South Texas living
Spending time at our Texas property in April caught us by surprise. Here are some challenges and perks we encountered in two weeks of South Texas living.
Having spent 24 consecutive years in Arizona and wintering there once we transitioned to full-time RV living, we grew accustomed to the dry climate. As a result, two weeks at our Texas property in April caught us by surprise.
You likely know the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” In states that get those showers, that also means humidity — but there’s no saying about that (that I know of). Here are some challenges and perks we encountered in two weeks of South Texas living.
Moist air and water accumulation
We easily got set up on our new driveway, made of crushed asphalt, and settled into our quiet, peaceful surroundings. When we opened a drawer to grab some silverware, we were met with a rush of warm, moist air. The humidity had somehow worked its way into the kitchen area behind and next to the stove, perhaps through the slideout or the refrigerator vent. We decided it wasn’t anything to worry about, but we didn’t love it. It just felt wrong.
Similarly, we didn’t have to be outside very long before the pores on our skin erupted with sweat. We also found condensation around one of the air conditioning vents on the vaulted ceiling in our living area. Crazy!
Planning to leave the fifth wheel unattended on our property for a week while we went to Cabo San Lucas on vacation, we discussed our humidity concerns with friends John and Kristi, who’ve lived in the area for many years. John gave us a bag of DampRid (paid link) to hang in our closet to collect moisture and prevent mold on our clothes.
That was a totally foreign thought to us. But after Bob saw the water accumulation in the DampRid bag in John’s closet, with the air conditioning on, we thought we’d better try it.
We returned from vacation to find quite a bit of liquid in the bag in our closet — better there than in our clothes. It helps to be able to pick the brains of people who’ve spent the bulk of their lives in a humid climate and know how to deal with it.
You likely know the saying, “April showers bring May flowers.” In states that get those showers, that also means humidity — but there’s no saying about that (that I know of). Here are some challenges and perks we encountered in two weeks of South Texas living.
Moist air and water accumulation
We easily got set up on our new driveway, made of crushed asphalt, and settled into our quiet, peaceful surroundings. When we opened a drawer to grab some silverware, we were met with a rush of warm, moist air. The humidity had somehow worked its way into the kitchen area behind and next to the stove, perhaps through the slideout or the refrigerator vent. We decided it wasn’t anything to worry about, but we didn’t love it. It just felt wrong.
Similarly, we didn’t have to be outside very long before the pores on our skin erupted with sweat. We also found condensation around one of the air conditioning vents on the vaulted ceiling in our living area. Crazy!
Planning to leave the fifth wheel unattended on our property for a week while we went to Cabo San Lucas on vacation, we discussed our humidity concerns with friends John and Kristi, who’ve lived in the area for many years. John gave us a bag of DampRid (paid link) to hang in our closet to collect moisture and prevent mold on our clothes.
That was a totally foreign thought to us. But after Bob saw the water accumulation in the DampRid bag in John’s closet, with the air conditioning on, we thought we’d better try it.
We returned from vacation to find quite a bit of liquid in the bag in our closet — better there than in our clothes. It helps to be able to pick the brains of people who’ve spent the bulk of their lives in a humid climate and know how to deal with it.
Despite the sweat-producing reality of the clime, a steady breeze is also common, making the temperatures feel cooler and bearable. We had the pleasure of enjoying this breeze one evening under John and Kristi’s RV carport.
Thunderstorms
During our stay on the property, we experienced another phenomenon the area is known for: rolling thunderstorms. The day before our departure, the sky suddenly grew dark like nighttime around 2:30 p.m. as thunderclouds hovered overhead. We experienced lightning, thunder, rain, and wind gusts off and on the remainder of that day into the night.
The temperature dropped and water accumulated, but we felt safe. With a threat of hail, Bob moved Gulliver to a sheltered awning to ride out the storm while I stayed in the RV and continued to work.
We learned where the low spots are on our driveway (where we created them by the weight of our truck), as well as on the property. We gained about 1.25 inches of water that day and felt grateful that our driveway is 6 to 8 inches above the ground.
Fabulous fishing
Situated about one-third mile from the bay, our property offers plentiful fishing opportunities. In fact, the area is a fishing village. Bob secured a fishing license and took a stab at it, using a seawater rod and reel and other supplies he received from our kids. He bought frozen shrimp with the heads on to use as bait.
Early one cool morning, we drove to the bay and walked out on our community-members-only pier. Bob strung line on his rod, attached the hook, baited it with shrimp, cast, and waited. After a few minutes of no tugs on the line, he reeled it in and found his bait gone. He rebaited the hook and tried casting again. The same thing happened multiple times.
