North to San Antonio area

First, so sorry for the long time between posts. Some folks were starting to question if we were OK. Yes, we're fine and been very busy touring Central Texas. It's a BIG place, what can I say!

Instead of posting our activity day by day I'll post by activity or area that we visited. Today is all about Castroville where we are currently and have been all month. Enjoy!

March 1 we left Harlingen in the Rio Grande Valley and began our slow migration north. We drove four hours north toward San Antonio. We are staying at Alsation RV Resort just outside of Castroville which is about twenty minutes West of the San Antonio city limits. We'll be here for the month of March.

Finally got a picture of an American Kestrel. They don't like getting their picture taken. We used to see lots of these in Southern Canada but not any longer. Not sure why. They are the smallest of the hawk family. We used to call them Sparrow Hawks.

The State Flower of Texas is the Bluebonnet. They were just starting to flower in early March and are now at their peak. Fields of them everywhere.

Not great weather for our trip to Castroville near San Antonio. Thankfully the rain held off.

Lots of petrochemical and refinery plants. I much prefer the scenery below....

Indian Paintbrushes are the red flowers but there were yellow, white and of course blue.

I hadn't seen this before. The right shoulder was reserved for emergency evacuation making a third lane for traffic.

One of the quieter Interstates we found. Mostly they are bumper to bumper!

The Resort is quite new, maybe five years old, and certainly higher end than we would normally choose. Lots of concrete, very long sites, situated on a golf course, and very quiet. Poor internet though, which is very disappointing considering how much they charge! ($630/month USD) Laundry facilities are not great. They only have four washer/dryers and since we've been here only two have worked.

Our home for March

Huge concrete sites with patio area. The folks to the left are from High River, Alberta just a couple hours south of Red Deer.

Great view to the back.

The front row are reserved for motorhomes. They overlook the golf course. Each has a casita. It has a bathroom and kitchen area. Of course a huge covered patio.

The golf course. Pretty decent course apparently. A good deal for RV Park users too. Only $150 month for all you can golf.

Pool area

Beautifully landscaped.

Castroville is a nice little town on a very busy Hwy 90. The town has all you will want except maybe a good grocery store but the town of Lytle has a great new HEB grocery store and is a pleasant 20 minute drive. Castroville has some nice restaurants and a bakery that has a great reputation but just OK in our mind. Dzuiks Meat market is outstanding! There is a new Walmart with gas bar as well as smaller stores. Overall a pretty busy town.

They had a small market on the second Saturday of each month. Nothing tempted us.

Lots of mid-1800's homes and buildings in town.

Castroville airport. A nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. We found rocking chairs on a porch to sit and watch the planes.

Very nice bi-plane

1948 Stinson. Beautiful!

Airforce Texan made an appearance for some touch and go's.

Castroville was founded in 1842 by Henry Castro who was granted land from the government in exchange for his promise of attracting settlers. Many of those he brought to Castroville were from Alsace area of Germany on the French border. Even today folks from this region make a pilgrimage to Texas to see this area. Many of the original settlers homes still stand in the historic area of downtown.

Castroville Regional Park

Geese making use of the river

Small campground here as well.

Lots of birds and butterflies in the Park.

Castroville is known for it's wild poppies. They were at their peak this month.

The Landmark hotel is one of the historic sites in Castroville. In the late 1800's it was a convenient stopping house for travelers going to and from San Antonio.

Mill stones from the Landmark Grist Mill.

Grist Mill

Dam that provided water to run the grist mill and later a power generator

The hotel is still in operation.

The Visitor Center is located in the historic Steinbach House.

This house was originally built in Alsace, France between 1618 and 1648. In the early 2000's it was dismantled, shipped to Castrovile and put back together. Amazing!

We are just on the edge of the picturesque Texas Hill Country. Rolling hills, twisty roads, small eclectic towns and sights. Lots of wild flowers, small lakes and lots of friendly people. We are also enjoying the climate here with much less humidity than the Rio Grande Valley.

....and that was Our View From Here!