6/4-6/8/2023

Turkey Sink Loop Site 59 (decent site, lots of shade, short drive to the restrooms) – we drove the park to mark the best sites for next time and none really stood out, so this one is pretty good.

The forecast called for rain EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! It didn’t do that, but we did get some variety. Sprinkles welcomed us to the park just before we set up. Ashley, Travis and Megan met us there just a short 30 minute drive for both.

Travis and Megan wanted to make sure they got in some river time before having to head home that evening. The temperatures were in the high 80’s our entire trip, but the water wasn’t nearly as chilly as we thought it would be. Walking tacos for dinner & a game of Catch Phrase finished out the evening with tons sof laughs.

The next day we packed our coolers, tubes, canopy and loads of sunscreen (although Ashley still burnt to a crisp) to hang out in the water all day. The river was low, so we didn’t do a floating trip this year, but this was fun too. Walter even got in the water though he’s not the raving fan of rivers and lakes like Chewy was. He liked it enough to cool down and didn’t seem afraid (I can’t wait to take him out on the boat for the first time to see his reaction to that). It started raining at one point –BURR– so we hunkered under the canopy and waited it out. The sun popped right back out, and that was it.

It poured that evening, so we ate dinner and watched a movie in the camper. This is probably the heaviest storm we’ve been in while camping, and poor Walter is scared of storms. Cameron and I did shots together (of ranch, that is, to dip the VERY BEST PARMESAN CRUSTED GREEN BEANS that we got from our trip to HEB. Man, I love that store and can’t wait for the day we get one near us.

Spring Branch was the closest town about 15 minutes away (Walmart – check!) and several other stores and restaurants. We tried a Mexican restaurant that was “ok”, although Cameron grossed out because some of her taco meat looked like it wasn’t cooked all the way. We stopped at a huge (& pricey, might I say) “yard art” place on a mission to find another piece to add to the display by our hot tub at home. I found a cute bobble head gecko and Ashley got some number tiles and a cute rustic display for the front of her house.

We ventured out one night to eat at Richter’s Antlers, one of Cameron’s favorite restaurants – all due the fact they put BOTTLES of ranch (the good homemade kind) at your table. We were squirting it on crackers, dousing our salads, dipping those fries . . . healthy, healthy. . .LOL. I think this is the 3rd or 4th time we’ve been here and the chicken fried steak is some of the best I’ve every tasted. It’s become a tradition any time we’re near this area. Y’all, our drive home put us in awe – the sunset!! We were videoing and taking pictures like it was the last one ever. Plus the hill country is absolutely gorgeous. Good job God!

Cameron got to drive Kevin’s big ole truck for the first time and even backed it into the spot by the camper. My little girl is growing up. Less than 1 month until she turns 16 and will be driving on her own!

We always do an inventory on the wildlife we see each trip This time we came across an armadillo, some spotted deer, a snake and a stick bug that was the size of my foot! There was a clan of vultures hanging out by the picnic tables at the river that kept swooping around, and at one point Walter jumped up and snapped at one that came pretty low. We called them flying chickens. We were told Walter’s first family gave him up because he kept attacking the chickens on the farm next door. Also, the locusts in the trees at night were deafening (in a good way), but I love that sound and sitting out under the string lights at night. The only thing missing was a campfire but it was too wet and hot.

We hiked on one of few trails that was open due to all of the rain and mud. Not much to write home about, but we got some steps in. Played some games of Racko, 9 Square and Kings on Corners. The flies were horrible, but thanks to my new found contraptions (fly fans), we got to picnic outside keeping them away from our food and drinks. They’re so cool. You can reach your into the snack you’re going for and the reflective bands stop spinning, then start back up when you remove your hand. Shannon had them at her birthday party that we just went to. Game changer! Speaking of gadgets, we fired up the washer and dryer for the first time just to see if they worked. We were thinking about selling them, since we never camp long enough to need them, and thought turning that into a closed for more storage would be better. Turns out they measure about an inch wider than the door, meaning we’d have to take the door and trim off to squeeze them though after lifting the bed and hoisting them up over the dresser just to get them our of the bedroom. Weighing in at 175 lbs, we might rethink removing them. They worked great – pretty bouchée.

