2019 - TEXAS TO CONNECTICUT AND BACK

Preamble

I arrived at Black Jack Springs, my friend Les Thompson's ranch in Navasota, north of Houston, Texas, at the end of October, leaving the truck and Airstream safely tucked up there - courtesy of Les's continuing generosity - while I took a 3-week trip back to the UK, primarily to attend the 100th birthday celebrations of the mother of one of my grammar (high) school friends.

I was back in Navasota in time to join Les's Thanksgiving celebrations once again at the end of November, and then I started organizing my itinerary for a loop around some of my favorite spots in southern Texas, including some mountain biking where I could fit it in.

TEXAS III

Monday, December 9, 2019 - Navasota, TX, to Austin, TX

A little after 9:00am my wheels rolled out through the gates of Black Jack Springs and onto the highway for the drive to Austin.

On the northern outskirts of Austin is a metropolitan park, Walnut Creek, where I stopped for some mountain bike (MTB) riding on a similar southern Texas RV jaunt this time last year.

Great to be back on the bike - 6 weeks since my last ride - though the trails for the most part not too challenging, many of them smooth and flat hard-pack dirt winding through scrubby pine forest.

The trees did, however, offer a little protection from the beating of the midday sun, temperatures unseasonably warm at 80 degrees.

A few opportunities to catch a little air, but nothing major. Some short drops, especially where there are limestone outcrops and down by the Walnut Creek, flowing very slowly after a prolonged dry spell here.

Got cleaned up and had lunch while still in the parking lot, then drove 30 minutes to the overnight stop at a commercial campground - the original parking lot boon-docking plan having been discarded due to the forecast wet and cold weather that will be blowing through overnight.

All set in the campsite by 4:00pm, air conditioning blasting away to cool the interior of the Airstream while I enjoy a post-ride ice-cream treat from the campground store.

Campground cable TV allowed me to enjoy the Monday Night Football game on ESPN.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019 - Austin, TX

Rain arrived overnight, as forecast, along with much colder air, so a good 30 minutes of snooze time required while the ceramic space heater took the edge off the chill inside the Airstream.

Spent the morning tucked up inside the coziness of the Airstream, waiting for rain to blow through and getting some on-line work done until the Internet speed slowed to a crawl by the end of the morning - presumably the many other people similarly trapped in their RVs in the campground piling onto the connection.

With the rain largely done, I headed off into downtown Austin after lunch to go to the Bullock Museum, spending the afternoon wandering through the exhibits there, mainly focused on the story of the development of Texas as a state - pride of place being given to the restored wreck of La Belle (one of Robert de La Salle's four ships when he explored the Gulf of Mexico in 1685 with the mission of starting a French colony at the mouth of the Mississippi River - La Belle was wrecked in present-day Matagorda Bay the following year, dooming La Salle's Texas colony to failure).

Suffered a long drive back to the campground in late afternoon commuter traffic, wondering if I could face the drive back into Austin early evening to see the opening of the Trail of Lights in Zilker Park - finally deciding to settle for a quiet and warm evening in the Airstream, persuaded both by the cold weather and that the event would be packed as it was opening night.

Unexpectedly caught the Grinch Who Stole Christmas movie on the cable TV - really quite an entertaining film, with a stellar performance from Jim Carey.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019 - Austin, TX, to Lost Maples SNA, Texas Hill Country

Grey and chilly first thing, but fairly cozy inside the Airstream as I had left the heater running through the night.

A little desk work to make use of the campground WiFi before getting on the road around 9:30am, skies still grey and certainly feeling crisp in the breeze.

Drove around the south side of Austin and on into the Hill Country, climbing rather dispiritingly into a low cloud base, with temperatures dropping to mid-30s, and with no sign of the forecast mid-morning blue skies some vague Plan B thoughts passed through my mind as I headed towards a morning coffee stop in Fredericksburg - the road lined with even more boutique vineyards, distilleries and breweries than when I last drove this way a year ago.

But then the mist cleared, the clouds blew away and clear blue skies were above me by the time I reached Fredericksburg, parking down a side-street close to the Java Ranch coffee shop - where the cappuccino and cranberry muffin are still very average...

Had a quick post-coffee stroll along Fredericksburg Main Street, where the old buildings have all been repurposed to tourist traps - I guess they could have had worse fates...

Drove north out of Fredericksburg for the 20-minute drive to Enchanted Rock SNA, visited for the first time on Christmas Day 2014 (though it certainly doesn't seem like 5 years since I was last there).

Walked part-way round and then clambered up to the summit of the huge pink granite dome that is Enchanted Rock, marveling as when here before just how some of the rectangular granite blocks got to be where they are on the smooth sides of the dome, and just why they don't slide off.

Plenty of water in the rock depressions on the summit after yesterday's rain, plant life in the depressions seeming to be healthy, though some of the trees that had once colonized the rock seem to no longer have life.

Had a late bite of lunch back at the Airstream in the parking lot before heading off on a 2-hour drive south and then west deeper into the Texas Hill Country.

