Texas: Moving on from the Rio Grande Valley (RGV)

I know it’s been a while since I last posted, but we’ve been working and not doing a lot of traveling.

We’ve got some life updates:

  • We adopted two kittens in mid-January 2023. Their names are Loki (a black and orange torbie) and Luna (an all black tabby). I’ll do a separate post about them!
  • In mid-February 2023, I switched jobs. That is one of the reasons for moving on from the RGV. More to come in another post on that.
  • Bob “retired” from his software development job to pursue his videography interest full-time.

But this post is about moving, so I’ll get to the nitty gritty of our travels

Mission to Lake Corpus Christi State Park

When we initially planned to leave Mission, we wanted to take it slow and easy. We figured a nice, easy 2 – 2.5 hour drive would be just perfect, and we’d also get to visit a state park.

The day started out fine. We drove into the local Freightliner facility for an oil and filter change, which was done by 11 a.m. However, during the service, the technician found that our A/C compressor had locked up, and the belt connected to it was all but shredded and ready to break. This is for the A/C that is used when the RV is in motion on the roads, not the A/C units used when the RV is stationary. We authorized the repair, but we didn’t quite get it all done. The RV has a new compressor and a new belt, but there’s a part missing – the fitting/elbow that actually makes the A/C work. The threads were thrashed, the part was not available for another week, so they put us back together, and we drove away.

A cloudy background, with two business signs in the foreground. One sign says Doggett, and the other sign says Freightliner and Western Star.
We have a Freightliner Custom Chassis, so we always get our oil and filter change at a Freightliner facility. This is the local facility in Pharr, Texas.
There were 16 bays – the odd numbered bays were on the service entrance side.
Our RV in service bay 15.
Bob enjoying surfing and streaming on our iPad while in the driver lounge.

Unfortunately, all this work meant that we didn’t leave the Freightliner facility until 6:30 p.m., almost a full 12 hours after we got there.

With no A/C while the RV was in motion, it was a miserable drive to the state park, the last 30-45 minutes being in total darkness on unfamiliar country roads. We arrived at the state park before the 10 p.m. deadline for arrival, hooked up the electric, and got ready for bed. We decided that since the next day’s journey was only 60-90 minutes with a noon check in time, we could afford to rest and do any chores the next morning.

Lake Corpus Christi State Park to Rockport

The next morning, we left for Rockport while it was still cool outside.  We arrived just before noon, and set up at our spot for the night at a local marina.

Our view:

Boats at the marina in the golden hour before sunset.

We enjoyed the view, had a couple of meals out, but otherwise we just took it easy in Rockport.

Rockport to Wharton

We left Rockport fairly early. Our RV spot was a pull in spot, so we backed out and then hooked up the Jeep for towing.

We arranged ahead of time to arrive between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. due to our A/C issue. It’s much cooler to drive in the morning. We plan on staying here at this RV park for at least the next month, but we may stay a bit longer. Our plans are fluid, and my new employer fully supports my RV lifestyle.

We were still getting set up when I took this photo.

One advantage of our new location is that there is a Buc-ee’s nearby. Before we arrived at our RV park, we topped off our fuel tank. So we’re ready to hop on the road whenever the mood strikes us!  🙂

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