Know before you go - a park drive thru video
We were in site #10, 30a/W
Friday, December 31, 2021
2021 Camping Trips
NEW YEAR'S TRIP (#CrossCountryChristmas):
- December 31st - January 2nd: Falls Lake Recreation Area, Durham, NC - Rolling Hills (30a/W) Site A025 (New Year’s) NC Fam
- January 2nd - 4th: Dreher Lake, near Columbia, SC - Islanders Camp Circle (30a/W) Site #61
- January 4th - 6th: Lake Pines RV park, near Columbus, GA - (F)
- January 6th - 8th: Meaher State Park, near Mobile, AL - Improved Campground (F) Site #21
- January 8th: Lake Fausse Point State Park, near Lafayette, LA - (F) Site C1009
February 26th - 28th: Lake Livingston State Park, Pin Oak Site #98 (F)
March 19th - 21st: Huntsville State Park, Raven Hill Site #7 (F)
- April 3rd - 5th: Dallas/Arlington KOA, TX (F) with DFW Fam (Easter)
- April 5th -8th: Lake Murray State Park, Oklahoma, Elephant Rock ER055 (50a/W)
- April 8th-11th: Hords Creek Lake, Lakeside Loop T007 (50a/W) with D&V
April 16th - 18th: Caddo Lake, Woodpecker Hollow Site #19 (F) with Sis & TJ, Dad & Bunny
May 13th: Leander KOA, TX (F)
May 14th - 17th: Abilene State Park - Brushy Trail Site #59 (50a/W) with D&V
September 3rd - 6th: Lake Livingston State Park, Pin Oak Site #99 (F) (Labor Day)
September 17th: San Antonio/Alamo KOA Holiday (F)
September 18th - 20th: South Llano River State Park, Electric Area Site #10 (30a/W)
October 15th - 17th: Brazos Bend State Park, Burr Oak Loop Site #110 (50a/w)
October 22nd - 24th: Sea Rim State Park, Piping Plover Site #12 (50a/W)
THANKSGIVING TRIP: (#TurkeyTrip21)
- November 24th - 28th: Possum Kingdom SP, Spanish Oaks, Site 10 with Big Bro D&A (Thanksgiving)
- November 28th: Copper Breaks State Park, Comanche Camp Area, Site #11 (50a/W)
- November 29th: Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway, Honey Flat Camping Loop, Site #17 (30a/W)
- November 30 - December 2nd: Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Juniper Loop, Site #105 (50a/W)
- December 2nd: Abilene KOA Journey (F)
- December 3rd - 5th: Cedar Hill State Park, Site #112 (F) with Mom & G, DFW Fam, Sis & TJ, Big Bro D&A
December 17th - 20th: Texas State Railroad, Site #12 (F) with KD & The Vowels (The Polar Express)
December 23rd - 26th: Goliad State Park, Karankawa Site #9 (F) (Christmas)
December 30th - Jan 2nd: Purtis Creek State Park, North Camping Area Site #10 (30a/W) (New Year's)
Thursday, December 30, 2021
A New Day Rising
New Year's Eve was so good, I'm still listening to the Foo Fighter's 3-hour-long concert from Madison Square Garden that our satellite radio station was rebroadcasting NYE; there's something to be said about the magic of music - and to bring it along while we're camping just makes the new year that much better.
Happy 2022, y'all! Here's to health and happiness, and leaving the hard times behind.
It's times like these you learn to live again
It's times like these you give and give again
It's times like these you learn to love again
It's times like these time and time again
It's times like these you give and give again
It's times like these you learn to love again
It's times like these time and time again
We left for Purtis Creek Park Thursday afternoon; we were supposed to go towards the Hill Country, but I realized Wednesday afternoon that the pull thru site I booked at Inks Lake SP had a BIG branch overhanging the site (#76) and there were no other sites for us to move to, so I searched for another park, and thankfully, found availability here in East Texas. Booking last minute trips i harder and harder these days!
