Ashlyn turned 10 this year! Coincidently, the final competition for her Dance Team was the same weekend, May 3rd-5th. We decided to make the most of a trip to the city and jam packed it with not only birthday shenanigans for Ashlyn, but family fun for all since Daddy would be joining.

We arrived Friday evening in Mansfield and checked into our hotel. By 7:30 we were sitting in a brewery in downtown Mansfield playing UNO and sampling some brews. I braved a dill pickle beer and I tell y’all, it tasted just like Grandma’s homemade pickles lol! Everyone was tucked in by 9pm and we slept the best we could that night with a room on the freeway side of the building. My 6am alarm was abrupt Saturday morning, but Ashlyn and I managed an early breakfast and got to work on her hair and makeup while the boys started their day. We all loaded up and had our tiny dancer at the auditorium by the required 1 hr prior to performance time at 8:50am. Phew! The entire team performed and earned platinum elites and best overall trophies. I’m still learning the lingo, but these are all exceptional things. By 10am, we were cut loose until Ashlyn’s next performance time at 6:30pm

A quick change of clothes and snack at the hotel and we were on our way to a busy afternoon. First stop was the mall in Arlington, where we ordered a birthday cookie cake for Ashlyn and ate Chick-fil-A at the food court. Next up was one of the 2 Arlington breweries we had on the agenda for the day. We were surprised to find an Art Festival on the same street as Division Brewing and even more surprised that we were allowed to stroll the street with our beers! We enjoyed seeing a wide variety of crafts and art. There was even a perler bead booth and the kids marveled for quite a while. On the way back to our car, Weston met and requested a photo with the REAL Spider-Man. 😉

Legal Draft Brewing had quite the set up and variety of beer! It was unfortunate that we didn’t have more time for this place, but retained our leftover tokens for another visit before this Summer’s Astros v. Rangers game we will attend.

After we picked up a super cute cookie cake, it was time for an easy in room dinner and get our dancer ready for her final 2 performances. Their performances were complete by 7pm, but we didn’t have an awards ceremony to attend until 10pm! Crazy dance life, right? So we filled the time with a hotel pool birthday party for Ashlyn. Much to her excitement, all of her teammates with the exception of one were able to attend and they played hard for about 45 minutes. At one point the fire alarm went off in the hotel and we were looking at possibly doing cake in the parking lot! But an all clear was called and the kids were able to have a few more dives and sing happy birthday in doors.

A bunch of tired kids and parents arrived back at the auditorium where Ashlyn was surprised with the entire place singing happy birthday to her and 2 others and her team received gold elite and platinum awards. We all happily hit the hay after a happy day. Lol!

Ashlyn started her actual birthday sleeping in and having breakfast with her friends. The remaining plan was to check out the Scarborough Renaissance Faire on our way home. We always enjoyed our times at Texas Renaissance Faire until the crowds took over. We had high hopes for this spring time Faire in Waxahachie. And while it definitely wasn’t as crowded and is similar in size to TRF, it was also lacking. We couldn’t find food variety beyond typical carnival food and their shows were not on the extravagant scale we were used too. The kids still had a fun time and plenty of money was spent on activities and souvenirs. I don’t know that we would make a point of a future trip.

When the weekend was over, we had one very happy and accomplished 10 year old.

-Lindsay

On St. Patrick’s Day, we jumped at one last opportunity for a free day before baseball took over and accomplished State Park #30! Cedar Hill is south of DFW but still very much encroached upon by the cities’ ever growing suburbs. Even though it is a sizable park with numerous camping sites, I filed it under daytrip worthy because it just wouldn’t suit my camping style. Aka remote and quiet.

The park is less than 2 hours from our house, so we leisurely woke up and packed up some fishing gear and a lunch before heading out. The entrance to the park looks like it is set up for major crowds and we actually had to wait in line 5 cars deep to get in. A first! The large size of the park is spread along the shores of Joe Pool Reservoir containing multiple locations for boat ramps, fishing piers and swimming areas. We started with the far end of the picnicking site options and had our lunch beside the shore. I was really surprised by the flood evidence on other picnic pads that were once functional closer to the shore.

