Wanda (the pop up camper) is back on the road!!! After being marooned in Rocksprings for 7 months and a summer spent getting a few modifications by Handy Hubby, she’s better than ever! And what better way to re-inaugurate her than a quick weekend to a park 2 hours away with 5 people and 2 dogs?!

The state park is actually spread out over two units on Jim Chapman Lake. The lake was created in 1991 by damming the South Sulphur river and the entire lake front is either State Park or wildlife management area. We elected to set up camp at the smaller unit to the north, Doctors Creek, and visit the South Sulphur Unit during our stay. Opened in 1996, it is one of the newer parks we’ve visited and we were optimistic for some nice amenities and enjoyable water play in this lingering heat.

Travel and set up at the park went smoothly and I was pleased with the site selection I previously made online. I was hopeful for more direct water access from our site for swimming and fishing, but the overgrowth along that part of the shoreline made it not ideal. After our lunch, we decided a swimming attempt would be the best way to spend the afternoon.

I am learning that the older I get, my level of “water prissy-ness” is only increasing. I NEED to see my feet if I’m going to touch the bottom. I will get in water where I don’t see the bottom, but I NEED to see what’s around my body. 🤦🏻‍♀️ This swimming area was not satisfactory to my NEEDS…. however! I did manage to swipe one the kids floats and keep myself topside while cooling off. Lol! The kids and Nathan didn’t care. Bunch of savages 😉.

The kids received awesome camping hammocks for Christmas last year and we finally had the perfect time and setting to use them! Hammocks for the win! They were laid back in those things any time we were at camp and they weren’t being summoned for something. Archer did flip out– twice– but didn’t injure himself too badly and hopefully has it figured out.

After dinner, we attempted some fishing from the shore near the boat ramp, but fatigue was setting in and attention spans were short. So an hour later, we were back at camp to find 7 additional cars at our neighbors camper and quite the hoorah going down. So much for a quiet evening in the woods. We retired indoors around 8 pm and played a few rounds of uno. By 9 pm we were all ready for bed and didn’t hear anything else from our neighbors after 10pm. Thank goodness.

That morning, we hit a half mile nature trail and Nathan found a geocache! I haven’t really made them a thing when traveling with the kids, but he has always had an interest so I’m glad he was able to share it with them. When we finished the easy stroll through post oaks and pocket prairies, Ashlyn was itching for some more hiking (atta girl!), so she and I took an additional half mile trail to the day use area where the boys met us with the car at a playground.

We returned to the camper for an early lunch and leisurely pack up and were on our way to the South Sulphur Unit before noon. This side of the park was significantly larger! It has 4 day use areas, 2 multiple lane boat ramps, and 4 camping areas including an equestrian site and cabins. The swim area was larger and had a sandy beach entrance. Much of the shoreline made for easy water access even in the camping areas. We picked the day use picnic area for a quick dip in the water. Because it wasn’t an official swimming area, we were able to let the girls play. And they had a ball! Sally was leaping and splashing everywhere while Skye enjoyed a wade.

We would definitely come back to this park for another quick weekend retreat. I’m sure it’s seasonal and the heat as of lately is deterring people, but we mostly had the place to ourselves everywhere we went! Although I found myself missing the charm of a CCC era park, the amenities are on the new side and clean. The next visit, we would love to stay on the South Sulphur side and try out site 68 to be exact. It’s on the end of the camping loop and looks to have fantastic lake frontage all it’s own. We are so happy to have the camper out and about again. This Fall (and part of Winter perhaps) Betty and Wanda are going to go places!

-Lindsay

We were SO excited for this park! Geology Hubby was able to come, this was the kids’ first cave experience having only seen rock shelters to this point AND bonus! the McCrackens joined us as well. The park was just a few miles from the house we had just spent the weekend at and we were able to get in to the first tour at 10am. The tour was almost 2 hours long and chock full of information and history! I’m going to do my best to recap it all.

This Solution Cave formed as a result of the prehistoric “lift up” that occurred when volcanic activity caused the land in Texas that was ocean floor to rise above sea level. Rivers then formed and this area’s river flow dissolved the limestone and dolamite rock bed creating the unique tunnels and spaces below ground. Prior to becoming a state park attraction in 1932; the Comanche, the Confederate Army and party-goers of the 20’s used various parts of the cavern via the numerous above ground entrance points. The state of Texas purchased the property from Rancher D.G. Sherrard and the CCC spent 4 years cleaning debris, washed in dirt and even skeletons of longhorns that had tumbled in. Thus the inspiration for the name!

