Author: Sally

We were too excited to wait for our trip back to South Texas. So, we left a couple weeks early and have been exploring sites and campgrounds along the way. This post will show some of what we’ve seen and done so far…

Full Moon Rising

Leaving the San Francisco Bay Area, we headed into Bakersfield, CA where we stopped for the night at Camping World. The drive revealed mile upon mile of flowering nut trees all decked out in their pink and white blossoms framed by bright blue skies. We were also blessed with sighting the full moon rising over the distant mountains as we entered into Bakersfield. Check out the photos below by moving the slider left and right. Dave first spotted the tiny sliver of the moon coming up. We kept riding and watching until the moon made its way into the sky unobstructed. Then we stopped and captured the picture on the right. It is simply amazing the beauty of the natural world. Just like the trees with their blossoms, the moon knows just what to do and how to do it with ease and grace. We are grateful to witness and enjoy this beauty.

Entering the Deserts

From Bakersfield, we headed into the desert towards Death Valley National Park. We had never been to this national park given its reputation for being one of the hottest places on earth. A ministerial friend of mine said it was one of her favorite national parks. We had to go see for ourselves. Going there in February gave us assurance that the temperatures would be much more to our liking. We were correct, although we still had to bundle up to ride our motorcycle to see the sights. We visited the Zabriskie Point Overlook, Badwater Basin and drove through the Artist’s Palette road. The diversity of colors and rock formations was breathtaking. Enjoy the photos and videos.

One of the things we like best about our travels is meeting new people, mostly other campers. At Furnace Creek, we met a woman traveling on her own, camping in her tent. She hailed from New York (like me) and gave us insight into several other places and campsites she’d visited and enjoyed. What a small world to find two ex-New Yorkers in the middle of the desert in California. We also stopped and chatted with a few of the BMW bikers who were at the campground for their group’s annual meeting of over 100 BMW enthusiasts. Dave started talking (again) about getting a BMW for us. Oh boy!!

More to follow…distracted by the beauty of the world.

Dave, Jackson and I (Rev Sally) closed out 2021 doing what we love to do together…traveling in Gracie, our motorhome. Using the hand written travel journals I kept throughout the year, we read the entries out loud and enjoyed revisiting our adventures. We are so grateful for all the sights we’ve seen and wonderful people we’ve met in our travels. The plan for 2022 is to increase the time we spend on the road and be more purposeful about inviting others to join along on the adventures.

We began this year in Texas, Whitney TX, to be more specific, on our way back west to California. Mother Nature presented us with an opportunity to slow our progress across I-10 through El Paso TX. A very cold winter front dropped temperatures 40 degrees overnight on the first. We stopped for the night at a Bass Pro Shop along the outer 1604 Loop / I-10 in San Antonio. After a nice walk and supper in the outside dining area of Lupe Tortillas, we settled in for the night.

The wind started to pick up around 10pm and by 11pm, we were looking for a way to keep Gracie from rocking off her tires! Both of us commented that we were happy we did not head out into the desert as planned. Dave turned Gracie around to the other side of the parking lot, but that seemed to let more of the wind into the hood vent covers. Hold on to your hats! We pulled in the pop-outs and moved Gracie to the other side of the Bass Pro Shop, finding a parking area tucked up against the south side of the building. Magic!! No wind. A good night’s rest was had by all after that.

Today, January 3rd, we are camped at Isla Blanca RV Resort on South Padre Island TX. This is arguably one of our favorite beaches. The weather is windy and colder than normal (mid 40s to 50s), perfect for combing the beach for sea shells. If you are in the area, come by and visit.