3/31/08 Mission Texas
We are leaving Mission today heading eventually to New Mexico where we will spend a month or so depending on the weather further north. We don’t want to get to Colorado until it warms up some there.
We have enjoyed our winter here in Mission. This area is called The Rio Grande Valley or just The Valley. It is a much bigger area than most people realize. Along Highway 83 from Mission on the west to Harlingen on the east is over 40 miles. There is very little open land between the 10 cities and continuous building is closing the gaps very quickly. The total population of these 10 cities in close to 400,000, maybe more and that does not include the Winter Texans who come here from November thru March each year. Of course this does not include Brownsville and the areas along the gulf coast. We are only a few miles from the Mexican border where one can walk across and do lots of shopping or see the many well-qualified doctors or buy prescription drugs at greatly reduced prices. There are great shopping centers here and strip malls on nearly every corner. Anything you can buy in your home town is available here. Medical care and hospitals are in abundance with very little waiting to get an appointment. There are over 500 RV Parks in the area with reasonable rates compared to other winter resort areas. So if you ever want to spend the winter in more temperate climates, consider The Rio Grande Valley. You can have lunch and a nap in The Valley and dinner and dancing across the border or on the Gulf. You can enjoy year-round fishing and swimming, golf , biking and it is a great birding area. So for now we will say good bye to you and good bye to Mission, Texas.