Houston Rodeo and Chris Stapleton

 

Howdy Y'all.

Tuesday, March 10:  Lake View RV Resort, Houston, Texas for 7 mights.

Site 246

Lakeview RV Resort is located in the SW part of Houston, just off US-90 and close to NRG Park and Stadium. We have stayed here several times in the past. It's a resort with a lake and pool. The sites are paved and the roads are wide and easy to navigate. Many long term residents live here in the permanent section.  In fact, I met a fellow last year who has lived here close to 10 years.  In fact, since the resort is located within the city limits, the only downside is the Houston traffic, which can be horrific for a couple of country bumpkins like ourselves.

Because of the annual 21 long day Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show, the park was 98% full.  We had requested a pull thru site almost 6 months ago, but got bumped to a back in that was available in the long term section instead.  But it worked fine and we were able to put the porch out for the pups.

Houston is a busy, busy city, in part due to the Port of Houston, the Johnson Space Center and the Texas Medical Center.  The medical center hosts the largest children's hospital and the largest cancer center in the world!!  And you can never runout of things to see and do. In the past we have visited the Botanical Gardens, Houston Arboretum and Nature Center, Bayou Bend Gardens, Houston Farmers Market and many great places to eat, from BBQ to seafood. 

Follow the links below to read about our previous Houston adventures:

2025:  https://davidsipher.blogspot.com/2025/03/texas-houston-rodeo.html

2024:  https://davidsipher.blogspot.com/2024/04/2024-spring-trip-houston-texas.html

2023:  https://davidsipher.blogspot.com/2023/04/spring-2023-houston.html

This year, the rodeo and Kris Stapleton concert was on our "To Do" list.  And it did not disappoint!  First, the rodeo was just like you see on RV.  Barrel racing, bronc busting, bull riding, etc.  It was amazing to watch.  And then to close out the evening, 77,000 of our best friends joined us to watch Kris Stapleton perform.  It was an evening to remember!!!  

Bronc Busting video.

Here is a link to a YouTube video (not mine) of Stapleton closing out the Houston show singing Tennessee Whiskey.  Here's a bit of trivia for you...Stapleton was Valedictorian of his High School class.  But instead of writing a speech, he wrote and sang a song.  

One afternoon we went to see the  traveling Chinese Terra Cotta Solders exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  The 8,000 plus clay figures, discovered in 1974, are over 2,000 years old.  They were created to guard the Emperor's tomb.  You can read much more from Wikipedia HERE.

One evening Pamela surprised me with an early Birthday cake, and on another evening we grilled at the campsite.  

We always have an amazing time with Clyde and Pamela.  But it's time to keep moving toward home.  Now we are off for a stay in the Natchez, Mississippi area.  So, this is how we roll: 

 

Texas Hill Country

Sunday, February 8:  30 days in The Texas Hill Country

This is the first time we have ever tried to stay in one place for an entire 30 days, and we don't know what to expect.  Will we like our site for that long, will we like the neighbors, will we get bored?  So many unknowns.

Site 31, Peach Country RV Park, Stonewall, Texas

But lets back up.  Upon arrival, we discovered that the site we had reserved was too short for our new RV with the porch.  No problem, we were able to switch to a more desirable spot.  It wasn't long before we felt really comfortable in campground community.  A few folks from our 2 week stay last Spring remembered us.  And then, at the Valentine Campground dinner I won the door prize.  That's a quick way to get known.  :-)  

Valentine Dinner

Soon I discovered the morning coffee club, and became a regular.  I was the only New Yorker there.  It was interesting listening to viewpoints from the Midwest members.

Two of Judy's daughters joined us for a few days.  Christl stayed with us in the RV, while Pamela opted for a nearby bed and breakfast.  We had great times with them 

Pamela with us at the Fredericksburg Brewing Company.

Shopping at the Magnolia Pearl flagship store.

Christl, Judy and Pamela.

Downtown Fredericksburg shopping.

The Texas Hill Country is one of the largest wine producing areas in the United States.  And Stonewall is located almost in the center of over 60 wineries in the nearby area.

A friend we got to know last year, Angela, works at William Chris Vineyards, and she invited us to a tasting.  And wow, did we get the first class treatment.  Thank you Angela!!

Every Monday the campground put on a potluck dinner.  Judy's contributions, including of taco soup, chili, and chicken tetrazzini were always hits.  

Another activity was the constant opportunity to appreciate was the live musical events.  Many of the wineries offered live music on weekends, and we enjoyed several Fridays enjoying a bottle of wine with friends and live country music at Texas Heritage Vineyards.

Parker and Maggie loved the attention as they lounged on the porch.

Al, our next door neighbor, always made several visits each day.

We became friends with several couples, including Tony and Deb from Wyoming, Tim and Lynda from Minnesota, and fellow Brinkley owners, Kim and Sandy from North Dakota.

So, to answer the original question about is staying in one place for a month too long;  Not one bit!  We had an amazing time.  In fact we went ahead and reserved a site next winter for 2 months.

This region of Texas is awash with wineries that cater to nearby Austin and San Antonio, especially on weekends. The Hill country has become one of the largest wine growing areas in the US and on par with California and New York. Stonewall is also the epicenter of the Texas peach industry. There is a strong German heritage in the area resulting in great German restaurants and breweries. Just a couple miles away is the President Lyndon Johnson ranch which served as his summer Whitehouse and where the family cemetery is located.

We have met some wonderful people from all over, including Wyoming, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Alberta, as well as some locals. There is a very laid back small town vibe at the campground with weekly potluck dinners, morning coffee chats, and Friday Happy Hours. We have really enjoyed our time here with wine tastings (thank you Angela at William Chris Vineyards for the most amazing tasting experience ever), craft breweries, great German food, and fabulous weekly music and wine at Texas Heritage Vineyards. We can’t wait to come back next year.

Now, we reluctantly say "goodbye" to our community.   Next we are off to Houston for a week to visit Pamela and attend the Houston Rodeo.