Travel from Lockhart to Columbus, Texas

We drove our coach 87 miles, about two hours of driving, from Lockhart, Texas to Columbus, Texas.

The map route, heading south then east:

Map route

Our coach and truck when heading out of the state park, pausing to take out the trash:

Coach

Leaving the state park, the day use area:

Leaving state park

Some of the trees are a little low; our antennas twanged on them:

Leaving state park

Closed swimming pool:

Closed pools

Park visitor center:

Visitor center

Road works:

Road works

We took a suburban detour in Luling, Texas due to a closed road:

Detour

This rail crossing was a little concerning in a long coach:

Rail crossing

Onramp to I-10:

Onramp

Flatonia:

Flatonia

Schulenburg, halfway to everywhere… i.e. middle of nowhere?

Schulenburg, halfway to everywhere

Our exit was exit 695, but there wasn’t an offramp when coming from the west, so we needed to go past to exit 696:

Columbus exit

… then double-back:

Onramp

… to exit 695. With a totally reassuring evacuation sign:

Exit and evacuation

Texas crossroads:

Texas crossroads

We needed to turn left across the highway:

Turn across highway

Thousand Trails entrance:

Thousand Trails entrance

A bridge:

Bridge

Check in:

Check in

Our coach:

Coach

We stopped behind a Tiffin Phaeton; always nice to see another Tiffin:

Tiffin Phaeton

Checking in at the welcome center:

Welcome center

Heading to the entrance gate:

Heading to the entrance gate

At Thousand Trails parks, one can choose any available site (if not reserved for seasonal people). We went straight to section E, the newest section with nice 50-amp pull-through sites:

Section E

Micro-Air EasyTouchRV smart thermostats

Our motorhome was produced in 2017, during a time when Tiffin was slowly updating the technology. So it has a mixture of analog switches for some things (like cockpit shades), smart network-based controls using the Spyder multiplex wiring system, and non-integrated controls like the power management and heating/cooling.

Our coach has three rooftop AC units, plus AquaHot hydronic heating. More modern coaches integrate these into the Spyder touch panels, but in this vintage they are independently controlled via three thermostats like this one in the bedroom:

Old thermostat

(Note that that Spyder touch panel at the bottom isn’t original; I upgraded it from a much inferior panel that came with the coach.)

While these thermostats were fine, they weren’t as convenient as they could be. (Shock, having to get off our butts to adjust them!)

I’ve been wanting to upgrade them, like I did with the Spyder panel, and I recently got around to that. I purchased one Micro-Air EasyTouchRV thermostat panel, the model compatible with our ACs (352C):

EasyTouchRV

Here’s the old thermostat:

Old thermostat

I pulled off the cover to unmount it via the two screws:

Removed cover

Pulling it away from the wall, I reached the three connectors for the wires:

Wires

The new panel comes with mount points that are screwed into the wall:

Mount points

Hooking up the new unit was simply a matter of unplugging the old one and plugging in the new one (being careful to not let the wires drop inside the wall; there wasn’t a lot of slack).

Here’s the new unit mounted:

New unit

Much nicer:

New unit

Not only does it have a nicer display, it can be controlled remotely via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth via an app:

App

When using both cool and heat, one can set it to Away mode to have upper and lower limits, to keep the temperature within that range:

App

The upper and lower limits on the display:

New unit

I was satisfied with that experience, so I ordered two more units for the other thermostats:

More new units

The front and middle AC units are controlled by thermostats in a cupboard above the passenger chair (they have remote room sensors towards the front and middle on the ceiling, so being enclosed in a cupboard doesn’t affect their performance):

Front and mid thermostats

A closer look at the old front and middle thermostats:

Front and mid thermostats

With the covers removed:

Front and mid thermostats

Like with the bedroom one, easy enough to swap the plugs:

Wires

The new unit:

New unit

Here’s a look at the mount points for the new unit; they come with a spacer that is broken off once screwed into place:

Mount points

The mount points before breaking the connector:

Mount points

The wood is thick enough to hold the screw, but I still used the cap on the other side, to avoid wires rubbing on the protruding screw:

Cap

The new units installed:

New units

So much nicer! Highly recommended.

Lockhart State Park

We stayed at Lockhart State Park in Lockhart, Texas. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A nice state park with a golf course view.