Fish were clearly eating the bait, so Bob decided to attempt to catch them closer to the pier. His plan worked. He pulled in a little catfish. Because of its small size, he threw it back in but tried this tactic again. Before long, he reeled in a black drum fish big enough to keep. Then he got another.
Thunderstorms
During our stay on the property, we experienced another phenomenon the area is known for: rolling thunderstorms. The day before our departure, the sky suddenly grew dark like nighttime around 2:30 p.m. as thunderclouds hovered overhead. We experienced lightning, thunder, rain, and wind gusts off and on the remainder of that day into the night.
The temperature dropped and water accumulated, but we felt safe. With a threat of hail, Bob moved Gulliver to a sheltered awning to ride out the storm while I stayed in the RV and continued to work.
We learned where the low spots are on our driveway (where we created them by the weight of our truck), as well as on the property. We gained about 1.25 inches of water that day and felt grateful that our driveway is 6 to 8 inches above the ground.
Fabulous fishing
Situated about one-third mile from the bay, our property offers plentiful fishing opportunities. In fact, the area is a fishing village. Bob secured a fishing license and took a stab at it, using a seawater rod and reel and other supplies he received from our kids. He bought frozen shrimp with the heads on to use as bait.
Early one cool morning, we drove to the bay and walked out on our community-members-only pier. Bob strung line on his rod, attached the hook, baited it with shrimp, cast, and waited. After a few minutes of no tugs on the line, he reeled it in and found his bait gone. He rebaited the hook and tried casting again. The same thing happened multiple times.
Fish were clearly eating the bait, so Bob decided to attempt to catch them closer to the pier. His plan worked. He pulled in a little catfish. Because of its small size, he threw it back in but tried this tactic again. Before long, he reeled in a black drum fish big enough to keep. Then he got another.
I had to get to work, so I went and sat in the truck, opened my laptop, and got busy. Bob was having fun, so he kept fishing. After an hour or so, he called me to come back out to the pier. I’m glad I did. Something big caught his line. He slowly reeled it in and, to our amazement, lifted out a stingray.
I quickly Googled if they’re edible and discovered they’re a delicacy, so we kept it. That night, Bob cooked up the ray. What a wonderful, meaty, mild-flavored meal! It was delicious, although a lot of work to process.
The next night, Bob cooked the black drum fish. It too had a nice mild flavor. We enjoyed both, but if we had to choose between the two, we’d pick the ray because it didn’t have any bones.
Buc-ees
Texas is the birthplace of Buc-ees, the supersized convenience store you may have heard about. In fact, the original store, still in operation, is only 1.5 hours away from our property.
With 36 (soon to be 38) Buc-ees in the state of Texas, according to Roadtrip Beaver, it only made sense that visiting one should be part of our South Texas living.
We headed to Buc-ees No. 12 in Port Lavaca, only 30 minutes away, and found it much less daunting than other stores. Even before entering, we were surprised at how it paled in comparison to the size of other Buc-ees we’ve visited, occupying only 4,460 square feet.
The next night, Bob cooked the black drum fish. It too had a nice mild flavor. We enjoyed both, but if we had to choose between the two, we’d pick the ray because it didn’t have any bones.
Buc-ees
Texas is the birthplace of Buc-ees, the supersized convenience store you may have heard about. In fact, the original store, still in operation, is only 1.5 hours away from our property.
With 36 (soon to be 38) Buc-ees in the state of Texas, according to Roadtrip Beaver, it only made sense that visiting one should be part of our South Texas living.
We headed to Buc-ees No. 12 in Port Lavaca, only 30 minutes away, and found it much less daunting than other stores. Even before entering, we were surprised at how it paled in comparison to the size of other Buc-ees we’ve visited, occupying only 4,460 square feet.
We enjoyed exploring the store nonetheless and were pleased to find it still had warm food available, including its famous brisket sandwich. We bought and shared an eggroll.
MySA reports the store is deemed to close this year after 26 years of operation. And it’s not even the smallest. That honor belongs to a store that isn’t an actual store: It’s a 100-square-foot structure with a door in West Texas, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Store No. 1 in Lake Jackson and a similar store in Freeport only have eight gas pumps. The Port Lavaca one has 20.
You might also like Scared out of the fifth wheel.
MySA reports the store is deemed to close this year after 26 years of operation. And it’s not even the smallest. That honor belongs to a store that isn’t an actual store: It’s a 100-square-foot structure with a door in West Texas, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Store No. 1 in Lake Jackson and a similar store in Freeport only have eight gas pumps. The Port Lavaca one has 20.
You might also like Scared out of the fifth wheel.