Trip number 16 saw us going to yet another park. In fact, it was a park we've previously visited. Most of the details are the same as the last time we were there, so let's take a look at what's changed.
Sites: This time saw us in a different part of the park, a bit more open and one of the pull-thru 50 amp sites with much more space to be able to maneuver, both while driving and when parked. There's a little something for everyone in these parts.
Staff: We saw a bit of an improvement in the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff. Whether it's because our hair is more grey, or it's just a different crew that knew we were back for a second round, it was a much better experience.
Amenities: The bath houses have changed in that they are now coded entry, which did puzzle a couple of guests who didn't take the time to read the literature. The funny signage is still there, including how only toilet paper is permitted to be flushed (makes you wonder what's to be done with purposes 1 and 2).
Overall, the rating given to Rainbow's End Park is about the same. Administrative business was definitely completed here, and although we were also using it as a bit of a "crossroads" for our next trip, business still remains one of the few reasons to actually go to this park. We did notice some improvements being made outside of the grounds along the highway itself, and look forward to seeing what they have to offer, potentially improving the atmosphere of this spot seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
After a brief recess, it's back to the park!
Welcome to Hot Springs, South Dakota, and the Angostura State Recreation Area for today's match. As Angostura is located within a state park, there is an entrance fee required, whether by one day or annual pass. This is a nine-hole hilly course with one tee/basket combination set and fairly noticeable elevation increases before returning to lake level. A map is available at the beginning of the course, which will certainly be needed because some of the holes are near each other, making the course slightly confusing. Before getting into the match, we have a bit of an equipment change.
Between this and the previous match, we picked up some additional discs for our arsenal; shout-out to Parked-It Disc Golf Emporium in Corpus Christi, Texas for offering an array of new and used discs for sale at a reasonable price. He has inherited the Innova Sidewinder 9/5/-3/1 distance driver, the Discraft Hawk 0^ mid-range, and Innova Colt 3/4/-1/1 putter, along with a Dynamic Discs commemorative 7/5/0/2 fairway driver from the KDGA Food Drive annual tournament. Her selection include a Latitude Rover 7/7/-1/1 fairway driver, a Dynamic Discs Evader 7/5/0/2 fairway driver, a Clash Berry 5/5/-1/1 mid-range, and a Latitude Royal Hope Prototype 2/3/0/1 putter.
With equipment out of the way, along with the pup that remained at home, how did this match go?
Course Result:
His Holes: 3
Halved: 5
Her Holes: 1
Course Record: Him 4 - 2 - 3 Her
Holes Record: Him 25 - 20 Her
Needless to say, the terrain showed its face early and often on this course. After a halved hole 1, hole 2 being perched on a steep incline, combined with a couple of missed putts, gave him an awful 9-11 edge. After a couple of halves, he made up for the previous mistake with a Larry Mize-like long chip into the hole on the 5th green to take it. This was short lived, as his tee-off on the 6th green went down into the valley, adding a couple strokes as we play as it lies. She was unable to capitalize on this mistake, though, as this and the next hole were halved. She was able to bring it back to within one on the 8th, but the hole win was traded back on the 9th. The shots were more than difficult on this Par 36, with him having a 58-62 edge.
He may have been able to take the lead with the new equipment, but will she bring it back? Until the next course, remember to Follow Your Internal Compass.
Welcome to another review of craft beers brought to you by Freedom Rolling. Today, we look at three different breweries across the country and what they have to offer. As with every review, please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be.
We start in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and the Fernson Brewing Company for one of their signature offerings, the Lion's Paw Lager. This particular brew comes in a delightful reddish amber color, and is a staple across bars offering craft brews in the Mount Rushmore state. Be prepared for a slightly sour taste when you first sip on this beer, but like with any good lager, the hops will come in later to give a more rounded taste. This may be a decent choice if you are in the area, and could be worth a shower if you happen to be staying for an extended period, but there are better brews to actively seek out when traveling the country.
Heading down south to Fort Worth, Texas, and the Martin House Brewing Company, we turn to the "Best Maid" sour pickle beer. Sours have started to find their place on many taproom lists, although this is one of the weirdest brews to ever try. The scent of pickles is very prevalent when first presented with the beer. The first taste is almost as if one took the liquid contents of a pickle jar and ran it through carbon dioxide pressure. Although we'll freely admit to not yet being to the point of enjoying sour beers, and the beer itself did not foam when poured which could lead to an adverse review, it doesn't seem like one to try again.