Dates:

Check in: 2023-01-02
Check out: 2023-01-11
9 nights

Weather:

Mostly sunny, some drizzle
High temps ranging between 61-82°F, lows around 40-66°F
Some wind, up to 25 MPH gusts

Noise:

Distant road and train noise (only audible outside); some small plane noise
Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

#6, back-in, asphalt
Needed to disconnect toad; parked in front of coach
Not very level
Large site: about 90 feet long by about 50 feet wide
Picnic table on concrete patio with shelter
Smoker, fire pit
Grass

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
80 PSI water, conveniently located
Unthreaded sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

Starlink: 12-24 Mbps down, 2-7 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
AT&T: 7 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 25 ms ping
Verizon: 0.5 Mbps down, 0.5 Mbps up, 29 ms ping
T-Mobile: no service
Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

Garbage dumpster
Golf course

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Nice golf course view

This was a well-maintained campground in a nice state park with a 9-hole golf course. We were in the full-hookup loop with a terrific view over the course and really enjoyed a nice, quiet stay. Our site was a bit unlevel front-to-back, but we got it level with a couple of extra blocks under the front levelers. The site was huge, with a nice covered picnic table and shade trees at the front, but with a good clear view of the sky at the back for the Starlink. We camped at Lockhart State Park in a Motorhome.

An interactive map of the RV park; our site was on the south side of the circle near the center of the map:

Park map sign:

Park map sign

Info sign:

Info sign

Bathrooms:

Bathrooms

Our site:

Our site

Lockhart is the “BBQ capital of Texas”, so of course each site has a smoker:

Smoker

The utilities were conveniently positioned:

Utilities

Cellular service was limited, so we broke out the Starlink Dishy again; it had an unobstructed view of the sky:

Starlink Dishy

We also used our griddle, and ate several meals outside:

Our site

You may think “duh, don’t you always?” No, we don’t always use the griddle or eat outside, depending on the weather and other factors. We’re not camping, this is our life. We have a good kitchen and comfy dining table inside, sometimes that’s just easier. Similarly, almost all campsites come with a picnic table; this one has a nice shelter over it. But we hardly ever use them; our folding chairs and table are more comfortable.

A sunset between the trees:

Sunset

Almost full moon above our coach:

Moon

I spent several days working outside; here I have a second screen magnetically mounted on my laptop:

Working outside with extra screen on laptop

Our last flower of the season on our Christmas cactus:

Our last flower of the season on our Christmas cactus

Another griddle dinner, with all sites occupied for the weekend:

Busy for the weekend

Squirrel:

Squirrel

A not-great picture of a cardinal bird:

Cardinal

More cardinals:

Cardinals

Golf course view:

Golf course view

Other RVs:

Other RVs

One of the campers had what we assume is a catio — an outdoor run for a cat (or maybe another small animal):

Catio

Clear Fork Creek:

Clear Fork Creek

We do enjoy state parks. We’d be happy to come back here again.

Video

Video: Corpus Christi, Texas to Lockhart, Texas motorhome travel timelapse

A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 217 miles from Corpus Christi, Texas to Lockhart, Texas.

Travel from Corpus Christi to Lockhart, Texas

We drove our coach 217 miles, about four hours of driving, from Corpus Christi, Texas to Lockhart, Texas.

The map route, heading north:

Map route

The somewhat narrow road from the campground:

Road by the campground

Joining South Padre Island Drive:

Joining South Padre Island Drive

Oso Bay:

Oso Bay

A pitstop at a picnic area for lunch:

Picnic area

A Hurricane Evacuation Route sign; totally reassuring:

Hurricane Evacuation Route

Exit 69, nice:

Exit 69, nice

Exit to Karnes City:

Exit to Karnes City

Refinery:

Refinery

Pump jack:

Pump jack

Nixon, Texas mural:

Nixon, Texas mural

Water tower:

Water tower

Paladin:

Paladin

Another stop for a short break:

Stop

Another water tower:

Water tower

Lockhart, Texas:

Lockhart, Texas

Our destination, Lockhart State Park:

Lockhart State Park

The welcome center:

Welcome center

A flood gauge:

Flood gauge

Slide topper bracing to reduce flapping in wind

Our coach has fabric awnings over the slide-outs, commonly called slide toppers. These are a feature of premium RVs to prevent debris and water from coming inside when bringing in the slides, among other benefits.

But one downside of slide toppers is that they can be noisy in strong winds, as wind gusts cause them to flap up and down. And in very strong winds one can get concerned that they could get damaged.

One solution for flapping slide toppers is to bring in the slides, perhaps only on the windward side. But that reduces the living space, so is a hassle. And we can’t sleep in our bed with all of the slides in, as the bed has to be raised up in this situation.

