Our View From The Road

A bit of tidying up and a quick breakfast and we were ready for the road. Oh wait, the water tank needs filling and the other tanks need emptying. Ok, so 10:00am and we’re driving off of our site to the dump station, no waiting, we’re #1. No no issues, time to head west.

Our journey took us out of Austin westward on SR-290 and started as multi-lane highway that all-to-shortly ended at a construction zone. The 290 is an older highway that weaves its way westward across the state. After many traffic lights we were in the country, it was still cloudy and humid after the recent rain. The city had fallen away to Texas Hill Country, the flora was changing to be more tolerant of drought with the trees becoming fewer and the grasslands dominating the landscape.

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Johnson City, TX. Not a place we stopped in but clearly the beginning of Texas wine country. Between Johnson City and Fredericksburg there are hundreds of wineries and a few distilleries. Some with interesting names, some trying to sound European, and a few just off the wall, like “Fat Ass Brewery” (where the ass is shown as an outline of a mule). Typically Texan, the wineries and tasting rooms are enormous, some even castle-like in size and appearance so it must be making financial sense to grow grapes and make wine in Texas.

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Eventually the SR-290 merged into the I-10W. The surroundings were now clearly desert-like as there are few trees and lots of low scrub. Texans like driving fast, the speed limit is 80mph (130kph) which most seem to exceed. Not us, 75mph is plenty for the van, especially today as the winds have come up and are blowing across the highway not allowing me to relax at all. The temperature is now 29C (up from 17C earlier this morning). No, we’re not complaining of the heat but a little moderation might be nice.

We stopped in Junction, TX to have lunch in a park next to a river. It was warm and allowed us to dry out a few items while we ate.

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We stop in Ozona, TX for provisions and fuel. The grocery store, Lowe’s Market, is a typical smaller town grocery store and Barb had some challenges finding exactly what she wanted. However, we will not starve. We decided that Sonic takeout would suffice for dinner and once acquired we were back on the road to our destination.

Fort Lancaster Scenic Overlook (on the old SR-290) had been recommended to us by the Milddogs based on their van trip last year. It’s a picnic area that overlooks an amazing valley. We arrived and chose our spot, there are two other vehicles that look like they’ve settled in for the evening. We ate dinner and then relaxed waiting for sunset. The sunset did not disappoint, the sky was clear except for a few very high clouds that turned a wonderful shade of orange as the sun slipped below the horizon.

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We settled down in the van for the night having been joined in the parking lot by two more campervans. As the sky darkened, the stars began to show themselves and what a show. The sky is pitch black, there is no light intrusion from civilization, the stars are brilliant.

Good night all.

P.S. The Milddogs to which we have referred in several of these posts are our friends from home. They too have a campervan and have been traveling about Texas for the past few weeks. Our paths crossed and so we cross-posted in our respective blogs. Please give them a read if you have some time.

Yep, we’re still here. The weather though… ugh. Awoke to light rain that was not forecast. Result: the walk was wet today.

Because of the lack of rain in the forecast we decided to leave our chairs and outdoor rug outside overnight. They are wet and full of sow bugs and beetles. Yuck.

Breakfast was leftover pancakes and bacon with maple syrup. Mmm.

After lunch we accompanied our friends, the Milddogs, on a walk to a few of the interesting sites within the park. We started by walking to the upper falls and then to ‘Old Baldy’ a large and very old Bald Cypress tree. Then onto a cave in the riverbank that was a prehistoric home. By this time the rain intensity had increased to that of being uncomfortable and so we returned to our campsite to dry off.

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After drying off we returned to Camp Milddogs for some late afternoon banter and drinks before returning to the van for dinner.

After dinner we hosted the Milddogs for a final evening of cards before they and us each head in our own directions tomorrow to conclude our camping trips. It’s been fun catching up with good friends and being able to swap ideas and tips that we can use while traveling. Bon Voyage mon amis.

Our evening was concluded by getting a jump on preparing for departure tomorrow by loading the bikes and putting away a few items. It is supposed to be a warm 17C overnight, so no heaters or heavy blankets will be required. Tomorrow the heat is supposed to arrive. Stay tuned.

Another chilly start to the day with the temperature being only 6C outside the inside of the van was only 11C. So, turned on the heater before getting up for the day.

