2010 February » tgif: let's RV

Mounting Flat Screen TV In My RV

Feb 272010

When I purchased my 5th wheel it had an old 19" analog TV in it. I could have just bought a converter for digital TV but decided I wanted to put in an LCD flat screen TV. After some measuring I figured I could fit a 24" LCD into the existing opening. I looked on-line and found a few that would just fit.

Since it was close to Black Friday I decided to wait until then to see what kind of deals I could get. That is where the problem started. What I found on Black Friday was a 32" LCD TV for $199. I just couldn't pass up the deal. Then when I got it home I had to figure out a way to mount it in the entertainment center. After measuring, looking, test fitting, measuring some more I figured a swing arm mount would be the most versatile.

The TV only weighs 25 pounds but I wanted something that would take the abuse it would have to stand up to in a bouncing trailer. There are many different designs but I settled on a twin arm design instead of a single arm design. This gives you two mounting points at each swivel point instead of single pivot point which should be more durable. I also wanted one that would handle a lot more weight then what the TV weighs, again for a safety margin. Looking at the big box stores I was shocked to find that a heavy duty mount like that would cost almost as much as the TV! I finally found one on eBay with dual arms that would hold 80 pounds for $50.

Texas State Aquarium and Snoopy's

RV Destinations No Responses »

Feb 262010

Headed to Corpus Christi today to go to the Texas State Aquarium. I had heard it was nice and figured since I was in the area I should go see it. It happens to be right next door to the USS Lexington that I went to a couple of weeks ago. This would be a perfect pair of activities to do in one day as each of them take 3 or 4 hours each to see.

I got there at just the right time as a dolphin show was starting 15 minutes after I got there. There were three dolphins performing and the show lasted about 15 minutes. Of course they do the usual jumps, ball throwing and spectator splashing. It was an enjoyable show.

There is also an otter habitat, sea turtles, swamp turtles and a birding show. I didn't stay for the birding show. Inside they have an area for kids to touch sting rays and a really nice aquarium area that has a many different large and small aquarium setups with everything from sharks to jelly fish. It was a nice relaxing activity.

More pictures of Texas State Aquarium.

A Bit O' Shrimp

RV Day to Day Life No Responses »

Feb 242010

Got up this morning and the weather is a lot nicer. Still a bit cool but I'll sunny and mid 50's any day over the crap we had yesterday. Went out to a local restaurant today for lunch. Didn't really have a plan where to stop so I just drove down the road until I found one with a full parking lot. Found one about half full so I stopped in. I noticed this one before because they always have a "lunch special" sign out front.

I went in and they were pretty full. Ordered fried shrimp and fries and dug into the salad bar. Had to just wait just a short bit for the shrimp to get served. The plate had 7 nice fat shrimp and cottage style fries and it looked good. The shrimp itself was really good and fresh but I think the breading was just a bit undercooked. Not really bad, just a little bit mushy. May have been the style of breading but I don't think so. The fries were really good as they had some seasoning on them giving them a bit of tang. Not a bad lunch, just not great.

Texas Winter on the Coast

RV Day to Day Life No Responses »

Feb 232010

A nice cold front moved through last night and dropped the temperatures. Today is was 42 degrees, winds a constant 20 mph with rain. That is a 25 degree drop from yesterday. Not a very pleasant day to be outside. I even wussed out and didn't go out for lunch and just had hot dogs and acgrilled cheese sandwich. Yes, I took my chances and ate two of the old fashioned tubular hot dogs. I didn't choke once. Now I sit, running 2 electric heaters, listening to the slide topper (awning) flap in the wind and watching RTV.

RTV is Retro TV that shows old serials like Kojack, I Spy and The Hulk. There is this strange attraction to these shows. Maybe it is the memory of watching them when I was younger. But compared to today's shows, they sure are funky and the acting is sooooooo bad. I'm scared now, David Bannister just turned green!!!!!!!

The weather is suppose to get better soon with temps in the high 60's on Thursday and lasting for a few days. Look out Florida, this cold front should hit you in a couple of days!

Just another day at Mustang Island SP

RV Day to Day Life No Responses »

Feb 222010

Looks like I've settled in here a bit. No real rush to go out and do things since I'm going to be here for another 12 days. I did go out and take the truck on the beach to walk Spud. But I happened to pick high tide to do it and there wasn't a whole lot of beach to drive on. There were a few trucks and cars in the parking area so I figured it was safe and I didn't have any problems. Other then that not much else going on.

The park is completely full and will be for the next 3 weeks or so. Not every space has an RV in it as it seems someone is leaving and arriving every day. Looks like I was lucky to get a space for 2 weeks.

It was nice and warm yesterday with a high in the low 70's. Today is cooler and breezier with a high in the low 60's and winds about 15 mph. A cold front is suppose to move through tonight and drop temps into the 50's for highs and a bit of rain. Thinking it will be a good day to go out and have a nice seafood lunch.

