After saying goodbye to the mules, alpacas, and overly aggressive guinea hens at the winery, we finally made it to the coast! Our next stop: Jackie’s Place, a small RV park conveniently located near Galveston, Texas—a spot we’d heard was the place to be. But first, we made a pit stop at… Gordy’s Place.

Gordy’s Place: The Detour Nobody Asked For

You’d think by now we’d mastered the art of GPS navigation, but no. We confidently drove right past Jackie’s Place and straight into Gordy’s. Fortunately, this wasn’t another “stuck-in-a-parking-lot” fiasco. A quick “whoops,” a U-turn, and we were on our way to Jackie’s Place—a charming park with a lovely pool and a short walk to the bay.

After setting up camp, the heat of the day had us craving a swim. But Texas had other plans. The pool was as warm as an ice bath, so after a brief, hypothermic splash, we called it quits and headed back to The Raven to thaw out.

Poolside Philosophers

While hanging his towel, John the Rockstar husband Laverty struck up a conversation with our neighbours—some electricians parked nearby who RV wherever the work takes them. Between stories of rewiring the world, they gave us a must-try culinary tip: boudin (read: boo-dan) balls. For the uninitiated, this delicacy is a mix of liver, sausage, and dirty rice rolled into… well, a ball. They assured us it was the South’s greatest invention, but I wasn’t sold. John, however, was ready to start a Boudin fan club. On top of the food tips, they inadvertently introduced us to a slight language change. It seems we had arrived in the south, made clear by so many yes sirs and yes ma’ams we were starting to feel like royalty.

Unfortunately, our newfound foodie friends didn’t stick around long—they were off early the next morning to spend Thanksgiving with their families, leaving us with only dreams of sausage-filled snacks.

Galveston: Piers, Pints, and Pups – oh and tacos!

The next day, we loaded the chihuahuas into the car and set off for Galveston Island. The drive was stunning, and so was the island itself. Known for its tourism and an over-the-top pier theme park, Galveston had everything except actual theme park season. Still, we had a blast exploring the main strip, shopping, snacking, and generally pretending we were on spring break.

We did happen to find a great little taco joint where the dogs could relax in the shade for a bit while we munched on tacos and sipped on a beer.

Naturally, we ended our Galveston adventure at a brewery. The dogs made themselves at home and while the beer was not everything John the Rockstar husband Laverty had hoped, it was at least, cold.

Noah’s Ark and the Catfish Redemption

Because there’s no such thing as too much exploring, we extended our stay at Jackie’s Place by a day. After finishing work, we left the chihuahuas in The Raven and headed out to Noah’s Ark, a Tiki-style hangout literally just around the corner from Jackies in Bacliff.

This place had it all: killer bay views, goofy decor, and seafood to die for. We split a cup of gumbo to ease into Cajun cuisine, and I’m happy to report it was delicious (we decided to make it a thing to try the gumbo everywhere we go).

John ordered a po’ boy that left him deeply unimpressed—he’s still muttering about it—but my catfish was so good it made up for everything. The best part, though, was our server, who had enough sass and humour to rival the food. She kept us laughing the whole time.

Thanksgiving on the Go

Thanksgiving morning arrived, and with it, the open road. We packed up, waved goodbye to Jackie’s (and not Gordy’s) Place, and headed for our first bayou adventure.

With bellies half-full and a few new stories under our belt, we were ready to take on the bayou—hopefully without any more detours!