Ahhh...Relaxation, Sat., July 20

Remember all those things we were going to do today? We did all of them except go to see the Mexican free-tailed bats. Tomorrow night is when we anticipate seeing the bats.

After going to the Visitor Center, walking to Upper and Lower McKinney Falls, and going grocery shopping, we were in mellow vacation mode.

McKinney Falls State Park

Upper Falls Swimming Hole

Upper McKinney Falls swimming hole--dry falls.

Upper McKinney Falls swimmin' hole cypress trees.

Visitor Center at the park.

At the Visitor Center, we saw man-made chimney swift towers. Chimney swifts historical natural nests used to be hollow old-growth trees. However, since most old-growth trees were logged years ago, the swifts adapted to man-made structures. The towers are for birds to roost and nest in.

Chimney swift tower.

Short walk to Lower McKinney Falls. Can anyone identify the flowers? The photos aren't very good.  The first flower is white with yellow center. The second is like a jack-in-the-pulpit. There's a pod with a very small purple "head" poking out.

Swimmin' hole at Lower McKinney Falls.

We can't wait to go swimming!

Interesting potholes in the rock.

For dinner, I fixed herbed chicken breasts and caramelized red peppers served with coleslaw.

Bob finished reading "The Madoff Chronicles," by Brian Ross which he enjoyed. (Thank you Mona Liza of The Lowe's Travel Adventures!) I've been catching up on blogs because I'm way behind reading them.

After Bob finished the book, we started a campfire so we could make s'mores. It has been a very long time since we've had a campfire. The s'mores were yummy. When we finished those, I also had a turkey hot dog because I really wanted a campfire-cooked hot dog. So tasty.

The campfire and our new roasting sticks.

On the right, a s'more waiting to be eaten.

Just a gooey, melted marshmallow.

We sat outside by the fire and talked for a bit before heading inside for the night. The moon is so bright we can see our shadows! And we never did receive more rain this evening. The storms must have parted and gone around the campground.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Safe travels from Travel Bug and Bob. Over and out.

McKinney Falls State Park, Austin, TX - Sat., July 20

Easy peasy two-hour drive was accomplished this morning from San Antonio to Austin, Texas. When we reached McKinney Falls State Park at 11:45 a.m., a sign informed us the campground is sold out. Good thing I made reservations four weeks ago!! We will be here for four nights.

Back-in site #27 was assigned to us, but the ranger told us if we didn't like it we could drive around and find a site we do like, then call to find out if it's available. Site 27 had no appeal for us whatsoever. We drove around and found a pull-through site we liked, called the office and were approved for the pull-through site, no extra charge. So nice here; but hot and sunny. Here we are, all set up.

Our home for four nights!

Nice and spacious.

We have a fire ring and no fire restrictions!

Did I ever tell you all how much I love nature? Just a few minutes ago, a deer ran by our 5th wheel and a squirrel is hanging around outside our door.

In our 18 months of full-timing we have never had a campfire. Either we were in RV resorts where there were no fire rings, or there were fire restrictions. Tonight will be our first campfire with s'mores while on the road!! Can't wait.  We used to do s'mores all the time when we took the kids camping years ago.

More blog and photos to follow later this evening. We're so happy to be on the road, if only for a short while.

This afternoon we plan to check out the visitor center and see the waterfalls in the park. Grocery shopping is high on our list for marshmallows, Hershey bars, and campfire sticks to cook marshmallows. We may have to get some turkey dogs to cook too.

Downtown Austin is our destination this evening to watch Mexican free-tailed bats fly out from under the Ann Richards Bridge.

Life is good on the road.

Travel  Bug out.

Uncool - Mon., July 15

Our refrigerator appears to be dead, as in uncool. Everything we could think of was tried to make our refrigerator return to a cold state. The manual for our refrigerator has this to say about our code: "2nd time after reset: This is not owner serviceable. See your dealer or authorized Norcold Service Center."

Our most perishable refrigerated items are now in a medium-sized Coleman ice chest and the rest are in the freezer compartment of the fridge with three bowls of ice tucked in around them. We have a Good Sam Extended Warranty, so tomorrow we are driving the 5er up to Camping World in New Braunfels, Texas, for diagnosis, warranty authorization and, hopefully, repair or replacement.

Of course, once you have the rig going in for repair, you think of the other things that need repair. We now have a list of seven items total. We'll see how long this is going to take.

McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, Texas, is our destination for Saturday. We have reservations for four nights. I hope we can make it!!

This morning we had some rain and the temperature outside is pleasant today. There's a breeze and cloud cover. Yesterday was 100 degrees, today is 85. Quite a difference. We have a 60% chance of heavy rain and thunderstorms through Tuesday night. I can hear thunder in the distance as I type. The sky is dark too. Wheeeee!

I'm going to the office to check for mail before the downpour starts.

Travel Bug out.