Glamping Days

Though mostly a drive day, I did spend a couple of hours at the Vicksburg National Military Park. This is the kind of place that Manny would have loved.  The details of the military history aren't my cup of tea, but the big picture story, the pretty drive, & the monuments were great for a couple of hours.     I'd noticed patches of bamboo in some wooded areas & several work trucks labelled something to do with fire, & then I came upon several burned area like this. Putting it all together, I think that they are doing controlled burns to eliminate the bamboo & maybe some other non-native invasive species. 

Today's drive through rolling northeastern Texas & into northern Louisiana was quite pretty. Early signs of spring were everywhere with redbuds, magnolias, daffodils, & wild cherries blooming, & many trees beginning to leaf.    My campsite tonight is at a winery in northern LA with this view overlooking the vineyard. Besides what they grow on 16 acres here, they bring in many grapes from California. 

I had a lovely visit & a meal out today with some cousins.  Heading back to the campground, I stopped for gas, & then hitched up the trailer back in camp. It always makes for a better start on a travel day to get hitched up the night before.  Here are some pics taken around the Sam Houston National Forest over the last 3 days. The first 2 statues are in front of a ranger station.  This statue of Sam Houston stands 67' tall & overlooks I-45 near Huntsville, Texas. Though not very close to my various relatives, this campsite is quiet & features a lake to set off the sunsets. 

Today, I visited with my nephew and his lovely family. I got a tour of their beautiful new home, we ambled around this fantastic public garden, & we topped it all off with a yummy barbecue meal. I'm blessed with a great family.

I had a lovely visit this evening with my niece & her husband at their beautiful new home in Houston. They cooked up a gourmet meal, & the conversation covered the waterfront from family news to world travel. Folks who worry about the future of the world need to spend time with young people like these. Below are a few pics from around the campground here in Sam Houston National Forest.                   My site overlooks Lake Conroe.                   Some of the trees are covered in Spanish moss.                                                               The sunset from last night.

My drive today took me from San Marcos, TX, to north of Houston. It should have been just 3 1/2 hours, but I always keep under the speed limit with the trailer, made a longish stop, & spent a fair amount of time behind oversized loads where they couldn't be passed; it was a leisurely trip.  The landscape changed about every 30 minutes. Though mostly low rolling hills, there were 3 flat areas, & the vegetation varied from a mix of all deciduous trees to a mix of all evergreens to virtually all pines to virtually all live oaks. There were fields with horses & cows scattered all along the way. It's been hot & humid here in TX, much warmer than expected for Feb, with highs in the low 80s & lows about 65 - ugh.  My stop was at the a Buc-ees. This one, though very large by travel plaza standards, was smaller than the other 2 Buc-ees I've been to. I love these places.             The Buc-ees logo is everywhere.       ...