The south end of the beach at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Hua Hin, Thailand.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Maldives on March 23rd.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Laredo, Texas

We had our best sleep in days at the fairgrounds near George West, Texas. They have only just installed rows of full hook-up RV sites there, but we didn't use them. We just parked.

The sun came up and it was going to be another warm day. We left at around 9:30am and headed for Laredo. It wasn't going to be a long driving day, only about 100 miles (160 kms). This part of Texas is very boring though...just miles of scrub brush and cactus interspersed with the odd oil pump.


But again, the highways are in good condition. These Texas backroads are just two lane highways with wide shoulders...but the roads we were on today had a 75 mph speed limit! And they use them at that speed too, so Sherman pulled over to the side to let people by who wanted to go faster.

Sherman drove on the shoulder to let the faster vehicles pass.

When we arrived at Laredo, we went straight to the Walmart which is only a few miles from the Lake Casa Blanca State Park. There were some last minute items we needed to stock up on, and we spent $164 there. However, the next several months should be very inexpensive for us because we have a good stockpile of supplies! In fact, I'll say it right now that I expect our total living expenses for the next several months will only be about $1,000 a month and that includes gas for Sherman!

Then we got set up at the state park. We paid for a water and electric site and started Sherman's air conditioning right away. $26 a night including the Texas State Parks day use fee. The temperature at the time was 97F (36C) and it took quite a while before the A/C actually took effect!

I did the cooking outside an I can see that we're going to use our new little camp stove burner a fair bit this winter so we stocked up on those little propane cannisters.

Sherman, parked up at Lake Casa Blanca State Park in Laredo, Texas.

Cooking outdoors...the only way to go!

Posting this late Friday evening because we will be crossing the border early Saturday morning. Our destination tomorrow is Potrero Chico where we will meet up with Chris and Juan, but we don't know when we will have internet access again. It could be a few days, so don't worry if we don't post again for a while! Or, we could get lucky with an unsecured connection...who knows??!!

We drove 2,400 miles (3,800 kms) over the last 17 days. And we bought 235 gallons of gas! Proof that Sherman still gets around 10 mpg!

16 comments:

  1. $1000 a month. That's pretty incredible. Wish I could keep our expenses around that. Safe crossings.

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  2. we wish you luck at the border..nice campsite!!!..air con and dinner outside..perfection!!

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  3. Good to see you are within sight of Mexico and cheap living.Hope all goes well and you hook up with your friends Chris & Juan today sometime.Give Whiskey a pet and rub from us ,also a treat. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna...

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  4. Look at that map....almost a straight line of travel. Can't get much better than that!

    Have an easy border crossing and SAFE TRAVELS.

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  5. Glad you made it safe and sound to Laredo. Play it safe there at border. We live very near the border at Mission during the winter we don't think it's as bad as everyone says.

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  6. Gotta love the hot weather and good you had air conditioning for whiskey. And have to love cooking outdoors. Good luck crossing and travel safe.

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  7. Your header picture is lovely! Good luck crossing the border. Where did you cross? Enjoy your new home.

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  8. That's a nice park in Laredo. We also stayed there. Gordon had to back into one that had posts on both sides and we were new to RVing at the time (the kid at the desk said it was an easy site). Gordon backed in like a champ. After we got set up we noticed that most of the other sites were easier, so much for the desk people knowing their park! We also had fireworks out our back window one night! I liked Laredo!

    Safe crossing into Mexico!

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  9. Kevin, I'm curious why you use Propane canisters? You have a large tank of Propane/Butane on your RV. The gas is inexpensive. All you need to do is put a tee between the tank shutoff valve and the RV regulator. Either adapt to a long hose or run a 1/4" line to other side of RV, if the tank is not on the correct side of your camper. You can buy an adapter that fits the regulator for your stove to screw into at the end of your hose. But buy this stuff in USA as it is much easier to find. Saves hauling around bottles.

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  10. Really looking forward to reading of your adventures and travels in Mexico again. I really enjoyed it last season....you write well and tell a good story. Your pics are always great and I know we all love seeing them. Keep it up!

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  11. Hey Kevin/Ruth, I was thinking the same thing as John about the propane? Those cannisters cost lots of $$$ and don't last very long. I think you would get more out of the tee valve. I got one for Tara and it works good. I also have a small propane tank that fits underneath the coach if I don't want the cooking too close to the rig. (like if the picnic table is too far away or I don't want to unfold my little table).
    Just a thought.
    Great driving, nice gas mileage and drive safe!!!

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  12. Kevin I am putting a regulator and hose with a new bottle fitting on a shelf here for you it came off my old BBQ pit,then just pick up a 30lb bottle and use it for your grill, that is what I do it, just need an brass adapter fitting for the regulator that most any hardware store will have and leave the hose on the pit. will last for months and you can still carry it.My fiver even had room for it in the propane bay.Be safe out there. Maybe I can mail it to you when you settle someplace for a few weeks. Sam & Donna..

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  13. That looks like a nice state park. Good luck at the border.

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  14. I love how you put a map at the end of each post. Great idea! :)
    Tally Ho!

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  15. Jim and Sandie...After these past 7 months we have to go on a spending freeze. Down here in Mexico it shouldn't be hard to keep to around $1000 a month.

    Sue and Doug...Thanks! Yes, BBQ and AC was just what we needed.

    Sam and Donna...Thanks! We are looking forward to heading back into Mexico and save some money for a change. Whiskey said thanks for the pet and treat, she enjoyed both.

    pweaver...I hadn't really looked at the map in full before and it is pretty much a straight line, except for our little detour to St. Louis, which we loved.

    Bob and Vicky...You are right, if it was as bad as the media says, then the people living there wouldn't be living there. The media loves to make things out to be worse than they are.

    George and Suzie...That will probably be the last of the AC for a while, but we'll do lots of outdoor cooking this year.

    where's weaver...We crossed at the Columbia crossing well outside of Laredo, it's a truck crossing and isn't as busy with lots of room for parking and on the Mexican side it has everything you need for entry into Mexico right there.

    Sandra...Casa Blanca is a nice park and very big, area wise with just about something for everyone. Glad you did well there when you were newbies.

    John...We have looked into buying the fittings for the main tank but it is still pretty expensive to get it all set up, plus then you also have to haul around an extra long hose to go under the motorhome to get it to the otherside where we would want to set up for cooking. We really don't find the small canisters a pain.

    Michael...Thank you very much for your kind words. I hope that we can keep you entertained for another round of our adventures in Mexico.

    WBY...It is a thought but for the moment we are happy doing it the way we are. As for the larger tanks, we really don't have the room to store one on Sherman.

    Contessa...Gracais! I am sure you are getting excited about your own trip south. We will make sure the temperature is turned up for your arrival.

    Sam and Donna...Thanks for the thought Sam but we really don't have the room to store a 30lb tank on board with us.

    Chuck and Anneke...It is a nice park. Thanks, we will stay safe.

    Briana...Thanks, we have had a number of comments on how people like it. We like to put it there so that if someone likes our route then they can see where we went.

    Kevin, Ruth and Whiskey

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