OMG IT’S ABOUT 100 DEGREES IN SAN ANTONIO!!!!!!!!!!!!
With that out of the way, it’s been a good day so far. I went out shortly after my last post to hook up the truck. I’m getting better at gauging the distance I need to park it from the RV, but I always manage to not be quite straight and have the passenger side at the right distance to hook up while the driver’s side is a bit short.
Once I was hooked up, I discovered I have three minor Miranda repairs to make.
The first is with the windshield wipers. The pump is working fine, but the fluid is just shooting out from under the dash. I’m hoping I’ll find the hole or bad connection in the hose easily.
The second is to check the fuses for the turn signals. I put on the four way flashers to make sure the truck blinkers were working, and nothing. I tried the turn signal, nothing. I jiggled both and eventually got the left blinker working and the four way flashers, with the right blinker coming after several more jiggle. I really hope that this is just a fuse issue!
Like when I left Campbell River, my house stairs refused to budge. All I had on hand to lubricate them was was WD-40, so I’ll make sure to get some white grease next time I’m out shopping. Or maybe I can find some of that Move-It Croft had…
First stop was gas, which was painless since I could circle around the building to get out. Even better, the pump handle had a catch that meant I could wash my windows while the gas was pumping.
It was a smooth drive into Port Lavaca, where I got propane. Another easy in and out except for the bad driveway. Surely they know someone with a grader? Propane was CHEAP, $42 to fill the on board tank!
The first part of the drive was familiar since I had to drive through Goliad (which is still under construction). Traffic got moderately heavier from Kenedy (not a typo) onward, but it was nothing too bad and most drivers were courteous.
From the 410 bypass, it was an easy drive to Von Ormy and the Hidden Valley RV Park, where I was greeted by the wonderful Teri.
Hidden Valley is the best deal in San Antonio for boondockers wanting to stay more than just a night or two since they offer dry camping for just $5 a night! I found the campground through freecampsites.net. My FHU spot tonight is costing me $30.
Even though I was 15 minutes early for check in, Teri greeted me warmly. She had a packet of information for me and spent time showing me around downtown on a map, highlighting the best places to park and where to catch public transportation. I was told by L to avoid driving into San Antonio, but with Teri’s instructions, I know I can get to cheap parking easily, so I don’t see any reason not to go in with the truck.
It is SUPER hot today, so I have the AC blasting, but it’s supposed to go right back down tomorrow. Talk about perfect planning!
I have to move around noon tomorrow. Teri showed me the two possibilities and the setup will be just fine. I’ll post pics at some point after I’ve moved.
Now, I need to start on my rather ambitious list for the day. The laundry is a trek and a half, so until that’s done (about half an hour left), I don’t want to get started on anything else. After that, the vacuum cleaner is coming out! 🙂
You might want to consider joining Passport America. It is not expensive and it really does give you half price parking. It is $44 per year so the break-even point is about three nights a year. We have had FHU sites in Texas for $10 per night using it. You can join right on the spot when you check in by borrowing the park’s phone and calling their 1-800 number.
For some reason, I think that there’s an age restriction for Passport America. *checks* Hmm, apparently not. I’ll have to look more into it.
This park isn’t PA, so I would have had to go elsewhere for HU tonight and then moved here. The $30 is worth it! 🙂
Yes, you just have to go by the “average” cost. Some PA parks have a 1 or 3 night limit so you just average it out to see if you are getting a good deal.
You will be fine driving in downtown. Just don’t panic when the freeway splits to upper and lower levels, it does so for about a mile on the 10/35 in the middle of downtown. They merge back together and you can still get to any if the streets. A good place to park downtown by the Alamo is the river center mall by the movie theater. It will spit you out looking at the Alamo and you will wall right past the Menger Bar which is fabulous, has lots of local history. The Menger bar is attached to the Menger Hotel which is beautiful. If you want to check out a good farmers market, the Pearl Zbrewery has one on Saturday morning and it is right on the northern teach if the river walk. Google it! Wish I was able to play tourist with you but we are leaving for Costa Rica on Saturday.