Paradise

Time to catch up a bit.

We spent a couple of weeks at a very small (understatement) RV park in Indianola, IA... about 20 minutes S of Des Moines.  We had been soaked in constant rainfall since the Carolinas (weeks before), and it followed us to Iowa... constant cold, rainy drizzle.  Constant.  Cold.  Rainy.  Drizzle.

Tracy worked in Des Moines during that time, and we probably would have stayed longer if the weather had been better, but it was low 40's during the day, and down to 22 at night, and was getting downright cold.  We spent over $50 in one week on propane to keep the trailer warm, and then looked at each other and decided that enough was enough.

So, we packed up and headed South for the winter... 

Problem was, we really hadn't decided where "there" was.  Texas?  New Mexico?  Arizona?  We did some preliminary research and found that most snowbirds flocked to AZ in the winter, so the RV park rates were sky-high... just then we saw a post in a new group I had joined called "RV Spaces For Sale or Rent," saw a post advertising a beachfront spot with full hookups on the Gulf Coast in South Texas... so we decided to check it out.  It actually sounded too good to be true... it was for a full hookup spot on the Gulf Coast, right on the water... for an insanely reasonable price per month.  So, not being pressed for time, we decided to go check it out.

The trip from Des Moines to Port Lavaca, TX took 2 1/2 days... we stayed at a little place out in the middle of freakin' nowhere just outside of Wichita, KS, and then we wound up at the "Haunted Motel" just S of Waco, TX.  Motel was a tiny independent ("Varsity Inn"), and they had a small (6 space) RV park behind it... what was creepy is that there was NO ONE staying at the motel... OR the RV park... we were completely alone!

After we settled in (after scraping the side of the trailer against a tree, causing some minor damage, but I digress), we got in bed, burrowed in for the night, and then heard the first one.  Trains.  Very, very loud trains.  

During the nightmare of a night that followed, we counted 19 of them.  ALL blasting their horns as they passed by our spot.  Ugh.

We finally made to morning (trains stopped around 4am), and headed out as quickly as we could... arriving at our destination in the early afternoon to discover... paradise!

This place was amazing.  So, of course, I immediately assumed we'd been scammed.  No way this could be legit.  The space was the best one in the park, and even had a deck in front.  50 feet from the water, with an unobstructed view.  And no people.  No tourists, anyway.  It was peaceful, quiet, and idyllic. 

We hurried and signed the lease they sent us, and sent them our space rent for November before they changed their mind.  Then we settled in for what has been, to date, the most beautiful spot we've ever had.

We go out before dawn each day to drain the dogs and make the animals breakfast... where it had been 22 in Des Moines, it was 60 here.. at 6:30am... and crystal clear and beautiful... and oh, man... those sunrises over the Gulf of Mexico!  Wow. 

The closest town is 10-15 min away... and the closest BIGgish town is 45 minutes away.  But this place is amazing!

Oh, did I mention we have alligators here?  Yeah.  More on that in the future.