Took the slower and more scenic route, the road along the Guadaloupe River twisting along the course of the river and criss-crossing it innumerable times.

Finally made the steep descent through a rock cut to the Lost Maples campground at about 5:00pm, a quiet evening in prospect with no cell service this deeply into the Hill Country and tucked away in the basin of Lost Maples (so called because of a special stand of Uvalde bigtooth maples, relics of a larger, more widespread population that flourished during the cooler and wetter climate of the last glacial period).

Thursday, December 12, 2019 - Lost Maples SNA, Texas Hill Country, to Kerrville, TX

Light frost on the ground this morning in the hollow of the campground, and a promisingly clear sky just before sunrise, but cloud cover in place by the time the sun should have been peeking over the rim of the hills, warming the Airstream and providing attractive lighting and long shadows for early morning photos of the Sabinal River running alongside the campground.

As I was out and suitably wrapped up against the chill, I took a walk along the trails that follow the river further up into the canyon - very spiritually uplifting walking among the calm silence of the trees and criss-crossing the river, little more than a trickling stream at the moment.

Back in the warmth of the Airstream around 10:00am, tidying up to get back on the road, but not until brewing my morning coffee.

Cloud cover gradually breaking up mid-morning, so snapped a photo of the Sabinal River on my way out of the campground, though rather a lot of the cliff-side in shadow by this time of the day.

Continued on my scenic drive through the Hill Country, diverting briefly to Utopia before heading on to Bandera and then to the Hill Country State Natural Area for some MTB.

Got rather more than I bargained for riding around the 6-mile loop of Spring Branch Trail...

...a good deal of elevation change, but often hard to ride up due to either lack of traction on the loose surface of limestone rocks and gravel or 18" - 24" limestone ledge steps - a challenge to ride down, though mostly accomplished, but impossible to ride up (only the minority of more modest ledges, as pictured here, being rideable).

All of which led to a good deal of walking the bike. Not a great deal of fun. Certainly makes it into my Top 10 worst rides and a solid candidate for the Top 5.

And as a result the ride took much longer than planned and rather ate into time available at the back end of the afternoon, so a stop in Bandera was abandoned and the non-scenic (i.e. faster) route taken up to Kerrville, checking into the campground there just as the sun was dipping below the horizon at 5:30pm.

Practically useless WiFi in the campground, so had to resort to using my iPhone for an Internet connection to keep tabs on the UK election results as they were coming in throughout the evening.

Friday, December 13, 2019 - Kerrville, TX, to San Angelo State Park, TX

Decided on a Plan B for today during a spell awake in the early morning hours - driving to Marathon via a slightly longer route through San Angelo rather than straight west along I-10, thereby giving me a chance for an MTB ride at the San Angelo State Park, to be plugged in at the campground there overnight, as another clear and cold night is forecast, and to run tomorrow morning (I rode and ran there when passing through this time last year, when I also enjoyed some excellent emergency dental work on a broken molar).

Headed out of the campground with little ceremony, on the road by 9:00am for the drive north and west to San Angelo, battling strong headwinds most of the way that knocked down the mpg considerably, much of the drive over the flat expanse of thousands of acres of cotton crop..

Stopped at a Starbucks on the way through San Angelo for coffee and to catch up on the news and commentary from the UK on the election, the early morning WiFi in the Kerrville campground having been entirely useless.

Checked in at the State Park and secured a campsite that I've stayed in previously, then headed off on an MTB ride.

Much more enjoyable than yesterday, undemanding hard-pack single-track snaking between cactus bushes, some loose but modest limestone climbs and descents with intermittent limestone ledges for more of a challenge.

16 miles ridden in a little over 2 hours.

Got cleaned up back at the Airstream, then settled in for a pleasantly warm evening, feeling the effects of today's ride (and yesterday's) in my legs.

Saturday, December 14, 2019 - San Angelo State Park, TX, to Marathon, TX

After a very warm pre-dawn glow in the east, the sun finally peered over the railway line ridge beside the park.

No ground frost this morning, though chilly in the breeze as I headed out for a run, rather hard work due to the after-effects of my MTB rides the last couple of days.

Out of the park just before 10:30am, stopping first at Starbucks for coffee and post-run breakfast sandwich, then at the HEB grocery store on the opposite side of the highway to lay in supplies for the next week, or maybe even a little more, as there are no good-sized grocery stores in the forthcoming itinerary.

After which a long drive down to Fort Stockton, where I filled up with gas, and on south on the familiar road to Marathon - a little over 4 hours in total, and mpg once again knocked back by 15-20mph headwinds.

Checked in at the campground in Marathon just before 5:00pm

My neighboring RV was another Airstream whose owner was very keen to indulge in "Airstream small-talk" until I was relieved by him suddenly rushing off into town for the Christmas festivities that were apparently due to start at sunset.

A more balmy evening than recently, allowing for some night photography at the photogenic campground entrance and luckily for the outdoor entertainment at the wedding party taking place in the nearby courtyard area of the campground, the band fortunately mellow and not overly disturbing.

