~Saturday, December 19, 2020~
Day 188 (Travel Day)
Lots of heavy rain last night, waking up to fresh, warm air. And now that it is daylight, I CAN actually see the Guadalupe River two rows behind our site.
Yes folks, another travel day it is and yes, it is exhausting, and yes, we’re almost done with our wandering to settle in a spot for Christmas. Even though it was nice to be in an RV park to see some holly, jolly decorations and get the villagy vibe that RV parks bring, it was kind of a waste of $40 since we got there after dark, paying for amenities we hardly used at all. This has happened before, but rarely. The drive always takes us longer than we plan, and as I’ve said before, we’re so exhausted lately from all the driving, it’s been hard getting up early enough to arrive before dark to our next destination. We’re talkin’ some big miles lately (check out our Footprints Route). Even though you’re just sitting in a car for hours, it’s still very exhausting with how much you have to concentrate when towing your home on wheels.
Today’s short drive (a little over an hour) was to a little town called Von Ormy, TX just outside of San Antonio. Our destination…..Hidden Valley RV Park, a quiet, country little RV place. When we arrived, we met Teri, the owner who gave us an option of staying in either site 14 or 15, both with trees as we requested. Site 14 it is since we want to give the other RV’er some space with their 4 children (yeah Sadie has playmates!). Both sites are lovely and the location is perfect.
The weather…….a warm 74 degrees. We’re backed snug right up to a low lying hill with trees and grass. It’s so nice to look out the back of our trailer to see this. We’re justifying the expense of this premium site ($50/night) because we haven’t spent much on accommodations this month mixed with boondocking and our visit to California. So a little splurge once in a while is good for the soul. Our neighbors are so sweet as it appears they’re dog lovers, and the kids are really creative with their playtime, making rope obstacle courses and teepees from gathered sticks in the area.
As we set up, we came to the realization to slow down a bit and just enjoy our stay a little longer (by one day). So I phoned Teri and it wasn’t a problem to add another day here. We took a look at our schedule and it’s doable. We don’t have to be in Florida until January 5, so we decided to push back Savannah, Georgia until after Florida. And the extra day here still puts us in Louisiana for Christmas.
Now onto setting up ALL the Holiday decorations.
After my much needed hair washing, I decided to head on over to the Hidden Valley bonfire, just a stone’s throw away from our site. With Jeff still feeling congested from his cold and not feeling up to socializing in the cold, he stayed back to whip up a delicious chicken dinner instead. When he went out to light up the bbq, Sadie saw the group of people around the bonfire and immediately went Kujo, darting out of the trailer, running towards them barking. OMG! I was mortified. Luckily our dog listens very well on command, so immediately came right back and INTO the trailer for punishment. She never does that. The only thing we can think of is she’s defending her temporary home and it was dark. Now do you think I want to go to the bonfire? I did, with my tail between my legs (hah!) and apologized for Sadie’s behavior met with a very lackluster response. I immediately thought, ‘oh this is going to go real well’. Even after I got back from the bonfire, I saw an earlier text from Teri, asking, ‘“is that Sadie running around off leash?” Most RV parks are very strict about their leash rules, but Jeff and I always use our good judgement in knowing when she can and can’t, despite the rules. There is nobody here to disturb in our little valley here, and the neighbors already gave their stamp of approval. The trailer exit sprint on Sadie’s part was completely unexpected. Anyway, back to the bonfire. I was definitely the outsider there, as Teri and about 10 other Hidden Valley guests all knew each other and my guess is most everybody lives here full time, at least for the winter season. We talked about trailers, aliens and buffalo sausage along with my story about our travels. Though the guy next to me was very nice, I got a sense that the majority felt like saying, “o.k. you nice little Californian, you can go back home now”. I kind of don’t blame them much since over the last 10 years over a million people have made the exodus from pricey California to more affordable Texas.