Wandering back to Michigan

We left Ingram and the rally Thursday April 27 and made the short tow back to Salado and Union Grove COE park for an overnight stay and to have one more schnitzel meal at Opa's Schnitzel Hut.  Jeff & Susan Collingwood are with us and we took them to Opa's.  We'll be traveling off & on with them back to Bremen, IN as they have an appointment 5/8 along with us at Mike's Custom Painting.  We are getting a face lift after 5 years (yep, it's been 5 years since we have the HitchHiker painted) and they are getting theirs painted. 

Here's a weird cactus blooming, the flower is 7 or 8 feet tall.

Here's Judy, Dee, Barb& Roberta in a wildflower field on Fredericksburg before we left the rally.

 

Meanwhile back in Michigan Devyn and Dan are getting ready to graduate from high school and attend prom.

The TX Hill Country Rally is history

The rally officially ended the morning of April 17 but we stuck around with several other couples some staying until the end of the month.  We left on the 27th.  Jeff & Susan Collingwood accompanied us back to Union Grove COR park because we wanted to eat schnitzel one more time.  We did and it was good!
We had more potlucks at the rally below and also an Easter ham meal. 

 

 

 

 

Judy read about a 14 person bike ride in Fredricksburg and lined up 14 riders, here's the bike.

And here's the riders.

And here they are pedaling their you know what's down the road.  OK, it's got pedals but it has an electric motor so they can get around.

 

 Of course they had to stop at a couple of the hundred wineries in the area. 

And now they are a jolly group.

Here's the closing ceremony.

And here's the last poker game.

 

We went to war and had a potluck and Devyn's 18!

On Palm Sunday several of us drove to Fredericksburg and the National Museum of the Pacific War for a reenactment of a WWII pacific island.  We went 2 years ago and found it very interesting so many of us returned to see the new $8M reenactment center.  As one announcer said........."We did what we did because they did what they did."  When the US flag was raised at the battles end the National Anthem was played and the audience all stood and paid proper respect.  It was a very good reenactment!

Everybody loved this fellow below. I remember him from 2 years ago when he had a cigar butt in his mouth all the time.  He was a retired Marine gunny sergeant and looked, walked and spoke like one!

 

Sunday all the HitchHikers gathered for a potluck in the clubhouse.

 

 

 

Meanwhile back in Michigan Devyn and Dan went on a spring break Caribbean cruise with his mom and aunt.  The BIG news is that Devyn turned 18 yesterday!  The baby (can't call her that anymore) is growing up, out of high school in 5 weeks and off to college in 4 months.

 

 

Johnson Creek RV for the hill country rally

We arrived at JCRV Saturday April 1st, no kidding.  The rally starts on the 17th but we enjoy it here and half our RV friends are here already.  The monthly campground cost is very good and the longer we stay the lower the daily cost. 

Judy is happy because she can go into Kerrville weekdays and has joined a water aerobics class for the month.  We have ate at Classic Burger with Jeff & Susan, Hunters with John & Glenda and Billy Gene's with Stan & Connie.  We have happy hour daily at 4pm with the gang and the guys started playing Texas Hold'em today.

 

Dallas & Haleigh, Union Grove, and Opas Schnitzel Hut

We spent four nights at the Union Grove Corp of Engineers campground on Stillhouse Hollow Lake in Texas.  While here with Ron & Roberta we went to Opas Schnitzel Hut the second day.  This is the best German food we have found in our RV travels and this is our third year stopping here.

 

We met Dallas & Haleigh on afternoon for dinner at Opas also.  It was good to see them again as last year they were both sick so we missed visiting with them.  They are now married and are very happy and this visit were quite relaxed and happy.  I think they liked the schnitzel and bratwurst and spaetzle.  Judy and I sure did!  

Boomtown Casino campground

Plan C.......we pulled out Friday afternoon after lunch at Mikees because there are storms forecast in Gulf Shores, and much of the south on Saturday.  It was only a 100 mile tow and a storm did hit Biloxi late at night so we were glad we missed the bad weather by leaving early.  We spent 2 nights here in Biloxi to be sure the storms had gone by.  Judy didn't complain......she got to hit the casino more than once.  This is our first time at this campground, it's new.  Here's Boomtown's campground.

We left Biloxi Sunday morning and traveled to Kinder, LA to another casino, Coushatta where we have been before.  Judy said oh boy......more casino time.  Unfortunately no one won any money, gee, what a surprise. 

Preping to depart Gulf Shores!

Our winter in Gulf Shores is rapidly coming to an end.  The last five months has gone fast, as usual.  Our HitchHiker friends from Kansas, Mel & Dee, are here to warm up, eat shrimp, and travel with us west to Texas.  Here they are about to attack some shrimp.

Patches has developed a hankering and taste for some flavors of the yogurt that Judy enjoys.  Sometimes she gets REAL pushy and Judy has to fight for the yogurt.

 

Today was our last Friday lunch at Mikees.  We had our HitchHiker friends there, Kay & Charlie, Craig & Jenny, Ron & Roberta, Mel & Dee, and Mike & Debra.  Mike & Debra were here earlier this winter then returned to Maine but just came back for a month.  Ron & Roberta came over from wintering in Florida to also travel to Texas with us.

 

 

Tomorrow we will pull out for the HitchHiker rally in the Texas hill country.