We made a late night run into Tyler to pick up dog food (I forgot to pack Diesel's kibble!) and then settled in back at the campground for a nice long weekend. Not much going on Friday afternoon, we made our way back into town again for dinner (at another Jalapeno Tree; I think we found our new East Texas favorite!) and a small surprise - a horse drawn carriage thru the brick-lined streets of Tyler's historic
I found Hot Springs Carriage Company thru a Google search for "drive thru Christmas lights" in Tyler, which in turn lead me to Trip Advisor, and eventually to their Facebook page. For a small cost, they'll drive you thru the old neighborhood outside Bergfeld Park for 5, 10, or 15 minutes. With two carriages going at a time, we waited less than an hour for our turn and really enjoyed the short ride around with Tanner. (If you happen to be reading this - best of luck as you pursue your dreams: rental properties are a great investment in your retirement and delaying marriage and kids till you feel stable enough to support them is a great investment in your self!)
After that fun little adventure, we made our way back to the campground, to our mischievous little pup. While we're gone, we have him 'kenneled' in the bedroom of the camper, with a Blink camera set up so we can keep an eye on him. We noticed over the last few trips, that he was no longer on camera, laying in his bed where he's supposed to be, but when we returned, the door to the bedroom was still shut.
So, we bought a second Blink camera and set it up to catch a different view of the room... and catch a spoiled little Goldilocks who decided our bed was "just right."
I mean, you can't blame him - the SleepNumber _is_ more comfortable than his Paws bed, even though he does have a heating pad turned on and tucked into that bed to keep him warm. And keeping warm as a priority this weekend as the weather was going to take a huge drop to start off the new year.
Saturday was a beautiful day to sleep in for a bit, enjoy lunch at the camper and then take a short drive into Canton to walk the square and check out the Van Zandt County courthouse in the golden sun.
We could literally see the temp dropping dramatically on the truck's dashboard temp gauge - we were getting ready to see a really cold night:
Diesel was just about as excited about the cold as he was about the fireworks from the night before.
With the heaters going, snuggled up and watching The Martian (that's probably #15 if you're counting), we kept our eyes on the cold front as it hurtled across the state and towards us. Looking at the future-cast for wind speeds on Sunday, we knew it was going to be a late day in the park before we would be ready to leave.
But then, isn't that the best way to start a brand new year?
I'm a new day rising
I'm a brand new sky
To hang the stars upon tonight...
It's times like these you learn to live again
We were at Purtis Creek State Park, Site #10 (30a/W). The site backs in and pretty much shares the fire ring and picnic table with the next site over (#11), so that could be great if you're camping with another family - not so great if the strangers int eh other site are avid smokers. The entire campground seemed to clear out Saturday night - most campers not interested in staying over in freezing temps. We'd already camped colder than this, so we weren't concerned and actually enjoyed having the place to ourselves.
For more camping photos, go here.
For a drive thru video of the park, go here.
PS - if you want a serious goosebumps musical experience but can't commit to the 3 hrs of the Foo Fighters? Jump in for the last song before the encore, The Best of You, around 2:10. That's the kind of performance, and audience, that all we all long for.Sunday, December 26, 2021
Park n' Drive: Goliad Sate Park
Know before you go - a park drive thru video.
We were in the Karankawa loop, Site #9, Full hooks up.
We've been here twice before:
Saturday, December 25, 2021
Happy Holidays!
From RDB, Diesel, and me to your and yours:
may your holiday be bright and may you have peace.
Thursday, December 23, 2021
The Weary World Rejoices
We made it in to Goliad State Park just as the last rays of dusk slipped below the horizon in the west on Thursday night. The cute little park would be our home for the Christmas weekend - with several other campers already in place, decorated with lights and projections to ward off the dark night ahead. I was tempted to say "dark and cold night ahead" but let's be real here - its south Texas in December and were currently experiencing the warmest Christmas week on record.
Christmas Eve morning we all snuggled in bed for a while - and by "we all" I mean "all." If you didn't know already that Diesel is the most spoiled pooch on the planet, then you obviously haven't been reading my blog. In fact, he's just about as old as the blog is - turning 10 in February; it's hit us hard lately to realize he's in his golden years now. We sure love this puppy.
