January 3, 2018. Have been in Glen Rose at Tres Rios since October 1. We are scheduled to head out of here on the 16th. I wanted to go to a GNP around Austin for a week, but I get an X on the days I wanted. So, we will go to the park in Llano for a couple of days and then down to the Thousand Trails at Medina Lake.
The weather has been in the 20’s for the past 4 days, and this morning I discovered that the hot water line has frozen to the kitchen sink. We have hot water in the bathroom, but the line froze between there and the kitchen.
January 11, 2018. Another cold front is on its way through Glen Rose. We had a few very nice days in the mid-60’s but today the wind picked up so much that we took the awning down as a precaution. There were even a few snow flurries that came through. According to Weather.com the next six nights will be below freezing, which means we fill up the inside tank and run off of it. The days will be in the 40s and 50s, but cold nights.
Jim had his last eye doctor appointment today. She said his burning eyes were due to dry eye and that we should use the tears drops 2-3 times a day. She gave him a prescription for glasses, which we got filled at their optometrist next door.
I had my final doctor appointment yesterday and we went over my mammogram, bone density test and thyroid test. The mammogram shows that I have dense breast tissue and should be viewed again, but we will do that this year when I go back in October. My bone density test shows that I have “osteopenia.” My prescription for that is weight bearing exercises, calcium and Vit D. Karen gave me weight bearing exercises, which I am doing and I added a 5,000 IU Vit D plus a calcium capsule to my evening regimen. A follow up in 2 years is recommended.
I am also to start taking thyroid pills again since the test showed that my taking them for 2 months greatly lowered the number. I have a three month supply with 4 refills. But, I did make an appointment for an October checkup.
Since Jim’s glasses won’t be ready until the end of next week, we are heading to the Thousand Trails at Lake Whitney for the week, so we can come back and pick them up. We will then head to Riverway in Llano, then the Thousand Trails in Medina Lake for a week..
January 20, 2018. We left Tres Rios on January 15, a day earlier than we were scheduled because a cold front was coming down Monday night with rain, snow and very cold weather. In fact, Tuesday’s high was in the 30’s and a couple of mornings I was walking the dogs it was only about 12º - very cold. I bundle up with my Cabela’s rain pants, an undershirt, long sleeves, sweater, black beanie hat, new gloves, and my winter coat and scarf. The only thing that got really cold were my fingers. My new gloves do not keep the cold out, so I think I need something else.
Thursday was Josh’s 38th birthday. I sent him a FB happy birthday and Jim texted him, but I’m sure he had to work. We also had a mobile welder come down and redo the bike rack we had on the trailer by welding a receiver onto the trailer and then welding the rack to bars that he bought. Jim cut off the ends of the rack that used to bolt to the back of the trailer, and then we bought a piece to bolt on that end to connect the ends together so we can hook it better to the trailer or truck. So now we can put the bike rack onto the back of the truck and take the bikes to trails and ride there. This is very exciting because before we could only ride in or around the campground we are at, and now we can take our bikes with us.
Friday we drove up to Granbury to pick up Jim’s glasses, which he got for reading after cataract surgery. We also tried a new restaurant in Granbury that we had been meaning to try – The Flame. It was very good with fresh ingredients and a great cheesecake dessert. We then went to Tres Rios to pick up some mail and play cards (and pool) with our friends.
February 10, 2018. We took our week out from Tres Rios on January 16-23 and went to Lake Whitney Thousand Trails. This was our 2nd time visiting this park and we went to Section A where we were able to get good Antenna service and better WiFi.
Back to Tres Rios on January 23, we are staying here until February 12 and will then head south. We were going to travel this summer, but then Kathleen called and asked about Lone Star Yogi. I had just noticed that there was an ad on Workamper showing Chuck & Nancy back there with an ad. Kathleen said that Marvin & Barb were gone as managers so I suggested she call Chuck to see about going back to work there. She did and went to talk with them, and was hired back for the summer. She will be working in the store.