Sunday, December 15, 2019 - Marathon, TX, to Rio Grande Village Campground, Big Bend National Park, TX

Woken by passing trains during the night - hard not to be, with the train tracks just the other side of the highway from the campground and train whistles being blown vigorously ahead of the railroad crossing in town.

Up shortly after sunrise, shaved, showered, breakfasted... a little desk time, courtesy of the campground WiFi, a couple of calls back to the UK, then suddenly the morning seemed to be slipping away a little - not that I had any critical deadlines to meet.

Finally out of the campground about 10:15am, having dumped tanks and filled the fresh water tank to get me comfortably through dry camping for the next four days in Big Bend National Park.

Stopped in town for obligatory picture of skulls on the wall of the Gage Hotel...

...and coffee at the V6 Coffee Bar before heading south and into the grandeur of Big Bend National Park.

40 miles to the entrance station, 25 miles further to the Panther Junction Visitor Center, where I stopped for advice on a fairly long hike in the Chisos Mountains planned for tomorrow morning.

Then on down to the Rio Grande Village campground, passing a rather bedraggled looking coyote on the road, and stopping at the ranger station just outside Rio Grande Village for more advice on trails and places to catch sunset photos.

Set up in the campsite by 3:00pm - temperatures inside the Airstream, and outside, a rather warm 90 degrees, though more bearable than that sounds due to very low humidity.

Once set up in the campground, I headed off to Boquillas Canyon, where the Rio Grande was running faster and deeper than I have seen on any previous visits.

And then on to Hot Springs to walk the trail from there east towards Daniels Ranch for sunset photos, a trail I've not walked previously.

After watching the sunset and the fading pink glow on the Sierra del Carmen mountains (photos taken not good enough for inclusion here) finished the walk back along the Hot Springs Loop Trail to the truck and drove back to the campground, where temperatures were probably 20 degrees cooler already.

A quiet evening, making preparations for tomorrow's big hike so that I can head out just as soon as I wake.

Monday, December 16, 2019 - Rio Grande Village Campground, Big Bend National Park, TX

Slept fitfully, waking with additional thoughts on the early departure timing for the hike, logistics and equipment.

Up just before 5:00am, breakfasted quickly, pulled together everything for the hike, loaded the car and was heading out of the campground before 5:30am for the drive up to Chisos Basin., where it was 15 degrees warmer than at the campground.

A fortunate (waning) moon phase and clear skies meant that there was just enough light to start the long hike out to the South Rim, aiming to get there not too long after sunrise.

Started marching at 6:15am, making more noise than necessary to warn away the mountain lions and bears whose territory I was passing through. Slightly spooky at times when tree cover produced moon shadows on the ground and in the brush either side of the trail, and plenty of toe snubbing against rocks on the path that I really couldn't see properly.

After an hour or so, light gradually increased as sunrise approached, the first actual sunlight on the rims of the mountain peaks above me at 7:45am.

Cracked on at a reasonable pace, considering the initial gloom, 10lbs of backpack and camera around my neck, and got to the south rim view over the valley at 8:30am.

Not quite as spectacular as I had hoped it might be, and certainly not up to the drama of other places I've been fortunate enough to visit - Grand Canyon, Bryce, Canyonlands, Arches...

...and I actually spent a good deal of time on "non-view" photos, such as the many sotol cactus plants around.

After 30 minutes of stomping about with my camera at this first stop, I continued on to the east/northeast rim, where again views were interesting but not super-spectacular.

With my hurried initial pace and the increase in elevation - 5,000ft at the start and climbing to 7,500ft - I could certainly feel the effects of my exertions. And the second half downhill trail sections were only slightly easier than the first half climbing.

The depths of Boot Canyon (so named for the rock formation seen here on the right of the picture) had a very different feel than the rim trails - cool, intimate - but the final trail (Pinnacles) was again a dry and often open hillside trail, and seemed to drag on rather a long time.

Finally back at the trailhead in Chisos Basin just after 1:00pm - 14 miles hiked (according to my Apple Watch, the trail guide says 15 miles) in 7 hours. Not exactly a blistering pace, but in addition to the elevation change the trails were often rough, and I spent the best part of an hour on photography.

No mountain lions or bears seen, just deer and Mexican bluejays, and a rather friendly roadrunner back at Chisos Basin.

Sat and contemplated the day at The Window overlook while rehydrating and munching on a protein bar, then rewarded myself with an ice-cream from the Chisos Basin store.

Headed back to the campground to shower and change, the hike having been somewhat vigorous and sweaty at times....

...before heading up onto Hot Springs trail for sunset views over the Rio Grande.

I think there's a good chance I'll sleep well tonight, the blustery winds rocking the Airstream notwithstanding.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019 - Rio Grande Village Campground, Big Bend National Park, TX

And I did indeed sleep pretty solidly, despite the howling gale blowing through the campground - and it literally was a gale, the camp host I talked with later reporting winds of 45mph.

