April 13, 2016
Fort Stockton RV Park
Fort Stockton, TX

We traveled 199 miles today, which is the longest of all our planned trips. The Interstate roads in Texas are pretty good and in the rural areas the speed limit is 80. I averaged around 70 which is still pretty fast but the truck gets worse mileage the faster you go. We were surprised to see so many hills, bluffs, and plateaus. We expected it to be mainly flat and barren. With the high speed, many hills, and cross winds my MPG dropped from 8.6 to 8.2 and I ended the trip with only 50 miles left in the gas tank. There are not a lot of choices in this area for RV Parks so we settled for Fort  Stockton RV Park.

It's not much to write home about but it will suit our needs for the next two days.

Right now the park is fairly empty...can't believe people are letting this prime real estate go to waste ;>)

It's nice when there are no specific parking areas....you just put the vehicles wherever they fit.

We are about 5 miles east of Fort Stockton so it's a short ride into town. They seem to have plenty of gas stations, restaurants, and even a new Walmart (as C3PO would say "thank the makers!").

About 50 miles out, as I was driving in, the truck maintenance message popped up saying I only had 500 miles left on my exhaust fluid. Before we left Florida, I took the truck in to the Ocala Ford dealer for a complete oil change, DEF fill, fluid check, and multipoint inspection (about $180). I jokingly asked Marilyn, how do you even know if they did anything? Apparently the joke is on me. If they had filled the DEF it should have been good for about 5,000 miles. Anyhow, tomorrow I get to take the truck into the local Ford dealer for another oil change and fluid fill....I just don't trust it was ever done and since we're heading over Raton Pass in a few weeks I want the truck ready......

April 11, 2016
Junction North Llano River RV Park
Junction, TX

We said goodbye to San Antonio and headed 114 miles northwest on I-10 to Junction, TX. This will be a 2 day stop over as we work our way to Carlsbad. I received a call from my niece, Amy, yesterday and she told us the elevator is not working at the Carlsbad Caverns so our visit there may not go as planned. Amy said they have steps going down into the caverns but it is 80 stories..... that will be a definite "no" for Marilyn and a "probably not" for me. The elevator isn't expected to be repaired until May. Anyhow we may have to come up with other things to see when we get there.

Junction North Llano River RV Park is a small mom and pop RV park. It is all gravel but neat and fairly well maintained.

Each site has a small slatted roof cabana with 2 gliders.....

Here's a shot out our back window. In the distance you can see the Llano river which borders the park. If we were here longer I would break out the fly rod or maybe even the inflatable kayak.....

A day of rest tomorrow and then back on the road headed to that mega metropolis....Fort Stockton :>)

April 7, 2016
San Antonio Zoo
San Antonio, TX

It was the last day that Marilyn's sister Marlene would be visiting with us so we discussed what we could do during the few hours available. We considered going to Sea World and we were intrigued by the fact that the San Antonio Sea World is the largest of the 3 in existence. However, it appears the bulk of the park is dedicated to a huge water park/amusement area. Of course, that didn't interest us and the $55 admission was also a detractor ;>).... So we chose to have breakfast at Cracker Barrel (our favorite) and then spend a few hours at the Zoo, before heading to the airport.

The San Antonio Zoo is a very nice, smaller zoo with lots of trees and shade and a good variety of animals, reptiles, birds, and even butterflies. We were quite pleasantly surprised. Here are a few of the pictures from our trip.

They even had the elephant performing tricks.....

You could even feed the Giraffes .....

This is a Tree Kangaroo with a Joey in her pouch....

After the zoo we checked Trip Advisor for the best local restaurant close to us and had lunch at Jim's Restaurant a local family owned establishment. They have a wide variety of American sections and lunch was very good. We then drove the 20 minutes to the airport and said our goodbyes. We had a great time sharing our journey with Marlene and hope to get together again later this year in California.

We have really enjoyed our stay in San Antonio and have been quite impressed by the beauty of the city as well as the "smaller" town feel, friendly people, and interesting activities.

After a day or two of relaxation we will prep for the road and head west and north through Texas. We will be stopping in Junction, and Fort Stockton for a couple days each as we head toward Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

April 5, 2016
San Antonio, TX

Today we decided to go into San Antonio and see some of the sites. As you drive into the downtown area the first thing you see is a very modern city with beautiful buildings. Even the highway interchanges and bridges are new and modern. The first structure you recognize is the Alamodome. Of course the most famous tourist spot is the Alamo, so we headed there first.

Here is Marilyn and her sister, Marlene, at the doorway of the iconic front entrance.

I have to admit I only had a vague idea of the history and significance of the Alamo so it was good they had a 20 minute video explaining everything. They have personnel located around the grounds that describe the different areas and they will happily answer all your questions. We learned the remaining structure is just a fraction of what encompassed the original compound. Sections have been removed and office buildings and hotels (the Alamo is located in the center of downtown) are now located there. The central structure has been preserved.

Here are some pictures of the grounds (pictures were not allowed inside)

The museum and displays inside are very nice and include everything from original copies of Land Grants, to muskets, to Bowie knives, and even full models depicting the battle. Of course, there is a very nice gift shop but the part I appreciated the most is they do not charge any admission. It's great to see these types of historical locations free to the public.

After spending a few hours at the Alamo we drove over to the River Walk. Parking was a little difficult to find but not terrible. After getting parked we realized it probably would have been easier to just stay parked by the Alamo and walk over....it really is only a few blocks away to access the River Walk area.

For those like us that have never been there, River Walk is a beautiful walkway through the downtown area that is a level below the street level and runs along both sides of the San Antonio river. There are many restaurants, bars, and shops with outdoor seating and dining areas right along the walkway and river. There is a shopping mall and convention center as well as the Tower of the Americas which is part of the area constructed for the Hemisfair (The Worlds Fair held in San Antonio in 1968). The entire route is beautifully landscaped and it is filled with cypress trees that stretch across the river and provide shade and contrast to the buildings and skyscrapers in the background. The river is approximately 50 feet wide and only 4 feet deep and they have installed flood control gates that enable the water level to be rerouted and controlled in case of flooding. Here are some of the pictures we took.

They have a couple of different water taxi/trolley rides you can take. We chose the shorter (30 minute) ride that just took you along the River Walk area (a few miles). The taxi driver provides a lot of information about the River Walk area and San Antonio in general. This is a very unique area and it is definitely a must do for any trip to San Antonio.