Spring Trraining 2023 - Day 16

 An easy, fairly short drive today from Tallahassee to Crystal River.  It is only 70 miles North of Oldsmar and our RV Park for March, but we decided to stop short for the night and have a short drive tomorrow for our check-in at noon.

My sister Eileen used to live here and we know the area fairly well.  We ate out at Charlies Sea Food Cafe for our first taste of Florida seafood this trip.  It was good.

The park where we are staying tonight is a snowbird park. It is an older Thousand Trails park. The sites are very close together, narrow roads, and a lot of more-or-less permanent rigs in a variety of condition and full time amenities (e.g. attached patios, covered outside areas, and permanent plants and lawn ornaments.  It was an O.K. overnight stop but not somewhere we would ever spend the winter.  A lot of people do though, and the lady at check in told the person in front of me they were all fully booked for next february.

Spring Training 2023 - Day 15

 It was a windy drive to Tallahassee today.  Mostly a quartering tailwind with moderate gusts.  Not really bad but a "two hands on the wheel day". 

It is a nice RV park where we are staying tonight. We stayed here several years ago.  I didn't remember that we did when I made the reservation, but it was familiar when we arrived.

We also entered the Eastern Time Zone and are now 3 hours ahead of PST.

South tomorrow to Crystal River then a short drive to our RV park destination in Oldsmar on Wednesday.

I had some time today after we arrived to go back through the blog and add a few pictures and links here-and-there.

Spring Training 2023 - Day 14

 An easy drive today, 260 miles from our RV park in Breaux Bridge to Robertsdale, AL, about 30 miles East of Mobile, AL.  No wind, clear skies, dry roads and moderate traffic.

Our RV Park tonight is a mom-and pop park off the highway in the woods.  Looks like a lot of extended stay RVs/Tailers.  Again, not a low-end RV park, but fairly nice riggs throughout.  The park is close to a lot of recreation opportunities and not a bad place to set-up camp to do that.

On to Tallahassee, FL tomorrow.  We are getting close.

Spring Training 2023 - Day 13

 We decided to do stuff today instead of laundry. 

Our first stop was at the local Cajun market near the RV park where we are staying.  Ww bought a few things we didn't know we needed then to Camping World just down the road for a few things we did need.

As the day was still early, we decided to travel down to New Iberia and Avery Island, about 30 miles South of Lafayette.  We have been there before years ago and wanted to go back for another look.

Our first stop in New Iberia was the Koneko Rice Milling Factory.    Why a rice milling factory? It is the oldest operational rice factory in the country (1912).  It is on the National Historic Register, has great rice (brown pecan) and a super gift shop.  We had a personal tour of the mill again and bought some rice and a special "secret sauce" they make that is very good.

We then went down to Avery Island about 10 miles South of New Iberia.  The island sits on several salt domes used for storage of oil and is the home of Tabasco.     All Tabasco is made here. It is also a major tourist attraction with plant tours and a large gift shop with tasting opportunities of everything Tabasco.  We had previously done the tour and just visited the gift shop for a few Tabasco things.

Co-located at the Tabasco complex is a scenic "jungle tour" around a bayou. pin oak trees, Azaleas, and a bird sanctuary for egrets. It is a nice drive-through tour and we decided to do it again.

Avery Island

It was then back to Lafayette for dinner at Prejean's, our favorite Cajun restaurant in Lafayette.  Another great meal then back to the RV park after a long day.

Spring Training 2023 - Day 12

 We got on the road from the RV park around 9:30 am and headed East on I-10 through Houston.  As usual, regardless of the time of day, traffic was heavy and extensive.  It doesn't help that Houston essentially starts about 30 miles West of city center and another 20 miles further East.  It went O.K. for us, just trying to stay out of the way of the trucks and fast movers.

We also transited two other fairly large cities enroute, Beaumont, TX and Lake Charles, LA.  Lots of road construction everywhere with narrow lanes with no shoulder in many spots.  Weather was cloudy almost all the way to our destination RV near Breaux Bridge, LA, the Cajun Palms RV Park.

The park is very large and is a regional destination park for families and large groups.  There are lots of things to do for everyone, and offer a variety of RV sites, cabins and tent sites.  There is also a Boudin and Cracklin  cook  off event here this weekend.  Boudin is a Cajun/French type of sausage with other ingredients and Cracklins are deep fried pig fat.  We passed on attending.

We will be relaxing here tomorrow, doing a few errands and eating out at a favorite Cajun restaurant in Lafayette.  Temperature is in the 80s, partly cloudy and a little humid. Temperatures are above averages for the area.

Spring Training 2023 - Day 11

 It was a relatively short trip today (225 miles) from Kerrville, TX to Brookshire, TX (about 30 miles West of Houston).

It was a fairly easy trip without any appreciable wind.  The hard part was getting through San Antonio.  Lots of traffic and road construction made for a hectic transit and being able to identify and get into the right lane through the various and numerous lane changes through town on I-10.  Lunch at a one of the excellent Texas rest areas than onward.

The park where we are staying tonight is fine.  It is just off of I-10.  It seems to have a lot of "extended stay" residents.  Not a marginal set of residents with the blue tarps, barking dogs, low end RVs, and old pick-up trucks like we have seen elsewhere.  Long term residency (not snowbirds) is a definite trend across the country we have experienced.  More and more people are seeking affordable housing in RV parks.  Compared to other housing options, RV park living can be affordable for many depending on location and park accommodations.

The Houston Transit tomorrow.  Always a challenge and not a lot of bypass options.  The city has like 6 rings around the city.  It is hard to say where the city starts and ends but it is always busy.  

Louisiana tomorrow - Cajun Palms RV Resort, just beyond Lafayette.

Spring Training 2023 - Day 10

 As forecast, it was windy this morning, again mostly a quartering tail wind abut 20 mph with gusts.   Same direction WSW.

Nevertheless, after gas and a truck stop mocha, we got on the road about 9:30 am. It was a relatively short trip today to Kerrville, TX, just west of San Antonio, about 240 miles.  Not that far, but it was a challenge again with the wind.

We are staying at a small KOA campground in Kerrville.  Nothing fancy, but just fine for an overnight.  Another short drive tomorrow to a campground just West of Houston - not a city to transit at the end of the day.  It is the posture child for urban sprawl.  Something like 6 traffic rings around the city and it all seems to go on forever.  Also, on the Southern route East, it is hard to avoid.

I have a few pictures and will backfill the blog as I can.