Another solution is to brace the slide toppers. There are a few ways to do that, but the easiest is to use a rope and bungees across the middle of the toppers.

While in Corpus Christi we had a forecast of nearly 50 MPH gusts, which is a bit more than I’m comfortable with, so I decided to try bracing the slide toppers.

I ordered some mini bungees and paracord for that purpose; I got crimson cord to match our coach:

Mini-bungees and paracord

To get the paracord over the top of the slides, I used the window awning pole:

Window awning pole

I tied a loop in the end of the cord, then temporarily taped it to the hook on the end of the pole:

Rope taped to pole

I attached the cord to the hydraulic beams underneath the slide via bungees, which let me adjust the tension as needed; it doesn’t need to be very tight, just enough to stop it flapping so much in the wind:

Cord attached to slide via bungees

(In the future I think I’ll get some tent rope tensioners to make that even more flexible.)

You can see the cord over the slide topper:

Cord

For the rear slides, which don’t have the hydraulic beams, the bungee is just hooked onto the bottom of the slide track:

Cord and bungee

This worked really well. The slide toppers still flapped a little when that wind arrived, but nowhere near as much as they would have without the bracing. I’ll definitely do this again for future high winds.

New mattress

Our Tiffin motorhome came with a fairly nice king-sized mattress on the bed, but it was a little uncomfortable.

As a Christmas present to ourselves, we purchased a new mattress. We purchased it online from MattressInsider.com; we got the “Luxury Gel Foam RV Mattress with Organic Cotton”.

Our old mattress was 72” wide by 75” long — what’s commonly called an “RV Short King”, being a bit narrower and shorter than a residential king (which is 76 x 80”). But the bed frame could support a 80” length; we used to use yoga blocks at the foot to keep it from sliding down. And I’m 6’1” tall, so a longer bed is better for me. So we ordered a 72 x 80” mattress aka a “RV King” size, 11.5” high.

Here’s a handy list of US mattress sizes (width x length), for reference:

California King: 72″ x 84″
RV California King: 72” x 84”
King: 76″ x 80″
RV King: 72” x 80”
RV Short King: 72” x 75”
Queen: 60″ x 80″
RV Short Queen: 60” x 75″
Full: 54″ x 75″
RV Three-Quarter: 48” x 75″
Twin XL: 38″ x 80″
Twin: 38″ x 75″

(There are other variations, too.)

Here’s our old mattress, with a topper in an attempt to make it a bit more comfortable:

Old mattress with topper

We had the new mattress shipped to Corpus Christi KOA. Unfortunately it arrived a week before we did, but they were very accommodating in storing it for us. Which was much appreciated, especially since their office was upstairs. When we checked in, a KOA maintenance guy helped cart it down to our coach:

KOA guy helping

Using the ADA wheelchair lift to get it downstairs:

ADA lift

Our old mattress; it was subsequently picked up by a local junk removal company, that said they’d donate it to a local charity:

Old mattress

The bed base has a split, as it can tilt the head upwards. The whole bed slides out from the wall at a press of a button, too, which makes it much easier to make the bed:

Bed base

If you peek in the gap, you can see a bunch of wires below the bed:

Gap

Wires

We also got a Hypervent Aire-Flow moisture barrier from MattressInsider, to put below the mattress; it is supposed to provide better air flow to help protect the mattress; probably not needed in our situation, but can’t hurt:

Moisture vent material

The new mattress box:

Mattress box

Mattress

Preparing to unwrap the mattress:

Mattress

Once released from the multi-layer plastic wrap, it very quickly expanded to its full size:

Mattress

Finally, we also got a zippered mattress protector to enclose the mattress:

Mattress protector

We are enjoying the increased comfort of this new mattress.

Corpus Christi KOA Journey

We stayed at Corpus Christi KOA Journey in Corpus Christi, Texas. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A high-service waterfront RV park.

