This whole trip started due to a missed motorcycle rally in Kerrville Texas and we figured if was good enough for BMW Riders it must be worth the visit. It was mid Spring and we were having decent weather so why not take the trip. We had accomplished some yard work raising the wall in our backyard and other things. It would be good to take the rig out for a seasonal shakedown. We left Rio Rancho with the goal of overnighting in Roswell NM. We were excited and the road passed beneath us quickly. Since it was before Memorial Day I figured most campgrounds would be empty and we could just pull in and be out early the next day. We pulled into Roswell with just six miles remaining in the tank and refueled. I remembered passing the Gas Station in Ft Sumner thinking about Billy the Kid and how he was buried there and just how much history there is in the area. Carol began calling campgrounds so we could spend the night. Considering we have two large dogs and a cat it seemed important to be in a place to spread out. Despite our best efforts no campgrounds had space and we ended up in a motel for the night. Seems there is an energy boom in that region so housing is an issue due to so many people relocating there suddenly. My only thoughts about this are that you cannot go too far wrong with a 36 foot suitcase. Our stay was uneventful other than one complaint about a barking dog. We left mid morning and began our trek into West Texas in an area I have never been in. The further East we went the more desolate it became as Texas is a big State but we did refuel in a timely manner. We decided to go to the San Angelo KOA for the night. The name San Angelo conjured visions of Clint Eastwood walking down a dusty road in one of his early Spaghetti Westerns. Upon arriving we found a modern oasis with a lake, an Air Force Base, a University of Texas campus and a wonderful riverwalk along the Concho River. The KOA had a very cool dog park and very nice sites. Carol and I decided to stay longer especially in light of the plumbing problem.
Every trip has a fail, with some fails being worse than others and some just being absurd. This little plastic part featured below embodies the term fail with a capital F. I had installed a Kohler faucet in the kitchen of the RV. It is a sexy faucet that detaches to clean the vegetables and such. The heart and soul of the faucet lied under the sink attached to the incoming water line. The attachment was through a plastic part as seen here. Plumbers in the old days used copper lines and a bit more complex methods to connect waterlines. Kohler in all its brilliance, and I guess other manufacturers as well, decided to use plastic connectors. Cheaper, quicker and did I say cheaper! We arrived at our campsite, got all the utilities hooked up and promptly had a flood due to a broken plastic part as shown. I climbed under the sink, realized the problem and figured a trip to Lowes or Home Depot would result in a quick fix. The plumbing guys at the big box stores stared at the part and said to call this private plumber. I called the gentleman and sent him a picture via text. He responded he did not have the part and suggested we contact Fast Faucet in Chicago. In the meantime we had to take cold showers and do the dishes in the shower or hike over to the KOA showers. I called Kohler for the part and was told they had none in the States but a shipment might come in soon. I figure it is pretty lame to put a part out as OEM and then not back it up in a Country as big as ours. We kept trying to contact Fast Faucet but would either get no answer or a busy signal. I also had their email which they did not reply to. A couple days later I was calling Fast Faucet and they answered the phone. I genuflected as best as possible, provided the information and then was asked how to ship it. The part was $6.00 and the overnight shipping was $65.00 but we did get the part the next day.
San Angelo has an old town area near Fort Concho and has about 100,000 people which certainly did not fit my Eastwood vision. We went to the visitors center and were impressed with this little community. It would seem if one wanted to retire to a mild, low crime city this could be it. In New Mexico we have a lot of broken glass on our roadsides as well as graffiti. We did not see any of that in this little town and it has a gem from the past, Fort Concho. The Fort was established in 1867 and closed in 1889. Trees were not abundant in the area so construction was of Limestone which has preserved the Fort to this day. The Fort housed the 4th Calvary and the 10th Calvary. The 10th is known for having the feared and respected Buffalo Soldiers. Other units were billeted there but these are the most notable. In 1867 Texas was just emerging from Confederate governance, Mexico was under French control and Native as well as Mexican intrusions on ranchers were of concern. The French left Mexico as Fort Concho was being built and the Union presence in Texas grew reducing concerns about the remnants of the Confederacy. Fort Concho provided a good economy for San Angelo and the Fortt provided medical care since it was the only facility in the area. The Fort Concho Museum bought what was left of the Fort in 1964. I think the most fascinating part of the Fort was looking into the barracks. It reminded me of my soldier days 100 years later with an Airborne Unit. Open bay with footlockers and barracks NCO Quarters at the entrance to the barracks. James T. Matthews wrote an awesome book titled Fort Concho, Copyright 2005 by the Texas State Historical Association. I would encourage folks to visit fortconcho.com to get more information and times of reenactments.
KERRVILLE TEXAS
Kerrville was settled by Joshua Brown in 1848 and named Brownsborough. It was renamed Kerrsville after Major James Kerr, a veteran of the Texas Revolution, in 1856. The s was dropped making it Kerrville. I had an interest in this spot as there is an early season BMW Motorcycle Rally there which I missed. Exploring the area I can see why those riders rally there. Lots of hills and curves making for good motorcycle territory and pretty. We stayed at the Buckhorn RV Resort which has paved roads, cemented slabs to park on and grass. It also has a great dog park. This park has a gated area where folks can lease land for 30 years and have a permanent spot to park their RV and live full time in. I checked on this but found it to be just above my pay grade. It is beautiful over there but...
We drove around Kerrville visiting the Shriners Park and going over to Fredericksburg to have a beer and play tourist. On the way to Kerrville we had a blow out in Menard. The tires on my fifth wheel were 3 years old and properly inflated, I am OCD about this plus I have a Tire Pressure Monitor. We called Roadside Assistance and replaced the tire and it was sort of fun just to pull off and watch the coming and going of people. I thought I had more pictures of the area but they seem to be missing. If I find them under another file I will post them.
No comments:
Post a Comment