We started with some fishing after our lunch. There was a perch pond near our picnic area and hundreds of yards of shore line to choose from. Ashlyn and Daddy opted for perch pond, while the boys and I took Sally to the more manageable lake shore. The bottom was sand and pebble with minimal weeds, so we had an easy time casting and reeling shad and beetle spin baits. Weston managed his own and I told Archer if I hooked something, he could reel it in; although I found that unlikely. But surprise, surprise something snatched the shad and the hook was set! I dutifully let Archer reel it in…that’s true love, y’all. And he landed a small mouth bass! Weston did a solid job of gripping the mouth while I removed the hook and he released the undersize fish back in the water. Daddy and Ashlyn weren’t as successful, but enjoyed the wildlife around the pond.

A number of the hiking trails were closed due to muddy and standing water conditions from constant (and STILL constant) rains, but the remaining accessible one was just right for our day trip anyways. We enjoyed a nice stroll along side creeks and across bridges eventually making our way up to a hilltop for a view of the lake. There were more people on the trail than I prefer, but most everyone passed respectfully. You never know when you’re this close to Dallas 😉. I still find myself surprised when exploring these new close to home areas how much it can look like the hill country!

We finished out our itinerary with a tour of the Penn Farm historical site. Before the reservoir and suburbs, the area was farm land belonging to the Penns and their previous homes and equipment have been restored and maintained as relics viewable from outside. I tried my best to look inside windows. I like to draw inspiration for our ongoing renovation, haha. We were able to walk through the big barn and the kids spotted a buzzard of all things nested in one of the sheds!

By the end of that tour, we were pretty well spent and looked forward to sitting for the drive home. I suppose it would’ve been fun to have spent our 30th park as something more “ooh and ahh,” but I’m mostly grateful we got it done before baseball season kicked in. Cedar Hill state park is a very functional and entertaining park and I would definitely utilize it many times a month if I were a DFW dweller, but I’m not and this park is one and done for us. 😁

Hopefully I have another one to report before Summer starts!🤞🏻

-Lindsay

Another beautiful weather day, another park! And this time, we brought friends! It was something we haven’t had the privilege of yet and it really amped up the fun for a rather run of the mill park. And all 6 six herded along quite nicely, lol!

The park is 1.5 hours from the house, so the kids were anxious to hit the playground on the lakeside picnic area. While they played, I got some pictures of the scenery. The swim area looks nice and reminded me of Tyler State Park, but the water in this lake is definitely cloudier.

Nearby, we found a preserved cemetery from the mid 1800’s that was part of Fort Sherman. There was no longer evidence of the fort that started in 1838 as protection for settlers from Indians. It was abandoned sometime in the 1840’s and vanishes from history accounts in the 1850’s. We were quite intrigued with the cemetery when we learned about a radar survey of the area that showed there were 27 unmarked graves! The kids immediately went to work surveying for themselves and guessing who might be buried where. Lol

After lunch, it was time to get after some hiking. And boy oh boy, did we! 2 different trails and 5.5 miles later, the kids had explored creeks, ponds, a lake, plant species, fallen trees and every single water puddle they could stomp through!

And after all of that begged for more time on the playground! 😆

This was a great park. It’s small, but offers all the outdoor activity you could want. There isn’t an abundance of trails, but the few there are nice strolls and well maintained. Probably one of the more kid friendly that we have visited in the way of just cutting them loose with little worry of hazards ahead. Worked out well for these Sweet Six.

-Lindsay

We FINALLY visited a park this year! Between various illness and absolutely cruddy weather we had one set back after another. BUT! We’ve kicked the year off and started with a beautiful park that was on my list for a daytrip type visit. I had tent camped in my early 20’s at McKinney Falls and remember it being a little too close to Austin’s city noise and lights back then. I could only imagine the encroachment was worse 10 years later. Thank goodness for the state park’s system, because what they’re preserving there is fantastic.

We arrived early Sunday morning after Day Light Savings made everyone “lose an hour”, so we had the place to ourselves initially. There are many trails that vary in length and ability to choose from, but we selected an ideal one that traveled along Onion Creek highlighting many points of interest for both history and scenery. Starting out, we enjoyed the view of the upper falls. The first of 2 in the park. The kids were amazed by the water worn rock and immediately began the “can we swim!?” antics.

Next up was a stop at a 500 year old Cypress Tree. It was obvious that this area had been affected by the flooding this past fall by the state of the trails and a shutdown activity center. But this seemed to be the only area still under repair. The kids then had a good time climbing behind a boulder to feel like kings of the mountain.

