On August 21st, we started a 14 day camping trip during which we would hope to visit 8 different state parks, staying at 7 of them. We were really excited to see how we would do away from home for that long as well as setting up and breaking down camp every 2 days. I booked all of the sites in advance online and while laborious, I was optimistic we had some good selections. Starting our trip on a Saturday, our first park only had one site left, so little choice there. But everything else from what I researched looked promising! And to top it off, Wanda had just received a new facelift! New tires rated for better highway speeds, replaced and structurally reinforced trim work, all new LED lights, AND fresh paint from top to bottom! The exterior checklist was done! That just leaves the interior for next year. 👍🏻
We started with a less than 3 hour drive to Lockhart and I was so excited to have the opportunity to visit the Luling Buccees for the first time in YEARS! I’m not even sure the boys have ever been to that one. Of course, there’s bigger locations now, but this one is OG for me lol! I also thought my loaded down car and camper looked cool in the lot 😜
We arrived around lunchtime to our unique site and I understood why it was the last one available. It was classified as a pull thru site, but what it failed to mention was that it shared the pull thru driveway with 2 other hookups! Really bizarre and quite tedious having to pull past other camps on the narrow driveway. Then came the leveling. I always pull up to a site, get out and walk the pad before backing/pulling in to survey the best positioning and could see right away this was going to be a nightmare. The entire driveway sloped down a hill….my 30 year old camper doesn’t self level lol! After 2 hours, which included hitching back up to adjust, the use of 2 jack stands and 2 hydraulic lifts…and did I mention the site had zero shade? Oh yea… I finally called it good enough and even then the door barely worked. Why even have that site available? Ugh.
Extremely hot and tired, I sat down for a minute before making lunch and was able to take in the actual perks to our site. We were right on the bank of the prettiest part of the Clear Fork Creek that runs through the park. And then I broke out in hives.
I was a little panicked because this had only ever happened once before as a reaction to a vitamin supplement and as a result I don’t regularly carry adult strength Benadryl. So we hopped in the car, drove to Lockhart and were at a Walgreens in less than 10 minutes. Yay for our first park being close to town! While waiting for the 1 Benadryl to work, we went to Sonic for a much needed bite to eat and the hives GOT WORSE. Double ugh. 2nd pill then and they finally started to go down. But then for the rest of the day I was in a fog.
Our entire camp site was still inundated in 98 degree direct sunlight at 2:30, so we drove 30 minutes to Buda and killed time in Cabelas(they allow dogs btw). We got back, made and ate dinner in a corner of shade and by 8pm it had finally cooled off in the camper tolerably. I’d be lying if by that point I hadn’t thought about scrapping the trip. This was day one of 14 and there was already a lot of bullshit. I didn’t want to bail out to a hotel already, but our next park (Inks Lake) was still full for Sunday night, so we needed to power through just one more night at what I had already coined the “shit park.” Hahaha.
Sunday morning after a crappy night’s sleep with the hives returning and then subduing without meds (still have no idea why that was a thing), we decided we would sight see in the morning and hit the swimming pool during the heat of the day after lunch.
We walked a short trail along the bank of the creek with fishing poles in hand casting where openings allowed. An added bonus was a “story walk” the park installed along the trail and it happened to be Eric Carle’s “Hungry Caterpillar!” A long time favorite of the kids. 🙂 We crossed one of the many CCC dams throughout the park and checked out the ruins of an old latrine lol! The kids couldn’t get over “just pooping out in the open sitting on a hole on rock! And side by side at that!” 😆 I’m thinking there may have been a wood privacy structure at one point. So our morning walk was entertaining, scenic and historical(?)…off to a good start!
We ate our lunch and headed to the pool in time for its 12-2pm session only to be asked if we had pre purchased our tickets as it was sold out. Oi. Thankfully the 3-5pm session was not sold out and I purchased our entry tickets at $1/kid and $2/adult. Whatever. What to do until 3pm during the heat of the day then…shaded creek to the rescue! A hammock stretched perfectly across and I genuinely rested while the kids built dams and raced leaves.
Our pool experience was fine. The kids thoroughly enjoyed the diving board and I soaked until I felt water logged enough.
With more time to kill after dinner before the camper would feel cool enough for sleep, we drove around checking out more CCC attractions. Which this park has plenty! We looked at more dams, a recreation hall, water towers and the site of the original swimming pool. The old pool area really impressed.
Apparently the CCC also installed golf courses at a number of the parks they created across the state and Lockhart is the only one to still maintain theirs. We learned the original tee-off started hundreds of feet above the course atop a hill by the rec hall and was reworked out of the course in the 70s. Even as non golfers, we thought that would’ve been neat to do.
The next morning we packed it up early and headed for Inks Lake State Park with lots of optimism for the rest of the trip. Lockhart had so many interesting features, but just not enough to make us hurry back. Apparently the city of Lockhart is famous for BBQ. Maybe if we came back to partake in that, we could camp there again. But book in advance and not on a weekend and definitely in another RV area. The other sites in our loop looked just as unlevel and chaotic. The full hook up sites were quite fancy and would be worth the extra fee to save a headache…or hives. Lol
-Lindsay
Gregarious Gregorys 