I’ve been blogging about our Full Time RV lifestyle for about 16 months now. People tell me all the time that they enjoy reading my posts and I certainly enjoy writing them and sharing this wonderful adventure. The other day I was cruising through the state park we are currently working at in the work truck and contemplating a question that is asked of us repeatedly, “What is it like to live in a motorhome and move around all the time?” My usual response is “It’s the best thing ever!” That doesn’t really answer the question though. At the same time, I was also contemplating my next post and starting to realize that a pattern is developing. We move to a new job, we meet new people, I practice birding and seek out the local birding enthusiast to learn from, we do fun projects etc. My blog is becoming cyclical and predictable. Two things I have never been very fond of.
That being said, I am going to change the flavor of Our High Road. Over the next year beginning on March 1st I will begin to write daily posts. Short, realistic glimpses into the oft asked question, “What is it like?“ Unlike my previous lengthy articles about various topics, these will be short. Maybe a picture or short video. Something a reader can check in and have a look at in less than a minute each day if they choose.
I have no idea what lies ahead the next year. Who does? Not knowing what I may share from day to day is scary and exhilarating all at once. My year may be boring, or it may be filled with all sorts of things that are interesting to someone who is contemplating embarking on this lifestyle. A new commitment to giving a brutally honest look inside the life of a full time RV volunteer the good the bad and the ugly sounds a little daunting but I love a challenge. At the end of the year anyone following will be able to answer their own question and I may gain some different insight along the way as well. I don't know what direction I'll go with the blog after that, but something tells me the answer will reveal itself along the way.
Thanks for travelling along with us and we’ll see you each day if you want to follow along.
Until March 1st…
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Birding at Goliad
When Hurricane Harvey hit East Texas in August, we knew our experience as camp hosts would be a different. Turns out it has been a different kind of experience on our days off as well. When the storm hit we immediately wondered how it impacted the two parks we were scheduled to visit this winter as well as the people who work in them. Luckily, no one was injured at either park. There was substantial damage to Goliad in the form of downed trees from 80 mph straight line winds that lasted several hours.
[caption id="attachment_505" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Broken trees and Brambles[/caption]
The trees are twisted up high as if the wind grabbed them like a wash cloth and wrung them out before breaking them off. I can’t imagine what it was like and can only imagine what this place looked like with over 300 large trees strewn about. By the time we came in January, the camp and mission grounds were clear, although many uprooted stumps remain as evidence of the aftermath.
Birding here on days off is challenging at best. There are several trails around, some still closed from downed trees. The storm debris provides dense habitat for the birds. Great for cover and nesting; difficult for viewing and nearly impossible for photography. Good thing I like a challenge. I’ve had good experiences both alone and with our friends John and Cathy when they were hear last week. I got a bird list for the area and managed to identify 20 or so on my own, with my rudimentary knowledge gained in my first year as a birder. When John came we went out several times and he helped me identify some 20 more species that had gone unnoticed by me on my solo walks.
Birding alone or with a companion is a Catch 22 for me. When I go with an experienced birder I learn something new each time, see many things I would have otherwise missed and usually commit a new song to memory. Like Cathy says of her husband, people learn birding by osmosis when with him. When I go alone I move very quietly with no one to talk to and one less set of footsteps crackling on the leaves. It is so quiet in fact that a fart can be heard a half mile away and will scare up a dozen birds. With nothing to listen to but the woods, the symphony of different calls is music to my ears and I learn songs by watching and listening.
A typical solo trip can be quite satisfying. On the trail this morning I set out to find a Golden Front Woodpecker that I heard calling. As I walked along, the ever-present chorus of the breeding Northern Cardinals was punctuated by Eastern Phoebes, several warblers, a Kiskadee that followed me through the woods, other Woodpeckers and the occasional Red Shoulder Hawk calling in the distance. The nearly silent greenish San Antonio River flowed to the west of me and the humming of county highway truck traffic was a mile to my east. I was a guest in a very active woodland community going about its day. I did see a new warbler and wish John had been there to tell me what it was.