After the tree, the trail brought us underneath a rock shelter overhang which is not the first the kids have seen, but had them excited nonetheless. What really took us by surprise was the massive limestone plateau the trail opened into. We learned that the El Camino Real crossed the creek in this location and there were ruts in the stone, but we couldn’t locate them. I’ve included a satellite image of the area so y’all can see just how massive it is.

Across the plateau, were the lower falls where we crossed the creek ourselves and carried on to learn more about the history of the area.

The McKinney family moved to this location from Galveston in the 1840’s building the house and a gristmill operated by the creek. They sold to the Smith family in 1885 and they kept the property in their family until donating it to the state in the 1970’s.

Before it was time to retrace our steps back to the car, the kids FINALLY got some water play! No one fully submerged themselves, but the boys waded waist deep attempting to catch some carp and Ashlyn played in some rapids below the pool creating a dam. Nathan, myself and Sally happily watched from a rock seat and snacked. Dry and warm.

I maintain this park was just enough for a daytrip. We heard highway noise every way along our hike and the parking lots were full when we left. If we find ourselves in Austin on an idle, warm Tuesday afternoon with nothing to do–we will certainly pop in again for a swim.

-Lindsay

On our most recent trip down to Houston, we opted for a change of scenery driving back roads from our house, through Palestine and intersected I-45 just north of Fort Boggy SP. With only a handful of primitive campsites and cabins and minimal trails, we knew this was ideal for a day trip. It’s a relatively small park that opened in 2001 named after Fort Boggy that was constructed in 1840 to protect settlers from Keechi and Kickapoo Indian raids. The exact location of the fort is not known, but this 1,800+ acre section along Boggy Creek was farm land in the general area back then. It is wild to me that a 75 sq yard structure commissioned by the Republic of Texas under military command wouldn’t be geographically recorded, but apparently it was only operational a few years before the constant Indian attacks and disease sent settlers to today’s town of Leona.

Our visit was gambling with an incoming cold front and when we arrived with our box of tacos at lunchtime, it was about 65 degrees had just started misting. The lake side pavilion worked out for our lunch and gave me a chance to optimistically look at trail options.

Out of basically 2 options, we settled on a 1 mile trail around the lake over the 2 mile paved “trail” that took you to primitive camp sites and cabins. Luckily, the rain paused just in time and long enough to risk a hike. Our walk was pleasant and scenic with fall color and lake views. The kids were impressed by the levee that created the lake in this section of Boggy Creek and Weston got to use his pocket guide book to identify some tracks.

I ought to add that Archer did really well this trek! We’ve been telling him every trail this past year when he started complaining about fatigue that he’s in training to walk up Enchanted Rock, so he better suck it up. Haha! And FINALLY he walked/ran a whole mile without a single, “I’m tired”.

Once we made the loop, curiosity got us and we crossed the elaborate bridge that led to what turned out to be some elaborate cabins! I have no idea what inspired erecting 5 cabins of this caliber in this little park or if they’re even utilized that much, but you never know when the knowledge of a nice cabin in the woods along I-45 will come in handy. 😉

Satisfied with what we had explored in this park, we loaded up and made the rest of the drive to Houston happy to have accomplished another state park since Labor Day’s fiasco. I’m hopeful we can pull off one more day trip before the end of the year.

-Lindsay

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written anything homeschool related! And I definitely found inspiration in the latest little project the kids and I got ourselves into. A friend on Facebook posted a link about a free educational program that Texas Parks and Wildlife hosts and long story short, I managed to sign us up! And what we received exceeded my expectations so much that I felt obligated to share. 😁

FedEx delivered the first of two large trunks that we would receive this “semester” to our front porch containing what I thought would be a few native animals skulls, animal track molds and something to do with skat (haha). Upon opening it, we discovered it was FULL of goodies!

In a very organized manner, FIFTEEN different native Texas species were packed in represented by a skull, foot print mold and skat mold for each animal. A stack of books in a variety of non fiction and children’s stories came with and to top it all off; a 4 inch thick binder full of curriculum and activities to do with the items! And I wanted to do IT ALL in the 2 weeks time frame we were allotted for this trunk. Haha

Our first activity was learning about wildlife biologists by watching a YouTube video the curriculum provided a link to and then performing our own wildlife survey with a provide worksheet and instructions. The kids were able to emulate how a biologist takes random “head counts” and formulated the average number for the area. So we even did some math! 😉 After they assessed the bunny population on the worksheet, they examined a cottontail rabbit skull.