Looking at the ad and talking with Jim, I sent Chuck an email saying congratulations on the position and giving Kathleen a good recommendation. I then talked with Jim about going back to work there and he was OK with that so I sent Chuck another email about coming back to work. They asked if we would like to work in golf cart rentals and I said OK.
We don’t start work until spring break, so we will head down to Lake Medina Thousand Trails for a week, then Del Rio for a week as well as Big Bend from March 1-5, then start toward Waller to arrive around the 8th to get set up and learn about golf carts.
We had never been to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, which is located right here in Glen Rose. It is really huge and has many wild animals roaming around, from Ostrich, Giraffe, Zebra, etc. We decided to drive our own vehicle through it so I could take pictures.
February 20, 2018. We have been at Medina Lake TT for the past week, leaving tomorrow to Del Rio, Texas. One day we drove to Fredericksburg and visited the Pacific War Museum. Jim forgot his cane at Tres Rios and we had Kerry ship it to us but it came USPS, thus sat at the post office from Friday to Tuesday as it was closed Saturday and Monday due to President’s Day. Monday we made a trip to Boerne for shopping and Tuesday picked up Jim’s cane and drove to Bandera. It was rainy most of the day so we did not do anything in Bandera except visit the Cowboy Store. Jim tried on a pair of cowboy boots, but is still stuck on the Tecovas he has seen on the internet.
February 22, 2018. Left Medina Lake on Wednesday and hit a horrible rain storm on our way south. It was not much fun driving in it and Jim even hydroplaned a few times. But the truck held its own and everything was OK. We arrived in Del Rio to Hidden Valley RV Park and got settled in. She gave us a site that was completely fenced in as it used to be a mobile home park and they are converting it to an RV park. It’s an OK park but I am having a hard time finding a place to let the dogs loose. There is an empty weed filled lot up the street where I let them loose one day; there was a dead deer in it and Lucy rolled in something.
We went to a winery that has been in the area for many years and a Mexican restaurant, Memos, that has been here over 80 years. It was delicious and inexpensive. The chips they served seemed to be home made and were great. Jim asked for a bag to take home and they actually gave us some. They close at 2pm and we got there at 1:50 but she let us in for lunch. We were the only ones there.
There is a natural spring that runs through the down. I saw a small park by the restaurant so we drove down there and walked up and down the area a little bit. There is a nice bike trail that runs a couple of miles, so we may bring the bikes down there for a ride.
March 3, 2018. Arrived at Big Bend Resort & Adventures on March 1 for four nights. Big park with lots of dust, but at least we have internet service. There is no TV antenna service around here. I first booked us at the RV park near the Rio Grande Village, way down in the heart of the park, but changed it when I was told it was just a “parking lot” and would not like it. Plus, they have no wifi or TV down there. So, I changed the reservation to where we are now. The campgrounds are both run by the same company – Forever Resorts – but the one we are at is less expensive and is a Good Sam Park, so we get at little discount.
Lucy has come down with a bug of some sort when we were in Marathon, Texas on February 28, giving her diarrhea. It’s been three days so far and last night she woke us up about three times to go out before I took them on their morning walk. The last time I took her out at 5am she also threw up. But she does not seem too bad because she still runs around like her old self.
On our drive into the park yesterday we went to Panther Junction and looked at the exhibits in there, then continued to Boquillas Canyon where I walked the trail the canyon and Jim stayed at the truck. We then went to Boquillas Crossing where we could go into Mexico but the only way across was to walk across the river or have a Mexican take us across in a boat, for $5 per person round trip. We then would have to walk ¾ of a mile to the immigration place, or hire a donkey or horse ride to get there. Everything had to be cash because there is no credit cards that can be used there. So, due to lack of cash we opted not to go across. Plus I was worried about Lucy being left. After we came out of Panther Junction VC she was panting and very anxious to get out of the truck to go potty.
