And Our Latest Adventure Begins With 2 Harvest Hosts Membership Stopovers in TX and LA

We left Livingston, TX on June 1 to embark on our 4-month summer journey:  touring parts of WI and the Upper Peninsula of MI, seeing family/friends in NY/NJ, and visiting various Civil War battlefields.

We are taking a rather unconventional route to facilitate this tour schedule.  We did this to avoid severe weather forecasted for Northern TX and OK and to accommodate mutually-convenient times to reconnect with folks along the way.

This is the first time The Rat Pack Rubicon, our recently-purchased 2012 Jeep Wrangler, would be included in an RV trip.  We will tow it behind Suite Retreat, our DRV Mobile Suites 5^th wheel, wherever it is legal.  When needed to remain law-abiding citizens, we will disconnect/drive it separately.  

 

 

We opted for a short trip (2.5 hours) on June 1 just to get accustomed to towing the Jeep rather than the non-articulating swivel wheel we used previously.  Hence, we arrived at Pine Tree Lodge Restaurant/Bar, a Harvest Host (HH) in La Belle, just outside Beaumont, TX.  It is located alongside Taylor Bayou.

For those unfamiliar, Harvest Host (HH) is a membership program that offers RVers overnight stays at unique and enjoyable settings like farms, wineries, museums, restaurants, churches, golf courses etc.  In exchange for the overnight accommodations, HH guests are asked to patronize their host site by purchasing the products/services their host site offers or making a donation if the establishment is a non-profit organization, with the recommended purchase/donation amount being $30.

At Pine Tree Lodge(HH) guests are directed to a specific parking area.  We were grateful there were no other HH guests there when we arrived since other patrons encroached in the designated RV area.   We were experiencing heavy downpours throughout our stay, which worried Mom as she watched the water levels of the bayou increase and begin to creep into the parking area.  But Dad assured her we would be fine.

 

A view of our rig from the Lodge

A view of the Lodge from our rig

After set-up, we went inside Pine Tree Lodge for a late lunch/early dinner.   If you enjoy Louisiana cuisine, you could indulge in fried alligator, boudin balls, crawfish pistolettes, and the likes.  My family just ain’t that exciting, so we stuck to “normal” fare.  We were pleasantly surprised that the food at Pine Tree Lodge was so tasty, fresh, and reasonably priced.

The Lodge is very big, consisting of a two-floor indoor space as well as a humongous outdoor deck area and stage for live entertainment.

We returned later that evening to listen to the band Rush Creek and do a few line dances.  I found it unusual that so many young families were in a bar setting at night, though I loved seeing children, from toddlers to tweens, dancing with their parents.

But I gotta tell ya, I am not a fan of the bayou environment.  The mosquitos were active, the humidity was oppressive, and I don’t like feeling sticky like a No Pest Strip even with the air conditioners running.  I sure was glad we stayed only 1 night.

 

We left Beaumont on Sunday morning to partial clouds which turned into heavy rains (which always seems to occur during Mom’s driving shift) as we crossed into LA.

 

We passed through Atchafalaya Heritage Area, which contains the largest swamp in the U.S.A.  It is where the Gulf of Mexico and the Atchafalaya River merge.

 

We crossed the Mississippi River, glimpsing Baton Rouge.  About an hour later we arrived at John Schneider Studios (of Dukes of Hazard fame) in Holden, LA.  As usual, we arrived in a rainstorm.  Before we drove through the gate, we wanted to ensure we would be able to maneuver down the curvy, narrow, tree-lined road to the RV Parking area, which is a half mile away and not within viewing range.  After all, we are only on Day 2 of our 4-month trip.   We did not want to do something stupid and get ourselves into an accessibility predicament.  But Dad gave the thumbs up, so we proceeded to the large RV Parking area to settle in.  Since the gift shop was not open and we have a HH obligation to spend at least $30 at each host site, we opted to take advantage of the full hook-ups available within the RV parking area at a cost of $40.

 

Apparently, this property, known as Camp Singing Waters, was a 1950s youth camp that Mr. Schneider purchased in 2012.  It is situated on the Tickfaw River.  Posted signs warned of alligators and snakes, but I didn't see a one!

 

We made 3 prior attempts over several years to stay at this HH, but all got canceled for various reasons (once by the HH, twice by us).   We had read good reviews about this place.  But it seems the property has deteriorated (it looks better in photos than in person)  since Mr. Schneider’s wife was diagnosed in 2019 with cancer and subsequently succumbed to the disease in 2023.

The property is a hodge podge of nostalgia, from a drive-in movie area to a barn dance hall, from an inviting built-in swimming pool and outdoor entertainment area with fireplace to a 1960s era motor lodge.  

Overall, this is a unique HH, and I was glad our 4th attempt to visit was successful.

Drive in sign and a couple of Chick-fil-A cows

Big movie screen and picnic area

 

Dad would love to have this grill!

Dance barn exterior

Dance barn interior

Ironically, the swimming pool was clean and well maintained...

Very unusual outdoor seating pieces, made of stone and wood

Nothing shouts nostalgia better than a station wagon!

Lovely quarters for an Artist-in-Residence

I must admit I was quite disappointed that the General Lee is no longer on the premises, although the likes of Sheriff Rosco Coletrane are still trying to catch Bo and Luke.

Well, time to go.  Tomorrow we will arrive in Vicksburg, MS, the first of our Civil War battlefields to tour.  Talk to you again soon!