The next day was a big endeavor! I started out by putting all the skulls on the table with no identification. The kids then went around trying to match the picture/name card with skull. They got pretty close! There was heated discussion between which animal the raccoon and possum skulls belonged too and in the end Weston against Ashlyn and Archer had it right. We left the skulls on the table and our friends that were over for a later play date were able to check them out.

We kept it simple with our foot print activity and the kids were able to use the provided molds and make play dough forms with them.

A few days later, we got into the poop! 😆 Ashlyn read one of the story books to the boys while I scattered the scat all over the floor. Using one of the provided reference books, they took best guesses at which animal the pooped belonged. It definitely wasn’t as easy for them as the skulls and they were rather repulsed by the authentic appearance. Once everything was identified, for “shits and giggles”, I had them claim they’re favorite terd and take a picture with it. 😜 No such thing as too much fun.

Our time with that trunk came to an end and as easily as it arrived, it went back! We simply packed it back up, changed the shipping label and put it on the porch the day my email told me to. Fed-Ex came again and we anxiously awaited our 2nd trunk!

Unfortunately when I scheduled the 2nd trunk a few months ago, I was not aware how much we were going to be traveling to Houston during that 2 week period. Fortunately! This trunk didn’t have as much interactive curriculum that required the items in it. So we spent the few days we had with the new set of skulls, tracks, books and pelts and I scanned some of the worksheets and activity directions for use in the upcoming weeks. The kids are most looking forward to homemade turkey calls. Haha

The 2nd trunk’s curriculum guided us through a scripted discussion as we explored each animals’ items. The examples provided helped us understand how and why each animal has adapted to an environment as either prey or predator. There were so many, I split them up over 2 days. I learned a lot right along with the kids on this trunk! They loved the Horned Toad the most. Did y’all know it will shoot BLOOD from a gland near its eyes as an evasive maneuver from predators?! We thoroughly enjoyed feeling the different pelts and variety this trunk had from the first. Even though we were studying some of the same animals!

The program allows 2 trunks/semester, so that is all for this year. Y’all better believe I will be jumping online for our spring semester sign up and can’t wait to share what we receive in those trunks.

-Lindsay

On Wednesday, September 5th, it was time to head home from our detour vacation in Fredericksburg and we still hadn’t gotten a State Park visit out of the trip. With no real rush to get home by a certain time, we jumped on the nearby day use park of former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s historical site.

It was really an impressive and large set up! The area was split up into state park and national park sections. A small museum about Johnson and his family and a working farm representing the early 1900’s were on the state side. The National Park area across a Farm-to-market road held many in tact historical buildings for the Johnson Family on their cattle ranch that is still operational.

We started on the state side where we were already parked and walked to the Sauer/Beckman Farm along a “nature trail”. We encountered a memorial statue of Lyndon Johnson and stopped for a photo op while Sally barked at it, haha. Also on the way, there was a neat display on whitetail deer’s yearly antler cycle and a cute little footbridge.

The farm was FANTASTIC! Everything had been restored and preserved to replicate farm life in the early 1900’s. Complete with period costumed “residents” that took you along on their daily chores and let you participate where applicable. First we learned the ownership history starting with the German Immigrant Sauer Family building the 2 room stone house in 1869. By 1885, they had 10 kids and built the 2 story building beside the stone cabin to house the children/farm workers bunkhouse style. Boys slept upstairs and girls downstairs. In 1900, the Beckmann family “acquired” the farm and thanks to WWI took in substantial income with cotton farming and by 1915 built the posh house next door. They converted the bunkhouse into a kitchen and connected the 2 buildings with a dog run porch perfect for dining. The property stayed in the Beckmann family adding electricity in 1945 until sold to TPWD in 1966. Archeological survey took the house back to its prime in 1915 and froze it there.

When we arrived, the man and woman on staff that day were preparing their breakfast on the wood burning stove and the kids got a run down of the food on hand that day. Everything being harvested from the farm itself. We self toured the original stone house and fancy house when the woman caught up with us told us an interesting story about the 1 Sauer son that left Fredericksburg and travelled the world as a member of the American Embassy.

She then took us to the barn and introduced us to their 2 dairy cows, bull, new babies born to each dairy cow and pig. Strolling all over the farm were chickens, sheep and 1 old turkey that is now a fixture- not dinner. The cows were very friendly and the pig was fascinating! Apparently they only keep pigs for their annual butchering that they do onsite each January, but this particular one is “some pig” and gets to live her days as a pet.

