iHop, Sam, and Potluck

Saturday, April 6th

Today we got up early and headed to iHop for breakfast, sponsored by Ron Hoover RV and Marine. The kitties did well again at staying "in bed" all night... so good, I had a hard time turning over! The hogged my side. Here's the sleeping arrangement, in the light of the morning:

Looking down at my legs!

We had given our orders to Vickie, the Ron Hoover salesperson, the night before, so they would be ready to go much quicker when we arrived. Sure enough, the food started coming out, just as we ordered, not long after we were seated. Tony and I rode over with Tom and Marti, the South Texas Chapter Leaders. We had a nice visit with them, talking about places we've been and recommended sites to see.

Part of the group enjoying their iHop

Before we headed out for breakfast, Tony got the fixin's started for our potluck dish, a pot roast, in the slow-cooker. After breakfast, we decided to do a little exploring. Tony and I headed back down I-45 to Huntsville, and checked out Huntsville State Park, and the Sam Houston Memorial.
The State Park is on a lake, and has lots of pine and other tall trees. There is one area with pull-throughs that Mammoth could fit in, but most of the sites are small and there were tons of tent campers there. It was a great day for camping!

driving onto the Huntsville State Park property

the Huntsville State Park sign

boats available for rent, and the lake

After driving the park (with our State Park Pass, we get day use entry for free), we headed to the other side of I-45 to see the 67ft tall statue of Sam Houston.
There is no fee to see this statue, but there is a nice information center and gift shop to visit before you take the short walking path to the base of the statue.

He is tall!

Us with Sam

Perspective of the size. Tony at the base.

After photos with Sam, we decided to head back to the RV Park. We could have seen more in Huntsville, but felt we needed to prepare for the Potluck tonight and visit the Rally attendees more. Tony cooked hotdogs on the grill for lunch.

happy grill man!

Here's some pics of some of the coaches in attendance:

Mammoth didn't get the memo about wearing her awning...

more Heartlands

Later in the afternoon, we had a nice visit with our friend Ruth Ann, who came to meet the furr-babies and chat. The boys were well-behaved, yet a little skiddish. But overall they did great!
At 6:30, we packed up the slow-cooker and headed over to the clubhouse for the potluck. There were lots of great dishes, and we all had a great meal. Door-prizes were given away as well, and we received a set of connecting cushioned foam floor mats that make a large 4x4 cushioned pad. These are great, we will use them. We already have some we use in the basement of the trailer.

potluckin'

Terry (MTPockets) Rainwater entertains

After dinner and prizes, the HOC attendees from Florida, Terry and June, entertained us with some guitar and singing. Terry is really good, and June was as well on the one song she shared with him at the end. We hope to hear more at another Rally down the road... I doubt they will get away with NOT performing in the future! Overall we had a great time this evening. About 9pm, folks started heading back to their rigs. We had a long day, so we called it an evening. Tomorrow, we pack up and head home.
Gosh, seems like yesterday we just got here!