Florida to Texas Transition

Finally, after months of hanging out in and around the southeastern portion of the United States, it was time to head west. Our original plan had been for Mike to retire at the end of 2021, at which point we were going to head west. But that got moved up a bit. And since we didn’t really have a plan at that point, we decided to stick to the southeastern portion of the country so we could work out all of the kinks as we adjusted to full-time RV living.

We were in Florida for the entire month of December (except for our quick Christmas visit to NC) through January 11. That’s when we left our quiet, remote, tropical nature paradise in Florida and headed west to Texas.

Of all of us, Belle has the hardest time adjusting to changes. The five-day transition period was especially tough on her. Understandably so, too. All of the campgrounds were so different. And, being a dog, I’m sure she doesn’t understand the concept of a house on wheels and parking next to other people with dogs and their own house on wheels.

She settles down eventually. It’s always better when we stay in one place long-term.

We will have been in San Antonio for a week, come tomorrow (Friday). She’s almost comfortable with the environment here, but we are moving tomorrow. We are headed to an Army Corps of Engineers facility that’s sorta midway between San Antonio and Austin. We will only be there for a few days before we head to Fredericksburg, Texas for a week and then Terlingua, Texas (near Big Bend National Park) for 25 days.

This is how different our sites were for those five days…

Monday: Yellowjacket RV Resort in Old Town, Florida

Tuesday: Five Flags RV Park in Pensacola, Florida

Five Flags RV Park was great for an overnight stop, but it was noisy, sites were roomy enough, but wide-open and close, and it was so brightly lit, I felt like we were on the Vegas strip.

Wednesday: Champagne Swamp Tours (Harvest Host) in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana

Our site was in a field beside a swamp with several other Harvest Host guests. It’s basically a free camping spot at a business. It may sound weird, but it was a nice spot.

Thursday: Katy Lake RV Resort in Katy, Texas

Katy is a suburb of Houston. It didn’t feel suburban at all. It felt like we were in the city. It was great for an overnight and I guess would be good if you had business in the area, but it’s not our preferred kind of destination place. We DID get to have dinner at Rudy’s Barbecue, though.

Friday: Traveler’s World RV Resort in San Antonio, Texas

The sites are spacious and the park is very well-maintained, but we are only a few miles outside of downtown San Antonio. It’s crowded and louder than we are used to (we can hear sirens, trains, aircraft, and cars with thumping bass that rattles your teeth!), but has been a nice stay overall.

We were all happy to get here and settle-in for the week. I think Mike was happiest.

Mike’s Mexican food and margarita smile.

Don’t get me wrong, this has been a great campsite. It’s convenient to everything and surrounded by barbecue and Mexican restaurants, it’s just very different from the super-chillaxed existence we’ve enjoyed for the last few months. All the activity has been a nice change of pace. And the food has been delicious!