Still very windy as I headed out a little after 7:00am to drive halfway up the road to Panther Junction for sunrise photos, though heavy cloud over the Sierra del Carmen mountains to the east were initially a little concerning.

In the event, the sun rose over the cloud bank just a little delayed from its schedule time.

After getting a few ho-hum photos at locations off to either side of the road, I drove on past the Panther Junction Visitor Center to another sunrise spot off the road that I had discovered by accident last year.

Better photos from this spot again, visual interest helped by gradually building clouds drifting in.

Stopped at the Visitor Center on the way back to the campground to use their WiFi connection for the inevitable "admin" that follows you around even when out RVing in the boondocks.

Back at the campground, I switched campsites and then brewed an overdue and very welcome late morning coffee.

Downloaded and cleaned up the morning's photos, had lunch, and then headed out again, down a rough 4-wheel drive only track to the Ernst Tanaja location that I've visited a couple of times previously.

Back to the campground to run the genset for an hour and take a late afternoon shower (showering first thing not an attractive option when it's cold, as it is currently, and I'm up early for sunrise photos).

Walked up the Nature Trail hill behind the campground in case of a photo opportunity, hoping for some post-sunset cloud illumination but it didn't really materialize.

Decided to run the genset for another hour so that I can treat myself to pretty much constant heat for the evening ahead and my Christmas card writing project and maybe even for a burst of heat tomorrow morning (the propane heater blower uses 12v power, so can gradually draw down the battery).

Wednesday, December 18, 2019 - Rio Grande Village to Cottonwood Campground, Big Bend National Park, TX

In marked contrast to last night, no wind overnight, but combined with clear skies this allowed the temperatures to plummet - woken several times by the increasing chill, adding blankets then a couple of items of clothing.

Temperature inside the Airstream only a degree above freezing by the time I woke for good around 5:00am, hearing the four lads who were my neighbors packing up into their cars and heading off.

Ran the propane heater for 30 minutes around 6:00am, not so much for heat inside as to try to ensure the tanks and plumbing didn't freeze up (some of the heat from the propane furnace is directed into the enclosed compartment below the floor towards the tanks and plumbing).

Up and very quickly dressed at 7:00am to have a bite of breakfast and then head up to the hill above the campground for sunrise where it was quite noticeably warmer just 100ft up on the hill, though I don't think my sunrise vigil was rewarded with any particularly special shots.

Back at the campground, I checked the temperature readout on the car dash (the windshield covered in hard frost) and it showed 24 degrees.

Nothing to be gained by sitting in a freezing Airstream, so got hooked up and headed out, driving up to the Visitor Center at Panther Junction, where it was 15 degrees warmer. Sat inside the Visitor Center to borrow their WiFi to send out a raft of Christmas e-cards, by which time it was after 11:00am so time to brew a warming coffee.

Then drove to the parking area at the bottom of the road up to Chisos Basin to unhook the Airstream and drive down 6 miles of rough road and walk a mile to Balanced Rock.

Having been there on a previous visit to Big Bend I knew this wasn't as spectacular as others I've been fortunate enough to see, but it was a pleasant walk - full sun though barely 50 degrees.

Back at the parked Airstream I ran the genset for 30 minutes while having lunch to help recharge the battery, which I wouldn't be able to do at tonight's destination campground at Cottonwood as no gensets are allowed there.

Then drove the 30 miles on down to Castolon and the Cottonwood campground, hoping to find an open spot for the night - which was no problem at all in the event, with only one of the 24 campsites occupied. The place was practically deserted. Never seen it like this. Time of year? Cold weather?

Got set up in the most open campsite I could find so that the sun would warm the Airstream as much as possible in the couple of hours before sunset, then headed out to Santa Elena Canyon to scope out the possible sunrise photo location - weather dependent, as cloud is forecast to come in early morning.

Then back up the road I had driven down to Sotol Vista for sunset.

Rather too many people wandering around, and the area vegetation still not fully recovered and lush as it was on my first visit here. So no really magical photos this time compared to ones I've managed to capture in the past.

Back to the Airstream in the campground, running the heater for an hour to set me up for the remainder of a chilly night ahead.

Thursday, December 19, 2019 - Cottonwood Campground, Big Bend National Park, TX, to Lajitas, TX

Another very cold night, inside and outside the Airstream - 33 degrees and 28 degrees respectively by the time I rose pre-dawn, once again, in the search for sunrise photo opportunities.

Cloud cover had been forecast for the day, and there did seem to be some wispy clouds over the mountains to the east as I headed out, deciding at the last minute to head up to Mule Ears Peaks.

Arrived a little late for some early red coloration in the clouds despite driving at high speed once I realized what I would be missing (a similar experience a year ago, when I left too late from the campground, from which I clearly haven't learned).

But I decided to wait for sunrise over the Mule Ears Peaks, finding a convenient sotol plant to act as foreground interest in the photos though lens flare always an issue when shooting into the sun.

Drove back down past the campground to Santa Elena canyon for more photos, though the sun by then a little too high in the sky to add the full sunrise glow and warmth to the scene.

