We took it easy today (Feb 12) driving only 300 km to Balmorhea State Park, still in Texas. The sun was shining and it was fairly warm. All 300 km. was desert landscape with brown mountains off to the sides. At one point we had to drive through them but there were no steep parts – just a gradual grade up and down. Balmorhea State Park has a huge walled swimming pool fed by the San Solomon Springs at the rate of 22-28 millions gallons daily with a temperature of 74 F. when we went swimming. This 77,000 sq. ft. pool is one of the largest natural pools in the US. In early days these springs were important watering places for buffalo, Indians and pioneers. Today this area remains the centre of irrigated farming supplied by this watercourse.
This evening we lit a camp fire with two bundles of wood previously purchased in Nevada. We then invited two neighbouring couples, Jim & Eileen Hansen from Kingston, Ontario and Kent & Sharon Hoover from Minnesota. The Hoovers are full time RVers having sold their home in Minnesota. Once again it was a very interesting conversation comparing life stories, families and ailments.
From Balmorhea we drove to Junction and just slept over, without unhitching, at an RV Park so we could leave early morning. We finally left the wide open spaces of desert behind us. Mile by mile the bushes and shrubs grew larger and trees appeared. The air is moister and quite warm. Grass is turning green and some deciduous trees have their leaves. Last night the furnace did not come on once and today we had to use the air conditioner to cool off the trailer.
We noted numerous windmill farms dotting the higher bluffs, hundreds of windmills all swinging their massive blades.
We made it all the way to Mathis (Friday the 13th) booking into Lake Corpus Christi KOA Park. This lake is just north of the Gulf Coast. Lots of RVer’s here with the majority staying for months at a time. People were fishing and on our walk by the lake we watched a woman casting a net for bait and a catfish filleting process on the shore. People sitting outside their trailers were all sure to say hello. Everyone is really friendly and talkative. The couple next door from Ontario grill their meals outside on mesquite wood giving meat a nice smoky flavour. They along with others here are camp workers paying for their park fees in this manner. We enjoyed hearing stories of "beep beep" road runners (remember wily coyote) eating rattle snakes!

Later…..