Common Sights at the Texas RV Parks

We see this message on signs quite often:

In Florida we would be "Snow Birds".

Here is another sign with a common message around RV sites.

This camp sign is a bit more friendly.

This year we are seeing more of these:  bicycles with electric "boost" motors.  The motors assist on hills or when the rider gets tired.  We are still using the pure peddle variety as we need the exercise.

Today is our last full day in Mission as tomorrow we head for the storage facility and then on to Memphis.

Stay tuned as we are not done with our travels yet.

🚴

A Fish In the Sky?

The Border Patrol blimp has made this blog on a previous post.

It is tethered to a ground mobile unit and until recently we had only seen it at a distance.  It has cameras to watch the U.S. - Mexico border below.

However...

When we were riding in the Bentsen State Park recently it was flying fairly close.  We believe the cameras are hanging below the blimp, and you can see the tether line.  It was our first good look at the "eye in the sky".

But...

..this is what we were reminded of.

 It looked like a drab jellyfish floating in a blue sea of sky.

🐋

A Dog-Friendly RV Park

Pretty much all private RV parks have enclosed areas that allow dogs to be taken off their leashes, and allowed to run, mingle and play.  Just like with people, however, some canines have poor social skills and fights can break out.

Here at Bentsen Palm Village there is a  a fork at the gate going into the dog pens where a choice has to be made if you bring in your dog to run unchained.

 Straight ahead a dog owner sees this sign on the gate.

and....

..to the right one sees this sign on another gate.

From what we have observed - we are not sure which dogs are being protected from the bullies.   We have seen a few small dogs wanting to be dominant, wanting to fight, and not realizing their relative size.  Conversely,  there are some large docile dogs that only want to play.

🐶  🐺 

Learning at the Birding Center

During a recent bicycle trip into the State Park next door, Bill and Karen visited a second building of the Birding Center in which they had not previously explored.

After an introductory DVD film, about the birds in this region we checked out the displays.

Here is Karen pushing the buttons to listen to the bird calls of various species in southern Texas.

This exhibit shows how hawks migrate.  Starting on the right they find a warm air vortex and ride it high up.  When near the top they then glide for miles until they find the next vortex and repeat.  This conserves their strength on the long journeys north as their wings are not designed for normal long distance flying, but they are excellent at gliding.

☁

Even Squirrels Avoid this Tree

Not far away on one of our bike rides we noticed this weird tree in a front yard.  Now there are plenty of Prickly Pear cacti down here, but this tree takes thorn protection to a new level.

 We had to stop and take a closer look, because this tree was not common.

This is a closeup of one of the limbs.  These thorns must be its natural protection from herbivores who would find its wood to be tasty??

This tree does not get climbed by neighbor kids, and a beaver just does not have a chance.  The tree may be a Ceiba Speciosa according to our research but that is only a guess.  It is certainly not the object a person would want to bump into on a dark night.

🌵🌴

A Birthday Get-Together for Nancy

Nancy Smoker had a birthday on Sunday so we joined a group to help her celebrate.

We met for lunch at the Riverside Restaurant that is right on the Rio Grande.  That is Mexico across the river.  The weather was warm and almost perfect for our outside tables.

Nancy was enjoying the party and the group of her friends and family.

Across the River we watched these Mexican lads launch their kayaks and paddle along the bank.

After lunch many of us drove a few more miles and stopped at this fancy establishment that you see above.   The name was very descriptive of the venue inside. 

The Junkyard Bar was busy already for an early Sunday afternoon.  The thirsty crowd was waiting for the band to start up so they could dance.  There were even a stray dog or two wandering in and out (Remember this is Texas).  We grabbed a table, joined the crowd and had a drink.

Cheers!

🍻

Another Saturday Night Card Bingo Winner

Here is the Winner counting her cash!

Karen won one of the three dollar games of card Bingo on Saturday evening, but had to split her winnings with another player.  Nevertheless, she walked away with $31 so she was happy!

💰

How Some Texans Keep Their Lawn Green

In the Rio Grande Valley, or RGV as it is called down here, we seldom see rain and the summers get very hot.  Because the air is usually very dry we never see lawns being sprinkled with water like is normally done in Michigan.

Instead...

This new house being constructed nearby shows us how the lawns are built and maintained. The tubes will next be covered with topsoil and grass seed spread out.  The network of black tubes has tiny holes that bleed water underground and thus avoids evaporation into the air.

The tubes are hooked to a hydrant with a timer.  The water goes straight to the roots and avoids the dry air.   So this is how the better lawns stay green.

🏃

Checking License Plates

As we walk and ride our bicycles around our RV park down here in southern Texas, a quick way to see where other Winter Texans are coming from (as they come and go) is to check the vehicle license plates.  This license below was hard not to miss.

Something about the plate makes us think the owner is from Michigan!  Good guess right?

The farthermost campers we have seen here, so far, are from Nova Scotia, and one from Alaska.  

⛽

A Large Prairie Chicken In the State Park

The Bentsen Rio Grande Valley Texas State Park in considered a World Birding Center.  It is visited by at least 500 different bird species during the year which is more than some states can claim.  We often see visitors coming in with large sophisticated cameras and fancy binoculars to sit in the bird blinds.

Above is a type of bird that is numerous at the bird blinds and feeding stations.  It is the Chachalaca.A Chachalaca is a non-migratory gamebird that is similar in size to a female Ring-neck Pheasant.

We see them often when we ride our bikes in the state park.