From there we drove to the Rio Grande Village area to eat lunch at a beautiful picnic area, and then went to the boat ramp to see the river. According to the park rules, the dogs can go anywhere a vehicle can go. So, when we went down to the boat ramp, we took the dogs and let them go so they could swim and play around. They had a blast running all over, playing and jumping in the water. They really needed this play time.
I have found an area to walk and let them loose though. There is a dirt road behind the RV park that just goes off into the desert so we walk down the road and I let them loose there.
March 9, 2018. The next day in Terlingua we drove the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, visiting some of the scenic turn offs along the way with Santa Elena Canyon at the end. I walked the trail into the canyon which took me up some steps then down a very rocky path to the end with lush green grass and bamboo. It was very beautiful and cool in the shade.
We drove back the same way because a round trip road would have taken us on a dirt, wash board road.
On March 4 we went to lunch at High Sierra Grill near the Terlingua for Ghost Town, when drove down to the Starlight Theater and a gift shop.
Monday March 5 we left Terlingua, Big Bend and drove back to the Marathon Motel & RV for one night, then down to Del Rio for another night. We made another stop in Von Orme at a very nice PA park called Hidden Valley. Our final destination was Yogi Bear Jellystone on March 9.
We pulled back into our old spot and got set up. There is a couple next to us and they came down while we were standing there with Chuck & Nancy looking at the site; they seemed to be trying to dissuade us from pulling in, saying where will they park their truck and golf cart. They were using our electric pedestal for their golf cart. But there is a huge parking area on the other side of their RV where they can park their truck and plug in their golf cart. They just seemed to have an issue with us moving in. But, Nancy said we should move in, which we did.
I texted Kathleen and told her we were back. Nancy said we would start work Saturday or Sunday, as we have to learn the ropes and the computer system. The dogs seem like they know we are back to a place they remember.
March 31, 2018. We started work right before spring break and seem to be in charge of golf cart rental. Sandra is working with us, but we are there more than she is. Gary in Golf Carts was asked back to help out after Jake left, and he supervises the maintenance of them. IT Gary is in the office and wants to know the status of all the carts, so we did an inventory of all of the carts and their status. Golf Cart Gary also did the same so we know the status of all the carts to rent.
Back to Daily Journal 2018
The weather has been in the 20’s for the past 4 days, and this morning I discovered that the hot water line has frozen to the kitchen sink. We have hot water in the bathroom, but the line froze between there and the kitchen.
January 11, 2018. Another cold front is on its way through Glen Rose. We had a few very nice days in the mid-60’s but today the wind picked up so much that we took the awning down as a precaution. There were even a few snow flurries that came through. According to Weather.com the next six nights will be below freezing, which means we fill up the inside tank and run off of it. The days will be in the 40s and 50s, but cold nights.
Jim had his last eye doctor appointment today. She said his burning eyes were due to dry eye and that we should use the tears drops 2-3 times a day. She gave him a prescription for glasses, which we got filled at their optometrist next door.
I had my final doctor appointment yesterday and we went over my mammogram, bone density test and thyroid test. The mammogram shows that I have dense breast tissue and should be viewed again, but we will do that this year when I go back in October. My bone density test shows that I have “osteopenia.” My prescription for that is weight bearing exercises, calcium and Vit D. Karen gave me weight bearing exercises, which I am doing and I added a 5,000 IU Vit D plus a calcium capsule to my evening regimen. A follow up in 2 years is recommended.
I am also to start taking thyroid pills again since the test showed that my taking them for 2 months greatly lowered the number. I have a three month supply with 4 refills. But, I did make an appointment for an October checkup.
Since Jim’s glasses won’t be ready until the end of next week, we are heading to the Thousand Trails at Lake Whitney for the week, so we can come back and pick them up. We will then head to Riverway in Llano, then the Thousand Trails in Medina Lake for a week..