Another challenge this winter is the terrible light. Unlike sunny hill country with it’s high desert like climate, Goliad is near the coast, humid and foggy with more overcast days than sunny. The timber is gray with bare winter deciduous trees, gray skies and very dense dried down invasive vines and brambles covering fallen and broken trees. My usual method of identification is to get a picture and come back to compare pictures in my bird book or online with my birding app. That is proving to be hard here.
One fun highlight of John and Cathy’s visit happened right from our campsite. John thought he saw a Rose Breasted Grosbeak in the tree. He got an okay picture with his phone and sent it to Ebird for confirmation. It is rare but not unheard of to see here compared to the more common Back Headed Grosbeak. Ebird asked for further verification and the next night we saw it again on a walk in the evening. This time he had his good camera and got some nice pictures of it. Ebird confirmed the sighting and recorded it.
New birds to me that I’ve seen in the park have been Blue Headed and White Eyed Vireos, Orange Crowned Warbler, Golden Fronted Woodpecker (all species I would not find in Iowa) and the Yellow-Bellied Sap Sucker. Funny thing about the Sap Sucker, Champ new the name as a favorite insult hurled by Yosemite Sam in the old cartoons. He was amused to learn it was a real bird!
Fun things await in March. The reenactment of the battle that won Tejas from Mexico, will take place at Presidio La Bahia next to the park. We’ll be involved in that event as part of our volunteer duties, the County Fair and Rodeo will be across the road and of course spring break will be happening over the course of two weeks. We’ll have lots of work as the campground will be full the entire month and plenty to see and do on our days off. By April 1st when our 90-day commitment comes to and end we’ll be ready for a break.
Until next time…
[gallery ids="508,506,504,503,502"]
[caption id="attachment_505" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Broken trees and Brambles[/caption]The trees are twisted up high as if the wind grabbed them like a wash cloth and wrung them out before breaking them off. I can’t imagine what it was like and can only imagine what this place looked like with over 300 large trees strewn about. By the time we came in January, the camp and mission grounds were clear, although many uprooted stumps remain as evidence of the aftermath.
Birding here on days off is challenging at best. There are several trails around, some still closed from downed trees. The storm debris provides dense habitat for the birds. Great for cover and nesting; difficult for viewing and nearly impossible for photography. Good thing I like a challenge. I’ve had good experiences both alone and with our friends John and Cathy when they were hear last week. I got a bird list for the area and managed to identify 20 or so on my own, with my rudimentary knowledge gained in my first year as a birder. When John came we went out several times and he helped me identify some 20 more species that had gone unnoticed by me on my solo walks.
Birding alone or with a companion is a Catch 22 for me. When I go with an experienced birder I learn something new each time, see many things I would have otherwise missed and usually commit a new song to memory. Like Cathy says of her husband, people learn birding by osmosis when with him. When I go alone I move very quietly with no one to talk to and one less set of footsteps crackling on the leaves. It is so quiet in fact that a fart can be heard a half mile away and will scare up a dozen birds. With nothing to listen to but the woods, the symphony of different calls is music to my ears and I learn songs by watching and listening.
A typical solo trip can be quite satisfying. On the trail this morning I set out to find a Golden Front Woodpecker that I heard calling. As I walked along, the ever-present chorus of the breeding Northern Cardinals was punctuated by Eastern Phoebes, several warblers, a Kiskadee that followed me through the woods, other Woodpeckers and the occasional Red Shoulder Hawk calling in the distance. The nearly silent greenish San Antonio River flowed to the west of me and the humming of county highway truck traffic was a mile to my east. I was a guest in a very active woodland community going about its day. I did see a new warbler and wish John had been there to tell me what it was.
Another challenge this winter is the terrible light. Unlike sunny hill country with it’s high desert like climate, Goliad is near the coast, humid and foggy with more overcast days than sunny. The timber is gray with bare winter deciduous trees, gray skies and very dense dried down invasive vines and brambles covering fallen and broken trees. My usual method of identification is to get a picture and come back to compare pictures in my bird book or online with my birding app. That is proving to be hard here.