Our last night there we made fajitas on the Blackstone. Notice Cameron is cooking up the tortillas the “lazy man’s way”, sitting in the camping chair. That’s my girl . . . After dinner we went down the river and had it all to ourselves (and the flying chickens). Cameron and Kevin searched for the perfect rocks for the their skipping rock showdown. Kevin could be on ESPN with his talents. Cameron is still working on her techniques.

We had a great trip all in all. It’s not quite Garner State Park, where we’ve been the past couple of river trips, but it’s nice that it’s a little closer. One hiccup on the way out when we couldn’t figure out why the “service break system” warning light popped up and it smelled like burnt peanuts when we got out at the dump station. Turns out the emergency trailer brake cord came out when something hit it in the bed of the truck, locking up the brakes in the trailer. Kevin thought is was pulling a little heavy. But he figured it out and off we went.

P.S. Walter had the best of times. He’s getting into this camping thing. Such a good dog!

Date: 9/5-9/8/2019

Site:  Big Pine 7

Another beautiful park in East Texas – love all of the pine trees! This was a great pull thru site with a trail leading right down to the water.

There’s a great swimming area here with a floating dock in the middle of the lake. Both kids forgot swim suits! This is, of course, after running down the “what I have packed” list TWICE with each of them on what they had in their bags. Wonder where they got that from??  We made due with sports bras and shorts (Nolan left his sports bra at home) & chewy sported his red bandana of course.

There’s a great shady hike around the lake. We ran across a little snake that Zoey thought was so interesting.

You know we never go hungry when we camp. Tried out a local Mexican restaurant, big breakfast on the blackstone and homemade ice cream one day. We’re going to have work on the recipe for next time.

Got our game time in and firewood chopped

Some clever jokester across the way tied a fake snake to fishing line and put it in the middle of the road. When anyone walked by, they’d be hiding and reel it in. It about gave me a heart attack! May have to try this some day.

Enjoyed a picnic by the swimming area

Hanging out with the doggos in the camper. Zoey’s trying to bury her food dish under Cameron’s knee to save for later. Chewy can’t figure out why you wouldn’t eat every last morsel every time!

This is definitely a place we’ll come back to!!

P.S. This is the facility where we store the camper. Kevin checks the tire pressure before we get on the road and there’s an air hose here if we need it.

2/14-2/19/2020

Site LV204

I’m writing about this trip almost 2 years later, so we’ll see what I remember . . . .Tyler SP is one of our FAVORITE parks! Views of the lake were gorgeous and the weather cooperated the whole time.

On the drive up, we thought it would be cute for all of the girls to have matching jammies, so we ended up stopping at 3 different Walmarts on the way to finally score all of the sizes we needed! Sorry Nolan, Cole and Kevin, maybe we’ll do matching jammies for y’all next time.

This is one of the few trips where Cameron and Nolan each got to bring a friend (Presley and Cole), plus Ashley and Zoey joined us to add to the fun. We got in our standard corn hole matches, hanging out by the fire, great hikes, card games and plenty of relaxing.

The raccoons at this park are VERY much “in your business” and come right up to your campsite to see what there’s to steal. Guess this guy was excited about the pulled pork we had going in the crock pot.

The boys kept busy riding bikes and chopping wood. Only one casualty . . the hand axe. Poor Cole ended up getting a stomach virus and had to cut the trip short.

The girls stayed at Ashley’s house at night doing the typical girls sleep over stuff – movies, face masks and girly things.

We’ll definitely be back!

 

 

3/15/2020-3/18/2020

Spring Break here we come!  Couldn’t think of a better way to get away from this whole Corona Virus disaster with social distancing and nature at it’s finest.  Kevin, Cameron and I drove up on Sunday and Mimi, Earl and Nolan came Monday after stopping for lunch and touring the Silos (Chip & Joanna Gaines’ empire) in Waco.  Mimi and Earl got a hotel in Burnet (just 15 minutes away) so they could hang out with us at the campsite, but they could have their “mandatory” king size bed & hotel luxuries at night.  It worked out great!

This state park is in Texas’s gorgeous Hill Country.  The wildflowers did not disappoint (although they weren’t at full bloom yet) and what gorgeous scenery!  Our spot was quite tight – we BARELY fit (good thing the site across the way wasn’t occupied yet, because Kevin had to pull into that one to get the camper squeezed in at the right angle).  We had a beautiful lake view and perfect shade trees to hang the hammocks. Settled in that night with tacos, a game of 9 square and the movie Instant Family.

