???RGV MOC Gang??? - Montana Owners Club

Joyce H · 02-14-2006, 02:31 AM

We are seriously considering going to south Texas for next winter instead of FL. We have talked to several RVers who are staying in our park this year who have discouraged us. The biggest reason seems to be the strong constant winds and the dust storms. Of course these RVers could be prejudiced to FL as many of them have been coming to this area for many years. So we decided to ask those of you who are in the RGV this winter. Also would like your recomendation on the best campground. Distance to grocery shopping, restaurants, etc. Thanks to all for your response.

Bill and Ann · 02-14-2006, 02:39 AM

This is our 6th winter in Tx. McAllen area. We wouldn't go anywhere near Florida as it is like night and day. Day, of course, being Tx. The cities here run one after the other with only a street separating the cities. Lots of shopping plaza's and new stores being added constantly. We personally like the McAllen area and have purchased a lot to park our RV every year. I am sure others here in the RGV will comment also.

CountryGuy · 02-14-2006, 02:59 AM

RGV is known for it's wind. It is a fact. You will either hate it with a passion, or get used to it. Al and I both feel that since we moved west about 30 miles to the Mission area, that the winds are not as bad as they were down towards Donna and Mercedes. THAT said, we have had a couple of good storms, awnings rumble, and if they are not tied down REALLLLLL good, they can be damaged. The last couple of days we have had a couple of dust thingys (not sure what they are called, but little and strong bursts of wind, like mini tornados, with of course, dust), that came busting through with no warning, and were gone in a matter of a minute or so. Al said that one of those could take down an awning, it blew over our chairs which have stood up to the 45 mph storms, go figure!

There is dust, yep! I try to do some dusting every day, so I am not faced with it all at once. Wash the truck, in a day or so, there is a film of dust.

Why do we kinda shrug off the wind and the dust??

1.) WARMTH!

2.) The year round residents could not be nicer!!! Friendly, all of Texas is that way. We were not impressed with the year round residents of Florida when we were there, rude and could care less if you were there. My mother lives in Ft Lauderdale, but I still think many of the Floridians were rude. The year round residents here, welcome you with open arms and there are WELCOME WINTER TEXAN signs all over the place!

I don't mean comment 2 as a flame to any of you who love Florida, you asked my opinion, there it is. Oh, if you come here and ask a lot of other Winter Texan's they will tell you the same thing, they were not treated in Florida the way they are here. Here you could get the false impression you are kings and queens! HA HA.

God Willing and the Creek don't Rise, Al and I will be back here for the 07 season!

OntMont · 02-14-2006, 04:44 AM

Yes it can be windy, today it is blowing near 20 mph, and with that wind comes dust. So that part is true.

On the other hand, the weather is quite stable, by that I mean you do not seem to get severe weather with heavy rain and thunder storms. It has not rained in the 5 weeks we have been here, a couple of partly cloudy days but mostly it is sunny and dry, with low humidity. Temperatures are mostly in the 75 to 85 range with a few days above and below.

We have never been to Florida, so I won't attempt any comparisons. There are lots of RV parks that cater to winter Texans, these vary in quality and price, and you do need to do your homework to find one that suits you. As others have mentioned, the RGV is really a string of about a dozen towns along US 83. These towns have just about every imaginable store, service and facility you could ever want.

In the final analysis, only you can judge, so perhaps the best answer is to suggest you try it for month or so, if you don't like it you can move on. Truth is some love it, some hate it.

stiles watson · 02-14-2006, 05:47 AM

The wonderful thing about the RV lifestyle is that if you don't like a place, you don't have to stay. I think many of us miss out on a lot because we keep taking the same trails. I grew up 70 miles South of Houston, TX, 4 miles from the beach. Many people just love that area with its breeze, water, and sand. That is old hat to me, so I want to go where I haven't been.

That said, explore. If you don't like it leave and don't go back. Sometimes even if you do like it, don't go back because there is so much yet to explore. Being in Hong Kong has taught me that there is so much more to see and enjoy than I ever imagined everywhere in the world. But I can't wait to get back to Texas and leave for points North to follow the autumn leaves from Vermont to North Carolina and do some hiking in the Guadalupe Mountains along the Texas/New Mexico border. I want to revisit Big Bend National Park without having to hurry. Like the Nike slogan says, "Just do it."

