01 - Fredericksburg, TX

Houston, The RV Gypsies Are Clear To Go!



Timing is everything! Just happened to catch this guy in mid squawk… Sonora Caverns, TX



 

The day of our road test couldn't have arrived any earlier. By 3:30 am I was awake with a cloud of dread looming over me. "What's the worst that could happen?" I guess it would be that I would fail and my pride would be a little out of sorts, not to mention the constant reminder of seeing Dave (who I knew would have no problems passing), my better half now would be the better driver! Oh I know I was getting worked up over something trivial but we all have been any nicer. Her bubbly demeanor and positive outlook could put even the most nervous driver at ease. Dave went first and after 20 minutes arrived back with a smile and whispered as he walked past that I would do just fine. For a moment, I had hoped that our examiner would just pass me by association to Dave's performance...no such luck.  I was required to drive out of town, (making a few left & right turns), then onto the highway to the local airport where we'd make use of the quiet long roadways. First off, parallel parking....although you could argue you most likely would not do that while towing a trailer and if you did, you would probably have someone outside guiding you. The bubbly response was not really parallel proficiency but overall handling...still, that didn't make me feel better but I was able to get it in with only one adjustment of pulling forward. My backing up in a straight line wasn't pretty &  halfway through my snaking interpretation I leaned out the window to her and asked if we could move onto the next task, she happily agreed, (glad my driving brings joy to our issues that push our buttons, and for me, exams are one of them!  By the time we were hooked up and ready to drive into town, Dave asked if I’d like to drive. Up to now the only driving I had done was in a church parking lot...hesitantly I agreed since I figured I should capitalize on any training opportunity.  The drive into town felt good, the truck towed the trailer comfortably, my confidence was growing and that looming cloud didn't seem so dark.  At the DPS office our examiner couldn't have people)! We drove back to town via a construction area with narrow lanes but fortunately no traffic & made it back to town where she effervescently said I passed. Dave heard my joyous horn tooting from where he was waiting. So NOW we can start enjoying our trip! I know I'll be sleeping well tonight :) ...



What happens if you don’t have your Class A license…yes, even dogs need a license!



The Waiting Game...

Our initial intent after passing our road test was to head West the following day. Our rv had its own intent. It decided it wanted to stay in Fredericksburg a few days more and show us what parts needed fixing or replacing! The a/c in the main cabin was the first, our campsite has its own maintenance dept, and they diagnosed a new roof unit was needed. For an rv that was only 3 years old, we were surprised this was needed but surmised it was mostly due to not being used rather than overuse. We were able to find a replacement part & spent the afternoon driving to retrieve it.  We were able to successfully install the new unit the next day, just in time for the temperatures awaiting us....



Summary of our first rv park experience:



The KOA here in Fredericksburg is very nice. Way better than the parking lot style parks you pass by on the road. It was dog friendly and had many facilities available, (small dog park, open fields, picnic tables at each site, laundry rooms, swimming pool (seasonal), clubhouse, parts store, maintenance service, clean grounds, well maintained & very friendly staff who obviously like what they do). The people we have met have all been very friendly & generous with information & parts that they had a surplus of.  The rv community is very much like our subdivision Polly Ranch, in that there's more linking us than the rv; our similar interests & desires to explore binds us closer together....like extended family. So our next destination is 200 miles West, Sonora Caverns. Hard to believe we've been gone for a week, but who's counting the days anyway!!!

:)