All our trips start off the same. Get a month out and the anticipation
starts. We load our camper, get the
fridge cool, clean the water system and fill the water tank. The day we leave the cooler gets filled and
iced down. The trailer is hooked up and everything is ready to go. Susan gets home from the YMCA at 12:30pm and
we pull out of the driveway. We are on our way. This trip was different and I think for the
near future all trips will be different.
Covid-19 changed all of this.
Indiana like other states were in the throws of new orders and
regulations. As we traveled South you could still go into a fast food place,
order and eat. When we got into the
heart of Texas we went to one restaurant and then used the drive through
exclusively. By then the Texas Governor
had closed all bars and restaurants.
This was going to be the new norm for a long period of time. There was a fog hanging over this trip. We kept drifting to thoughts about our
family. Our daughter had to lay off 300+
hourly staff and their company closed 18 restaurants. We see the stock market take huge plunges,
and we see a retirement life that has drastically changed.
Long Branch SP sunset
Great Salt Plains State Park, Jet, OK
Arkansas River
We both have family in Texas and couldn’t visit anyone. Isolated in our campsite, camper, and truck
gave us some peace and direction. We had
such wonderful scenery and were thankful to be able spend time in the outdoors.
For now Texas and Indiana haven’t closed their state parks. There are restroom restrictions. The park offices and stores are closed, and
in many cases the state park entry has been waved. Reservations must be made online. Many National Parks are closed or are
delaying their opening. Hopefully things
will improve during the next couple of months.
Our first stop was at Long Branch State Park in Missouri. We had a beautiful sunset and a good night
sleep. We headed South west to our
second stop at Salt Plains State Park in Jet, OK. Our site was right next to the Arkansas
River.
Our destination was Caprock Canyon State Park, in the Texas
Panhandle, just South of Amarillo, TX.
There we met up with fellow Four Wheel Camper, David Franklin. We took several hikes together and sat around
the campfire on Saturday night, all the while maintaining our 6’ separation.
David Franklin and myself, fun couple of days hiking and sitting around the campfire
Caprock at sunset
We spent two days at Caprock Canyon SP and head South along
the back roads of Texas to Inks Lake State Park. Our site was on the Lake. The Colorado River is dammed at 6 locations
creating Lake Buchanan, Inks Lake, Lake LBJ, Lake Marble Falls, Lake Travis, and
Lake Austin. This area along the
Colorado River is beautiful. We maintained our separation from people and and
enjoyed some fishing, watching sunsets, and grilling our meals.
Inks Lake
Homemade Pizza on the grill
Grilled sausage in pita bread
Light dinner on a travel day
Grilled Salmon and red potatos
Breakfast Omlet and Sarah checking out her bananna
Saint Patty's Day - corn beef hash with eggs
Fresh pie from the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Llanos, TX
There are a series of 6 lakes and dams along the Colorado River, starting with Buchanan Lake to the West and ending with Lake Austin in Austin, TX before the Colorado River turns South to the Gulf of Mexico.
On two days we drove the Blue Bonnet Loop starting in
Burnet, Tx, then to Llano, Tx, Fredericksburg, TX, Johnson City, TX, Marble
Falls, TX, and back Burnet, TX. Between
Llano and Fredericksburg is the Willow City Loop, a beautiful loop drive in the
big loop. The Blue Bonnets were
beautiful.
Blue Bonnet Loop
Blue Bonnet Loop
Blue Bonnets & Indian Paint Brush
Indian Paint Brush
We drove around the lake to Camp Longhorn. Susan worked there as a camp counselor in 1972. Lots of changes over the past 48 years. They publish a book each year, similar to a high school yearbook.
We stopped in Johnson City and visited LBJ's boyhood home. All of the offices were closed and there were no tours, so our stop was short.
LBJ's childhood home
Over several days we talked about extending our stay in
Texas. Both of our part time jobs have
shut down under the State of Indiana, shelter in place. All of the Indiana YMCA’s are closed for the
duration. After much dialog we decided
it was safer to be at home and not 1,200 miles away.
It was a fun trip, and we look forward to returning to Texas
when things recover. For the last five
years we have been at Galveston Island State Park, camping at the beach
campground. Texas Parks has closed the
beach campground for the next 3 years to rebuild the campground. Hurricane Ike in 2008 wiped out approximately
60% of the campsites. They are doing a
complete re-building to get back to approximately 75 campsites.
Everyone be safe.
John, glad you made in home safe! Thanks for the nice report, though! It sure does help mitigate all we are all dealing with and attempting to adjust to. We will get through this. Stay positive.
ReplyDeleteNice report, We should have been in TX right now. Our daughter lives in Schertz TX, we had planned to leave a week ago taking our time to get there.
ReplyDeleteMay be next spring
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