Loop Out West

As I mentioned in my last post, I headed west from the Gulf coast ending up in Tucson for an RV gathering. There were nearly 900 RVs and over 1600 attendees at the 62nd Escapade and it was also the 45th anniversary of the Escapees RV club. Clearly people have been doing this a long time. Every form of RV was there (Class A, B, C, Fifth Wheel, Trailers, Truck Campers, custom rigs) and a wide range of age and experience. It was cool to see so many others and I met some very nice people. Not surprisingly there was no sign of Big Foot but there were only two food trucks and no brewery so I guess that makes sense. Plus since Big Foot may not like crowds, I can see why they skipped the event. 

Aerial view of the RV gathering. I am in the upper right area in the shadow. More on this below. 

The RV park I was in Rockport had a regular event organized by some winter Texans from Wisconsin. As a group we would go from site to site with our coolers and drink and play games. No idea what the prize for winning was as I didn't win but it was fun nevertheless.  

Hanging out at the fire pit after drinking. No fire, but they did have fireball. 

Before heading out, I stopped in Aransas Pass and tried out Hook & Ladder Brewpub. They had a wide selection of Texas beers on tap and others including Guinness, Smithwick's, and Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. I opted for a Texas beer as I have had the others in their native lands. The beer was good and the people at the bar were very nice but since there was no sign of any cryptozoological creatures I moved on. 

Plenty of options on tap. 

For my first night on the road I had decided to just sleep at a rest area. Unfortunately they were not well situated for a restful night's sleep so I chose to stay at a regular campground. I found a diamond right on the river with hiking trails, big spaces, reasonable prices and the nicest owners I have run into (and I have run into a lot of nice people). Pecan Valley had goats and chickens so the dogs were very entertained. Unfortunately I only had one night to spend there but I will make a point of returning and staying a week next time. 

Plenty of space and wide open spaces. Unusual for a private campground

My next spot was there. It existed. I really have nothing else to say about it. No photos exist as I would like to block it from memory. I should have stayed in an abandoned parking lot - oh that's what it felt like. Nevermind.

I then spent two nights at the Low-Hi Ranch which is the home base for the Loners on Wheels RV group of which I am a member. As it was St. Patrick's Day, they had corned beef and cabbage in the hall and I was able to enjoy a nice night with the others here including a really nice campfire. It was the perfect spot to test my version of the Andalusia Old Fashioned. It was quite nice. I also checked out the local brewery stop, Happy Camper Clubhouse, which had New Mexico beers. I don't recall what I had but I remember it being good which is all that matters. It is possible Big Foot was there as the place was very busy and I might have missed the creature. Guess I'll have to check again.

Campfire at Low-Hi

My drink. I have custom ice cubes with a Z on them. Like Zorro 

View from Low-Hi

Happy Camper

Another view from the Low-Hi ranch. 

I then arrived in Tucson for the RV event. As I mentioned there were a lot of people there and I was able to meet a number of people from all over. The seminars were also good and I picked up some ideas and was able to validate some of my thoughts and decisions. It's important to keep up on the various topics as one cannot possibly know everything so having other inputs is important. It also let me test more of my dry camping techniques in this trailer.

Phil and Stacey from Today is Someday and YouTube. Good session on boondocking/dry camping. 

One of the evening socials. Usually a band was playing. There was at least one social every day and often two.

I just liked the sunset over the RVs. Not sure if that will turn out on your device, but reality was awesome.

Some random event attendee, not sure how this picture got in here

My trailer sandwiched between several class A buses. 

I am thinking about attending some of the other events including the Xscapers (the younger branch of Escapees) events but they seem to be centered around Arizona and no offense to Arizona, but Texas is warmer and has more adult beverage establishments in the hill country. Plus every other state uses the pejorative "snow birds" but Texas uses the more inviting "Winter Texans". Frankly it has been the most inviting state. Most importantly, the big Xscapers event is in the middle of January and I am not sure where I will spend next winter. Frankly I have no plans after November so we'll see what I do. I would like to spend the summer of 2024 in the western states and perhaps make the Alaska trip then. It's just too early to decide. I am still thinking of a New England trip this fall for the colors after spending the summer on a special assignment in Kentucky. 

Currently I am back in New Mexico at the Low-Hi Ranch for a night or two. I have to load up on water before heading to my next destination which is a dry camp state park. From there I have a few nights on the road staying at Harvest Host sites and then I'm in Oklahoma for a week. As I mentioned last time I am moving towards Wisconsin and should be back in that state the last week of April. I have now camped in 21 states since moving out of my house on 5/22/22 with a target goal of 25 states within the year. I have driven in a couple of others but I am not counting those for this purpose. I have not been to New Mexico or Arizona since the summer after I graduated High School. I took a Greyhound bus from Sacramento down the length of California and then across to Philmont for a three week backpacking trip. I took that bus trip alone and I suppose it is appropriate I return to these states alone again, naturally. 

Until next time,

Thor

braxwood.com

FAQ