Heading back to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, we finally head to the Remedy Brewing Company, and one of their regular offerings, the Queen Bee Imperial Honey Cream Ale. As a lighter colored summer beer, Remedy advertises "a subtle honey sweetness", but there is nothing subtle about this one. The first smell and sip brings an overpowering sensation of honey to this particular brew. Once getting over that hurdle, it will not only leave the same powerful taste in your mouth, but the later stages of the brew will almost taste like cough syrup. Certain connoisseurs will enjoy the higher alcoholic content of 7.3% when compared to other beers of this type, but when looking for cream ales, there are many better choices even in this part of the country alone.
So as your Internal Compass takes you across the country, try some of the local craft beers as able, and see how they fare for you.
Freedom Rolling once again brings you their famous Brew Review, this time looking at three different locations for a particular beer they offer. As always, please ensure that these, or any brews, are enjoyed in accordance with local laws wherever you may be.
Starting in Fort Worth, Texas, just off the west fork of the Trinity River, one can find the Martin House Brewing Company. While in Texas, if you want a bit of a change from one of the most popular brewed bock beers in the state, then try on for size the "Bockslider". Bocks are sometimes also referred to as a "dark lager", giving a darker color for those with the preference, though not quite as dark as a porter or stout. A slight amount of bitterness will reach your palette from the light hops, but otherwise a smooth taste the experienced drinker will be able to enjoy, possibly in their Bock-yard.
We head northwest to our next stop in Sheridan Wyoming, home of the Black Tooth Brewing Company. Black Tooth brings to the table the Bomber Mountain Amber Ale, named after a peak at over two and a half miles of elevation where a famous aviation accident happened during World War II. The first pour of this selection for home distribution suffers from over-carbonation. Once you get past that, the body of this amber is what one would delightfully expect from this brew and more. The beer has won several awards from various festivals, and we can certainly understand why. The brewery has opened two other locations in Cheyenne and Casper, and it may just be a good place to visit.
Going back towards the Black Hills of South Dakota, we visit Spearfish and the Crow Peak Brewing Company to try their Canyon Cream Ale. Crow Peak has been brewing in-house since 2007, undergoing several expansions to keep up with demand in the northern mid- and mountain west. Although the beer doesn't necessarily look creamy when first pouring, the creamy taste is certainly there as it goes down smoothly. The subtle sweetness comes from locally procured honey, but does not overpower the taste. As a blonde, this is a wonderful addition to any summer gathering, and is one to enjoy again and again.
So as your Internal Compass takes you across the country, try some of the local craft beers as able, and see how they fare for you.
For the final leg of Trip 11, time to head over to the mainland to Aransas Bay RV Resort, or "ABRV", in Aransas Pass, Texas. This one saw a one month stay.
Grounds: ABRV is found within an otherwise developing outskirt of Aransas Pass, almost immediately off a highway bypass under construction at the time of our stay. Access to the business route version of the highway for resupply, along with a way to get to the island, is short and easy.
Sites: This park has about 80 full hook-up sites, all back-in and pointed in the same direction on both sides of the street, some being marked as "premium" based on pad width. Each pad is concrete with some of the best paved "patio" areas seen from a site since our adventure began, room enough to set up a full outdoor kitchen. The fairly wide separation between rigs is a combination of grass and gravel, so the lawn maintenance contractors aren't potentially damaging the hook-ups while keeping a sound appearance. We were happy to be able to get a site on relatively short notice during Spring Break, as it seems most vacationers will choose the island. The asphalt streets could probably use a re-paving, along with painting the location of the speed bumps whose position could already make backing in a rig slightly difficult.
Staff: The staff is friendly and accommodating, as well as receptive to the immediate needs of the guest. There seems to be a bit of a communication breakdown, as our paperwork was "lost" at check-in time after having reserved in person a few days prior. In addition, after a security issue involving a door-coded amenity, the guests weren't notified of a change that had been made, even after allowing for time as the incident occurred when the office was closed.
Amenities: The amenities at ABRV are hit or miss. They have relatively inexpensive laundry facilities for the area, along with a small and unheated yet beautifully designed pool with deck. There is a rec room with kitchen and billiard table, but is more like an extended office building, in that it's only accessible during the office's limited hours. Pet areas are not fenced, so unleashed time for the pup will need to be done at a city dog park. The bath house with four house-like full rooms are easy to get around, although some things don't work, such as an external fan that's seen better days.
Atmosphere: This park seems like it caters more to the long-term resident. The people are friendly, but seem to keep to themselves. There are a few families with children young and very young, although no play facilities exist.
Overall, Aransas Bay RV Resort receives a 9 out of a possible 10 rating. Although the monthly price is unbeatable, they do not accept cash and charge fees to use a card, so be ready to hop into town to purchase a money order at a lower fee rate. The local staff is thankfully very understandable about patrons doing this, especially when settling electric with the office that doesn't open until after check-out time. If your Internal Compass takes you to this area and you don't want the hustle, bustle, and premium pricing of the island, this is definitely the place to go.
