Hello, Sam.
Huntsville State Park is one of our favorites - it's just an hour or so up the road, one of the larger nearby parks, is just a stone's throw from Huntsville, and we've typically used it as our Maiden Voyage park for the campers we've bought.
We didn't have a chance to do that with our current rig, so here we are - enjoying the park and a long weekend as the bluebonnets are starting to bloom and the state is bursting into spring (as if we weren't snowed in just a few short weeks ago!)
An FYI, if it's been a while since you've driven up or down I-45: the construction is still a mess. The exit for Park Rd 40 is closed off right now as they're redoing the on and off ramps, so you'll actually drive past Sam up there, take the exit and come back south (passing his backside) and then turn onto the road that leads into the park. I couldn't help but capture a picture - dirty window and all - as it was nice to finally be back camping again, even with all the pollen from the trees starting to bloom.
We got ourselves checked in and settled into our spot for the weekend, and I threw together a quick dinner of roasted veggies, fried eggs and jalapeno sausage. It had been a long week for the both of us - but even moreso for Diesel McStinkerton. Not sure what he's gotten into lately, but he had an explosion in the truck while we were setting up (I'll spare you the pictures) and then again several times outside (thankfully!). We knew we were in for a long night with him.
RDB was on night watch with Diesel this weekend - in part b/c it's hard for me to handle him lately. Not sure what happened, but about two months ago I woke up with significant shoulder and upper arm pain. Thought that it was referred pain from the disks in my neck that were damaged in a car accident about 5 years ago, and so I got back in to my pain specialist, but he believes this is more likely a rotator cuff issue - so I have an MRI scheduled for 7am Monday morning. (There went my long weekend!). No idea how I damaged it; all I want at this point is some relief from the pain.
We all slept in for the better part of Saturday morning. We all needed it. RDB and I eventually got moving and took Diesel out for a walk before we went into town for lunch.
Yes, most of my pictures from this weekend are of Diesel. What can I say? He may be a stinker, but he's our stinker. For lunch, RDB and I did our usual Yelp exploration, and stumbled across the Farmhouse Cafe. Super cute, quaint little place with reasonable priced food- delicious, hot, and oh-so-good!
We were trying to be good (RDB avoided the breadbasket altogether, though I gave a few pieces as try for my Yelp review (linked above). We saw the amazing display of pies in the counter case as we walked it, and thought 'naw, we don't need any' but at the end of the meal RDB asked our server what was the best selling pie - Coconut Cream.
Y'all. OMG. It was heaven on a plate!!
Back to the campsite, it was a beautiful afternoon for a walk - I asked RDB to drop me off at the learning center. I spent a few minutes chatting with the ranger on staff, grabbed a few resources, then took the trails back over to our campsite.
It was also a great day for reading a book, taking a nap, and enjoying a glass of bubbly; we truly do feel like the lucky ones some days, this weekend being one of them.
Dinner took us over to our favorite steakhouse in Houston (I know, Huntsville is not Houston, but this is the best steakhouse down here!) I'm pretty sure I've mentioned
1836 Steakhouse before, but if you haven't had a chance, check out my review on Yelp and do yourself a favor - next time you're in town: GO! Sit upstairs in the attic bar and ask for Cory (the bartender); he's a wealth of knowledge and lots of fun to hang out with. You will not be disappointed.
Sunday morning found us sleeping in, again. Easy to do when there are equal parts sunshine and dark sky. The moon was super bright, it's in a waxing phase right now.
Much of the same on Sunday - rest, enjoying the campground - it's nice having the extra day paid for, even though we weren't going to be staying overnight, because it means we can stay all day if we like (which we did!) Once the other campers rolled out, we got the chance to enjoy some wildlife right in our site.
This guy showed up first. We have a squirrel in our neighborhood, Fat Gus, who gets fed by the neighbor's girls - but this dude made Fat Gus look like a model of perfect health.
Diesel was not pleased to be stuck inside, behind a chair barricade, unable to tell the plump interloper to get off his lawn.
Needless to say, Mr Squirrel was making himself at home. (Or mocking Diesel, one of the two!)
RDB, Diesel, and I moved outside after a bit, hanging out in our comfy camping chairs, and this incredible beauty came flittering past:
Like a little kid, I jumped out of my chair and chased it into the woods. Not only did she pause for a few pictures, she felt perfectly comfortable with me picking her up for a few moments (BTW: be sure to never touch a butterfly's wings - they are so delicate, you'll accidentally rub off their scales.)
She climbed right onto my finger and hung out long enough for RDB to come over and check her out. Such neat little creatures!
Eventually she grew tired of my hand and the bunches of pictures we were taking and she flew back into the branches. It's moments like this that make getting packed up and driving out to the campgrounds worth every minute of it.
All too soon, it was time to pack up and head back home. We were pulling out right as the sky was growing dark, and unfortunately discovered this:
I'm not saying that this camper is cursed with water leak issues, but this camper definitely has had its fair share of water leak issues! Thankfully, this was just the freshwater tank overfill valve (we were on such a slant that it was fine when RDB filled it before we left, but once we rolled off our leveling legos and pulled out of the site, the overflow valve did exactly what it was supposed to do.) Now, if we can just get the leak under the bathroom sink fixed.....
We were in Raven loop, site #7 at
Huntsville State Park. It was full hook-ups, which we really do enjoy. (I forgot to take a picture of our set up, so, we'll just have to go back again *wink*). Not very level, a few trees near enough that you'll want to have a spotter help you get settled in. We were eyeing the sites across the way that were facing the lake - but the spot we were in was perfect enough.
For more camping photos, go here.
