July 23, 2010 by Rick and Tinka.

As you might imagine, while driving west from the Dallas/Fort Worth area we’re used to seeing oil well after oil well.  Oh yes, they are still there and pumping like crazy.  But, the population of the “new oil well” is growing dramatically.  Of course the “new oil wells” are actually windmills.

We knew that it was always important to never sell your mineral rights.  Apparently that goes for surface rights too.

Posted in Texas Other, Texas | Print | 1 Comment »

May 19, 2010 by Rick and Tinka.

Have you ever been driving along the highway and spotted 5th wheels or trailers stationed along the road at various ranch entrances?   These gates are, generally, access points for oil and gas drilling activity.

Well, we went to visit some friends that agreed to monitor activity at one of these gates for 30 days.  This particular gate was quite active.  They noticed a slight down time in activity between midnight and 3:00 AM each morning.  But, in essence, it was a 24/7 activity.

Unless they were outside, the gate must remain closed.  Sensors advised them when a vehicle approached the gate from either direction. The coming and going of each vehicle needed to be logged and signatures collected upon entry to the property.

The typical set up includes electricity, provided by a diesel generator with about 10-day supply of fuel, and an ample supply of water. Gray water is discharged and the black tanks are serviced every 10 days.

Now, whoever developed the design of this gate lock had entirely too much time on his hands.

In order to allow multiple land owners or other people access to the land, there are holes for eight different locks on the latch mechanism.  By removing one of the locks, a hole is vacant in the end of the device.  Rotating the bent handle until the straight bar lines up with the empty hole, allows you to pull the handle out with the bar passing through the hole, thus disengaging the gate.  Quite ingenious.

Posted in Texas Other, Texas | Print | 2 Comments »

May 16, 2010 by Rick and Tinka.

In keeping with our fascination with Texas rest areas, we’ve come across one that has more fashion than function.

Located just north of Laredo, Texas, this “rest area / information stop” was built eight years ago.  They must be expecting large crowds, because this parking lot is enormous.

Why that car decided to park in the fourth row is still a mystery.

The layout of the “park” is gorgeous.

Each picnic table area is covered in a fashion that anyone would like in their back yard.  (Note the tile work.)

Care is taken to sculpt the shrubs.  (Your tax dollars at work)

The information center and bathrooms are located in this facility.  It is an extraordinarily long distance from the parking lot.  This would be quite a hike for anyone having difficulty walking.

We commented to the info-center attendant that it is a long way for handicapped folks to travel.  Her comment was, “Oh, there are handicapped facilities on the other side of the parking lot.”

Remember that huge parking lot.  Well, look what we found on the far side.

Yep, the handicapped bathrooms.  No signs divulged its location.

For you bathroom aficionados,  we’ll keep you posted on interesting stops along the road.

Posted in Texas Other, Texas | Print | No Comments »

May 10, 2010 by Rick and Tinka.

While we were in the San Antonio area, we stayed just south of town at the Braunig Lake RV Resort.  This park is very nice and participates in the Passport-America discount program.  The sites are about 80 feet long, but a bit narrow, approximately 18 - 20 feet.  Fortunately, this time of year, except for rallies, they leave a space between rigs.

On weekends they serve breakfasts and dinners for about $4.00.  The swimming pool is clean and refreshing.

There are two things that are a must on a trip to the San Antonio area.  One, of course is a trip to the Misión San Antonio de Valero, now known as the Alamo.

The other place that is a must-see is the San Antonio Riverwalk.  Located only a few hundred yards from the Alamo, the river winds its way through the downtown area.

We parked at the River Centre Mall which is located on the river and in close proximity to the Alamo.  Warning, the 4-5 hour stay cost us $12.00 in the parking garage.  Below, is a picture of the mall from the river.

Wandering the Riverwalk is a fabulous way to take in the beauty of San Antonio.  Our favorite way to see the area is to hop on one of the “River Cruise” boats for a guided tour.

At many places, the banks are lined with towering trees.  Some of the tree roots clump together to form small islands.

Walking bridges across the river are everywhere.

Beautiful condos and homes line sections of the river.

More beautiful hotels, homes, shops and outdoor restaurants line the Riverwalk.

We passed by many large office buildings, some quite historic.

This river even has intersections with cross traffic.

There are literally dozens of indoor and outdoor restaurants to tempt your palate.  Most are Mexican restaurants of one form or another.  We walked to the one called “The Original Mexican Restaurant“, where we enjoyed a nice lunch indoors.  The weather was in the 90’s and the relief was appreciated.

The waitress happily snapped this picture before we chowed down.

Posted in Texas Other, Texas | Print | 1 Comment »

May 1, 2010 by Rick and Tinka.

Here, in the Texas Hill Country, it is easy to see the results of the brilliant efforts of former first lady, Lady Bird Johnson.  She had a plan to beautify the Texas highways by filling the land-side with wild flowers.

April is the time of month when the bluebonnets, the Texas State flower, line many of the highway, especially in North Texas.

As we approached San Antonio, the roadside turned to a sea of yellow. (The quality of the photo suffered at 70 MPH)

There are several kinds of yellow flowers.  Along the service road the collection was almost exclusively Black-eyed Susans.

On a side note, we noticed that Camping World is running some pretty good sales on various items, click below.

Posted in Texas Other, Texas | Print | No Comments »