🎥

Karen Spots a Small Critter

On one of her walks around the park recently, Karen saw this guy and took his picture with her phone.

They are usually darker in color so we think he was trying to blend in with the wall.

And the answer is "no" he did not try to sell her some car insurance.

Ha!

🐲

Conserving Water in the State Park

Above you see one of the two headquarter buildings at the Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park which is next to our RV resort.  Notice how the gutters along the roof are designed to catch rain and channel it into the steel tank on the right.

Above in this photo you can see that the second building has the same design with another tank.  The rain is then used to water some of their plants, and to fill the drinking apparatus in the various bird blinds in the park.  Water is precious down here, so this type of design is helpful.

☂

You Better Watch Where You Are Walking

So far, we have not been troubled with any insect pests since we bought our Cougar trailer early in 2018.  We take precautions when we are using it as well as when we are storing it, and so far we have been lucky.

Not far down the street from our RV resort we noticed these strange mounds of sand along the roadway.

We stopped to take a closer look.

The mounds were the residue of a large underground colony of Red Ants.  The gardeners spray at our campground to keep pests under control, and we are glad that they do.

🐜

The City of Mission Shows Its Appreciation

Saturday was a warm and sunny day, and an almost perfect day for the city of Mission, Texas to host its annual "Winter Texan Fiesta".  We decided to give it a look, and went with the Smokers.

The Fiesta was held at the Mission Event Center and we had to pick up our free tickets in advance and in person.  To watch the afternoon entertainment people were advised to bring their own lawn chairs.

An outdoor stage was set up to accommodate the musicians.  The city mayor gave a small talk at the start of the afternoon entertainment to welcome everyone, and thank us for coming to southern Texas in the Winter. (and spending our money -we might add)

 Each musical act had only about 30-45 minutes to perform.  Above is Rusty Rierson from Kansas.  He played good music and told some great stories as well.

Not only did we get a free lunch provided by Chick-fil-A, but every attendee received a free Tee shirt like you see above.  That is Tom Landry, el Coach, on the shirt who was the Dallas Cowboy's coach and a local legend.

🏈

Mexican Influence in Decor

With Mexico just across the river - lawn and site decorations like this are common down here in Mission.

They are bright and fragile and reflect the nearby culture.

🎊

A Road Fatality - and the Clean-Up Crew

Unfortunately for the nocturnal wildlife in these parts - accidents do happen on the roadways.

This poor Peccary is proof of that!

Bill noticed her on a recent bicycle ride.

But..

These guys and gals are numerous down here this time of year and are happy to be the clean up crew.

and for your information:  according to Google -

A group of vultures is called a committee, venue or volt. In flight, a flock of vultures is a kettle, and when the birds are feeding together at a carcass, the group is called a wake.

So.

This committee will become a kettle and go down to the wake.....

And now you know the rest of the story.

🐗

A Good Selection of Reading Materials

It is safe to say that pretty much every private RV park that we have visited has a library of one type or another for its guests.  The larger the park - the larger the selection of books and magazines.

Our park, Bentsen Palm Village, is no exception.  The books are separated by hard-cover vs. paperback and are arranged alphabetically by author. (Probably by a retired-teacher volunteer??)

Our selection here is not huge, but there are plenty of books to  keep most any reader happy on a sunny warm day.  The libraries are run on the Honor System: take one / leave one.  It is recycling at its purest level.

📗📘📙📘

A Pig Roast in the RV Park

On Sunday the wood shop at our park sponsored a pig roast at the clubhouse.

The two guys who cooked the hog brought in a heavy duty cooker and left it two days before the meal.

 It was the fanciest mobile cooker we had ever seen for roasting hogs.

It was fueled by charcoal briquettes and Mesquite wood, and not propane like many cookers.  Note the white cutting board by the doors above the "Danger Men Cooking" sign.  This rig was heavy duty and well-designed.

However, we do believe the name of this contraption was misleading - very misleading!

If anything - it was just the opposite.

🐷

Entertainment Made Easy - When It's Hot Outside

As you have probably noticed, there are now plenty of Dollar General stores around the U.S.  Texas is no exception. The closest retail establishment to our RV resort is a Dollar General store about two miles away.  It is not as new or as well-organized as our Dollar General in Frederic, back home, but it is hard to beat for convenience and we stop there often.

But look what this store has out front.  We decided to try the service so we signed up for a membership in RedBox.  For just $1.89 you can rent a DVD from the machine.  They have a large selection of movies and release the newest movies much sooner than Netflix.  Yesterday, the temperature hit 90 degrees so it drove many inside to watch a movie with the A/C on.

😓

Strange Farming Method in the Rio Grande Valley

In this dry region of  South Texas water is precious and closely regulated.  Instead of mechanical irrigation systems that spray water on fields and crops, they irrigate another way.

Most fields are table-top flat.  First a small trench is dug around the parameter of a field like you see happening above.

 Above you see a field being prepared for irrigation.  Next smaller furrows are dug down the middle of the fields.

Next water is poured into the perimeter trenches from hydrants through large tubes.

(Note:  In the background you can see smoke from a sugar cane crop being burned off.)

 The filling water is clear and pure.  It must me coming from a deep well or water tower.  It is too clean to be coming from the river or a nearby canal.

When the perimeter furrows are full,  the water then flows into the middle furrows so the entire field gets moisture.  We have not figured out what purpose the small black tubes serve?

anyway.....

There is no crops planted yet, and we do not know what will be planted.  The dirt will soon dry up again, but apparently this early bath of water will help the future crops.

🌾🌿🍀