Mustang Island State Park

RV Parks & Campgrounds No Responses »

Feb 202010

This morning I packed up and moved to Mustang Island State Park located just north of Port Aransas, Texas. It is only about 5 miles down the road from where I was so the move was easy. I didn't have to really pack things away as good as I would on a day I was going further so it only took about 15 minutes to get everything put away. I made reservations for 2 weeks earlier and I'm glad I did, they were full when I got there at 10am this morning

Mustang Island SP campground is located just over a small sand dune from the Gulf of Mexico. The RV campground area has 48 sites available with 15/30/50 amp electric and water. A dump station is close by. I'm not worried about dumping my tanks because I can go 2 weeks without dumping. The RV campground basically a packing lot with paved pads off the sides. Each site has a small gazebo, picnic table and charcoal grill. The sites aren't huge but there is plenty of room to put out your awning if you want and to extend your slides without feeling cramped. With the wind coming off the Gulf I doubt I'll be putting out my awning much. There is also building with bathrooms and showers that are restricted to camper use. WiFi is available at the park office but I am able to get it at my campsite with my external WiFi adapter. So far the connection has been good and fast. At $17 per day this campground has everything I need.

Oxygenics Shower Head Review

RV DIY & Mods, RV Equipment No Responses »

Feb 182010

When I purchased my used 5th wheel and finally got to use it I found that the shower head did not spray very far. I took it apart a number of times trying to clean it but nothing seemed to help very much. When I was in the Rio Grande Valley I stopped into the Camping World store and decided to find a replacement for the useless shower head.

While looking at a couple of different models I seen the Oxygenics shower head. The concept looked interesting as it said it injects air into the water stream increasing the apparent water volume. Almost sounded like one of those "as seen on TV" commercials and the thing cost $60.00! But I was desperate for something better so I coughed up the dough and bought it. Figured if I didn't like it I could always return it.

Once I got back to the trailer I took it out of the package. It was only then I noticed there was no remote shutoff valve. Oh well, I was already this far, might as well install it and give it a try. There were no problems with the install. The hose screwed on right were the old shower head was and the head fit into the holder that was already in the shower stall. I turned it on to test for leaks and was surprised at the spray it put out, it easily sprayed all the way to the far wall of the shower. Cool, I'll give it a workout this evening.
Continue reading »

Checking Out Other Mustang Island Campgrounds

RV Day to Day Life, RV Parks & Campgrounds No Responses »

Feb 162010

Didn't do a whole bunch today. Mainly just checked out some other campgrounds in the area to see where I may want to move to once my week is up here at Gulf Waters RV Resort.

Just down the road a couple of miles is Pioneer Beach Resort. They are mostly full but do have one space available for two weeks. I drove through and the RVs are packed tighter then sardines. They have a lot of activities, are located a short walk away from the beach and they have a lot of good reviews from others. Just not sure I'd like being that tight but it's always something to fall back on.

USS Lexington and a Ferry Ride

RV Destinations No Responses »

Feb 152010

Last night a cold front moved through and brought high winds and rain. Winds were 30 MPH with gusts to 50 MPH for a few hours. Being on the ocean that means there is not much to buffer the winds. Made for a bit of an exciting evening until I just got used to it and went to sleep.

Since it was still a bit cold and windy I headed over to the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay. In Corpus Christi they have the aircraft carrier USS Lexington floating in the bay and have turned into a museum. It was about a 30 minute drive to get there.

The self guided tours through the Lex was great. What I really liked was that they have done very few modifications to the ship to accommodate visitors. You had to use the exact same ladders and had to walk through the same hatches that the sailors would have when the ship was in active duty. In so many cases modifications are done to displays to make it more visitor friendly but that takes away a lot of the how the real thing would look and feel in real life. It took me back to my Navy days.

Port Aransas

RV Parks & Campgrounds No Responses »

Feb 132010

This will be a two day update. I left Balmorhea State Park around 9:30am. It was cool and foggy but the fog wasn't bad enough to delay my start. A few miles after I got on I-10 there was a flashing sign warning of possible snow and ice. I had second thoughts but pressed on figuring I could always pull off for a few hours if it got bad. Never ran into any snow or ice, the fog cut visibility down to 1/4 mile so it really didn't effect highway speeds. A couple hours later the fog lifted and it was clear sailing.

I spent last night at the Top Of the Hill RV Park in Boerne, Texas. This is in the middle of Texas hill country and is a nice park that would be a good base for visiting the hill country. Since I already did the hill country on my way west, this was just an overnight stop for me. I got to park at the top of the hill and view from the camp sites is awesome. If I come back this way again I'll have use this park as a base for a few days.

It is only about a 4 hour drive from Boerne to the Gulf Coast so I wasn't worried about leaving early in the morning. I ended getting everything together and left around 10am. The drive went really smooth. Even San Antonio wasn't bad since it was a Saturday. Continue reading »