One fun highlight of John and Cathy’s visit happened right from our campsite. John thought he saw a Rose Breasted Grosbeak in the tree. He got an okay picture with his phone and sent it to Ebird for confirmation. It is rare but not unheard of to see here compared to the more common Back Headed Grosbeak. Ebird asked for further verification and the next night we saw it again on a walk in the evening. This time he had his good camera and got some nice pictures of it. Ebird confirmed the sighting and recorded it.
New birds to me that I’ve seen in the park have been Blue Headed and White Eyed Vireos, Orange Crowned Warbler, Golden Fronted Woodpecker (all species I would not find in Iowa) and the Yellow-Bellied Sap Sucker. Funny thing about the Sap Sucker, Champ new the name as a favorite insult hurled by Yosemite Sam in the old cartoons. He was amused to learn it was a real bird!
Fun things await in March. The reenactment of the battle that won Tejas from Mexico, will take place at Presidio La Bahia next to the park. We’ll be involved in that event as part of our volunteer duties, the County Fair and Rodeo will be across the road and of course spring break will be happening over the course of two weeks. We’ll have lots of work as the campground will be full the entire month and plenty to see and do on our days off. By April 1st when our 90-day commitment comes to and end we’ll be ready for a break.
Until next time…
[gallery ids="508,506,504,503,502"]
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Goliad History
I previously mentioned, the draw to Goliad was the reference to it when I watched the film before entering the Alamo last winter. I have always been a history nerd of sorts. I sought out the volunteer ‘job’ here at the State Park so we could spend some time here and learn more about the area. I am really getting my money’s worth, to say the least.
One of my first stops at a new volunteer destination is the local library. They have, so far, all been willing to grant a temporary library card when I tell them why I am in the area. The librarians are a wealth of information about the community and eager to tell me about their town. In the Non-fiction section on the New Arrivals shelf, at the Goliad County Library, I found a book called “Goliad- The Other Alamo” by William Bradle. As it turns out the author wrote about the very area where we are ‘jacks down’ for the next several weeks. The book tells an account of the very complex politics that were in play here during the pre-Civil-War years. I love serendipity, sometimes a book finds you. After reading the book, we waited for our friends, the Harrington’s, to arrive so we could tour the historic sites together. We spent one very full day soaking it all in.
The five-minute version of the history goes something like this. Texas, then a northern territory of Mexico called Tejas, was a sparsely populated area of nomadic tribes and newly arriving Europeans, doing their usual land grabbing and running off the “savages” who were there first. Mexico’s independence from Spain was won in a battle here, and soon the illegal immigrants (aka white people) formally declared Tejas for themselves. The battles that resulted in the United States acquiring Texas were fought here.
[caption id="attachment_488" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Mission Esperitu Santo at Sunrise[/caption]
In 1721 The Presidio La Bahi`a was built a half mile south of here. A year later Franciscan Monks established Espiritu Santo Mission, located in Goliad State Park, for the purpose of protecting and ‘civilizing’ the Aranama tribe who they felt needed protection from the raiding tribes. Our Lady of Loreto Chapel followed in 1779, built within the walls of the Presidio for the soldiers and their families to have a place to worship. It is one of the oldest active churches in the US, still holding Mass every Sunday.
Starting here on the Park grounds we toured the Mission complex and learned about life at the mission, saw some of the old ruins of foundations and wall still left from the original structure. In the 1930’s the Mission site became a CCC project and was restored to what it is today with great care and research into the architecture, contents and display of artifacts excavated from the site.
