T is for Texas (also for Travel)

First of all, we apologize that we’ve been absent for awhile. We have visited family and at times had spotty internet and let’s face it, there is a lot to see and do out there. And it’s been hot! Has it been hot where you are? Don’t answer that, I know it has. It’s been hot everywhere. But I digress…

Our first order of business out of Kentucky was to head to Texas and set up our “Domicile” (see page “How do I get my mail?”) if you are interested in one way life as a fulltime RVer is managed, and there may be better ways, but this is what our research showed as best and all-in-all it is working for us.

A bit about Livingston TX. It’s hot. Escapees, the RV club we belong to, offers lots of services for RVers of all ages, including care for those who are no longer able to live the life. Kind of a “senior living” in an RV park. BUT there are lots of other services as well, such as the mail/package service, outings and events, Escapees campgrounds, groups and even an online presence similar to Facebook. In our opinion Escapees is a great organization to belong to and the fees are modest. They have been around since the late ’70s and continue to grow today. If interested, check them out at escapees.com

We camped for 3 or 4 days at the Escapees Campground in Livingston while getting our vehicles registered, driver’s license etc. It is a large campground with some permanent campers and many spaces for travelers. They offer full hookups with 30/50 amp service; a pool, laundry; mail service etc. It is an older campground but adequate for most anyone’s needs. Once we had everything done regarding domicile, we packed up and headed to Tyler to see my mom.

A word or warning – when reserving campgrounds ALWAYS be sure to get a confirmation number! We had reserved a spot in Texas, had even visited them in person and I called to confirm about 2 months before we were to be there. We had changed phone numbers during a previous visit to Tyler, so while my husband made the original reservation, it was I who called and confirmed. To make sure the manager had the new number he sent a text to my new phone number. This was to be my confirmation. Fast-forward now to about 3 days before we are to be there. Something tells me I should call to double-check that our reservations are intact. We had asked about putting a deposit down, as is the usual case, but were told that it wasn’t necessary. So I call, and someone else is in our spot and though their camper was there, they were in Houston and wouldn’t be back until the end of the week (about 4 or 5 days into what was supposed to be our reservation). The manager’s excuse was that he had called my husband’s OLD number and when he couldn’t reach him, sold the reservation to someone else. Of course, I had forgotten about the text he sent me until days later. Needless to say, we were not happy, but asked for help from some fellow RVers on the Facebook groups I belong to and within 2 phone calls had another place to stay that was not only closer to my mom but better priced as well.

Naynee’s RV Park is located on Highway 69 behind a Budget Rental store. It was on the highway, but not terribly noisy. Full hookups and both pull in and back up sites. There was a small laundry room and dumpster was conveniently located. A pavilion with a couple of picnic tables was available for use and there was a fenced and shaded dog park. It was not a fancy campground by any means, but it was clean and small at roughly 30 sites. There were a few permanent residents as well. Would we stay there again? Definitely. The owner was very nice and accommodating. Dave had made arrangements for someone to come out to the other place to wash the RV and Naynee’s had no issue with us having that done at their campground. No extra charge for water either!

Because it was a family visit, there aren’t many photos but I will show you my uncle’s quite prolific hydroponic vegetable garden. He’s worked very hard learning all about hydroponics as well as physical work installing all the necessary pieces and parts. I’m very proud of him! Now my poor Aunt has to figure out what to do with their bounty!

After a great visit with Mom and my Aunt and Uncle, we left heading north to hopefully cooler climates. Our first stop for the night was in Amarillo, TX where we had planned to spend the night in the Cracker Barrel parking lot. But it was 103F and the AC was struggling to cool the camper down. Fortunate for us, there was a nice hotel directly behind Cracker Barrel and we were able to get a room for the night there. The next morning we were delighted to find it had cooled down significantly for our continued journey. Next stop…Colorado…camping at the State Fairground!