Back at the campground I had a second bite of breakfast before hitching up the Airstream and starting on my way out of the park via the (very genuinely scenic) Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, stopping briefly at a windswept Sotol Vista to brew my morning coffee.

Said good-bye to Big Bend National Park, heading out of the west entrance station and stopping at Terlingua's slightly touristy "Ghost Town" for a few photos, including the cemetery that I hadn't walked around on previous visits there.

Finally, on to Lajitas and the Maverick RV Park, having a bite of late lunch after setting up in the campsite.

The afternoon was spent clearing up the Airstream - and cleaning up myself after a couple of days of skipping showers in the freezing cold mornings - as well as desk work and a major laptop software update...

...enjoying welcome unlimited heat (and battery charging) for the first time in days.

Friday, December 20, 2019 - Lajitas, TX

Chilly night mitigated by my trusty ceramic heater, available due to campsite shore power.

A little desk work early before heading up to the ranger station just outside town to get my "pass" to go mountain biking in Big Bend Ranch State Park, picking up an ice-cream cone from the Lajitas store on my way back to the campground, promptly popped into the freezer for a post-ride reward.

Coffee and ride-sustaining bagel and cream cheese before heading off to ride.

Although the day had warmed to the mid 60s, a brisk breeze and low humidity helped to keep the ride from becoming too sweaty, though it still seemed to be plenty of hard work on some of the climbs - the effects of my long hike from a few days ago perhaps still being felt?

13 miles ridden in a little under 2 hours, 1,338ft of elevation gain.

Back at the campground a little before 3:00pm - ice-cream from the freezer the first priority before cleaning and lubing the bike and getting showered.

Decided to stay here for another night to relax the schedule a little, rather than scrambling to get laundry done today so that I could head off tomorrow morning.

Moved campsites to accommodate the extra night's stay and took things easy for the rest of the afternoon.

Saturday, December 21, 2019 - Lajitas, TX

Plenty of desk time during the day, much of it replying to responses to my recent Christmas e-mail to friends, but also working through the accumulated excess of photos from the past 10 days to whittle them down.

Airstream also cleaned up a little, tanks emptied and filled, and a couple of loads of laundry done.

Settled in to watch the Patriots game mid-afternoon, which I'm glad to note that they won, with a little more football during the evening, but largely as a background to more photo triage and editing work.

Sunday, December 22, 2019 - Lajitas, TX, to Marathon, TX

Waited for the sun to show over the hills before stepping out into the 34 degrees outside for a run.

Calm winds, fortunately, or the wind chill would have been painful, and by the time I was back at the campground at 9:00am the sun was actually making the day feeling pleasantly warm.

Time somehow drifted away from me and so I decided to stop in Terlingua for coffee rather than rush a brew-up before leaving the campground at 11:00am, though the coffee there wasn't particularly special and I had to wait at least 20 minutes for the lunch sandwich I ordered.

Drove on into Big Bend National Park, stopping at the Panther Junction Visitor Center to enjoy my lunchtime sandwich before heading into their theater to watch the "Introduction to Big Bend" film, which I hadn't seen on my couple of stops there earlier in the week.

From the Visitor Center I headed out of the park via the north entrance station and on to Marathon and the Marathon Motel and RV Park campground I had stayed in on the way down to Big Bend just a week ago...

...and the kind of sunset skies I wish I had experienced while in Big Bend!

Monday, December 23, 2019 - Marathon, TX, to Del Rio, TX

WiFi seemed particularly flakey in the campground this morning, so not much opportunity for useful desk work, other than looking ahead to campground possibilities over the next 10 days.

Out of the campground at 10:00am, stopping in Marathon for an early coffee and a slice of stollen cake, taking away a caprese sandwich for lunch.

Quiet roads this morning - on the 110 mile drive east from Marathon to Langtry, not a single vehicle came up behind me, though I was only cruising along at 55mph on a 75mph road, and not a lot of traffic headed the other way.

Arrived at the Langtry Visitor Center and Judge Roy Bean Museum a little before 1:00pm, parking on the street outside to avoid any challenges in their parking lot.

Strolled around the interesting exhibits in the rather compact "museum" detailing the history of the settlement of this area and the local eccentric justice handed out to the early mining community there by "Judge" Roy Bean.

Behind the Visitor Center was the original saloon building run by Judge Roy Bean and used by him as his "courtroom".

Apparently cases of misdemeanor were typically heard out on the verandah and interrupted as necessary if a customer required serving at the bar inside.

After lunch on a surprisingly bland caprese sandwich, I then headed on to Del Rio, deciding to go downtown to Tractor Supply for propane and groceries, as hardly anything edible was left in the Airstream after more than a week since my last food shop.

Both of these stops were slow and time-consuming, with the grocery store in particular heaving with pre-holiday shoppers - the impossibly full parking lot (causing me to park on the street) should have given this away, but I really did need some basic supplies...

Finally made it through the check-out line and extricated myself, driving back out of town the way I had come to get to the God-fearing Broke Mill campground (at least judging by the signs greeting me at the entrance).