The next disc golf match is upon us.
Welcome to Ingleside, Texas, and Live Oak Park for the site of this match. Live Oak Park is a free-to-access municipal park and is home to two disc golf courses, and we are playing the easier Red course. Although the concrete tees and holes are numbered, some of the signs have since faded making it difficult to know where to go. Thankfully, along with an online map, we were joined by two somewhat experienced gentlemen on our trip through the front nine; we'd like to thank Eric and Matthew for playing along with us.
Our session saw the four of us playing the front nine. No pup, handicap still in play, and thanks to our guests for allowing us to sample some of the other discs that are available to the discerning disc golf player. Some of the holes were a little tricky, but we were able to get through them with only a couple of discs in the trees, this time choosing to drop without penalty. How did the scores go?
Course Result:
Front Nine:
His Holes: 3
Halved: 2
Her Holes: 4
Course Record: Him 3 - 2 - 3 Her
Holes Record: Him 22 - 19 Her
This match found him having a dreadful start, hitting tree after tree by allowing her to take an early two hole lead. He started to pull it back in hole 3, but some awful putt luck (dinged off the hole, similar to a lip-out on the ball-and-club counterpart) meant a trade back in hole 4. He brought it back to even in the next two holes, while seven and eight were halved, leaving the lunch prize to the ninth hole. A choke on the tee, followed by yet even more bad putt luck gave her the win in the match play. He was able to win the strokes 54-55, but it's the match play that counts for the record books.
This brings us to a tie in course record, with him having an edge on holes. Who will take the edge on the next course? We'll find out next time, but until then, Follow your Internal Compass.
Trip 11 takes us, after a workamping excursion, to another campground. Nestled on Mustang Island in South Texas is Pioneer Beach Resort, a private campground that saw one of our first extended park stays of just over two months.
Grounds: Pioneer is outside the small island city of Port Aransas on the main Mustang Island highway, a few miles in the other direction from Corpus Christi. The resort is on the beach side of the highway with a private access point.
Sites: The park has nearly 400 sites, all of which fill up for the busy seasons of Spring Break in March, as well as the summer. We were able to get a spot, along with an extension up until just before spring break, on short notice. All of the sites are full hook-up, with some pull-thru and some back-in. There are also a few cabins able to be rented for those without a rig. The pads are concrete, although our site has a small paved patio area. Some are more cramped than others. The park also elects to practice dog breed discrimination.
Staff: Although the staff does the best they can, they seem to be hampered by a lack of organizational helpers. The office workers do not have computer access. Greeters do help you back into the tight sites. However, all of the staff seems to suffer from Jekyll-and-Hyde syndrome depending on the season, with things seeming "on edge" as Spring Break approached. They also seem to become more asinine when you are neither from their state nor of their preferred age group.
Amenities: Along with the beach access, where the wash faucets along their private boardwalk don't work, Pioneer has a rec room chalked full of activities. However, there is a cost associated with most of the activities that isn't disclosed until you're already there; it isn't on the calendar. Bathhouses with decently sized showers exist, although the hot water does take some time to get running. A hot tub exists along with unheated pools. Laundry exists, although the price doubled during our stay along with new yet dirty appliances; we found it better to go to the downtown laundromat. Don't even try using Park Wifi, because it doesn't work most of the time. There is a dog park, but is severely restricted to one dog and 15 minutes; you're better off going to the city park in Port Aransas.
Atmosphere: As we were there during the "Winter Texan" season, there were many visitors from the northern midwest who seem to have been coming for many years. As is typical with RV resorts, it is an older clientele, yet the other campers are quite welcoming and overly friendly. Once in a while, you'd see families come by.
Overall, Pioneer Beach Resort receives a 7 rating out of a possible 10. The price is one of the better ones for the island, although the mainland is much less expensive if you can stand the ferry waits. If our Internal Compass told us that we had to stay on the island again, we would be happy to return to this place.
Time to go back to the links!
We're coming to you from beautiful Mustang Island, at the Community Park in Port Aransas, Texas. Today's course lies within a free-to-access municipal park along a walking trail near the Nature Preserve. Port Aransas Community Park is unique in that although it is a nine-hole course, there are three bonus holes offered along the vehicle right of way, which means this will be a twelve hole match. Although no map exists outside the course, here is a map of the first 9 holes. The tees are well marked, although there are no concrete tees.
This match in the late morning consisted of 12 holes, using the red markers for the front 9, and the only markers available (blue) for the bonus holes. No pup, same handicap for the discs. Because of the limited discs and the corresponding inability to throw over a marsh, the participants agreed to play hole 3 starting from the location of hole 2, as opposed to the tee. How'd this one go?