CountryGuy · 02-14-2006, 05:51 AM

Great Points Stiles,

Might I add that we have been here 3 winters (Jan, Feb, Mar) and in 3 different parks. Each experience was different, each park and surrounding areas different.

We look forward to some extended travels at some point, our time will come.

By the way, when do you two come back to the US???

stiles watson · 02-14-2006, 12:19 PM

Al,

We will come to the USA for a three week stay around July 10. Then we will return to Hong Kong for an additional 6 to 12 Months. That will finish our tenure here. We have several friends from the states visiting during our time here and plan to venture into Behjing and Xian and perhaps Guilian (a place of great natural beauty). We would love to go to the Philipines and Australia/New Zealand while we are on this side of the world. All may not happen. Taiwan and Japan may also be targets for a visit. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us we want to grab all we can.

Glenn and Lorraine · 02-14-2006, 12:22 PM

This is so funny. I have been in a quandary as to where we will be next winter. SnowBirds in FL or Winter Texans in the RGV? I have a feeling that this thread will be making my decision quite easy so I will be following this post with a great amount of interest.

CountryGuy · 02-14-2006, 12:39 PM

Glenn,

put on your ole cowboy hat and join us! Bring lots o straps for the awnings and a sense of adventure!

course, we love Mexican food too! lots of that around!

Stiles, such exotic places, it sounds wonderful, enjoy, take lots of photos and write a journal! You are right, a once in a life time opportunity!

Northstar · 02-14-2006, 07:10 PM

Ya Glenn I think you need to become a winter texan next year.

D and M On The Road · 02-15-2006, 03:20 AM

Y'all are welcome to come explore California for the winter ...

.... we have sunshine and dust too!

Bill and Ann · 02-15-2006, 03:26 AM

Glenn: Move west young man, move west. Might be the only time we get to see each other the way it has been going.

Kimmrg · 02-16-2006, 05:32 AM

Got any recommendations for parks in the RVG? We here in Alabama might just make that trip next year...

jrgwdenner · 02-16-2006, 06:32 AM

Kim, we're at Victoria Palms which is one of the parks with the most activities. You could be busy every minute, just in the park. It has everything you might every want.

Bentsen Palm Village RV Park is nice with good facilities. You need to make a reservation early wherever you go. Some won't take reservations for less than three months until after Oct. 1. Be sure and ask about their dog policy. VP is dog friendly.

gkbutler · 02-16-2006, 04:12 PM

I'll tell you what, if it weren't for our three beautiful grandkids down here in SW Florida, we would be on our way to Texas next winter. Carol, I have to agree with you, the people especially down here in SW Florida are extremely rude. I have never been treated so rudely in my life ever!!!! We still may do that in a couple of years and just have the grandkids come out over the Christmas vacation to visit with us. I am envious!

Joyce H · 02-24-2006, 11:45 AM

Appreciate all the response. As many of you have said the final decision will have to be made after taking everything into consideration. We have found no problem with the FL folks, but the parks we have stayed in basically do not have year round residents as they cater to the RV market. This is one thing we like about the Encore Super Parks. We have stayed on the east coast because of family but are gradually straying a little further away. We also realize we have to make a decision soon in order to get into a nice park in the RGV if that is our decision. Thanks again for all the replies.

Hemlockusa · 02-24-2006, 05:01 PM

HI Tom and Joyce - For years I have worked in the Florida area, I have observed their rude take it or leave it additude.
Not so here in the RGV. Everyone is friendly and very helpful. If you can try to locate the web site for the texas rio grande valley and then request campground information and in a few short weeks you will receive about twenty different campground brochure;'s with price's etc. We are currently staying at the Llano Grande Lake Resort campground in Mercedes - Texas only grip is there WIFI isn't dependable, they promise to have this fixed by next season. I don't think you would regret the RGV Move... Later John & Christa Hogan (aka Hemlockusa)

