Jon tested positive for the COVID virus in mid-December, having avoided the infection for more than two years. His illness, while relatively mild, meant he couldn’t join Cliff in preparing Cloud 9 for an anticipated arctic blast a few days later. Consequently, Cliff performed what we call a “soft winterization,” which involved draining the water…
A respite is defined as “a short period of relief from something difficult,” which is what we experienced this weekend as we returned to Loyd Park. Next weekend’s trip to Illinois will bookend last weekend’s trip home from visiting Jon’s mom, but this time we’ll be packing up her belongings and moving her to an…
We took the Thanksgiving break as a chance to return to Jon’s hometown for a few days to see his family. We do this roughly once a year — but this year was a little different. Jon’s mom needs to move to an assisted living facility, so the trip centered on touring Cambridge House and…
We admit, hiring a mobile RV cleaning service is a bit of a luxury, but as we get older, it’s a necessary splurge. The idea of climbing on top of Cloud 9 to wash the roof is not at the top of our to-do list. Enter Brian from Mud Divers Wash Crew. Our meeting was…
It has been so long since we enjoyed the company of our Heart of Texas Camping (HOTC) group that we couldn’t recall the last time we did so. More than two years, certainly, but also not quite four. Let’s just say a reunion has been long overdue. This weekend found us connecting with friends old…
This weekend, we camped at Loyd Park, along the western side of Joe Pool Lake. With record-breaking heat, we were concerned that it would be difficult to keep Cloud 9 at a comfortable 73 degrees, but Loyd Park’s dense tree canopy made climate control more manageable. We arrived on Friday in time to set up,…
We spend most weekends “at the lake,” but the fact of the matter is that we spend very little time in or even near the water. Oh, we catch an occasional glimpse of the shore as we drive in or out of the park. We see a couple of ducks swimming in a tiny inlet…
Upon arriving for our weekender at Cedar Hill State Park, we had no idea what awaited us just beyond the park entrance. The ranger dutifully warned us about Argentine ants but said nothing about the missing section of road between us and our campsite. And by “missing” we mean non-existent. Completely gone. We knew from…
We arrived at Cedar Hill State Park on a mild Friday afternoon under overcast skies. The cloud cover, which lasted throughout the weekend, kept temperatures in the 40s and 50s, making for chilly meal preparations on the Big Green Egg and Blackstone grill. While preventing us from dining al fresco, the weather was perfect for…
When we heard the weather forecast for Christmas weekend, with high temperatures in the 80s, we decided to cancel our winter getaway to Galveston and stay closer to home. Instead of dedicating more than 11 hours of our holiday time to driving, we went to Cedar Hill State Park, where we managed to get a…
Garinns on the Go 