I mean, how can you not love that sweet face? We left our little critter at the camper and made our way over to the Texas Zoo in Victoria for the afternoon. It was a small zoo, with an appropriately small entrance fee, and we enjoyed wandering around the different enclosures. We must have timed it just right, though, because it sure felt like it was nap time that the local zoo, what with all the animals snoozing around us.
I mean, even the peacock jumped off of his perch and walked over to the rest of the flock, who were resting in the shade.
There were a few creatures that were awake and roaming - the fox and raccoons, and the jaguars.
The ring tail lemur inside the main building kinda looked at me like: what did you expect? It _is_ the holidays after-all? Everyone is taking a break!
We left the zoo and drove over to De Leon Plaza in downtown, directly across from the Victoria County Courthouse. Both the plaza and the courthouse were beautifully decorated for the upcoming holiday, and being Christmas Eve, we practically had the center of town all to ourselves.
We got back to the camper and received the royal sniff-down. Lots of random animal smells and Diesel was all about checking us out when we came back home.
Joining the theme from the zoo, RDB and Diesel both zonked out for an afternoon nap of their own, and I a (very short) drive into town. Goliad is the county seat of Goliad County, and y'all know I have a thing for courthouses. The town square was all dolled up like a Hallmark Christmas movie. RDB and I came back over to get a few night shots, too, and once again had the town to ourselves.
Back at the campsite in the late afternoon, we enjoyed listening to Christmas music and had lox for an early dinner. Then watched a Christmas special about celebrations all around the world. I've been pen-paling with Grandma G since the pandemic started, and learned this past year that we have Scandinavian roots. Looking up the traditions from Sweden, I realized there were some we already did, like celebrating on Christmas Eve rather than on Christmas day. I partook in Advent this year, and kept decorations to a minimum (not just for sake of rediscovering heritage, but because I've just been, well, not in the spirit this year; work has taken its toll on me.) It's been nice, actually, to keep things simple and focus on the light. (Though, I am still trying to find a julbock.)
Thinking of seeking the light, one of the main reasons I booked us at Goliad State Park for this weekend was their History in Lights event running thru the month of December. Nearly 90 years ago, the Civilian Conservation Corp had rebuilt the mission that is located on the park grounds and over the holiday season the park uses displays with light and shadows to tell the story of the park and surrounding area. With the sun setting in the distance on Christmas Eve it was better than - more magical even - than I could have imagined.
Not a single filter or edit on any of those photos. And it wasn't until I was uploading them here that I realized that second to last one - the one of the full mission from a distance away - actual has a faint 22* halo over it. The blues and purples of the sunset behind the whitewashed walls of the mission... were truly magical.
Of course, we played around a little with the colored lights we purchased from Amazon, a tripod, and RDB's iPhone 13 Pro Max - it really takes stellar night shots.
After walking back over to our camper, we settled down for the night, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
We set an alarm for (way too early) Christmas morning so that we could watch the live stream of the James Webb Space Telescope launch - a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this billion dollar piece of equipment sent over a million miles into deep space. What a gift!
Right at the top of the launch window opening, the rocket achieved nominal trajectory and the birth of the next phase in space exploration had come. I am truly in awe of the power and ingenuity of human innovation, and that we can participate in this (literally from our bed!) from all across the world! To add to the experience? There's a website up that tracks: Where is Webb? (as I type this, the telescope is 119,160 miles from Earth... and counting!)
After that early morning wake up call, we lazily lounged around the camper till lunch; I made a charcuterie board with some of the miscellaneous tasty tidbits we had in the fridge. Pretty proud with how this one turned out! And no, Diesel, you can't have any!
We spent Christmas day mostly at the campsite, watching movies on NetFlix. One of my favorites (The Christmas Chronicles with Kurt Russel as Santa), a few new ones that were interesting takes on the origin story of Santa Claus (A Boy Called Christmas, Klaus), a classic (White Christmas), and a typical "Hallmark" love story (A Castle for Christmas). RDB just jogged my memory that a few of those we actually watched at home this past week, but I'm bundling them in here anyway!