The garden was envy worthy and the kids got to collect eggs before we headed out for lunch. We spent over an hour in that one area and I could come back again and again to just to see what they were up to that particular day!

We found a perfect picnic area by the longhorn pasture and when we were done with lunch, headed across to the national site for a drive thru tour of the ranch. After a quick look at the one room schoolhouse that Johnson attended as a boy, we drove past the home he was born in, grandparents’ house and the family graveyard.

Once across a cattle guard, we drove through the ranch around to an airport that was put in place so President Johnson could visit his ranch when he wanted. It was pouring rain at this point, so we made the quick run to the retired, small Air Force one jet on display for a few photos, but skipped the museum set up in the old hanger. Apparently you used to be able to drive by and tour LBJ’s post presidential ranch house coined “The Texas White House,” but not anymore. Oh well.

Finally, no ranch tour would be complete without waiting for a cow to cross the road 😉.

This park was the perfect end to our Labor Day Getaway. I’m grateful it is on the way to Rocksprings, I especially would like to pop back into the farm every other year at least!

-Lindsay

Nathan was able to extend the Labor Day holiday into a 5 day weekend and we took the opportunity for a trip to the family property in Rocksprings. Our plan was to depart Sunday and return Wednesday allowing Monday for activities at the property and Tuesday for a day visit to the nearby South Llano State Park. The weather forecast was constantly changing with rain chances and we figured we would be in the clear for the most part. Especially with the trends of this summer. This would be Sally’s first long distance road trip and I was anxious to see how she would behave in this particular environment. I was hopeful to not have to pick cactus out of her constantly! We would also be trying out the pop up at the property for the first time and were really excited about the prospect of having additional lodging space. Nathan even managed to fabricate and weld a rack onto the front of the trailer for the generator and gas can before our trip. Something that will come in handy for any future trips anywhere!

Our ride out was seamless and fun. I really like the new route we have now that we don’t travel from Houston via I-10. Once we arrived, there was some trial and error for where to place the camper for the most level ground and accessibility. However, after only one rehitch and move, we had it set and leveled just in time for the first downpour of rain. We took the opportunity for an early dinner under the shed and were able to pop up and settle in after eating.

The kids and Sally spent the rest of the evening exploring around camp. Everyone including the dog did really well minding their surroundings and would even disappear out of sight as a group. The kids attributed Sally with leading them back to camp when they felt turned around. Haha!

We settled into the camper for the night just before dark and the start of yet another rain shower. Yay.

The rain was light and off/on all night and the following morning was humid and wet, but not saturated. Our generator also managed to run the camper AC on one tank of gas for a full 11 hours before I got up and turned it off! We were also greeted by one of the more colorful sunrises I’ve seen there!

After Nathan cooked breakfast, we took off down the hill for a hike and to check the feeders. The kids had a blast climbing the tripod and exploring PawPaw’s recent bulldozer work. Nathan was disappointed to learn his trail cam had been busted up by animals, but everything else looked good.

On our way back up the hill Ashlyn noticed the prickly pear cactus apples were a ripe dark pink and fixated on trying one. She retrieved a cup and some tongs from camp and set off to harvest some. Once she returned with a cup full and after a quick google reference, I managed to peel and de-seed a few for consumption. Ashlyn loved them! My best description is they tasted somewhere between a watermelon, kiwi, strawberry and an apple; but with a salty aftertaste. Weird.

Weston even enjoyed a solo walkabout and disappeared for 20 minutes after asking permission. He returned in time for lunch and after that it was pew pew time ;). Nathan and I managed to put substantial rounds through many firearms that we have not shot in ages. Even some that have never been shot! Nathan pulled some clay birds for me and I feel like I’m properly warmed up for our upcoming dove hunt. I definitely enjoyed the kids cheering whenever I busted one. Which was only about a third of what Nathan threw. 😆 The kids did fantastic in allowing this activity with their safety consciousness and instruction following.

Ashlyn surprised me when she asked to not only shoot the .410, but also my handgun. She and her Daddy worked well together and it was a positive experience for all. I look forward to backing her interest in handguns up to a .22 revolver to work on aim and handling then back up to semi autos. She is already farther along than I was at her age.

Sally was phenomenal! I was concerned about her reaction to the noise of gunfire but after closely watching her lack of reaction every time we fired, I have decided we have the PERFECT DOG. Dinner was delicious that evening and after the dirty kids received sponge baths, they settle in for bed just before dark ready to play in the Llano River the next day. Nathan and I went to bed and hour or so later after a rain-less day and thought nothing of the lightening on the western horizon.

