Making Tamales in Casa Grande, Arizona

Since we weren't supposed to arrive in Mesa AZ for our winter stay until Christmas Day we had one more stop after Tucson. That stop was at High Chaparral RV Park just south of Casa Grande, Arizona about 70 miles west of Tucson. This was another passport America park. It's not real close to anything other than the small town of Arizona City We did make a trip over to Arizona City to look at birds on a little man-made lake inside of a development. Other than that, there was not a lot to do in this area.

Since there wasn't much to do in the area, we decided to do something we have never done by ourselves before. We decided to make tamales. About 15 years ago we did participate in a gathering of people who made tamales, so we used that lesson and applied it to our own tamale making experience.

I looked up lots of recipes on the internet and watched a several videos on YouTube. After learning a lot, we decided to make red chili pork tamales. I kind of chronicled the experience on my personal Facebook page. If you want to check it out just do a search on John Hinton on Facebook. You should be able to see it.

All in all, it was a laborious but rewarding task. It was great and we ended up with a little bit over five dozen tamales. They came out way better than we thought and we are enjoying eating them. Some we will freeze as well! The main reason we made them was because we wanted some of our favorite Delia's Tamales from San Antonio, but were unable to order them in time for New Year's..

It's a bit of a tradition of ours. We like to have tamales, black-eyed peas and cornbread on New Year's Eve for good luck. The tamales we previously bought in the Mesa Arizona area had a much thicker masa and less meat than we prefer which is another reason we decided to make our own. We are certainly glad we did and will likely do so again every year going forward since they turned out so well.

On Christmas day we made the 60-mile drive west to Mesa, Arizona where we'll be staying for three months. We've stayed there many times before and enjoy this area during the winter months. With its daytime temperatures being mild and overnight lows being chilly but not cold, almost every day makes for a perfect winter location.

Since we were traveling Christmas day this year, Christmas was just another day. However, we did discover Christmas day is a great day to travel because there's virtually no traffic on the highways. We are now all set up in our site and ready to take on the next three months. Warm weather and good times, come on down...

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On the Road of Retirement

Bowie and Benson Arizona

While in Bowie, AZ we did find a very scenic recreation area called Indian Bread Rocks. It was a nice treat in an area devoid of much else and we enjoyed a short hike through the rocks. They also allow dry camping here for those that like to boondock.

After our one night stay at Alaskan RV park in Bowie, Arizona, we packed up the rig to head a little bit further west. Our next stop was Pato Blanco Lake RV resort in Benson, Arizona.

We spent four nights at Pato Blanco Lake Resort primarily to spend a little time with friends we met on the road many years ago, Dan and Merlene. It was wonderful to see them!

Dan and Marlene play in a band in the Benson area called the Gray Band. We were lucky enough to be able to watch them play at the SKP Park in Benson one evening. They are a pretty lively band playing an assortment of music. We had a blast listening and Sharon spent a lot of time dancing to their music.

One day we made a day trip down to Tombstone Arizona, a place we've been several times before. We walked around the old town like we normally do and ended up at the Tombstone Brewery. If you're ever in this area and like craft beer, Tombstone Brewery is someplace you'll have to definitely check out. They have many styles of really good beer.

Another day we went down to the San Pedro Riparian Preserve. It's always a great little place to do some birding and hiking when in the Benson area. Another fun spot to visit is the golf course at the Benson Country Club. The views from the clubhouse are awesome and it was fun to look at the ducks on the ponds below.

Our 4 days in Benson came to an end pretty quickly or so it seemed. We will head next to Tucson, Arizona. We will drop in elevation and start to enjoy warmer temperatures. We already tired of overnight lows in the '30s and looking forward to much warmer weather.

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Van Horn and El Paso Texas

After a one-night stay in Van Horn, Texas, we drove further west 126 mi and parked our RV at Sunland Park, Racetrack and Casino. There are eight RV spaces with 50-amp power and water, (no sewer) available on the first come first serve basis. We had our choice since no one was there and we picked the one near the racetrack which is my favorite one.

We spent 3 days in El Paso, primarily to avoid the cold and windy weather in New Mexico. We didn't escape the cold completely as our first night it got down in the upper twenties which made for a very chilly morning. If you know me, I hate freezing weather...

We did the things we normally do when we're in El Paso. We enjoyed happy hours at some of our favorite establishments and made sure to find a place with a delicious red and green chili burrito. Past visits we drove to Mesilla in New Mexico but this time I found a place online in the reader's choice awards for 2024 in El Paso called L&J Cafe. Let me tell you what, these were some really, really good red and green chili burritos so we will definitely be back.

We also did a little bit of birding at a few of the hot spots just north of the casino. Actually the casino is also a good place to watch a few birds as the racetrack has a large man-made lake in the center of it. This time of year it is loaded with ducks and seagulls which made it fun to watch birds in the morning while sipping my coffee.

