehenge II, Ingram, Texas

We took our Airstream for some minor repairs near Kerrville, Texas. We heard about Stonehenge II and decided to drive a few miles out to Ingram, Texas, to see it. Situated in the middle of the 13.5 acre Hill Country Arts Foundation’s Campus, this is a totally man-made (even the stones) smaller-scale reproduction of the one in Salisbury, England.

It all started in 1989 when Doug Hill finished work on his back patio in Hunt, Texas. He had one big extra limestone slab left over. As a joke, he offered it to his neighbor, Al Sheppard. Al stood the slab upright in the middle of his pasture. Doug and Al then built an arch around it. It reminded them of Stonehenge in England. A vision formed and Sheppard contracted Hill to build his very own Stonehenge II. Later, Sheppard added two Moai head statues after visiting Easter Island. After Sheppard passed away, Stonehenge II was donated to the Hill Country Arts Foundation and moved to its current home in 2012.

Ray was suffering from allergies that day, so I took a walk around the site and visited the Gift Shop in the Visitor Center. The Art Gallery was closed, so our visit was short. By then, we got a call that our Airstream was ready to go, so we headed back to pick it up. Instead of heading back to our campsite near Medina Lake, we decided to head away from the cedar trees and the pollen that was making Ray so miserable.  Our campsite that night was in Seguin, TX, near the Guadalupe River. 

The Guadalupe River was a beautiful calm river complete with lily pads.

As the sun started setting, we were treated to some amazing beauty.

 Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel, Texas Travel Tags: Airstream, Airstream Travel, Guadalupe River Texas, Ingram, Kerrville, Stonehenge II, Stonehenge II Texas, Stonehenge in Texas, Texas

Columbus, Texas

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January 23, 2020

Texas has 254 counties. Texas state is so vast that the founders wanted the people to be close to their local governments. By making the counties small, the people could travel back by and forth in a day by horseback or wagon to take care of their business at the local courthouse.

Our stay along the Colorado River (the Texas Colorado River) gave us a chance to visit a couple of these courthouses at Columbus, in Colorado County and at La Grange, in Fayette County.

Columbus, Texas Courthouse

As we walked around the grounds of the Columbus courthouse, we noticed the beautiful stonework of the building. The different colors are different kinds of stone. Although we didn’t go inside the building, there is a Tiffany-style skylight in the dome. Historical accounts say that the original court business was held under an oak tree by Judge Robert M. Williamson (“Three Legged Willie”), before the courthouse was built.

There are other historical buildings close to the courthouse that we visited briefly. On the corner of the courthouse lawn, there is a water tower. It’s now a museum. The old Opera House is still in use today as a performing arts theater. A block or so away is one of the few remaining original carriage steps that people would step on as they got out of their carriages. There’s also an old log cabin that is furnished with period style furnishings within a block or so of the courthouse.

Water Tower

Old Theater

Carriage Step

Log House

A few miles away in Fayette County, we visited La Grange Courthouse. Fayette County was named for Marquis de la Fayette, a Revolutionary War hero. As in most towns, the oldest and most interesting buildings surround the courthouse square. We decided against visiting the Texas Quilt Museum because of our limited time. Perhaps we will save it for another time.

We did, however, take a look inside of the courthouse. What a surprise! Inside was a beautiful sunken garden atrium complete with a large fountain and tropical plants. The current courthouse was built in 1891 in a Romanesque Revival style using four types of Texas stone on the exterior—Belton white limestone, Muldoon blue sandstone, Pecos red sandstone and Burnet granite. Around the hallways of the inside was a small museum of its history including pictures of past court judges.

La Grange Courthouse

Atrium in La Grange Courthouse

Our Colorado River Campground was situated right near the banks of the river. I took several walks and enjoyed the scenery especially in the evening sunsets. This Colorado River is not the same as the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon and western states. This is the Texas Colorado. The name means the same—“colored red”.

Categories: Airstream Travel, RV Travel, Texas Travel Tags: Columbus, Courthouses of Texas, History of Columbus, Texas,

Stumbling into Good

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September 12, 2019

Life seemed to be going along fine, and then, bam! I slipped and fell sideways on my foot and fractured it in two places. “What is going on, God?” I thought. I have so much to do. I can’t deal with a broken foot right now! Then I had some other medical issues with additional doctor appointments, x-rays, ultrasounds, and minor surgeries and so forth. I seem to be falling apart physically.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

I was trying to remember this verse. I started out thinking, “all things work together for good…” Then I looked it up. I was wrong. I’d missed the most important part. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good…” Yes, God is the important factor that I missed.

I knew that God hadn’t forgotten me. He had been with me every step (or hobble) of the way. I gained a new perspective as I pondered almost daily Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Yes. The Lord is my shepherd. I have the Great Physician/Shepherd guiding me through the rocky ground of my physical problems. I don’t need to be anxious because He will show me the way through. I don’t want for anything because He is my guide and provider. I can be confident that He will provide a way for me so that all my needs and wants are met in Him.

As I pondered all the wonderful phrases of this Psalm, the last phrase also stood out to me. “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life…” Goodness. Lovingkindness. They will follow me all the days of my life. There’s no question in the Psalm writer’s mind. “Surely”, he says. It’s not just hoping, but knowing that this is going to happen. Goodness and lovingkindness are qualities of God. They come from Him. He is the one who brings it about. “God causes…” God is the factor that brings about goodness and lovingkindness when things don’t seem to be working out. “God causes all things to work together for good.” There’s that word “good” again. But it’s not me working it out. It’s God.

The reason the psalmist could say “surely”. “Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life” is because he understood that it was God that was going to bring it about.

After 3 long weeks, I graduated from the boot brace to an ankle brace that can be worn with my shoes. I’m beginning to understand that God will use this period of difficulty in my life to bring about more of His goodness in me and in my circumstances. I have another 5 months to go before my foot is entirely healed. In the meantime, I have 5 months to remember it is God who is the one who causes all things to work together for good. I have 5 months to ingrain that word “surely” into my mind so that I know with certainty that goodness and lovingkindness are going to follow me all the days of my life.  God is the factor that is the game changer from dwelling in self-pity and depression to living in hope and expectation of His goodness and His lovingkindness.

Categories: RV Travel