A View from the Top

When we first planned this years trip to Texas we decided to spend our time in Texas in the hill country just north of San Antonio because we had heard so many comments on the scenic beauty of the area. After spending the short time we have, I must say we made a very wise choice.

We settled down at the Top of The Hill RV Resort a few days earlier than we had planned and so far are quite happy with our choice. The staff here consists of 8 to 10 workcampers working part time that handle all aspects of this small campground with ease. One of the staff greets you after your check in and escorts you to your site and guides you as you back in.

All but a few of the lots are gravel pads with grassy patio area. This area of Texas has experienced a severe drought for the past 18 months so most of grass is dead and brown. The lots are small compared to most parks we have seen but considering the location it is understandable. The resort is built on a hill that has been terraced to provide flat areas. The roads wind up and down but are easily maneuvered by even the largest RV. The very top of the hill contains the majority of the sites as well as the rec. hall, swimming pool and spa and the activity center. The biggest draw of the resort is the magnificent views of the surrounding hill country from many of the sites. (The Picture to the left is a view out the back window of our motorhome)

The view from the rear bedroom window is the very best view we have ever had at any RV park. Views from other windows are also spectacular but sometimes blocked by other RV's next to us. With a huge front window on the motorhome I wish the placement of the hook ups had allowed us to pull in rather than back into the lot.

Top of the Hill is conveniently located just seven miles from the city of Boerne (pronounced Bernie) which has all the conveniences you could want. Borene has a Walmart, an HEB food store, a Home Depot and plenty of other name brand stores and chain restaurants. Don't worry if you can not find it here because only 25 miles down the road is The Rim. The Rim is a huge shopping complex with stores like Target, Ross, Michaels, Best Buy, Bass Pro Shop, Pennies and TJ Max as well as many others.

To the west of the hill country of Texas lies the wide open country. The prevailing winds here are from the North and West so by the time the winds reach the hills they have quite a bit of force behind them. You can generally count on five out of four days being windy here in the hill country. In the three weeks we have been here we have been able to open the awning a total of two times, because of the heavy winds. Our worst winds came last Tuesday where we had gusts of 45 to 60 miles per hour. Sitting on flat land that is not bad but we are on the side of a hill. Neither of us slept well that night and speaking to others who have lived her for many years we discovered it was the worst wind storm they had ever encountered and had many of them a bit scared too.

One final thing to be aware of if you venture here is the rock hard ground. It is impossible to dig a hole here due to the hard ground. Pounding stakes into the ground to anchor your Satellite dish or hold down your patio carpet is close to impossible. You may as well forget those plastic stakes for your low voltage lights. I later learned that a few inches below the surface here is all solid rock, which is probably why you see very few mature big trees here. Many of the trees here are Live Oak which have leaves all year round.

Pictures

I just wanted to pop in and let you all know I have managed to sort, fix, crop and upload all the pictures we have taken so far this winter. Look over there to the right and you will see links.-->

Anything that says pictures is a link to an album at Photobucket where I have put the pictures. Feel free to browse through them. Photobucket allows you to download pictures by right clicking which is the main reason I choose to put them there. Many of the other photo sites will not let you do this. Watch for more pictures to be added as I get them.

Some of the links to the right will take you to the web sites of some of the great RV parks and resorts we have visited on our trip. Enjoy, I have to get outside and soak up some of that sun and warmth.

Walkin' In New Orleans

New Orleans is a town made for walking and we did plenty of it. Yes you can drive into the main part of town but then you have to park. Parking is expensive in all parts of old New Orleans. The average we noted was around $23 per day. Of course the big chunck comes in the first hour or two then drops. So bring your good walking shoes and if you stay outside of town get a ride in. You should also be aware that almost all of the sidewalks are very old and very uneven. In many spots the pavement is missing or buckled so keep your eyes on the road. I ended up hurting my knee early on and made the going slow for the rest of the trip. Thank goodness I planned ahead and brought my knee brace just in case.

The short trip from Mobile to New Orleans got us there and set up by 12:15. The resorts shuttle schedule did not allow us to get into town until after 4:00 so we met our friends and did a bit of walking the streets getting acquainted and then dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Unfortunately the menu here is very different from their menu at all the other restaurants. If you go you should expect the food to have ingredient substitutions and not taste the same.

Sunday morning we got into the French Quarter by 10:00 am. We hopped on the street car to the Riverwalk. Riverwalk is a collection of specialty shops and a food court with a very good selection of eateries. Even though it was Sunday there were lots of people here. After a morning of shopping we ate lunch then headed out to Canal Street. This wide boulevard begins at Riverwalk and Harrah's Casino. The street is lined with shopping including the high end stores of Canal Place. The Cable cars run up and down the center of the boulevard so getting around is easy. Dinner this night was at the Crescent City Brewhouse, a place we found so good we returned another night later in the trip.

We got a very early start on Monday too. A trip on the Royal Street Cable Car took us to the
Garden district of New Orleans. The Garden District is about 13 by 5 blocks of historic homes and gardens. We spent most of the day just strolling the streets taking in the beautiful homes and historic sites. We took the Cable car back to Canal Street and walked a few more blocks to the resort hotel our friends were staying at to get a little rest before dinner.

Tuesday was a planned day off from running all over the place due to the Coronation of King Obama. While our staunch liberal friends stayed glued to their TV we stayed at the campground and did laundry and celebrated the "change" that we still had in our pockets :-)

Wednesday we spent the day walking the streets of the French Quarter including extra time visiting the Art Galleries of Royal Street. Here you will find art works from many of the great masters as well as contemporary artists. All the Galleries were fascinating but one presented a new and spectacular form of painting. The Gallery of Light features artists using Luminisum in their paintings. The method uses no luminous paints yet reflects the light shone on the painting back at the viewer in a magical way. You really have to see it to believe it. You can see examples at http://www.galleryoflight.com/ but to get the full effect you must see them in person and properly lighted.

After lunch we headed off to the other side of the river to Mardi Gras World. Mardi Gras world is home to famous float designer Blain Kern and many of his creations. We were fortunate enough to visit just a few weeks before Carnival and had the rare opportunity to see many of the finishing touches being put on the floats for this years parades. The tour revels many of the secrets of creating all the floats for the many Mardi Gras parades that take place in New Orleans each year. A fascinating place to visit.

Thursday was another day with lots of walking. We went down to the French Marketplace. The Marketplace is a collection of booths in a flea market fashion but with highly unique and different wares than you will find at your local flea market. The French Marketplace ends at the old US Mint. We did not have time for the tour so just ate lunch and headed for a cruise on the riverboat Natchez. This tour is a two and a half our trip on one of only three paddlewheel steamboats still in operation. The trip takes us both down river and back up stream with continuous narration of the points of interest.