LANDED SHORT OF HOUSTON

Monday, October 28 – We are still heading toward Houston. Our normal campsite, the Houston Elks, is packed. It looks like we may not be able to get into their campground until December…if then! So we decided to make a stop in Bay City, Texas.

We are staying at a relatively new campground, 60 North RV Park. It gets its name from the location....Texas Route 60. It is a Passport America park offering 50% off for the first two nights. It has very nice and long concrete pads with plenty of room for your RV and vehicle. There is a nice grass berm between each site. All the sites are 50 amp electric full-hookups with water and sewer. The managers and office workers are very nice. We are parked on site P-28.

Looking right.

Looking left.

We are about 1.5 hours from Houston. We actually drove up to Houston this afternoon to look at some alternative campgrounds. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything in our price range. Looks like we'll have to move further out to the surrounding area to find a place this time. Dang!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

WRAPPING IT UP IN GOLIAD, TX

Sunday, October 27 – The River Hiking trail in Goliad State Park was on today's agenda. It follows the San Antonio River along the outer edge of the park. It covers about 3 miles in mostly wooded areas.

Along the walk we came across a huge area of not three- but FOUR-leaf clover. We have never seen so many in one spot. This must be our lucky day

It is such a peaceful hike. Even though the tail runs along the San Antonio River, we didn't see the River all that much.

We didn't see much wildlife either except HUGE grasshoppers....things are definitely bigger in Texas!

There were also numerous turkey vultures soaring in the sky and roosting in the trees. I think they knew we didn't take any water on our hike..... :-)

There is another trail called the Angel of Goliad trail. It is a 2.5 mile hike. In one direction it took us to the Angel of Goliad Statue and in the other direction to downtown Goliad.

Historical accounts refer to the "Angel of Goliad" as a lady of Mexican birth named Francisca Alavéz . She is often referred to as the wife of Captain Telesforo Alavéz who was commander of Mexican Centralista forces. On March 20, Major William P. Miller and his 75 men were captured and moved to Presidio La Bahia. The prisoners were bond so tightly it cut off circulation. They were deprived of food and water. The "Angel of Goliad" helped save the lives of many of these men. Several of the men that survived recalled that she pleaded for their lives, helped sneak out some troops at night and hid some of the men. She also tended to wounds and sending messages and provisions to those still imprisoned.

Landing Gear Problem:  Paul has noticed the last two times we setup that the 5^th wheel would not level correctly. Upon inspection, he determined the landing gear were not deploying at the same rate. One was going down twice as fast as the other. Time for closer inspection.

Oh no....now the slower jack would not store! Paul hooked-up the truck and with the help of a friendly neighbor, began chopping out the wooden block he placed under the jack when setting up. It wasn't easy, but they finally removed the block and the jack was free.

Paul dismantled the jack and was able to get it working again, but it was still deploying slower than its partner. At least it stores and we can use it enough until we can find a place to get it repaired. Anyone ever have a similar problem and know the cause?

Many of the blogs we read are containing gorgeous photos of the fall colors. In case anyone out there would like to see the fall colors in this area of Texas, here is a photo for you…..not so gorgeous.

We really enjoyed our three days in Goliad. If you are traveling in this area, be sure to stop and enjoy this historic town.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day.

GOLIAD WAR HEROES

Friday, October 25 – Goliad, Texas, is the birthplace of the famous Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza, commander against the French Army in the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. French forces attacked Puebla in a battle that lasted the entire day of May 5, 1862, the now-famed Cinco de Mayo. Zaragoza's well-armed, well-trained men forced the withdrawal of the French troops from Puebla to Orizaba.

 

Zaragoza's birthplace

Zaragoza became one of the great national heroes of Mexico. Songs have been written in his honor, and schools, plazas, and streets have been named either Zaragoza or Cinco de Mayo.

Unique fact about Zaragoza…On January 21, 1857, while on an important army assignment in San Luis Potosí, Zaragoza was unable to attend his own marriage to Rafaela Padilla in Monterey, so his brother, Miguel, served as his proxy.

A short walk from the Zaragoza Memorial took us to another historical site, the Fannin's Memorial. After “Remember the Alamo,” the Texas Revolution’s most potent battle cry was “Remember Goliad.” The darkest day in Texas history, The Goliad Massacre, took place on Palm Sunday, March 27, 1836, when Col. James Fannin and 341 men under his command were executed a week after their capture. Some were killed along roads near Goliad’s historic Presidio La Bahía. Others, including Fannin, were executed inside the fort, which had been constructed in 1749 to protect the nearby Mission Espíritu Santo. Fannin and his troops are buried beneath the Fannin Memorial Monument, located next to the fort. There was twice the loss of life at Goliad as there was at the Battle of the Alamo.

While visiting these two historic sites, Paul attracted a new little friend. This little guy followed us everywhere. Paul tried to explain to him that we had nothing to share.

Another interesting tidbit for football fans:  We also learned that Goliad is the home of former Houston Oiler Coach Bum Phillips who recently passed away. He has a large ranch just outside town.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!