Dates:

Check in: 2022-12-18
Check out: 2023-01-02
16 nights

Weather:

Mostly cloudy
High temps ranging between 36-72°F, lows around 25-62°F
Some strong winds, up to 47 MPH gusts

Noise:

No road or train noise, occasional plane noise
Some neighbor noise (especially a frequently screaming kid)

Site:

#48, back-in, concrete
Needed to disconnect toad; parked beside coach
Mostly level
Medium site: about 65 feet long by about 30 feet wide
Concrete patio, picnic table, grill, adirondack chairs, fire pit

Utilities:

50 amp power, fairly conveniently located
40 PSI water, conveniently located (we boosted with our water tank and pump)
Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)
We filled the water tank and put away the water pipes, filters, and softener for a few nights where the temperatures dipped below freezing

Internet (in usage priority order):

T-Mobile: 40-75 Mbps down, 5-9 Mbps up, 55 ms ping
AT&T: 44 Mbps down, 21 Mbps up, 37 ms ping
Verizon: 20 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 30 ms ping
Starlink: not used
Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

Garbage dumpster (near entrance)
Garbage pickup from site
Package delivery to office
Heated swimming pool
Private beach
Kayak etc rentals
Weekly propane fill on site

Our review on Campground Reviews:

A prime spot right on the water

We have a motorhome, but very occasionally, I wish we had a toy hauler. This place would have been absolutely perfect for that as we were backed right up to the Laguna Madre with views towards North Padre island. The first few days, we didn’t have a neighbor on the passenger side, so we had unobstructed views, and it was amazing. And then we got neighbors (with the world’s most obnoxious screaming children, which was not as relaxing…so ignore the label at the top of this page that says “no minors”), and the weather turned to freezing and windy, and we both got sick…so we didn’t get to enjoy the campground or the area as much as we would’ve liked. But before all that happened, I couldn’t believe this campground was only a “Journey” when we’ve stayed at KOA Holidays that had fewer services and amenities. The staff are all amazing and friendly, even going so far as to allow us to ship a new mattress there and help us get it loaded into our rig. It may be one of the pricier places we’ve stayed, but it was well worth it. We camped at Corpus Christi KOA in a Motorhome.

An interactive map of the RV park:

The campground map:

Map

Our site had a waterfront view — from the side and back, which isn’t as ideal as a front-in site, but the sites were angled enough to have a decent side view:

Our site

The patio site had everything including a propane grill (with tools), though it was too cold to want to actually use it:

Patio

Utilities:

Utilities

It was time to regenerate the water softener, which involves adding two containers of salt, then flushing it out for a while:

Regenerating water softener

A nice view out or window, at least when there wasn’t an RV in that site:

View out or window

Views from behind the site:

View

A pelican on the water:

Pelican

Working outside:

David outside

Afternoon view:

Afternoon view

Sunset view:

Sunset view

Info:

Info

Rentals:

Rentals

A well stocked KOA store:

Store

Playground and private beach:

Playground and beach

Private beach

A heated pool; a few brave people did use it (too cold air for us to want to swim, though):

Pool

Pelicans and gulls:

Pelicans and gulls

A deck; the map says that they want to add a fishing pier off here eventually:

Deck

A shore bird of some kind:

Shore bird of some kind

Grackle:

Grackle

Grackles checking out garbage awaiting collection:

Grackles checking out garbage

Paladin watching a grackle on our roof:

Paladin watching a grackle on our roof

The staff does a really good job of cleaning sites between occupants:

Cleaning sites

Other RVs:

Other RVs

An empty patio site, and houses beyond:

A patio site, and houses beyond

A nice-looking newer Tiffin Allegro Bus (a 45FP floorplan); we don’t want a 45-foot coach, but I would like that rear exit door:

Tiffin Allegro Bus

Nice paint job:

Nice paint job

This KOA only has one cabin (plus a rental house next door):

Cabin

Weekly propane delivery to sites; we took advantage of that to refill our 20 lb tank. They asked if we wanted to fill the coach propane, but we don’t have propane onboard — it’s an all-electric coach:

Propane delivery to site

A van selling tamales also came around (the office sent text messages to announce these visits):

Tamales

We tried the tamales, corn chips, and salsa:

Tamales

As seems to be traditional in our holiday stays, I got sick, with a 100°F fever for a few days, and other fun symptoms. Of course, I did an at-home COVID test, which was definitively negative:

Negative COVID test

It’s just a cold, but not the most fun way to spend the holidays. On the other hand, it’s a good time to have it, if I must, since we were here for a couple of weeks, and didn’t have any excursions planned.

Oh, just as I was starting to feel better from my cold, Jenn had her turn with it. It’s so romantic how we share everything.

The weather wasn’t great; we had several very windy and cold days, with several fun alerts:

Weather alerts

Hard freeze weather alert:

Hard freeze weather alert

Since we were here over the holidays, we added some festive lights:

Christmas lights

And a mini tree:

Christmas lights and mini tree

Mini Christmas tree

A nice RV park… probably not worth paying extra for a patio site we didn’t really use, but if the weather were nicer (and we weren’t sick), we would have enjoyed it more.

Video