Managed to lock Kevin’s keys in the truck (thank you OnStar for your remote unlock geniousness) and took a quick hike down to Devil’s waterhole, a swimming hole that this park is known for.  It has tall cliffs that you can jump off (at your own risk they will remind you) and it’s beautiful!  There’s another hike that leaves from there that we all went on the next day.  You can’t believe the vegetation & views (prickly pear cactus, yuccas, rock outcroppings, cliffs & streams).

Chewy, as usual, enjoyed every minute spending most of his day looking straight up as the squirrels that taunted him (his neck has to be soar), watching the geese on the lake, napping on the couch while we were gone, hiking and hanging out on his own personal camping chair (although I’m pretty sure he just sits on that to humor us – he’d prefer one of our human chairs).

There are 2 towns nearby.  Burnet is one way and Kingsland is 15 minutes the other direction.  We ate at a great Mexican restaurant called Alfredos (awesome queso, fajitas & enchiladas plus homemade ranch!).  This is, of course, after washing our hands every 10 minutes, dousing in hand sanitizer and keeping our 6 ft distance from the pubic – pretty much the story of our trip when we ventured out with the Corona Virus being at the top of our minds.

That night after Mimi, Earl and Nolan arrived, we showed them around the cute park store (bought t-shirts & ice cream), hiked, then grilled chicken and had s’mores by the campfire.  Note to self:  don’t forget the firewood from home ($11.99/bundle gets expensive – but is well worth it)  Love me a campfire and perfect weather for it. 

The weather actually cooperated with us. We were a bit apprehensive on how the trip would turn out, because the forecast showed thunderstorms EVERYDAY! We only got rained on once when we were setting up and had a storm blow through one night that wrecked our canopy  😦  

We celebrated St Patty’s Day on the Vanishing Texas River Cruise that showed us around Lake Buchanan in a double decker “cruise boat”.  Absolutely beautiful and we all learned some interesting facts about the area.  I wouldn’t call it exhilarating, but the scenery made it worth it. Earl even managed to find a Groupon before we got there. Again, keeping our 6 ft from each other, washing those hands and dousing in hand sanitizer.  Mom called ahead to make sure it wouldn’t be too crowded for them to feel comfortable to be exposed (they fall in the more dangerous age category and need to be extra careful).  The lower deck was enclosed where they had water and tea, and stairs that led to an open air upper deck.  And again, the weather was perfect!

We had lunch in Burnet at El Charro’s, another good Mexican restaurant.  Homemade tortillas, great fajitas (with smoked sausage, shrimp, chicken and beef) and nachos!

The wildlife consisted of some deer (2 road kill and 2 live ones), tons of birds (there’s a bird sanctuary we didn’t make it to), TONS of geese and squirrels (one who got into the tray of brownies when Earl was less than 10 feet away – little stinker!)

That night we played Quirkle & Farkle at the picnic table and grilled burgers.  Other entertainment for the evening was a man trying to back his trailer, and it must have been his first time.  He missed the concrete pad by about 10 feet, and ended up 45 degrees the wrong direction. In and out of his truck about 15 times, back and forth, and back and forth, and finally gave up and put it in another spot.  It was painful for Kevin to watch, but one of the other camper neighbors was already out there trying to help.  Reminded me of an episode of Family Guy where Peter tried to back a trailer down the boat ramp (Google it if you haven’t seen it – had me doubled over with tears streaming down my face).

The kids laid in their hammocks a ton, rode their bikes, Kevin got in some fishing (although not enough) and I relaxed.  This is what these trips are all about, spending time with family, enjoying life and making memories.  

 

May 26-30, 2019

Site 428

Memorial Day weekend! This park has been on our bucket list for a while and it did not disappoint!  The cherry on top was that my cousin Jamie, Jennifer and their kids (Cole and Delaney) were meeting us there!!  It’s a pretty far haul (5 hr 45 minutes & add a couple of hours for the way we travel), so we made sure we had 4 nights there to make the drive worth while.

 

Check in was different than we’re used to.  When you pull up, you go into the office and take a number (like at the meat counter in a deli) and wait for it to be called.  It can sometimes take several hours, but we were lucky enough to only have 14 people ahead of us (Jamie had 40 ahead of them).