Another place that we like to visit when we're in this area is the Keystone Heritage Park. This is a nice place with a very minimal admission price allowing visitors to walk through the gardens as well as visit the vast area adjacent to it. It has trails and ponds we enjoy birding and hiking in. There is also a bird blind by the water making it easy to watch and photograph ducks.

While we had the option of staying more days, the weather opened up an opportunity for us to scoot across New Mexico and avoid the higher country with its normally colder temperatures.

Marathon Texas

With the break in the weather, we packed up the RV and headed west once again. Our next stop was a lengthy drive of 205 mi over to the Marathon Motel and RV Park in Marathon, Texas. Based upon the weather in Marathon it looks like we will most likely miss the rain but we will not miss the cold.

Our plan was to sit for a few days and let the weather settle before heading on to Van Horn Texas. Our first day the temperature didn't get above. 47° F so we pretty much stayed indoors and made a big pot of chili, the perfect meal for a cold day. We did go down to the White Buffalo bar, which is part of the Gage Hotel, for happy hour but other than that we didn't go outside at all.

The next day the weather was somewhat warmer with temperatures at least in the upper 50s. We took a drive down to Camp Pena Colorado Post Park about 9 mi south of Marathon. It's a small Park with a water impoundment which makes it a good location to see birds and just enjoy the water in and amongst the xeric landscape.

Our last evening we discovered the town was having their annual Christmas celebration, Lucky for us we were here to enjoy it. Main Street was lined with luminaries and local vendors. There was also a festive Christmas parade and then live music which lasted until about 9:00 pm. We certainly enjoyed the band and stayed warm sitting at one of several fire pits scattered about. There was even a table full of graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate to make s'mores and so we did. It was kind of like being a kid again.

With the chance of rain now behind us our plan was to head west again for a one-night stay in Van Horn Texas. After another 123-mile drive we pulled into the Oasis RV Park, another passport America park we often stay at.

Since this was only a one night's stay, we didn't even unhook our car. Our only excursion in Van Horn was a long walk through town and over to the local grocery store to pick up a few supplies. The next morning, we plan to drive to El Paso, Texas.

Fort Clark Springs, Texas

Just before leaving Canyon Lake we checked the weather to see what the forecast had in store for us for our travel west. It looked like our best chance to avoid the rain would be to drive to Brackettville, Texas.

We departed Canyon Lake and we drove to Fort Clark Springs RV Park, a park we have stayed at before. This required us to through San Antonio with a total of 173 mi for the day.

Fort Clark Springs RV Park is an oasis in the middle of the scrubby landscape found in this part of Texas. There is a huge natural spring which pumps out 68° water year-round feeding a small lake/ swimming area.

We were only there for two nights because the rain is in the forecast once again. This time of year cold fronts tend to bring rains and cooler temperatures about every 3 days.

During our stay in Fort Clark Springs, we spent time hiking and birding as that is about all there is to do in this area. There are some nice trails winding along the creek created by the spring. Many large live oaks and pecan trees make up most of the overstory.

Another place we like to bird within the park is at the sewage lagoons. Those who don't know much about birding might find it hard to believe that the best place to see migrating waterfowl is at a local sewage lagoon. This one was no different as there were hundreds of ducks of several species. We sure had fun just watching and taking pictures of them frolicking on the recycled waters.

Yet once again it's time for us to head further west. I just checked the weather and it looks like we're going to have a spell of colder weather with with some rainy weather where we are now. So it looks like our next stop will be Marathon Texas where we'll be there for three nights of what appears to be chili cold weather, but at least it shouldn't be raining.

The Beautiful Hill Country of Texas

We left College Station and made good time over to Canyon Lake in the Hill country of Texas. Of course, on the way we had to stop at Buc-ee's to fill up with diesel and dash inside for some smoked brisket for lunch. We will be staying at Potters Creek campground on Canyon Lake. We enjoy staying there nearly every year. This year the water level is at record lows but it is still as beautiful as ever.

We came to visit our son and his family who moved to Canyon Lake this past year. We were excited to see them and their new home for Thanksgiving. Our son Jason cooked up a perfect turkey and we pitched in to make the sides. Everybody feasted and had a great time.

While at Canyon Lake and while our son and his family were working, we made time to drive the Old River Road toward New Braunfels. This has got to be one of the top scenic drives in the USA. We also took a driving tour over to Fredericksburg, Texas and along the way we stopped at a new state park (to us) called Old Tunnel State Park. What a cool stop this State Park is and it's free to enter. It has a nice trail a short way to the tunnel where 2-3 million Mexican freetail bats will emerge at sunset. While we didn't stay for the emergence of the bats, we had a great time walking around and bird watching in the smallest State Park in Texas. What a hidden gem this park is!!!!