We began the tour at the CCC created entrance and we had barely gotten over the fact we were under ground and in 68* with 102* up above when we walked into the first calcite deposit in the cave. Holy crystals, batman! 😂

On our way to the main chamber, we encountered our first of many aerial bats! The guide told us this was a real treat as Tricolor Bats are normally very sedentary when in the cavern emerging only every 3 days to eat tons of mosquitoes and then return. But, Fall is mating season! So they were darting everywhere! I did manage to catch one sitting still for a picture! We arrived in the main chamber where the original entrance was once located prior to 1934 and thoroughly enjoyed stories of Comanche rituals, Confederate soldiers mining bat guano for gun powder and elaborate dinner and dancing parties. While the entrance was concreted over after the cavern was established as a state park, there were a number of other remnants of the “days of yore.” Such as the bandstand, the access and pulley system that was used for food service, the spot known as the “Queen’s Throne” complete with broken off stalactite carved names 😳, and a few remaining barrels from the Cold War Era when the cavern was stocked to support 2,000 people in the event of nuclear holocaust.

After a brief hunched over walk, we came upon the stunning “Hall of Marble.” Not actual marble, but dolamite stone. In this area, we got a great look at a 17,000 year old stalactite formation! Fun fact, it takes 100 years for 1 inch of calcification to form and if touched, the oils on our skin will kill the process. Yikes!

We got as far down as 125ft below the surface and the guide turned out the lights! I mean, you expect it to be dark…but dang! Pitch black darkness is intimidating! From there, we back tracked and that was the end of the tour. 11 miles of the cavern has been explored to date. We saw 1.5. Amazing.

For as much work as the CCC did below ground, they doubled it above in this park. They built roads, levees and numerous buildings out of the materials they pulled out of the cave. After lunch, we explored some fine examples of “National Park Service (NPS) Rustic” as we came to learn the style of CCC structures are called. We particularly enjoyed climbing the watch tower and inspecting the original visitor center that was used until 1967. That building was one of the more elaborate I’ve been in for a state park.

There were a few short hiking trails in the park as well, but we were spent and still had a 4 hour drive home. This park is a chart topper, for obvious reasons! The kids said the cave “trail” was the best trail ever. Lol! Weston wants to return to do the wild cave tour where they take you through 4 extra tunnels some of which you’re army crawling through. Stay tuned 😉

-Lindsay

This past weekend we managed to pull off a long overdue vacation with my bestie and her family. <yay!> Our original plan sought more of a lake front style property on either Inks Lake or Lake LBJ, but availability and budget set us in between the 2 on the Colorado River. We selected a waterfront airbnb with a neat layout and plenty of water gear included. It didn’t take us long Friday evening to take a canoe out and explore on the granite rocks scattered throughout the river followed by fishing until sunset.

Saturday morning we explored the water frontage of the neighborhood park located right beside the house. The kids found a shallow pool in the rock bed from the receded river and Nathan managed to hook a 3lb bass out of it! The bleeding heart in the family (Ashlyn) convinced him to release it back in the main river because, “he had already been through enough in that tiny pool.” 😆

Before it got too hot, we took the canoe and one of the larger kayaks out and managed the 1 mile trip up river to check out the Inks Lake Dam.

Back at the house, while I made lunch, the boys managed to catch 2 crawfish from the same shallow pool and convinced me to cook them. Archer chickened out last minute on eating his, but Weston followed through!

By this point in the day we really wanted to swim, but the shallow water in front the house made for a funky sludge bottom that grossed the grown ups out too much. Lucky for us the house had access to the nearby marina with a swimming pier and deeper water. The moms managed to enjoy a float with their babies.

Even better! While our hamburger dinner was being prepared, the moms managed a winery trip in as well! Perissos, a swanky winery 6 minutes from the house for the win! After dinner, everyone wrapped up the fun filled, but gone too fast day in their own ways.

Sunday morning everyone enjoyed sleeping in, but we got on with checking out. We were on our way to Longhorn Cavern State Park! 😁

-Lindsay