The shit show storm showed up about 10:30 that night and never. went. away. The kids managed sleep with minimal tossing and turning during the wind, pounding rain, lightening and thunder. Nathan slept off and on. I, however, went back and forth from laying awake panicking over how we would get down the almost 2 mile long dirt and rock road without getting stuck to sitting up holding brace bars that were trying to collapse in the high winds. Freaking sucked.

At about 5 am, the rain slacked to a shower and Nathan and I found cell signal enough to see that the rain would not be letting up for days and another heavy band would be there by the afternoon. We were already sloshing around in puddles and slick mud and made the decision that it was too late for the camper to get out but we could attempt with the car. The kids were able to hang in the cabin until we had locked down everything and loaded what we could fit in the car. By 8 or so we were off and with Nathan walking ahead to survey troublesome sections of road and me behind the wheel, we thankfully got to the highway after much drifting and sliding through the muddy roads.

Once realized we had made it out and Llano State Park wasn’t an option anymore, we just didn’t feel like throwing in the towel and going home with 2 full days left of vacation. I caught the kids off guard initially when I told them, “we have practically the whole State between here and home, pick a place.” Haha. Nathan was thinking Fredericksburg for nearby location and entertainment options when the kids said they wanted to do the “chocolate place we saw on the drive out.” Which turned out to be a chocolate manufacturer and tasting room on the outskirts of Fredericksburg. Nathan searched and read reviews for budget and dog friendly hotels while I drove and we arrived in town by 10:30.

We were wet, muddy and tired and the sweet hotel manager took pity and said she would get us in by 1 pm, 2 hours ahead of normal check in time. We killed time at HEB and picnicked at a park near the grocery store. The kids experienced and fell in love with a skate park. I honestly thought their use of it looked more fun!

We even squeezed in the 15 minute drive over to Luckenbach before checking into our hotel and the kids got to take in the sights.

Showers felt amazing and we caught a second wind! The chocolate tasting room the kids wanted was only open on weekends, but we found another shop that sold fine chocolates on Main St that was open. It was so exquisite! We each selected one piece from their truffles, silk fudges, barks….other kinds that I’m sure I’m forgetting… and set off on foot with Sally. We wanted to end up at Fredericksburg Brewing Co., but they were not dog friendly, even on their patio. Boo. We then passed a sign for Texas Wine Cellars that stated they were “pup friendly”. Turned out, they were not just a wine bar! There was a large variety of taps and bottled root beers, so everyone enjoyed a beverage while Sally got to be with her people. 5 stars for Texas Wine Cellars! After a quick peek in an all dog merchandise store called Dogologie, we made our way back to the hotel for dinner. I made nachos in the microwave and it was yummy and easier than trying to find somewhere to take Sally. It was supposed to be our camp dinner that night anyways!

We stayed in the rest of the night and all were sacked by 8pm. Wednesday morning we slept in, took our time loading the car and decided that we had all day to get home, so why not get a state park visit in afterall? We selected LBJ State and National Historical Site; thoroughly enjoyed 3 hours there and after a slight detour to Cabelas in Buda caused us to sit in 5 o’clock traffic around Austin, we arrived home a little before 10pm.

Nathan continued to check the weather while we were in Fredericksburg, and the Rocksprings area got another 4 inches of rain by the time we got home. I’m so glad we called it on Tuesday morning! While we had to alter plans, I’m so grateful for the sweet and memorable time all FIVE of us (and Sally) got to enjoy together. Now to plan and execute “operation camper retrieval” LOL

-Lindsay

While camping at Lake Whitney State Park, we took a 30 minute drive for a day trip to the small park of Meridian. I had already come to the conclusion that camping here wasn’t going to be necessary and possibly undesirable due to the small amount of sites available and close proximity to Highway 22. But we were anxious to check out some trails and “Lake” Meridian.

Our drive out was pretty cool as we crossed the Whitney Dam and the kids saw the Brazos River and downstream power plant. They enjoyed tracking the supply power lines and spotting distribution stations along the way. Once we arrived at the park, I was fascinated by how such a short drive west would produce such dramatically different scenery. We were in full on cedar and cactus hill country!

We arrived around 11, so we started with our packed lunch by the lake. There weren’t many people around, but we did notice we heard highway noise and 18wheelers during our lunch. The CCC constructed building that housed the bathrooms and a general recreation area was very original and had a HUGE, old wisteria growing on it!