Christmas dinner was smoked steaks and some of our favorite side dishes: butternut squash with sage, roasted asparagus, and mashed cauliflower (yes, went went to H-E-B on Christmas Eve; yes, it was as crazy as you'd think it would be!) along with a bottle of cabernet from Rodney Strong. We enjoyed a few glasses of eggnog (spiked, of course) to finish off the Christmas meal... it was a perfect kind of laid back day!
Sunday we woke and enjoyed coffee and tea on the couch, deciding on how we wanted the day to play out. Wind speeds definitely play into it when we travel, and so we had our eyes on that. That, and really? Neither of us really wanted the weekend to end! So, we drove back in to Victoria to have lunch.
The Pumphouse Riverside Restaurant and Bar was such a cool little local place to try out for Sunday brunch. Food was good and the view of the Guadalupe River from the patio was perfect; the service was lacking, but I'd give it another try at another time (would love to try their lunch menu).
On our way back over to the campground we stopped in to the newly renovated Visitor's Center set up in the Custodian's Cottage and had a chance to look around and understand a bit of the history of the CCC who, in essence, used the building of this cottage as a practice for the Mission de Espiritu they were charged with rebuilding. The shell alcove over the window along with the log-hewn staircase were practice runs for the shell above the main door of the chapel and the staircase that led up to the bell tower.
The camp host/docent at the Custodian's Cottage even invited us into the area reserved for their office while on staff - that being the dining room and kitchen of the surprisingly well laid out home. I was so impressed with the incredible attention to detail that the CCC showed, even in the smallest things, like the clover carved into the top of the nailhead in the pantry door in the kitchen.
I picked up a pressed tin heart from the park store to remind me of what a lovely time this weekend was. Truly, a perfect Christmas that this weary heart needed.
We were at Goliad State Park, Karankawa loop, Site #9. It's a pull-thru loop of sites, but we made the decision to back in to this one, as the big tree to the right and the posts to keep you from running over the connections to the left were going to be a tight fit. Though the reservation system online says this is a 50' site, it was plenty long for our rig and truck (we usually look for 60' sites). Plenty of space between and behind the sites in this loop and so much to do at the park that we really didn't have a chance to do it all! (I'm already looking at booking another trip down here in the late spring next year!)
We've been here once before: Going for Gold at Goliad
For more camping photos, go here.
And for a drive thru of the campground, go here (coming soon!)
Sunday, December 19, 2021
The Polar Express on the Texas State Railroad
SPOILER ALERT: This post is a very detailed description of the Polar Express experience at The Texas State Railroad, if you’re going and want to be surprised, please stop here. ❤️
All Aboard! It's the Polar Express!! A Journey Beyond Your Imagination!
We were camping at the Texas State Railroad Campground with KD & The Vowels the weekend before Christmas and coordinated a ride to the North Pole on board the Polar Express! We managed to keep the adventure secret from the kids until we were literally in the parking lot! Not even camping in a campground with train tracks, or watching the Polar Express the night before gave it away!
I highly recommend that you plan your trip and book your tickets as far in advance as you can - because this experience will sell out. We bought tickets for Presidential Car #42 - perfectly set up with couches on one side and pairs of chairs on the other... but I'm getting ahead of myself! You'll see that soon enough!
The grounds of the Palestine station are all lit up and festive; you'll pick up your tickets (both the ones you paid for, and the theatrical ones) in the will call tent where they also have plenty of Polar Express branded merchandise for souvenirs. There may have been a few fleece blankets and a miniature crystal lantern purchased by our troop.
Much like the book, our adventure began with the Conductor and the Hero Boy in a short skit, with the invitation to all of us to join them onboard. Where would we go? To the North Pole, of course! This is the Polar Express!
We boarded our car towards the western end of the train, the excitement in the air was palpable! Everyone was in high spirits as the attendant checked our tickets (the real ones) and showed us to our seats (rows 1-3). It's assigned seating, and requires evens - so it was perfect for the eight of us.