[caption id="attachment_495" align="alignnone" width="300"]
La Bahia Presidio South Wall[/caption]
La Bahi`a history is multi layered. General Zaragoza, who won Mexico’s independence from Europe, defeating French troops was born in a house there on the grounds. It has been rebuilt by the State Parks system and can be toured free of charge. In 1835 the Presidio was the location of the signing of Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico that resulted in the famous Battle at the Alamo among other things. This is where I tuned in last winter. There were troops here led by General Fannin, who had been ordered to march to the Alamo to aid in defending it against Santa Anna’s troops. For, highly debatable reasons, he didn’t go and we all know how that turned out. Soon after, Sam Houston ordered him to march to Victoria and join other troops. He delayed several days because, unknown to Sam Houston, he had dispatched troops elsewhere, to defeat Mexican troops south of the presidio and try to make a name for himself.
[caption id="attachment_482" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Fannin Battlefield Memorial site[/caption]
On his way to Victoria they stopped in a field to rest and graze the horses. There, Mexican General Urrea, under Santa Anna’s command, caught up to them and Fannin’s troops eventually surrendered.
[caption id="attachment_487" align="alignright" width="300"]
Mass grave of Fannin' troops[/caption]
They were marched back to Presidio LaBahi`a where they were executed. A mass grave with the remains of 342 soldiers is now a memorial. A rather somber place indeed.
One of the reasons we engaged in the wonderful life is the opportunity to completely immerse ourselves in an area. There is history and culture in this ten square mile area with a richness and density I have never experienced anywhere else. Descendants of those who lost their lives here, still live in the area. It is very emotional history for many people native to the area. It becomes clear when I talk to a local museum volunteers how passionate people are about the events that took place here. Another thing that strikes me is, being from the Midwest, an old building is 125 – 150 years old. Iowa is a relatively young state in terms of European settlement. To stand in a church over 300 years old walk around within fort walls and imagine the things that took place here, is an indescribable feeling for me. I highly recommend this area for a Texas vacation, if you like history.
The biggest irony to me speaks to the times we are in today. Illegal immigration is such a hot button issue for many. Illegal immigration of white people coming to Texas and causing trouble, committing crimes, stealing land and what have you is what started the whole uprising in the first place. Santa Anna was sent to drive the whites back to Louisiana and out of Mexico. Whites decided they wanted to stay and fought for and eventually won the claim they made to the land. Many Hispanic people here can trace their roots back many generations to this very area, because their families were here when it was still Mexico. Hispanics were here first, yet are still subjugated to white culture, making cultural difference and race a whole different notion in this part of Texas. Having majored in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology, I am fascinated with the social and cultural construct here. One could easily create an entire 3 credit history course on this small geographical area.
We have seven more weeks here to get to know locals and for me to digest all this history I have read about and toured in our time here. I will leave here with a very different notion of Texas culture than I grew up with as a mid-westerner only having the tip of the ice burg included in my American History education in primary school. The Alamo gets all the attention, but the real history is right here under my feet.
Oh yes, there are lots of birds here too. John and Cathy took me birding several times this week, more about that later.
Until next time…
[gallery ids="496,486,495,494,493,492,491,490,487,485,484"]
One of my first stops at a new volunteer destination is the local library. They have, so far, all been willing to grant a temporary library card when I tell them why I am in the area. The librarians are a wealth of information about the community and eager to tell me about their town. In the Non-fiction section on the New Arrivals shelf, at the Goliad County Library, I found a book called “Goliad- The Other Alamo” by William Bradle. As it turns out the author wrote about the very area where we are ‘jacks down’ for the next several weeks. The book tells an account of the very complex politics that were in play here during the pre-Civil-War years. I love serendipity, sometimes a book finds you. After reading the book, we waited for our friends, the Harrington’s, to arrive so we could tour the historic sites together. We spent one very full day soaking it all in.
The five-minute version of the history goes something like this. Texas, then a northern territory of Mexico called Tejas, was a sparsely populated area of nomadic tribes and newly arriving Europeans, doing their usual land grabbing and running off the “savages” who were there first. Mexico’s independence from Spain was won in a battle here, and soon the illegal immigrants (aka white people) formally declared Tejas for themselves. The battles that resulted in the United States acquiring Texas were fought here.
