From sunburn to frostbite

We reluctantly left Palmview on Saturday morning. We were later getting away than planned as we kept running into people who wanted to chat. We started driving along the border with Mexico then turned eastward. We drove through very desolate landscapes where nothing but mesquite and brush were growing. We would occasionally catch a glimpse of a large scavenger bird with a white ring around its neck. We finally determined that it was a crested caracara and we began to see dozens of them. 

Our destination was supposed to be Garner State Park, although we had not made a reservation. As it was approaching dusk, we decided to stay overnight in Pearsall, an hour and a half from the park. We weren’t able to contact the park and weren’t sure that the park gate would be open.  Walmart fit the bill for the night. 

We woke the next morning to fog, but it didn’t last long and the day just kept getting better. Garner State park is large and the campsites are well spaced with lots of shade. We drove around the countryside in the afternoon. We were on the edge of the Hill Country. There were many places along the roads where there were signs warning of the danger of flooding. The road would go way down and there were flood gauges marking up to 5 feet of water .

The temperature got up into the high 20’s in the afternoon. Usually after sunset the temperature drops quickly. But that night it stayed mild quite late and we enjoyed wandering around the campground in the bright moonlight.

Our next destination was Waco. The weather had changed drastically overnight and we were headed towards freezing rain. We got through San Antonio and Austin without any difficulty, just some misty rain. We arrived at Midway Park by early afternoon. The temperature kept dropping and the freezing rain set in. Waco was shutting downs, bracing for a winter storm. 

We enjoy watching Fixer Upper, a home renovation show that was a fixture on HGTV until the stars of the show started their own network. Joanna and Chip Gaines have created a great deal of tourism in Waco with their Magnolia brand. We had reservations at the Magnolia Table for Tuesday morning that were cancelled due to weather. We rebooked for Wednesday, but that was cancelled as well. 

We went for a drive on Tuesday afternoon and the city was shut down. Hardly a store or a restaurant were open. We stopped by the Silos and Magnolia Shops and saw some of the homes that the Gaines renovated. The roads were not bad until we got to the overpasses. They were quite slippery and we saw a car demolish itself on an

on ramp. We returned to the park and hunkered down in the motorhome.