During lunch, we spent some time selecting our hiking trail. There were more trail options at this park than Lake Whitney with the longest being a little over 2 miles. More points of interest as well. We had heat working against us that day, so we went with a 3/4 mile loop that would touch on a few note worthy sites and the rest we would be able to drive to or past. As we drove to the parking near our trail, we crossed a CCC stone and timber bridge that hadn’t needed repair since its construction in 1934! I call that decent preservation! Once parked, we crossed the road to a look out point to enjoy another view of the lake.

Our trail started out simple and somewhat “boring” for the kids. I’ve learned by now that flat gravel trails just don’t hold their attention as well as mixed up terrain does. But I do have to take a moment to commend this parks trail system as possibly one of the best I’ve been on for maintenance and organization! At every intersection along the way, there were trail name signs and the trees and signs were marked in the same color as the lines on the map. Very impressive and a first that I’ve encountered.

We found a bird blind along the way and kids thought it was interesting. After that pit stop, elevation and terrain changed slightly and the kid’s spirits picked up. They really went nuts when they spotted a cut off trail that led to a large erosion “cave”! They remembered one similar at Mother Neff State Park (visited in June 2016). Further exploration in the area revealed a dried up runoff waterfall and pool location. The kids were quite proud of their discoveries.

Once back at the car, we drove the remainder of the park and stopped at another overlook on the opposite side of the park from the previous one. The road up to that point and back is VERY narrow for a “2 way road” and trying to pass another car while navigating the side of a hill and curves would have been harrowing. Just another reason I love off season park visits. Driving past the RV sites, tent camp and primitive camp sites just further confirmed my lack of desire to ever camp here. The RV spots were in full sun and right beside the highway. The tent sites were approximately 10×10 areas set directly along side the afore mentioned park road and totally lacked privacy.

The kids wanted to try out the lake and while this park’s beach area is leashed pet friendly, Sally and I opted for a shady picnic table. The boys dove in and went to doing the usual rock throwing, leaps and hand stands while Ashlyn had…reservations.

An accumulation of sludge on the rocky bottom was not appealing to most bare feet. Except for the boys of course, haha. Weston even came to retrieve Ashlyn again and promised to hold her hand until she liked the water.

He didn’t get very far with her, LOL!

About an hour later, we called it a day and headed back for our 3rd and final night at Lake Whitney. After hearing the highway noise in Meridian all day, I mentioned to the kids that I would take boat noise over those 18 wheelers any day. I had to laugh that night, when at about midnight, we had over an hour of loud air boat noise keep us up! Teach me to watch my words.

Overall, this park is exceptional on trails and the lake provides I’m sure decent fishing and non motorized boating. I’m definitely glad we made it a day trip. The park suited us just fine for that amount of time.

-Lindsay

Anxious to kick off a hopefully adventurous fall regardless of fall baseball and competition dance team, we jumped on the first four free days the calendar allowed for some pop up camping. Even if we missed 2 ball practices to do so, haha! Initially, I wanted to take the 4 hour trip to Lake Brownwood to make a 3 night stay “worthwhile”. However, after a recent google review stated the lake was at an all time low, we opted for a more nearby 2-for-1 deal with Lake Whitney coupled with a day trip to Meridian. Knocking 2 parks off the list would make 3 nights away worthwhile, for sure. 😉

On Wednesday, 8/15, we arrived at Lake Whitney by 10 am. I had checked the campsite availability online the day before and didn’t see a need for reservations. I really prefer showing up and taking the Rangers’ recommendation on best sites to fit our needs. They’re the experts after all. Obviously, going when it isn’t busy is what makes this tactic work. And it really paid off this time! I told the headquarters Ranger that shade was our priority, next- proximity to bathhouse, and 3rd- water view/access. And she hooked us up! We ended up in a small camping loop on the far side of the park near a dog friendly swim area AND the newest bathhouse! Our site was large and completely shaded. A simple path through the brush took us out to the lake’s rocky edge. And while we were in fact the closest to the bathhouse in that loop, it was still a decent walk. So we mostly operated discretely with a “pee bucket” and drove to the facilities for number 2 and showers for the duration of our stay.

 

The camper came up and was organized pretty quickly! After lunch, it was only 12:30, so we got some nearby exploring done before swim time.