The couches were perfectly big enough for the family to all sit together with RDB and I on the other side of the aisle. I felt like we lucked out with the assignments, as we were at the far end of the car and, well, I won't spoil the surprise that was in store for us!
The train pulled out of the station right on time (there is a schedule to keep, of course!) And very quickly the real show began! "Who's ready for refreshments?!" Joyce, our Presidential attendant, merrily asked. We all excitedly raised our hands and the singing and dancing commenced!
You could just sense that our Cocoa Chef and Joyce were smiling behind their masks (Covid protocols still in place this Christmas). And soon enough, delicious, rich hot chocolate and fresh chocolate chip cookies were placed in our hands to enjoy as we traveled down the track towards our destination. "O" said the cocoa and the cookies were her favorite part of the Polar Express.
Since we had purchased the upgraded Presidential Class tickets, we had commemorative mugs to take home with us as well. (All packaged and ready to travel home with us in reusable bags).
As we settled in with our hot chocolate and cookies, our Cocoa Chef and Joyce brought out the (absolute largest I've ever seen) books of the story of the Polar Express. Turning the pages as the narrator walked us thru the story page by page, all the way to the North Pole and Santa, with his first gift of Christmas.
Shortly after the story ended, we had the startling surprise of the Conductor coming thru, "Tickets! Tickets, please!" He was all business, punching our theatrical tickets with fervor.
The train began to slow, and the lights dimmed, and sure enough - we were there! The North Pole! With dancing elves and Santa hard at work!
As we waved goodbye to Santa's workshop, Joyce encouraged us to wish, really wish, and maybe Santa would be able to join us on the train for our ride back to the station.
"E" wished hard enough for the all of us, and.....
The real Santa! Right here on our train car! It was so magical - we wished and there he was! Just like the story, he was looking for someone special to give the first gift of Christmas to. Who would it be?
"O"! He chose our little "O" to receive the first gift of Christmas - one of the beautiful silver bells from the harness of his reindeer!
It was such an incredible treat, to have the seats we did, and be able to have the honor of being the family that received the first gift of Christmas. Honestly, though? The gift of seeing these girls with all the love and joy on their faces was the first, and best, gift to us.
Santa made his way thru the train car, giving silver bells to everyone, and the beautiful sound of laughter and chiming of bells rang thru the air. After he said his goodbyes, wishing us all a very merry Christmas, the party continued on with a sing-a-long on our way back to the station. "I" really liked the dancing and singing with Joyce and the Cocoa Chef.
One final surprise, the Hero Boy and Girl from the story made their way thru the train car, greeting each family and sharing in the adventure. "A" said the performances by the cast, especially the way they introduced the story before we got on the train, was a big part of what made the trip so special. For a teenager to say, and I quote: "This was badass" is a pretty big compliment!
We pulled back into the station, bellies full of hot cocoa and cookies, the sweet sound of bells ringing thru the air, with smiles on our faces and joy in our hearts.
It really was a journey beyond your imagination!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
This really was such a treat, to be able to share this time with KD & The Vowels, and see the Christmas spirit really come alive thru their eyes! A HUGE kudos to Joyce, our attendant, as you could tell that she not only loved the role that she played, but that she really loved the kids (and us big kids) who were on her train. And yes, it's her train - as I hugged her goodbye and said how much I appreciated her, she said she was 78 years old and had been doing this for 11 years! I'm pretty sure she was our train attendant on one of our other trips on the Texas State Railroad.
If you're wavering on this experience because of the price, and it is pricey for just an hour long ride, know that its 100% worth it. The atmosphere they create, from the moment you drive onto the park property, all the way thru to the 'give-a-ways' - its all high quality and worth it. I'm still so impressed with the craftsmanship of the bells - I know, this will sound, well, unbelievable, but I've never heard a bell so sweet and so bright as the one that Santa gave me on this trip.
The bell still rings for me. As it does for all who truly believe.
For more pictures of the Polar Express, and our camping trip, go here.
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