13-19MAY08 - Kinder, LA & Livingston, TX

Tuesday, 13MAY, we got a later start than planned because Dan insisted on cutting plywood hurricane boards for all the windows and doors before departing on Rebecca and Raymond’s recently purchased house. Once this was done we headed to the RV resort at the Coushatta Indian Casino in Kinder, LA (see our BLOG for 03APR for more details on this establishment). Once again we stayed for free because we visited the casino, unfortunately we lost a little more money than last time.

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2008/04/03apr08-kinder-la.html

Wednesday morning we fueled up the vehicles at Casino’s station because fuel was still ten cents a gallon cheaper than anywhere else in Louisiana or Texas. From Kinder we continued to the Escapees RV Club in Livingston, TX (see our BLOG for 27MAR-02APR for more details on this establishment). During the drive we encountered driving rain, for once this was a good thing. Why? Because the love bugs were mating!

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2008/04/27mar-02apr08-livingston-tx-we-werent.html

The love bug (also known as march fly, honeymoon fly, telephone bug, kissybug and double-headed bug) (scientific name Plecia nearctica) is a small flying insect common to the south. During the semi-annual love bug flights or "seasons", the insects are commonly found spattered on the hoods and windshields of automobiles. The body of the love bug is acidic and can affect the paint on vehicles if not washed off. Upon mating, both love bugs fly around joined together until they commit suicide on your vehicle! So having accumulated thousands of love bug couples on the RV, it was nice to have the rain wash them away before the paint was damaged.

We stopped in Livingston, TX, because it put us one day’s travel from Dan’s sister and husband, and Dan’s dad, in Kerrville, TX; but because we were going to try and buy a new toad using the Mercedes as a trade in. Wrong! Even though Houston is the fourth largest city in America, it appears to us that the car dealers are not interested in selling cars; they just want to give you a hard time. We figured that with the large number of auto dealers in and around Houston, we would eventually find a reasonable deal. Well, after wasting three full days of our lives we realized that car buying is still one of the worst experiences in America! And we will be sticking the Mercedes back into the open ended shed on Sharon and Tim’s property in Kerrville.