Greetings from South Padre Island!

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
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Man. I want to enthuse but I remember just one short month ago I was excited about (barf) Corpus Christi for about 12 hours.

We're at the KOA and, MAN, this place is kickin. They have a waterfront bar/restaurant on premises and all kinds of sunset watching places. We have a little patio and the site appeared small at first but once we got set up it was perfectly fine.

I thought SPI would be a lazy fishing village but it appears to be a true resort area with highrise hotels and stuff for people who don't want to fish. Coming across that bridge from Port Isabel - holy cow! We set up and then had dinner at the campground restaurant - Pier 19. I had a ribeye with steamed veggies and Monello had a taco salad. Shiners for me, margaritas for him. We rode our bikes over and it was lovely, but as we left it started raining a bit and getting chilly. And chilly for us now - because we're hothouse lilies and disgusting - is 60*.

I am cautiously optimistic. SPI has potential.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
Sounds like a pretty nice place! :yay: Can't wait to hear more about it!
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Sounds like a pretty nice place! :yay: Can't wait to hear more about it!

At first glance, next time we come down here you guys should make plans to meet us.

My problem is that I have first of the month AND end of year stuff to do work-wise, so if I bust ass I can emerge in 3 or 4 days. But we're here for a month, so....

This KOA has a FB page for activities. It's run by a retired Navy chick and they literally have something fun every single day. I filled the calendar with things I could take part in and still get my work done. Monello can launch his boat right here. I had a feeling I was going to like it here and not want to leave, and we have Grand Canyon in August as incentive to motor on, but I didn't think it was going to be this cool.

Just what I need...another freaking happy place. I hope I don't love it here. :frown:
 

Yooper

Up. Identified. Lase. Fire. On the way.
We're at the KOA and, MAN, this place is kickin.

Enjoy! Hope to get to SPI at some point in the near-ish future.

In general, love KOA. But the nicer ones (well, even the mid-range ones) are expensive for someone (like me) on a comfortable (for now) fixed mil pension/VA disability. Curious if overnight cost ever enters into your & Monello's calculations? I ask because we're not yet full-timers (at this point, month-long trips max) and it's the campground overnight expense that scares us the most and keeps us from making the jump.

No need to respond if the question seems not much of a question! Have done quite a bit of RV'ing and have read "all" the books. Still, it's fascinating to read about your adventures. And I always wonder how you pull it off.

Anyway, ENJOY! Happy New Year to you both.

Cheers!
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
I was checking it out on the map, since I didn't know just where SPI was. Wow - so close to Mexico! Will you be road tripping over there to see what goes on at the border near the Rio Grande? I can't wait to hear about the food, which will probably be AMAZING!
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
I was checking it out on the map, since I didn't know just where SPI was. Wow - so close to Mexico! Will you be road tripping over there to see what goes on at the border near the Rio Grande? I can't wait to hear about the food, which will probably be AMAZING!

Hilariously enough, you can't just waltz over the border to Mexico. We have passports and may make a jaunt, though.

We're jaded with food, I'm sorry to say. We've eaten everything delicious under the sun in our travels. I tried to be all about the beer, but frankly I've drank beer all over the US too. In Texas I drink Shiner, and I eat BBQ at the shack and tamales from the old lady with the truck that her nephew drives (neither of which are legal). They boil their shrimp in the south, which is gross and I won't even. Texas has enough real Mexicans that the Mexican food is on point, and we've eaten a #### ton of it.

But straight up, Muy Wayne-O in PCB is still the best taco I've ever had.
 

Bann

Doris Day meets Lady Gaga
PREMO Member
Hilariously enough, you can't just waltz over the border to Mexico. We have passports and may make a jaunt, though.

We're jaded with food, I'm sorry to say. We've eaten everything delicious under the sun in our travels. I tried to be all about the beer, but frankly I've drank beer all over the US too. In Texas I drink Shiner, and I eat BBQ at the shack and tamales from the old lady with the truck that her nephew drives (neither of which are legal). They boil their shrimp in the south, which is gross and I won't even. Texas has enough real Mexicans that the Mexican food is on point, and we've eaten a #### ton of it.

But straight up, Muy Wayne-O in PCB is still the best taco I've ever had.

My mouth still waters over that brisket taco! :yum:
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
The weather outside is frightful...

Raining, chilly - really chilly, not hothouse lily chilly - and the wind is blowing like a... ... ... something that blows. But our view of the water is lovely. I think it's Laguna Madre. The Gulf is on the other side of the island.

I'll take pics at some point.
 

Grumpy

Well-Known Member
I thought SPI would be a lazy fishing village but it appears to be a true resort area with highrise hotels and stuff for people who don't want to fish.

Funny..I visited SPI when I was 14(not saying what year) and all I saw was miles and miles of sand. The only things that I remember is how desolate it was and the 300 yards of hot sand to cross to get to the water.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Funny..I visited SPI when I was 14(not saying what year) and all I saw was miles and miles of sand. The only things that I remember is how desolate it was and the 300 yards of hot sand to cross to get to the water.

Did you have to fight off any dinosaurs?
 

Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
Gotta love Texas. Buc-ees, BBQ & low gas prices. Yesterday on RT 77, we passed through Harlingen, which is about 25 miles from here. And this is pretty much what you see on the C-store sign.

1.59

Heatz 14 reviews)

1218 E SL-499 & Grimes Rd
Harlingen3h ago
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Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
Sunset point 1/2/19

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Quite a few people came out tonight to watch the sunset. It was a great way to knock off the cabin fever from the past few cold days.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Yesterday we met a couple from Austin and they invited us to Clayton's, which is a huge beach bar and grill. Friends of theirs were the band, playing classic country and fun pop. Normally I avoid people because of my ahole magnet, but Susie and Nathan were fun and not psychopaths. Unfortunately they're leaving on Sunday, but they live about a mile from where we stay on Lake Travis so we'll see them again I'm sure.

Then we went to Laguna BOB, which was packed, so we kept moseying to Louie's Backyard where we sat at the tiki bar and watched the sun set while eating grilled mahi. That strip is the happening bar crawl, with music and outdoor bars and fun to be had.

We really like SPI. It's going on the list for when we stop wandering and start paring down to our favorites.
 

Monello

Smarter than the average bear
PREMO Member
Clayton's
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The view from Louie's
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A Louie sunset
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Party time
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After quite a few days of chilly weather, it was refreshing to sit outside and listen to music in the 70+ degree weather. Most of the people there today were winter transplants like us.
 
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