[caption id="attachment_488" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Mission Esperitu Santo at Sunrise[/caption]In 1721 The Presidio La Bahi`a was built a half mile south of here. A year later Franciscan Monks established Espiritu Santo Mission, located in Goliad State Park, for the purpose of protecting and ‘civilizing’ the Aranama tribe who they felt needed protection from the raiding tribes. Our Lady of Loreto Chapel followed in 1779, built within the walls of the Presidio for the soldiers and their families to have a place to worship. It is one of the oldest active churches in the US, still holding Mass every Sunday.
Starting here on the Park grounds we toured the Mission complex and learned about life at the mission, saw some of the old ruins of foundations and wall still left from the original structure. In the 1930’s the Mission site became a CCC project and was restored to what it is today with great care and research into the architecture, contents and display of artifacts excavated from the site.
[caption id="attachment_495" align="alignnone" width="300"]
La Bahia Presidio South Wall[/caption]La Bahi`a history is multi layered. General Zaragoza, who won Mexico’s independence from Europe, defeating French troops was born in a house there on the grounds. It has been rebuilt by the State Parks system and can be toured free of charge. In 1835 the Presidio was the location of the signing of Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico that resulted in the famous Battle at the Alamo among other things. This is where I tuned in last winter. There were troops here led by General Fannin, who had been ordered to march to the Alamo to aid in defending it against Santa Anna’s troops. For, highly debatable reasons, he didn’t go and we all know how that turned out. Soon after, Sam Houston ordered him to march to Victoria and join other troops. He delayed several days because, unknown to Sam Houston, he had dispatched troops elsewhere, to defeat Mexican troops south of the presidio and try to make a name for himself.
[caption id="attachment_482" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Fannin Battlefield Memorial site[/caption]On his way to Victoria they stopped in a field to rest and graze the horses. There, Mexican General Urrea, under Santa Anna’s command, caught up to them and Fannin’s troops eventually surrendered.
[caption id="attachment_487" align="alignright" width="300"]
Mass grave of Fannin' troops[/caption]They were marched back to Presidio LaBahi`a where they were executed. A mass grave with the remains of 342 soldiers is now a memorial. A rather somber place indeed.
One of the reasons we engaged in the wonderful life is the opportunity to completely immerse ourselves in an area. There is history and culture in this ten square mile area with a richness and density I have never experienced anywhere else. Descendants of those who lost their lives here, still live in the area. It is very emotional history for many people native to the area. It becomes clear when I talk to a local museum volunteers how passionate people are about the events that took place here. Another thing that strikes me is, being from the Midwest, an old building is 125 – 150 years old. Iowa is a relatively young state in terms of European settlement. To stand in a church over 300 years old walk around within fort walls and imagine the things that took place here, is an indescribable feeling for me. I highly recommend this area for a Texas vacation, if you like history.
The biggest irony to me speaks to the times we are in today. Illegal immigration is such a hot button issue for many. Illegal immigration of white people coming to Texas and causing trouble, committing crimes, stealing land and what have you is what started the whole uprising in the first place. Santa Anna was sent to drive the whites back to Louisiana and out of Mexico. Whites decided they wanted to stay and fought for and eventually won the claim they made to the land. Many Hispanic people here can trace their roots back many generations to this very area, because their families were here when it was still Mexico. Hispanics were here first, yet are still subjugated to white culture, making cultural difference and race a whole different notion in this part of Texas. Having majored in Sociology and Cultural Anthropology, I am fascinated with the social and cultural construct here. One could easily create an entire 3 credit history course on this small geographical area.
We have seven more weeks here to get to know locals and for me to digest all this history I have read about and toured in our time here. I will leave here with a very different notion of Texas culture than I grew up with as a mid-westerner only having the tip of the ice burg included in my American History education in primary school. The Alamo gets all the attention, but the real history is right here under my feet.
Oh yes, there are lots of birds here too. John and Cathy took me birding several times this week, more about that later.
Until next time…
[gallery ids="496,486,495,494,493,492,491,490,487,485,484"]
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