We made our reservation 4 or 5 months in advance and even then, put ourselves on a wait list to get a better spot than the ONE that was available when we reserved it.  We switched to site 428 (managed to get on the same loop as the Brosts) and it turns out to be one of our favorites after cruising the park.  There were gorgeous views of mountains (who knew TX has those?) and beautiful wild flowers.  Spacious and super private.

 

Garner State Park is one of the favorite parks among fellow campers and we agreed!  It is HUGE and the scenery everywhere is breath taking.  It’s right on the Frio River, has a huge park store, nightly dances and tons of wildlife.  We could have stayed for a week!

The first night we ate dinner at Neale’s on the Frio.  Great atmosphere and views.  Sat by the fireplace decorated for Memorial Day.  Good ole Southern comfort food.

 

On the drive up I called Concan Pies (a MUST TRY according to trip advisor) to find out when they’d be open over the holiday weekend.  Turns out you had to place an order the day before and pick up first thing the next morning.  They sell out each day just after opening and close shop after that.  My cell phone had terrible reception and I kept getting disconnected.  I ended up texting them and they promised to make my pies even though we couldn’t keep connected long enough to give my credit card info to reserve the pies- this was probably the most stressful part of the trip!!  They stood by their word  and had them ready to go for us (Chocolate and some other kind I can’t remember – ended up being just OK, but at least we got to try them.)  Right next door was an outdoor yard art place that had such cool decor to buy.  Took us an hour to pick out just what I wanted – an iron cactus for our backyard.  Love it! Lunch was at Mama Chole’s, a local recommendation.

 

 

The Brosts arrived, and after their 2 hr check-in, set up in the same loop just down the road.  Hopefully next time we’ll get sites next to each other (428 & 430 – their favorite spot that they’ve camped at for several years in a row).  Nolan and Cole slept in a tent at their site (real camping) and the girls slept in our camper (glamping).

 

 

The Frio River is CRYSTAL CLEAR – much different than the Guadalupe that we’ve done twice over Memorial Day.  The kids did the rope swings, the adults, hung out in the tubes.  and Chewy went swimming – great times for all!

 

As far as wildlife goes, we saw turkeys (or were they turkey voltures . . . we called them Vurkeys), jack rabbits, a bobcat (heard it by our campsite and it ran to the neighbors who saw what it was).

Even at camp we had no cell reception.  So there was no way to communicate with each other, other than good ole fashion walking to each other’s site or driving around until we saw each other.  In order to send or receive texts, we had to fire up Kevin’s truck to get his Wifi – really roughing it!

One night we ate tacos and watched Dumb and Dumber on the screen outside.  Broke into both pies and served it up with a $12 half gallon of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla (last one in town) b/c who can have pie with out Blue Bell?  Like I said, the pie was just OK.

Another night we grilled burgers and attended the “Dance” which is a nightly tradition there where people come from all over (some dressed up and some were in shorts & t-shirts) to sit and listen to music and dance the night away.  I sat and watched, the men stayed back at camp until we forced them to come later, the boys wandered around, and Jennifer and Delaney taught Cameron to two step.

We set up our canopy at the day area and tied up the double tubes along with some drinks for the adults and watched the kiddos swing from the ropes and cliff dive while some other kids climbed to a platform to jump off that had to be 100 ft in the air – talk about crazy!!

The Brosts brought their dogs (this was their first time to come) and they ended up doing pretty well – although Jennifer did have to go Walmart (45 minutes away) to get them bottled water because they wouldn’t drink the water out of the tap.  They even went swimming with us one day.  Millie was not a fan!  But we did manage to get some great pictures.  Chewy loves every minute he can be in the water (but don’t try to get him in the pool at home – he DOES NOT even want to consider that).

We didn’t do any hikes this time, but Kevin and Jamie did get to fish one morning.  There’s a hike that goes straight up and is pretty rocky called Old Baldy, maybe next year?

There were so many great picture opportunities with all of the views!

