We are really making an effort to get back into a routine of walking every morning. It's warmed up this week which really helps us get outside. This morning we walked 2.71 miles. I enjoy the walks very much even though the views are not as great as I had hoped, there is still beauty in the park and sometimes it's nice to just enjoy the quiet of being in nature. Most of the people who walk early in the morning are there to take pictures of the birds so they prefer quiet, and a few bicyclists - and they just fly by us. Maybe we'll be one of them someday!
Today is the first day of February - we have already spent 4 weeks here in South Texas. It has flown by. We've had a great time even though the temperatures have not been what we expected. Fortunately, we haven't had but a few really cool days/evenings - and nothing below freezing. We are not sure of the exact date we will leave yet but probably sometime in mid-March. Our trip down here was done in 3 long (6-7 hours driving) days. Our plan is to take our time heading back north making stops along the way and spending a minimum of 2 days at each stop and more if we find several things to see and do. We need to be back in SEK or SW Missouri by April 9 for our first doctor appointment, one of many we need to fit in during April and May, prior to leaving for our trip to New York to meet Grandchild #13 - Samuel.
We need to do some grocery shopping today, and I plan to check out the pocket cameras at Best Buy, Walmart and Sam's. Our first stop was at Best Buy and they had a number of cameras on display. I took pictures of each one so I can research them once I have a little time. We have been staying really busy and I'm now behind on the blog as well so it comes first. I get a little edgy when I let things pile up on me - so it's in everyone's best interest for me to get it done! Lol!
We used the last of our bread from Breadsmith this morning, so it was our next stop where I purchased one loaf. We'll be back in this area again next Tuesday, so I'll get another fresh loaf then. I'm sure we'll need it by then. It is just sooooo good!
When I returned to the truck I googled "dry cleaners near me" and found there was one right across the street from where we were setting at Breadsmith. I am going to attend a class that our friend Pam is giving at the park where they stay. It is how to cover hangars with yarn, so I needed hangars. I asked for 4 and they brought me a dozen and would not take any money for them. How nice is that? I remember my mom had some of these hangars, and I would guess that either she or one of my grandma's might have made them.
Our next stop was at Sam's. We found the cameras and they had a couple I was interested in, so again I took pictures to check out the reviews later. I only needed a few things here and we quickly gathered those up, using the app on my phone called "Scan & Go" to scan the barcodes of our purchases, and then paid with my credit card on the app. It is so much quicker to do this than going through the register line and paying. Once I reach the door, they just scan the bar code on my phone, and out we go.
Our last stop was Walmart. I have decided to only buy a few things we need and not to purchase any more food items until we have used what is in the freezer, which would probably get us at least half way through the month, maybe longer. We end up eating lunch or dinner out often enough we might make it through the month without purchasing any groceries except breakfast items - since we almost always have it at home.
We stopped at the park office when we returned to see if we have received any mail. No postal mail but we did receive a new calendar of activities here in the park for the month of February, our first electric bill, and a form to reserve a spot for next year if we want to do that. We are not ready to make that decision. We'd really like to go to Florida for at least a month next year, and then possibly work our way back west, but we'll see how it all plays out .
We are taking a Riverboat cruise on the Rio Grande Valley this afternoon at 3:30. Around 3:00 we drove next door where our Heartland friends are staying. We offered to drive today and Jay and Stella rode with us. The cruise location is not too far from us so in no time we were there. We purchased our tickets inside, $10 per person for a 1 hour ride. We thought it was very reasonable.
We didn't have to wait too long at all until it was time to board. I took a selfie with our group as we were waiting to board and didn't realize until later I did not get Dean or Jay in the picture.
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| From left to right: Stella, Peg, Flora, Nancy, Dave, Corbin, Mike, Lin and Deb - and I don't know who that lady with the silly look on her face is! Lol! |
Once we were on board, the captain pulled away from the dock and began his interesting talk. I wish I would have had Dean set his phone to record it so I could remember more of the highlights. It was a beautiful warm day and we were actually glad for a little breeze as we scooted across the water.
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| Deb (blue shirt) & Lin (red shirt) at the back |
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| Waiting to take off - From right to left Mike, Peg, Corbin, Flora, Dave & Nancy |
One thing we did notice is there is more development of park areas on the Mexico side of the river than the US. Of course, for both sides some development is private and some is government owned. There were a number of folks on the Mexican side either working or enjoying one of the parks. They always waved as we passed by.
One of the items Dean remembered was before Trump became President the number of illegals crossing the border was much higher - like 250/300 per day at McAllen, TX alone. That number had dropped to about 100 per day, until recently as DACA discussions have ensued, the numbers have risen to about 150 per day. Another thing I found very interesting is a very small percentage of those coming across the border are from Mexico - most are coming from other countries through the Mexican border to the US.
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| As we are leaving the dock, beyond the boat is Mexico. |
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| One of 3 surveillance towers we saw on the boat ride. Two are equipped with cameras and one is always manned. |
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| I cannot remember all the details of these thatched roofs - but they are from the palm trees and I believe they have about 4-5 layers each. They will last for a number of years. |
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| This particular property is often used as a venue for weddings, and other important events. The light blue is an infinity pool. |
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| Boat passing us is Border Patrol and since we are nearing the dam, to the left is the US. |
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| Still in Mexico |
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| Anzalduas Dam |
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| This is the dam and all pictures after this are of the United States unless otherwise noted. |
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| This building is on the Mexico side. It houses parrots and a toucan but unfortunately I did not manage to get pictures of them. The toucan was in the far upper left corner. The colors were amazing. |
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| Another surveillance camera. |
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| Riverside Cafe & Boat Dock |
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| Mexico purchases electric from the US. Their tower on the left. |
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| Chimney Park RV Resort and the Boat Ramp used by the Border Patrol. |
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| Chimney Stack that gives the park its name. |
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| Chimney Park RV Resort |
We had a wonderful time. When we returned to the dock and disembarked, we moved into the restaurant where they seated the twelve us at two tables for six people. I think everyone ordered the pork tenderloin sandwich with either onion rings or the battered french fries. I wish I would have remembered to take a picture of our meal, so I'll just have to explain it to you. The pork tenderloins are HUGE. On the large bun, the tenderloin hangs over the entire bun by 3-4 inches. Dean and I shared the sandwich and the french fries. It was delicious and we would not hesitate to return here and probably will do so before we leave the Valley.
Once we finished eating, we headed back to the RV Park. We dropped Jay and Stella off at their park (next door to us) and then we returned home to settle in for the evening.
Glad you were able to take the boat trip. I think it was great too.
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