Glenn and Lorraine · 02-25-2006, 12:24 AM

Sorry to say this but so far I'm not convinced.
YES it would be great spending the winter with a bunch of MOCers but I do get to see the majority of you at the various rallies during the summer.
Bill, I'm not quite sure what you are referring to. We wouldn't go anywhere near Florida as it is like night and day. Day, of course, being Tx. The cities here run one after the other with only a street separating the cities. Lots of shopping plaza's and new stores being added constantly. Here in Pinellas, Manatee and Pasco Counties you have one community after another for some 100 miles.
From Hudson to Sarasota, a distance of nearly 100 miles there is one community after another and yet just a short drive you will find beautiful beaches. Pinellas county is the only county in the US surrounded on 3 side by water. Some of these areas still offer a lot of peace and solitude within just a couple mile drive of the hustle bustle. There is every restaurant chain, from Micky D's to Olive Garden, Outback, Ruby Tuesday, Golden Corral, Red Lobster, Denny's, Perkins, etc. Along with the chain restaurants there are tons of smaller family restaurants serving everything from American to Chinese, Mexican, Cuban, Greek, Polish and even Penna. Dutch. There's a 3.95 all you can eat CiCi's pizza buffet with some excellent pizza. We don't care for Mexican foods. Wal*Mart and Target SuperCenters, K-Marts, JC Penney's, Sam's Clubs, Costco's, Harbor Freight and large shopping malls. Numerous super markets for all your grocery needs. There's even a Camping World just 30 miles east. RV Dealers of nearly ever manufacturer, including Montana, abound. We have some 10 RV dealers within just 6 miles of our campground. All of them have RV accessory stores. AND most all of these are within an easy bicycle ride.
In Tampa in January we have the East coasts largest RV Show. Also attending this show are Keystone RV's Jeff Rank, Bob Martin, Aram Koltookian and others.
AND let's not forget Busch Gardens, Sea World, Cypress Gardens, Universal Studios and DISNEY WORLD to name just a few all within a couple hour drive.
We have pretty much the same temps that the RGV has. If I recall you folks did get snow last winter. In 3 years in central and west central Florida our lowest temp was 33. No snow but a light frost.
For the most part my awning stays down even if we leave for the day. Every morning I check the weather forecast and if there is going to be any heavy winds the awning comes up. Most days the awning stays down. I don't care to be putting it up for the fear of one of them dust thingys (not sure what they are called, but little and strong bursts of wind, like mini tornados, with of course, dust) and there is no way Lorraine nor I am going to be dusting everyday. When I wash my truck it stays clean for weeks.
Maybe the residents are rude in the Ft Lauderdale or the SW Florida area but definitely not in our area. In November, December, January and into February all you see are "Welcome Home" signs. The Snow Birds in Florida get all the respect that the Winter Texans get. All locals, regardless of the state, realize the value of our northern dollars to their economy and we all get the royal treatment. The year round residents here in the park do have their little clics but they are still very friendly but 1/2 the park is RVers and they are the best. We all get along pretty much like a big family.
Avalon has all the activities such as shuffle board, a heated pool, a pool table, pot luck suppers, Monday morning free coffee and donuts. Other activities such as card games, darts, music night and dance night at least once a month.

Kinda looks like we will once again be wintering in Florida for 06/07

steves · 02-25-2006, 01:04 AM

My opinion - you need to experience South Texas at least once. I was there in 05 and found that the local people were very friendly and accommodating. I probably will go back some year but I would not go there every year. I was surprised at how crowded, how may campgrounds were there and how much traffic you had to deal with. Weather ranged from cool to hot and yes there is a lot of constant winds - you get use to the wind. There are a lot of MOC members in the valley each year which provides the opportunity to meet some great people. Everybody has an opinion - try it and see if you like it!

CountryGuy · 02-25-2006, 01:25 AM

Each to his own, that is why there is Florida and that is why there is Texas. We each have comfort zones, find what suits ya and then enjoy!

Each thing said negatively probably has a work around, like RGV, there are lots of ways around the traffic, one, stay off I 83! HA HA.

Sorry we won't see ya in the RGV Glenn, but, it sounds like you enjoy Florida, so, that is where you should go. Like I said, it fits your comfort zone! How's that for FAB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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