January 20, 2018. We left Tres Rios on January 15, a day earlier than we were scheduled because a cold front was coming down Monday night with rain, snow and very cold weather. In fact, Tuesday’s high was in the 30’s and a couple of mornings I was walking the dogs it was only about 12º - very cold. I bundle up with my Cabela’s rain pants, an undershirt, long sleeves, sweater, black beanie hat, new gloves, and my winter coat and scarf. The only thing that got really cold were my fingers. My new gloves do not keep the cold out, so I think I need something else.
Thursday was Josh’s 38th birthday. I sent him a FB happy birthday and Jim texted him, but I’m sure he had to work. We also had a mobile welder come down and redo the bike rack we had on the trailer by welding a receiver onto the trailer and then welding the rack to bars that he bought. Jim cut off the ends of the rack that used to bolt to the back of the trailer, and then we bought a piece to bolt on that end to connect the ends together so we can hook it better to the trailer or truck. So now we can put the bike rack onto the back of the truck and take the bikes to trails and ride there. This is very exciting because before we could only ride in or around the campground we are at, and now we can take our bikes with us.
Friday we drove up to Granbury to pick up Jim’s glasses, which he got for reading after cataract surgery. We also tried a new restaurant in Granbury that we had been meaning to try – The Flame. It was very good with fresh ingredients and a great cheesecake dessert. We then went to Tres Rios to pick up some mail and play cards (and pool) with our friends.
February 10, 2018. We took our week out from Tres Rios on January 16-23 and went to Lake Whitney Thousand Trails. This was our 2nd time visiting this park and we went to Section A where we were able to get good Antenna service and better WiFi.
Back to Tres Rios on January 23, we are staying here until February 12 and will then head south. We were going to travel this summer, but then Kathleen called and asked about Lone Star Yogi. I had just noticed that there was an ad on Workamper showing Chuck & Nancy back there with an ad. Kathleen said that Marvin & Barb were gone as managers so I suggested she call Chuck to see about going back to work there. She did and went to talk with them, and was hired back for the summer. She will be working in the store.
Looking at the ad and talking with Jim, I sent Chuck an email saying congratulations on the position and giving Kathleen a good recommendation. I then talked with Jim about going back to work there and he was OK with that so I sent Chuck another email about coming back to work. They asked if we would like to work in golf cart rentals and I said OK.
We don’t start work until spring break, so we will head down to Lake Medina Thousand Trails for a week, then Del Rio for a week as well as Big Bend from March 1-5, then start toward Waller to arrive around the 8th to get set up and learn about golf carts.
We had never been to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, which is located right here in Glen Rose. It is really huge and has many wild animals roaming around, from Ostrich, Giraffe, Zebra, etc. We decided to drive our own vehicle through it so I could take pictures.
February 20, 2018. We have been at Medina Lake TT for the past week, leaving tomorrow to Del Rio, Texas. One day we drove to Fredericksburg and visited the Pacific War Museum. Jim forgot his cane at Tres Rios and we had Kerry ship it to us but it came USPS, thus sat at the post office from Friday to Tuesday as it was closed Saturday and Monday due to President’s Day. Monday we made a trip to Boerne for shopping and Tuesday picked up Jim’s cane and drove to Bandera. It was rainy most of the day so we did not do anything in Bandera except visit the Cowboy Store. Jim tried on a pair of cowboy boots, but is still stuck on the Tecovas he has seen on the internet.
February 22, 2018. Left Medina Lake on Wednesday and hit a horrible rain storm on our way south. It was not much fun driving in it and Jim even hydroplaned a few times. But the truck held its own and everything was OK. We arrived in Del Rio to Hidden Valley RV Park and got settled in. She gave us a site that was completely fenced in as it used to be a mobile home park and they are converting it to an RV park. It’s an OK park but I am having a hard time finding a place to let the dogs loose. There is an empty weed filled lot up the street where I let them loose one day; there was a dead deer in it and Lucy rolled in something.
We went to a winery that has been in the area for many years and a Mexican restaurant, Memos, that has been here over 80 years. It was delicious and inexpensive. The chips they served seemed to be home made and were great. Jim asked for a bag to take home and they actually gave us some. They close at 2pm and we got there at 1:50 but she let us in for lunch. We were the only ones there.
