Mission, TX

After Sanibel, I went back to Georgia, first to Winder, GA and then to the North Georgia Mountains.  I ended up staying a bit longer than I expected because my mother had surgery.  This was during the time that the cold weather hit everywhere.  I was really concerned about how to survive in the RV.  I wasn’t so much concerned about me – I can stay warm.  But was concerned about the RV itself.  I managed to make it through the weather with just a few minor problems. 

I was expecting the frozen valves because I decided not to wrap the valves in warming tape, but that wasn’t too bad to take care of.  The one thing that I didn’t expect was that my tow bar froze.  I don’t know if the oil on the bar froze or there was water in it, but I couldn’t pull the tow bar loose to hook it up.  It took me about 30 minutes to get it unfrozen!

After my mom’s surgery, I left the area the day before the bad ice storm hit Georgia.  I stayed one night in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas before arriving in Mission, TX. 

Mission, TX is known for “Winter Texans”.  Typically it is warm in the winter so many RVers come there for the season.  I stayed in Bentsen Village RV Park, which is right next to Bentsen – Rio Grande Valley State Park.  This is a very nice RV park.  While there wasn’t as much space between sites as I like, it wasn’t as close as some.   They had several park like areas throughout the campground.

This area is known for birding.  One thing I read said that it was one of the top ten spots in the nation.  As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t know that much about birds, but I do enjoy watching them.

It was kind of funny, I was intrigued by the Green Jays and the Kiskadee’s and they are common birds in the area.  But I just hadn’t seen them before.   Other people (Those who knew birds) got excited about  birds such as the Rose Throated Becard, which is apparently rare in this area.

Kiskadee - 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Jays in the feeder -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Jay after a bath -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oriole (I think an Altamira Oriole) -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw both a Screech Owl and an Pygmy Owl, this is the Screech Owl -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rose Throated Becard -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was also other wildlife.  I saw a small bobcat one morning, but no picture as I was riding my bike when he crossed in front of me.  They have a big population of javelinas.  One day this mom and baby walked extremely close to me and I started getting a bit nervous, they do have big teeth!  They eventually walked away and a man close by said that she was probably begging for food. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other than riding my bike and hiking in the park I didn’t do too much here.  The last half of my stay here got warm, more what I wanted.  It was in the 70’s for several days!!  I’m currently in Port Aranasas and will blog about that later.