Course Result:
Front Nine:
His Holes: 2
Halved: 5
Her Holes: 2
Bonus Holes:
His Holes: 0
Halved: 3
Her Holes: 0
Total:
His Holes: 2
Halved: 8
Her Holes: 2
Course Record: Him 3 - 2 - 2 Her
Holes Record: Him 19 - 15 Her
This match went back and forth. He took hole one, but she immediately answered back with hole two. After a few halves, he was able to clinch hole seven, but she answered right back with a par of hole eight. However, hole nine saw both players achieving par, him for the first time, as the match ended not only halved, but a draw in terms of stroke count: 39-39 on the front nine par 27, and 16-16 on the bonus holes as a par 9.
With a draw this time around, she's able to keep pace, but he maintains the one course lead. Who will take the next course? Stay tuned as we Follow our Internal Compass to another match.
Nestled deep within southeast Texas is a vacation spot where many flock to visit: Port Aransas.
Port Aransas is found on the north side of Mustang Island, about 20 miles east, as the crow flies across the bay, from the center of the port city of Corpus Christi. There are only two ways to access Port Aransas by vehicle: Either from the highways of Corpus Christi and through Padre Island, or by a ferry northeast of the city near the resupply and financially-friendly small city of Aransas Pass, funded entirely by the Texas DOT and taking 15 minutes or longer to cross depending on traffic; check here for updates on travel times. The ferry is able to carry RVs or trucks at no charge to the driver, assuming the tide isn't low enough to weigh down the boats too much. Speaking of boats, taking the ferry not only gives the rider a chance to view dolphins frolicking in the water, but to also watch a number of ocean liners pass through this canal from the Gulf of Mexico to Corpus Christi Bay. Once on the island, Port Aransas is a golf cart community, but be sure to stay within the lower speed limit areas of the old town and the driveable beach, while avoiding the major State Highway 361, which would include crossing.
While in Port Aransas, take some time to check out the west side of the city: the Port Aransas Nature Preserve, specifically "Charlie's Pasture". This is a tribute to Charlie Bujan, a rancher whose father first settled on Mustang Island in the late 1800's and leased much of the land in what is now Port Aransas. Today, his land has become a nature preserve, which is a sanctuary for many species of wildlife, including the endangered whooping crane. Enjoy a lovely trail walk from a couple miles outside the "Old Town" near a compendium of apartments, hotels, and RV resorts, while stopping at the lookout tower to either spot the many animals, or for a similar moment of reflection. If you prefer to take your golf cart to this preserve, you may access it from either the Community Park or the Birding Center.
Along with the various commercial, dense residential, and hospitality outlets that seem to come with any sort of coastal city that is a destination for "Winter Texans", spring break party-goers, and summer visitors, no coastal city would be a coastal city without the beach. Port Aransas, and Mustang Island itself, boasts many miles of shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico. Much of this beach is driveable with public and private access roads and piers to help patrons reach the waters. The majority only allows parking by yearly-paid permit with a three-day maximum stay in one place for any RVers looking to brave the salty air. However, those looking for a simple day use may head up to the free-to-access area on the north side, from the fishing pier near Lantana Street to the jetty. Take a long walk along the beach, get out some fishing poles and try your luck, or just go along the jetty to view the ocean liners as they come in to Corpus Christi.
So the next time your Internal Compass leads you to South Texas, perhaps make your way to the resort destination of Port Aransas.
Once again near some courses, it's time to hit the park!
Welcome to the Waldron Park Disc Golf Course, located just off the Gulf coast in Corpus Christi, Texas. This is a free access park, albeit tucked deep within a sizable residential area. Waldron Park is a nine-hole course, with two tee pads marked to emulate a total of eighteen holes. Most of the course is fairly straight-forward, although hole eight is very difficult if you don't have good distance because of the water hazard. A billboard with a map of the course is available near hole one.
Our session around noon found us only playing the front nine, seeing how there's no real difference other than angle of tee shot. No pup, same handicap as always with discs. Who took this match?
Course Result:
His Holes: 5
Halved: 2
Her Holes: 2
Course Record: Him 3 - 1 - 2 Her
Holes Record: Him 17 - 13 Her
He started off with a hole lead, and basically ran away with it, including a lucky long putt on hole 5. She started to catch up on holes 8 and 9, but by then, it was too little, too late. The shot count ended in his favor at 43-48 on a Par 27, but we must give her a special commendation on hole 9 for achieving the first "par" in our disc golf series.
He may now be up in both course and holes, but that ending may leave her some room for momentum. Can she cash in on it and even things up? We'll see when we Follow our Internal Compass to the next course.
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