It was time to get home.  We packed everything up and were heading for the dump station when we turned the wrong way.  Turning back around was a pretty tight cut   . . . . POP!!!! went the back window!!  The front of the trailer busted the back window, thankfully it did not fall out, but it was shattered.  Turns out the slider hitch (that is specifically made to keep this from happening) was not in the correct position due to a piece of firewood that got jammed in the way.  Cameron about died when this happened.  Kevin taped up the window for the drive home, while we got to listen the whistling whine of the wind the whole way back.  Good times!!  That’s a mistake we won’t make again. Ugh!

This will definitely be a trip we try to do as a yearly Memorial Day weekend tradition.  Next time I’d love to see the Flight of the Bats and the Pecan Orchards. The new reservation system only allows you to book 5 months out.  We have our calendars set to log in at 8 am to get our sites – wish us luck!!

 

 

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October 4-6, 2019

Site 31 – 50 AMP (Brosts were in site 51) – far from bathrooms (very old), good shade, close to water, but no access.  We like some of the other sites better.

One of the things we love about this park are the abundance of deer that hang around the camp site.  It’s like a movie out our windows.  They are not afraid of people (or dogs) at all!

We were lucky enough for the stars to align and set up this trip with my cousin Jamie and his family.  Getting our calendars free on the same dates proves to be a challenge!  We’ve managed to get together 3 or 4 times over the last year after not seeing each other for years.  So nice to see our kids get along so well and the adults too – love it!

Kevin headed out there on Thursday ahead of everyone and Jamie went early on Friday as well.  The mom’s picked up the kids after school and arrived in time for dinner on Friday.  We ate at Pulidos (rated #1 Mexican food in Mineral Wells – my go to for choosing restaurants) – really good beef tacos, beef/bean burritos & interesting sides.  Definitely would go back.

That night the girls stayed in our camper and the boys in the Brost’s.  Have to get in all the time together they can.

Saturday morning Jamie and Kevin went fishing while Jennifer and I took the kids on a hike – Penitentiary Point.  Another reason we love this park in the fall is the hiking – tons of giant rock formations to scale, gorgeous views of the lake and lots of trees for shade.  Unfortunately the cold front that was forecasted pushed out until Monday, so we were stuck with 95 degrees all weekend.  Man do we feel old and out of shape!  By the end, Jennifer’s hips and knees were bothering her and my back was tired.  We grunted and groaned a bunch too.  At least we got my obligatory hundreds of photos taken (convenient time to take breaks at every snap of the camera).

We had to force ourselves not to “helicopter parent” (anxiety was at an all time high) as the kids climbed to the tippy tops of the massive rock outcroppings – no harnesses of course.  At the end, we trudged up the never ending stone stairs to realize our car was not where we thought and walked at least 12 miles (well, maybe that’s an exaggeration) down the paved road with no shade, and the sun BEATING down on us.   I almost called Kevin after walking what seemed to be forever, to come get us, but after looking at the map, realized it wasn’t much further.  At last we spotted the car and literally yelled for joy.  So thirsty!!  Now there’s a new rule in place –  if you want water, you carry it yourself, not drink all of mom’s.

 

We headed back to our campers for a rest and some lunch (grilled cheese on the electric skillet – boy that thing is handy, being able to make 6 sandwiches at a time).  Cameron and I played some games while Kevin and Chewy napped.

We decided to check out the park store.  That turned into a friendly game of tackle football between the kids.  We ate some ice cream by the lake while the boys taught the girls how to hike the ball, and some different plays.  Miraculously, there were no tears shed and everyone got along!  That’s a win in my book!

That night we planned a big dinner together.  Kevin grilled up a storm – 5 lbs of burgers and 5 lbs of smoked sausage.  Just as it was time to eat, I ran inside to the grab the buns and flung open the door to take them out to Kevin, just as he was coming up the stairs carrying the food.  Whammo!  Both trays of meat went flying as the door smacked into him and all but 1 burger hit the ground.  Some were saved by the outdoor rug and all the rest landed straight on the sand.  We washed off what we could and renamed them Sandburgers . . . ugh!  One of those moments that, at the time, not so funny, but we all ended up laughing about it anyway.

We had planned on s’mores too,  but since there was a burn ban in effect, that was a “no go”.  It was alright with me, considering the 95 degrees.

After a mean game of Kings on Corners, all the kiddos stayed at our place that night while Jamie and Jennifer tried to get some sleep.  Their dogs kept them up whining until 2:30 the night before, so hopefully not having all of the kids there helped keep the doggies stay asleep.