No religious overtures in the greeting or literature in my welcome pack at the check-in office, however, and the campsite was neat, level and private.

Tuesday, December 24, 2019 - Del Rio, TX, to San Antonio, TX

Awake fairly early due to the gradually increasing noise from the highway as the world began moving around.

On the road reasonably promptly, heading out of the campground at 9:00am, with a planned stop in Uvalde - an hour and a half down the road - for coffee and then a grocery shop for the things that I wasn't able to pick up yesterday.

Critically, no Guinness in the HEB store... nor at the liquor store on the way out of town... but a stop further down the road in Hondo was fruitful and also allowed me to grab a quick bite of lunch while parked.

Then another hour of driving to San Antonio, skirting the southern edge of the city on the way to the KOA campground to the east of town.

Checked in, receiving some helpful information regarding a bus service into town that stopped right outside the campground. And after a further mouthful of lunch to see me through the afternoon, I took the bus downtown to visit The Alamo.

Preservation and reconstruction of limestone walls under way in the complex, so several areas closed, which rather detracted from the visit, though fortunately I had seen everything when first here a few years ago.

A great deal of patience was required to wait for a break in the continuous stream of tourists taking selfies in front of The Alamo church building in order to get a half-way decent photo.

And even when a fleeting gap in the crowd materialized there were still the people waiting to go into the church door to interfere with the purity of my composition.

I rewarded my patience with an ice-cream to fuel a stroll around the River Walk, which I had not seen on my previous visit here.

Quite a feature of the downtown area with many hotels and restaurants backing directly onto the "river" and a steady procession of electric boats taking people on narrated cruises.

With sunset around 5:45pm, the day gradually turned dark enough for some early evening shots.

Stopped at The Alamo on the way back out to the bus stop back to the campground and although it was still a challenge sneaking photos in between tourists wanting to linger in front of the building, I did finally manage to get a "clean" shot of the illuminated church front.

Bus ride back to the campground took about 20 minutes, so settled in the Airstream for my relatively healthy salad supper at 7:30pm.

Wednesday, December 25, 2019 - Christmas Day - San Antonio, TX

Slightly disturbed night - or early morning to be more precise - possibly due to distant traffic noise from I-10. But then I struggled to properly rouse myself when I finally woke at 8:00am...

Though as it's Christmas Day, with nothing major planned, a lazy morning is far from a disaster...!

Called back to the UK around 10:00am to speak with the whole family gathered at my niece's "new" house (my Mother's old house) where they were sitting down late to a traditional British Christmas dinner, 4:00pm local time there.

Brewed coffee after completing my round robin of "Merry Christmas" with everyone, then researched and booked a couple more campground nights for the weekend ahead, and continued with some photo editing.

My planned drive out to some of the San Antonio missions was delayed a little due to cloudy conditions taking a while to clear, so had lunch before heading off to Mission Espada (a little late for sunlight on the front of the sacristy), Mission San José (the mission grounds closed for Christmas Day, but many people climbing over low walls to get in, so I joined them...) and then Mission Concepción.

Somewhat challenging getting the photos I wanted, between intermittent clouds and rather more than intermittent tourists taking selfies.

Back at the campground by 4:00pm for a quiet balance of the day.

Thursday, December 26, 2019 - San Antonio, TX, to Kerrville Schreiner Park, Kerville, TX

Emptied and flushed holding tanks and filled the freshwater tank before heading out of the campground a little after 9:30am for a fairly short drive to Boerne and a coffee stop, fueling up on pastry ahead of my MTB ride.

Then on to Hill Country SNA, where I had stopped two weeks' ago, for another attempt at finding some enjoyable riding here.

A slightly better ride than last time, but a number of trails deeply scoured out by horse riding, still too much walking up unrideable sections, and three or four sections where I had to walk down impossible drops.

The last ride here made it into my top 5 least enjoyable rides... today's ride only making it into the Top 10. Still a workout, though - 10 miles in 1 hour and 50 minutes of riding, 1,115ft of elevation gain.

Had lunch and showered while still parked and then headed to Kerrville to find a spot in the Kerrville Schreiner Park, where I stayed a few years ago on Christmas eve.

Tucked into a quiet spot down by the Guadaloupe River a little after 4:00pm, plugged in but with no WiFi and just a few OTA TV channels. Few other RVs there.

Friday, December 27, 2019 - Kerrville Schreiner Park, Kerrville, TX

Pleasantly slow and relaxed day... a couple of Airstream clean-up chores, a much needed haircut in a local and very down-to-earth barber shop, grocery top-up, more photo triage and editing, a movie (Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler, quite a performance), and a quiet evening with junk TV playing in the background.

First time back at the movies for quite a while.

Good to have a fistful of diet Coke and a bag of popcorn.

Distressing to see the state of one of the (total of 5) other people at the afternoon screening - feet up on the seats in front, grease-proof paper spread out so that she could use her lap as a plate for a pile of gooey junk food...

...as well as the state of the floor around her seat after she left.