After a cup of coffee it was time for my morning walk which took me 4.5km around the campground on a mixed-use trail. It was fairly easy walking with a few hills and one steep descent. The area has mixed hardwoods as well as some cactus and lots of wildflowers. It looks like it does in May at home yet I’m constantly reminding myself that it’s only March. I came across an entire meadow of Texas Bluebonnets (state flower).

Back at camp, we cooked pancakes and bacon for brunch and enjoyed it outside at the picnic table.

After brunch we got our bikes out and rode them about the park exploring other sights, including both the lower and upper falls which we concluded are probably very popular in the hotter months as places to come and cool off.

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Our friends, Mr & Mrs Milddogs arrived later in the afternoon and we caught up on what we had seen and found.

For dinner I tackled grilling steak, onions & peppers. The steak was sliced and chopped and the mixture applied to buns and smothered in provolone cheese which was then toasted. Mmmmm, cheesesteak sandwiches.

The day was finished up playing cards with the Milddogs in their van. Tomorrow looks to be rainy, so we’ll have to see what we’ll chose to do.

Another chilly and windy morning awaited us today. Overcast conditions persisted; however, we were heading inland today, away from the coast so maybe it will warm up and be a little nicer.

The morning walk was shorter than usual, but as I met and walked with Mr. Milddogs it was faster than my usual pace. That was enough for the morning as I felt I would do a little more after arriving at our new destination later in the afternoon.

Packing up of the van went well and we were on our way just before the noon checkout time. We started by retracing our drive North for about half an hour before heading NorthWest towards Cuero, TX where we stopping at the municipal park and ate lunch next to the lake where we were joined by some ducks and geese.

From Cuero we headed to Luling where we found the water tower painted as a huge watermelon. Next, and most importantly, can Lockhart, TX. which is evidently the BBQ capital of Texas. This can be proven by the number of BBQ restaurants/takeout places in the town. We got gas, groceries and finally BBQ brisket dinners before continuing.

About 30minutes further along the road we arrived at our destination for the next 3 nights, McKinney Falls State Park, Austin, TX.

The sign at park entrance stated “Campground Full” so we were glad to have reservations. Our campsite is a drive through designed for large fifth wheel trailers or motor homes, our campervan had plenty of options as to where and how to park.

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As the evening drew to a close the “Campground Full” sign came back to mind and I wondered where everyone was. The sites here seem huge and thus the title of this post ‘…there doesn’t seem to be anyone around.”

Another chilly (not chilli) morning. A coffee and a muffin to start the day and then off for a walk about the park. It was cold and drizzly so I opted for sweatpants, sweatshirt, rain jacket, hat & light gloves. It really is that cold (or so I thought).

The walk was nice and it wasn’t long before I realized I had over dressed. It was intermittently raining so the jacket was required but I could have done without the sweatshirt and gloves.

We are staying at Goose Island State Park for another night but have to move a few sites to the right as the current site is reserved for someone else.

Mr. & Mrs. Milddogs are joining us at the park tonight and will be on the site next to us. While I was walking the park this morning, I received a text from Mr. Milddogs offering to pickup Texas BBQ lunch for us. We quickly accepted the offer.

We did a quick pack-the-van and backed off of our site by 11:45am. Stopping at the camp office they gave us a new site tag for tonight. We then headed off to look at the parks main attraction ‘The Big Tree’.

It is what the package describes, a big tree. In fairness, it is a ‘Live Oak’ that is estimated to be more than 1000 years old. When compared to many trees like it in the area, it is clearly much larger. The tree has a split rail fence surrounding it to protect its roots and to discourage people from climbing.

Returning to the campground, we setup on our new site and then added a few decorations in celebration of Mrs Milddogs birthday. Yay!

Upon arrival, the Milddogs quickly established their site and brought the BBQ brisket over to our site and we all enjoyed lunch and catching up. It was great to see them and the afternoon passed quickly as we swapped stories ‘from the road’.

Mr. Milddogs noticed another van further along the park as also being from our home area and checked with his cottage neighbor who confirmed that it was his son. So they popped over to say hello for a few minutes before joining us again in our van for an evening of cards. Much laughter & chatter later, we called it evening.

We restored our van interior to our sleeping setup and settled down for the night.