There is a natural spring that runs through the down. I saw a small park by the restaurant so we drove down there and walked up and down the area a little bit. There is a nice bike trail that runs a couple of miles, so we may bring the bikes down there for a ride.
March 3, 2018. Arrived at Big Bend Resort & Adventures on March 1 for four nights. Big park with lots of dust, but at least we have internet service. There is no TV antenna service around here. I first booked us at the RV park near the Rio Grande Village, way down in the heart of the park, but changed it when I was told it was just a “parking lot” and would not like it. Plus, they have no wifi or TV down there. So, I changed the reservation to where we are now. The campgrounds are both run by the same company – Forever Resorts – but the one we are at is less expensive and is a Good Sam Park, so we get at little discount.
Lucy has come down with a bug of some sort when we were in Marathon, Texas on February 28, giving her diarrhea. It’s been three days so far and last night she woke us up about three times to go out before I took them on their morning walk. The last time I took her out at 5am she also threw up. But she does not seem too bad because she still runs around like her old self.
On our drive into the park yesterday we went to Panther Junction and looked at the exhibits in there, then continued to Boquillas Canyon where I walked the trail the canyon and Jim stayed at the truck. We then went to Boquillas Crossing where we could go into Mexico but the only way across was to walk across the river or have a Mexican take us across in a boat, for $5 per person round trip. We then would have to walk ¾ of a mile to the immigration place, or hire a donkey or horse ride to get there. Everything had to be cash because there is no credit cards that can be used there. So, due to lack of cash we opted not to go across. Plus I was worried about Lucy being left. After we came out of Panther Junction VC she was panting and very anxious to get out of the truck to go potty.
From there we drove to the Rio Grande Village area to eat lunch at a beautiful picnic area, and then went to the boat ramp to see the river. According to the park rules, the dogs can go anywhere a vehicle can go. So, when we went down to the boat ramp, we took the dogs and let them go so they could swim and play around. They had a blast running all over, playing and jumping in the water. They really needed this play time.
I have found an area to walk and let them loose though. There is a dirt road behind the RV park that just goes off into the desert so we walk down the road and I let them loose there.
March 9, 2018. The next day in Terlingua we drove the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, visiting some of the scenic turn offs along the way with Santa Elena Canyon at the end. I walked the trail into the canyon which took me up some steps then down a very rocky path to the end with lush green grass and bamboo. It was very beautiful and cool in the shade.
We drove back the same way because a round trip road would have taken us on a dirt, wash board road.
On March 4 we went to lunch at High Sierra Grill near the Terlingua for Ghost Town, when drove down to the Starlight Theater and a gift shop.
Monday March 5 we left Terlingua, Big Bend and drove back to the Marathon Motel & RV for one night, then down to Del Rio for another night. We made another stop in Von Orme at a very nice PA park called Hidden Valley. Our final destination was Yogi Bear Jellystone on March 9.
We pulled back into our old spot and got set up. There is a couple next to us and they came down while we were standing there with Chuck & Nancy looking at the site; they seemed to be trying to dissuade us from pulling in, saying where will they park their truck and golf cart. They were using our electric pedestal for their golf cart. But there is a huge parking area on the other side of their RV where they can park their truck and plug in their golf cart. They just seemed to have an issue with us moving in. But, Nancy said we should move in, which we did.
I texted Kathleen and told her we were back. Nancy said we would start work Saturday or Sunday, as we have to learn the ropes and the computer system. The dogs seem like they know we are back to a place they remember.
March 31, 2018. We started work right before spring break and seem to be in charge of golf cart rental. Sandra is working with us, but we are there more than she is. Gary in Golf Carts was asked back to help out after Jake left, and he supervises the maintenance of them. IT Gary is in the office and wants to know the status of all the carts, so we did an inventory of all of the carts and their status. Golf Cart Gary also did the same so we know the status of all the carts to rent.
Back to Daily Journal 2018