So unnecessary, and obviously considered to be someone else's job to clear it all up...

Saturday, December 28, 2019 - Kerrville, TX, to Pedernales Falls State Park, TX

Slightly disturbed night due to periodic wind gusts breaking into my slumbers.

But since the threatened early morning rain was holding off, it was out for a run - 3 loops around the perimeter roads of the campground.

Decided to make a stop at the Starbucks in Kerrville for my breakfast sandwich reward and, more importantly, their WiFi so that I could get a few birthday cards set up and sent out - a couple of e-cards and one paper card for my sister Sue's 60th birthday.

Light rain had now set in for the drive to Fredericksburg, where I tried out the coffee at an alternative to my usual coffee shop... but with no better result, despite their entertaining selection of tea towels on display.

I really don't know who writes the glowing on-line reviews of these independent coffee shops, but they certainly have different tastes in coffee to me.

A final run to Pedernales Falls State Park, with an unusual amount of fiddling to get comfortably set up in the campsite due to its considerable downslope.

Rather surprised to find a good TV signal, since I had expected none at all as the campground is in the folds of the hills and has no cell coverage to speak of. But this means I'll be able to watch the Patriots' game tomorrow without having to head back into Johnson City as I had expected to have to.

And I'll have some light entertainment available tonight, too.

Sunday, December 29, 2019 - Pedernales Falls State Park, TX

Up early to get a full breakfast inside me before heading off for sunrise photos at the falls.

Mainly overcast, but with sufficient breaks in the cloud to add some brightness to photos before the sun itself broke through - conditions much as on previous visits here, and photos taken in the same spot to take advantage or a reasonable stretch of calm water to catch reflections of the clouds.

No earth-shattering shots, and the sun rather too high in the sky once the early morning cloud bank finally lifted to offer anything much better.

Back at the campsite around 9:30am, cleared up ready to move out but brewed coffee before leaving - mainly for the MTB-sustaining carbs from the bagel and cream cheese rather than the caffeine.

Relocated the Airstream to the trailhead parking lot and set off on the black diamond Juniper Ridge Trail, where it's critical to choose the right line through the unpredictable blocky-rocky terrain and to be prepared to go slowly but with a burst of energy in reserve to climb up and over obstacles.

In contrast to the Hill Country SNA trails, everything here rideable, though challenging, with frequent rewards on offer for getting cleanly through individual sections.

14 miles ridden in 2 hours 20 minutes, 933ft elevation change.

Oddly, there was no TV reception in the parking lot, so I drove the Airstream up to the entrance station and pulled over there to catch the 12:00 (Central Time) kick-off football game on CBS while getting showered - not the Patriots-Dolphins game, unfortunately, though cell reception in this location kept me in touch with that game, the Patriots losing, somewhat unexpectedly, in a nail-biter of a finish.

After the Patriots result was in, I registered for my new campsite at the ranger station and moved back down to the campground to get set up and catch most of the day's second football game on CBS.

Headed down to the falls for sunset, but probably 30 minutes later than I should have left...

...with the sun low in the sky and setting behind the hills by the time I got there, so not much material for the camera to work with.

Back at the campsite, the final regular season American football games of the year were the enjoyable backdrop to my Sunday evening.

Monday, December 30, 2019 - Pedernales Falls State Park, TX, to Mustang State Park, TX

28 degrees outside as I headed out at 7:00am for sunrise photos at the falls.

No clouds in the sky this morning - perhaps too many yesterday but this morning a few would have been welcome to improve the drama of any pictures.

Shots taken at my usual spot, though only a brief window before the sun was fully over the horizon after which there were too many sun flares on the lens...

Back to the campground to hook up the Airstream and head out, leaving the park at 9:30am, by which time the sun had warmed the day by 20 degrees.

Pulled over after an hour's driving to brew coffee and make a grocery stop, then headed on through San Antonio and down I-37 towards Corpus Christi, above which some rather sunset-photo-spoiling-cloud was building.

Usual coastal tourist stores and businesses lining the road just before reaching the coast road and turning east, crossing from Padre Island to Mustang Island, arriving at the state park at 4:00pm.

Despite the building cloud cover suggesting there wouldn't be much opportunity for sunset photos, I headed out at the end of the afternoon for a walk down to the beach and the Gulf of Mexico.

In the event, cloud cover was thinning a little towards sunset, and the sun made a brief appearance as it was setting over the dunes behind the beach.

I waited a while in case of a post-sunset glow on the underside of the clouds, but it was not to be.

Tuesday, December 31, 2019 - New Year's Eve - Mustang State Park, TX

Cloudy start to the day, as forecast, and indeed cloudy the whole day.

But at dawn just a brief glimpse of the sun rising through a gap in the clouds above the Gulf of Mexico - which is primarily why I chose to be here for New Year's morning (tomorrow) to greet the first sunrise of the year.

However, I suspect this could well be the closest I'll get to that, as the forecast for the next couple of days is not just cloudy but rainy.