We also made a trip to Luckenbach Texas which is mandatory on our scenic loop drive to Fredericksburg. Everybody's somebody in Luckenbach. Also one day we drove up to Real Ale Brewery in Blanco, Texas for some cold craft beers and live music. They've really done a nice job of creating an outdoor space at this brewery. A new addition is the old Threadgill's stage acquired when the Austin icon sadly went out of business.

We've enjoyed our stay in Canyon Lake, spending time with family and enjoying the beautiful Texas Hill country but it became time to move further west and we're not sure yet where we'll stay next because the weather is unsettled with chances of rain predicted for the next 7 to 10 days along our route. Stay tuned...

Back in our old hometown of College Station Texas

We sure enjoyed our last week in College Station Texas. We spent time visiting with friends and playing quite a bit of disc golf. We also took a stroll around the Texas A&M University campus which is where I studied back in the '70s. We always enjoy walking around the campus to see what has changed since our last visit.

Before leaving the area, we hit a few of our favorite places one last time. No stop in College Station would be complete for us without a stop at Coco Loco Mexican restaurant for our favorite carne asada tacos with chips and salsa including the most delicious green sauce ever!

We also enjoyed a few fun happy hours at Duddley's Draw, Rough Draft, Brookshire Brothers Stage 12 and O'Bannons. We even discovered a new happy hour place that we've not been to before. It's called Hopdoddy's and they have a half-priced happy hour from 4:00 to 7:00 on Monday through Thursday. We like our craft beer and we like it even better when it's half priced.

Before leaving we had one last get together with the friends who hosted us, Big thanks to Gary and Anne. As often happens this happy hour with those two actually lasted late into the night because we had such fun! We always enjoy our stay in College Station and especially our time spent with special friends such as Gary and Anne.

However, our short stay ended and it became time to move on. Our next stop will be Canyon Lake, Texas where we'll spend some time visiting our son and his family for Thanksgiving. We sincerely wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving! Please also join us in rooting for Texas A&M to beat t.u in college football.

A stay in Houston Texas

We left Betty's RV park with more fond memories. We said our goodbyes and hit the road for some 139 miles to Bayou Bend RV Resort in Baytown, TX, a nice Passport America park just outside of Houston, Texas.

We only stayed at this park two nights. We arrived rather late the first day so other than setting up we took advantage of one of the Veteran's Day complimentary meals. It was a bit of a drive but we had been craving an In 'N Out burger and with my veteran's meal free we just had to make the drive. It was delicious as always!

The next day we drove down to the Baytown Nature Center to do a little hiking and bird watching. As it located on the Houston Bay it was another chance to see the salt water one last time before moving to inland Texas.

To cap off the day we headed over to Saint Arnold Brewery. I have always been fond of their craft beer. While generally there aren't a lot of really good breweries in Texas, this is one of the good ones. My favorite beer of theirs is called Art Car. At the brewery we noticed several "Art Cars" on display making it not only a great place have a beer but a fun place to visit as well. There was also a very nice outside patio where we enjoyed our beer next to a cool fountain with a backdrop view of the Houston Texas skyline.

The next morning we drove through downtown Houston early enough that we missed most of the traffic other than a slowdown where a semi-truck lost its load in the middle of the highway. About three hours later, 124 miles, we pulled into a friend of ours RV site near her house. We are now in College Station, Texas our former hometown for about a week.

Still having fun in Abbeville LA

As we approached our 2nd and final week at Betty's RV park we wanted to visit Palmetto Island State Park, just about 15 minutes south of Betty's RV Park. We like going to this park for a nice walk in what is mostly a wooded swamp. This park is a favorite when at Bettys and In past years we have seen lots of critters but not so many this year. It was still a fun place to go for a long walk and as an added bonus, visitors over 62 years old receive free admittance in all Louisiana State Parks!

Our last weekend turned out to be a bit of a bust. It was supposed to rain all weekend so we altered our plans and didn't attend the Basin Festival north of Lafayette. The 1 hour drive to the festival was a bit much given the 90% chance of rain there. Much to our dismay the rains in Henderson La. where the Basin Festival was held didn't materialize and we could have attended. Sigh.

Our backup plan was to go to Touchets near Maurice, Louisiana. Here they have a Cajun jam held every other week on Saturday afternoons. Sometimes there are only a few musicians present and sometimes there are many. This weekend there were many which made it a really good jam session.

The musicians played an assortment of Cajun/French music and the musicians alternated playing, some playing several instruments. There were at least five different people playing the Cajun accordion and even one guy played a saxophone. We spent pretty much all of Saturday afternoon there and had a great time.

Saturday night Abbeville LA had a program called "If only Tombstones Could Talk" held at one of the local Masonic cemetery's. It was very interesting to hear the tales of life long ago of the "residents" of the cemetery. It's only held once a year and is worth the fee for what took a little over an hour to attend.

Our last Sunday we just stayed home and cleaned the RV for the next leg of our journey west. Of course we did enjoy one last happy hour with Betty. She is truly a gem. Next stop is Texas.