 

We absolutely LOVED our little swim area! We had it all to ourselves and EVERYONE had a ball. The wind was up and there was the most soothing waves crashing sound. I could’ve fallen asleep! But alas, 3 young kids in the water wouldn’t allow that, haha. Sally ran and splashed to her heart’s content before discovering the relaxed life under the canopy.

 

I had to force the kids out after 3 and started dinner at our campsite. I finally decided to throw some fire in with my solo camping excursions and brought along the Coleman stove for the first time. It took longer to get some good heat going in the breezy outdoors, but the final product tasted just so dang good every time! The kids and I couldn’t decide if it was cooking outdoors, eating outdoors or being just plain hungry every meal; but our rather simple meals were SO TASTY!

 

After dinner, we did a drive through of the park to check everything out before showers. There are so many campsites! Over a hundred sites, 30 some odd shelters, a cabin or 2, group sites and even a reception hall. AND an airstrip! All I could think was, “I wouldn’t want to be here when this place was full!” Showers were easy and effective enough. It took some finagling with Sally because her velcro nature doesn’t make it easy to leave her unattended unless she is kenneled. She’s a nervous chewer, lol! I’ve already begun shopping travel kennels to keep in pop up for our next trip, but for this one we just had to rotate who stood outside with her. Ashlyn and I had a pretty good system since she is mature enough to handle herself without supervision in the showers. It also helped that the facilities were empty every single time we went, to make things even more comfortable. That evening, we enjoyed some more water views and photographic opportunities and were in bed before dark and sacked out!

 

The next morning I woke up with a wicked crick in my neck and had a coffee malfunction…not a good start, but we rallied after a 15 minute run to a gas station in the town of Whitney, yes- coffee is that big of a deal, and got ready for our hike. There are only 2 one mile trails in the entire park and we were going to do one each morning. The kids picked the one with two bridges and we enjoyed a nice, wooded walk. With 2 bridges along the way, of course. We got a good look at the landscape of the official park swimming area and that only made us grateful for our quiet little corner. The rocky bottom we had was much more desirable for water clarity than the muddy/sand on this side of the park.

 

We had lunch back at camp, and then it was time for swimming again and we enjoyed another 3+ hours of water activity.

After dinner, we had a bit more energy and decided on some fishing. I kept it simple giving each child a lure of their choice and we walked to a little cove by our campsite where the kids chunked plastic for a little while.

 

Archer quickly bored and took to throwing rocks. Then peeing in the water.

 

Ashlyn was out next and just took in scenery. Weston casted and reeled until I told him it was time to call it in and hit showers.

We wanted to watch the sunset after hitting early showers. Those plans altered, however, when a stray dog showed up in our site. He was friendly enough to contain and kept away from Sally and the kids until one of the oncall Rangers I notified promptly came to retrieve him. Fortunately, the ranger recognized the dog and knew where to return him. But, by then, it was dark and we had missed our sunset on the lake. We grabbed quick showers and went to bed glad we had one more evening to catch it.

Friday morning went smoothly and my neck crick was gone, but Archer and I had to wait until 9 AM for Weston and Ashlyn to wake up! By 10 we were starting the 2nd trail and quickly realized it was out in the open prairie alongside the lake. And it was already 92 degrees out. Nope! We opted to take the opportunity for a head start on our day trip to Meridian State Park.

 

On our way out of the park to Meridian, we located the plaque about the town of Towash that had been engulfed by the lake. Ashlyn immediately brought up that she was impressed that the creation of the town began with Natives and Settlers choosing to work together. We want to do some google searching for images or possibly accounts of divers finding ruins.

It was 3:15 when we returned to camp and 101 degrees with no breeze. It was officially hot! I had run out of fuel for the stove (learning curve here, BUT I did prepare for the possibility with some no cook food options). In that heat I was perfectly happy not to cook that evening. We took early showers and were hanging out in a very cool camper by 4pm. I am quite impressed with that camper’s ability to not only cool off fast but maintain the chill! We stayed indoors playing Uno and checkers until after 7 then headed out to catch our sunset.

And it was worth the wait!

 

By that night, our campsite loop was full and about midnight we had disruptive boaters running the water along the park’s coastline for a few hours. I was grateful to be packing it in Saturday morning. It was becoming obvious the weekends carry a different atmosphere at this park. While we definitely LOVED our time there and the water and park were clean and refreshing, I don’t particularly see a “must come back” reason. But that’s only because I know I still have so many other parks with beautiful water left to explore! And I can’t wait to hit the road again and do just that!

-Lindsay