And with the rain forecast for tomorrow morning, today was the only chance for a run, most of which was on the pleasantly hard-packed sand of the beach, though battling a considerable headwind on the run up to the stone breakwater at the northeast end of the beach.

Did a little end-of-year cleaning up inside the Airstream before showering and enjoying my well-earned coffee with bagel and cream cheese.

Some final route planning before making overnight campground reservations for the next couple of days, and most of the rest of the day taken up with photo processing and triage - which I find a surprisingly tiring activity, so broken up with various other admin tasks, e-mails and a little reading.

A rather quiet New Year's Eve, which is just fine with me...

Wednesday, January 1, 2020 - New Year's Day - Mustang State Park, TX, to Brackenridge Campground, TX

Several weeks ago (when the campground reservation had to be made) I planned to be in Mustang State Park specifically so that I could greet the first sunrise of the New Year over the Gulf of Mexico.

I showed up... but the sun didn't.

Instead, I was greeted by an overcast start to the day, with mist and light rain rolling in from the Gulf.

So after my "sunrise" stroll on the beach, and nothing more to be gained by staying in the campground, I headed out, on the road by 8:30am.

A couple of stops during the drive - coffee, grocery essentials - arriving at a campground on Lake Texana, near a town called Edna, a little after 2:00pm.

With wind and rain blowing off the lake greeting my arrival at the campsite, I promptly got set up and fired up the ceramic heater to take the chill off the interior of the Airstream while getting some lunch.

Comfortably tucked up out of the weather, it was mostly deskwork for the remainder of the afternoon, taking advantage of the (rather slow) campground WiFi.

Thursday, January 2, 2020 - Brackenridge Campground, Edna, TX, to Galveston Island State Park, TX

With the forecast early morning rain holding off, I decided to head out along the campground roads for my first run of 2020, getting back to the Airstream just before the rain started.

Usual post-run routine, coffee brewed by 10:00am, started to decamp in light rain only to have the rain come down more heavily as I was half-way through.

Out of the campground a little before midday, driving along roads that dried up at one point before rain began again in earnest as I neared the coast at Freeport.

Once through Freeport, the route ran along the barrier islands towards Galveston, pastel-colored vacation homes on stilts lining both sides of the road, some classic, some contemporary, some attractive, some ugly... but it was hard to get any representative pictures through the rain-spattered windshield.

$2 toll for the San Luis Pass causeway bridge, deposited in a small stainless-steel draw opened in the window of the toll booth, with a note asking for the dollar bills to be placed under a small painted rock rattling around inside - presumably to stop them flying away in the breeze.

The ocean side of the Galveston Island State Park closed for renovations so just twin circular clusters of campsites open on the bay side.

In auto-tuning the TV, no less than 96 OTA channels were registered, covering every flavor of religion, the expected shopping, Latino and sponsored 30-minute ad channels, but also a good number of oriental language channels, including Vietnamese. All rather unexpected...

Rain forecast to clear out overnight but leaving early morning mist and fog, so sunrise photos over Galveston Pier might have to wait until Saturday morning.

Friday, January 3, 2020 - Galveston Island State Park, TX

Up a little after 6:00am to grab a bite of breakfast and then head into Galveston to the Pleasure Pier, despite the cloud cover forecast for sunrise.

And a cloudy sunrise we had, though I decided to hang around for a while to see if the clearer skies to the west would eventually drift over, which they did.

So a series of early morning photos of the pier were taken, from pre-dawn cloudiness to bright conditions a couple of hours later (see compilation below).

Gas and groceries on the way back to the campground, where a warming coffee was brewed as a priority.

Considerable photo triage required from the overly-liberal morning shoot, as was a brief post-lunch nap...

Back into Galveston in the afternoon to spend an interesting and informative hour at the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig and Museum before heading back to the Pleasure Pier for sunset photos.

Once the sun was down, temperatures dropped quickly in the fresh NW breeze.

Waited for 15-20 minutes for some post-sunset photos (see below) before heading back to the campground for early evening beer and chips.

Saturday, January 4, 2020 - Galveston Island State Park, TX, to Navasota, TX

Repeated yesterday's early morning dash into Galveston for photos, but with the benefit of clear skies this morning for a sparkling sunrise over the pier, spending about an hour on the seawall and beach, snapping away as the sun rose.

Here are selected shots of the Galveston Pleasure Pier from the past couple of days (click on any image to open the full gallery):

Headed back to the campground for a run and after getting cleaned up I was on the road just after 11:00am, stopping on the way through Galveston for coffee and breakfast sandwich.

Then a long haul north up I-45, through Houston and onto Route 105 to Navasota, pulling through the gates at Black Jack Springs around 3:45pm to get set up in my familiar spot under the "shed" where the Airstream will spend the next couple of months.

Down to the house at 5:00pm for a "welcome home" Texas Mule from Melanie, with Les pulling in not long afterwards in the John Cooper Works Mini convertible that he had just bought and driven back from Albuquerque.

Go to top of page

Go to the next chapter, Texas to Connecticut

---