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How I Spent My Winter Vacation

Time for another vacation away from 24/7 gate guarding. This time I decided to take my RV with me and give up the gate I was at. I needed to go see my doctor for an issue and was not sure when I would be back. I also had a bunch of RV repairs and upgrades saved up for an RV tech to take care of. Hitched up the night before for an early start. The relief guards showed up right on time the next day and I didn’t have too much trouble getting out of there. Headed back up to the New Braunfels/Canyon Lake area to Summit Vacation Resort as a Coast To Coast member for $10/night. Had some trouble on the way thanks to incredibly bad winds which tore up one of my bedroom windows again and the corner molding on my slideout. Nothing I could do about the window on the way but did find some help to secure the molding and continue on.

Aside from the cheap club member price, I chose Summit Resort for its hot tub to help my aching back and to be near Canyon Lake to check it out for another time when it is warmer. The staff have been very nice and the hot tub is wonderful! The RV sites are pretty spacious and I got a pull-thru. Water pressure is great! A large herd of deer come out every night to graze around us. There are several unheated pools, a clubhouse, tennis courts, shuffleboard, and basketball available. Propane is available just up the road as well as the Guadalupe River for tubing and fishing. Carver RV is nearby for repairs or parts and there is a very good Ace Hardware close as well. On the downside, they have constant speed bumps throughout the campground that are guaranteed to toss everything around in your RV no matter how slow you go. The WI-FI is at the Sports Center or the clubhouse. You may be able to get some signal at your site with a booster but it is fleeting. AT&T does not work at all in the campground even with a booster. There seems to be strong Verizon signal but I could not test it. Tracfone can receive but rarely can I talk on it. Virgin Mobile internet barely works and often jumps down to 1XRTT even with a booster. On the other hand, signal for all is fine down at the office or clubhouse. The problem is the campground is situated across the road in a canyon.

Sport Center Pool - Summit ResortSport Center hot tub - Summit ResortClubhouse pool - Summit Resort

Clubhouse - Summit ResortClubhouse more - Summit ResortBasketball and tennis - Summit Resort

I checked a couple of other campgrounds out while here. Another C2C park nearby is Lake Pointe Resort right on Canyon Lake. It is nice too and does have great internet/phone signal but the sites are parking lot size. An excellent alternative is Crane Mills Park which is also on the lake and a Corps of Engineers park so it does accept national senior and access passes for half off (currently half of $24). It is fully paved for both the roads and sites which makes for great bike riding and a nice escape from the oilfield mud. The tables are all covered. The bath houses are excellent! They provide water and electrical but no sewer. A large dump area is available. There is a marina there. Internet and phone signal is also very good there for AT&T. I hear Potter Creek Park, also COE, is just as good as Crane Mills though I haven’t been there.

Been a busy week. Lots of Dr. appointments and tests. Yuck! Came out fine though. I’m cleared to go back to work.

Fixed a bunch of stuff and added some upgrades to RV and truck. I had Paul Witherspoon of Mobile Family RV Center come out to do the RV stuff. Other gate guards had recommended him. He certainly came prepared with all the parts I needed in his truck already and his prices were reasonable. Leaky water inlet replaced. Refrigerator control board replaced. Issue fixed. New main power cord, power door, and surge guard installed and working fine. Troublesome awning window screwed down never to flap open in this damn Texas wind again. Window blind on it replaced by me. I tackled the rest. Spice rack installed. Microwave oven replaced. Cigarette lighter in truck replaced (for power). Valve extensions installed on inside duallys on truck. While I was at it, all blankets washed. Truck washed and waxed. Combat boots cleaned and shined.

I took one day off from shopping and repairs to go see Natural Bridge Caverns and the Canopy Challenge not far from here. The Discovery Tour was pretty standard but enjoyable. Wear good shoes! While the walk is well paved with a nice non-slip texture, it does get very steep both up and down in places and is wet. I wore my combat boots which was an excellent choice for me. Usually when I go in caverns, they are cold and I have to wear a jacket. These caverns are actually warm with 99% humidity making them pretty hot instead. Take some water to drink.

Natural Bridge Caverns Ooh. Aah. Impressive!

After the cavern tour, I made a beeline for the Canopy Challenge. Now that was awesome! It was like doing the obstacle course in Basic Training again which I liked. They put you in a harness that runs in a track at all times so if you fall you aren’t going anywhere. It is very safe. I sneaked on my back brace under my shirt to allow me to do this. First, I went over to the zipline platform and rode 2 ziplines back down. Wahoo! Not as good as the ones I did in Tennessee in the Smoky Mountains but still fun. Then I climbed the 4 levels of the Canopy and fooled around on the various obstacles. The wood block or girder ones are the easiest to do and most folks trot right over them. You just have to be careful to get your weight in the right place on each block and hold onto your tether above. The rope ones require much more balance and strength. I found the rope ones with side ropes or other ropes hanging down to grab to be the easier ones. The ones with nothing to hang onto except your tether are very hard. With a little planning, you can climb to the top of the tower without doing the ropes except for one. You get 30 minutes on the Canopy which is plenty of time to hit most of the obstacles and even repeat some.

Canopy Challenge - Natural Bridge CavernsLook, Ma! He's doing  the Canopy Challenge!

If you feel like doing a little panning for gold, you can buy a bag of dirt and try your luck at the longest sluice I have seen yet over at the Mining Store. If that’s not your thing, there is a picnic area with some dinosaurs to play around and some walking trails. George enjoyed meeting the dinosaurs and doing a little caving himself.

Panning for gold at Natural Bridge CavernsGeorge meets dinosaur baby.George spelunking.

Very busy week indeed. Got word of a new gate coming available next week so I may be back to work soon. I need a rest after this vacation! LOL. Not over yet either. I still have to clean out bunches of stuff and get it over to the thrift store to clear some space. I’m planning on switching around what’s left by the bed to the other side to accommodate my cat.

For more pics click here.

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