We made breakfast the next morning – pancakes, bacon and eggs.  The Brosts were packed up and headed home before 10 am.  We loaded up about noon and saw there were at least 10 campers in line ahead of us at the dump station.  Kevin opted to wait and use the storage facility’s sewer.  We noticed for the 2nd time, when we were unhooking, that there was a leak coming from the black tank we were going to have to look into.  I drove further behind just in case it leaked and didn’t want it hitting my brand new car.  Mario, the RV repair man check it out after we got back and said the pipe was never connected (probably a factory default) and he’s not sure why we haven’t had more problems.  Also discovered the roof was torn in several places from low lying branches, so that’s going to have to be replaces too.  Man, it’s always something . . . but all the headache is worth every bit of it – WE LOVE CAMPING!

Cameron said she wanted to make us dinner that night and Pinterested all the way home, coming up with a recipe.  We invited the Pollones over and she served up “Cameron’s Taco Casserole” – Delish!!  Not a bad way to end a great weekend.

June 21-26, 2019

Lake Ray Roberts – Isle Du Bois

Site 54 (Deer Ridge Loop) – very unlevel, 30 AMP, close to water

This trip started out a little rough.  We loaded the camper and boat Friday night after work, arriving much later than usual (around 8:30 pm) only to realize someone stole our power cord out of one of the outside compartments at our storage facility – I HATE thieves!   So, our plan of dropping the camper, turning on the A/C on for Chewy, going out to dinner & grocery shopping all went down the drain.  We unhooked the trailer, ate Sonic around 10 pm and headed back home to sleep around midnight.  Kevin had to be at work the next day, so the kids and I were responsible for getting the electric hooked up by ourselves.  I borrowed a cord from Alan (those things are $300 and Kevin found one for $140 on Ebay- worth the wait).  Came across a little problem with the prongs on Alan’s cord all smashed down – great . . . but nothing a little Facetime instructions and some pliers couldn’t correct – back on track and we did it!

Got the fridge turned on and determined the A/C was running with out tripping – Go us!! This was the first time we’d run on only 30 AMPs (2 A/Cs typically require 50 AMPs), and I needed to make sure it wouldn’t cut out when we were gone and Chewy was stuck in the sweltering heat!  The kids and I headed to the Denton water park to relax and cool off until Kevin got off work and joined us back at the campsite.

We ate Ernesto’s for dinner – one of our staple Mexican joints from when we lived in Pilot Point.

This was a super unlevel site and the nose of the camper was almost resting on the ground to get it level.  Just 2 sites over was under water from the high lake levels, but it worked out perfect to have close water access for us to swim.

Our Sunday plan for taking the boat out was derailed when the winds rolled in, causing tidal waves at the boat launch.  I’m not kidding, they were knocking the docks around like a bucking bronco.  We were entertained watching a guy wrestle his boat onto his trailer for more than 15 minutes before he was successful.  So, we decided against that!

The beach and day use areas were closed for renovations/flooding, so we swam a couple of sites down from ours.  Chewy got to swim and try out his new shark life-jacked (never has their been cuter!).

We hiked a trail (hot and muggy – my favorite hiking weather) and watched a movie to get out of the heat.

We drove into Pilot Point for some sight seeing: Lone Star (old Lantana Lodge), my old house on Twin Creeks, my parent’s old house (Happy Trails) and Sharkarosa Ranch drive by.

Mary & David were in town and came with Mimi and Earl to swing through our campsite (could only stay for 10 minutes to avoid the $7 per person charge at the State Park.  We were looking forward to stuffing ourselves at Babe’s chicken only to find out they are closed on Sunday.  So Prairie house it was – it did not disappoint!  Burnt brisket ends, Texas toothpicks, homemade ranch, hot-out-of-the-oven croutons and my favorite jalapeno corn bread – yum!

The kids and I headed home because we had work and school on Monday, while Kevin & Chewy stayed on for another couple of days.  They went fishing (Chewy was quite the helper and tried to eat the fish as Kevin pulled them out of the water).  Kevin’s buddy, David, from work came to fish and have lunch at Bebo’s one day.

It was a fun trip, but definitely not at all as planned.  Oh well, just gotta roll with the punches – we’re good at that!