Texas RV Travel blog

From Scenic Overlook at Lockhart State Park

Today we drove to Lockhart State Park. We were ready for a road trip and the park may be reached by all backroads from our house. A thin ribbon of roadway splits large blackland prairie farms as we head south on FM 671, through Staples, head west on FM 20 to cross the San Marcos River at Fentress, Texas. From Fentress, we continued on FM 20 to Park Road 10.

Lockhart SP covers 250+ acres, with a 9-hole, 3000 yard golf course (par 35), 1.5 miles of hiking trails, a swimming pool and bass fishing on Clear Fork Creek.

Lockhart State Park has a wonderful playscape for children, restrooms with showers, picnic sites and group picnic area, and campsites with water and electricity. There are a limited number of RV sites with full hookups. There is also a fine old stone recreation hall with a huge stone patio that frames the scenic overlook above.

We also ran into a friend of mine who I had not seen in 15 years. It was fun trying to catch up on a lifetime. LOL! If you go by Lockhart State Park, make sure to tell Linda and Liz that Eileen says “Howdy.”

It was beautiful Texas day, temperatures in the low-70s. We have not experienced a hard freeze yet, so the trees do not know what to do. We have more orange and reds this fall than normal.

Lockhart SP was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and has many of the beautiful stone work that typifies the work of the CCC in Texas, such as the bridge to the right.

Tags: Lockhart State Park, Civilian Conservation Corps, fall colors in Texas, Blackland Prairie

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If you are planning to travel to or around Texas, you should visit TravelTex.com, the official Texas tourism website.

There you will find a Texas-sized searchable activities and events guide.

Add places and activities to your itinerary by using the Add Trip Maker button.

Activities and attractions, events. regions, cities, lodging, golf, campgrounds, parks, ranches–you name it and you will find it in Texas.

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I was driving down the highway yesterday and I was in the center lane next to one of those big 18-wheelers. I saw that the trucker had his turn signal on, so I moved over one lane and drove on. A few minutes later, the same trucker was next to me again and his turn signal blinker was still signaling a turn. I thought to myself, “this guy must be driving down the highway with his turn signal on. What a dummy.”

I am a very cautious driver, so I slowed down, trying to get out of his blind spot. Next thing I know, he is moving over into my lane, so I slam on the breaks, honk the horn, to no avail, as he slides in front of me about one foot to spare.

Truckers are usually very good drivers, but even the best driver needs to have Blind Spot Mirrors that give you the complete picture when changing lanes.

Maxi View Mirrors helps you see your blind spots every time,without taking your eyes off the road. This would be a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone who drives. We are going to order some for our van’s mirrors. We have a huge blind spot (27 feet of trailer) in addition to the regular blindspot, so we need all the help we can get.

Tags: PayPerPost, [Maxi View Mirrors, 1 Comment »

Greater Flamingo (left) and Caribbean Flamingo (right) on the Texas coast (picture from Corpus Christi Caller).

Last year in November, I blogged about a friend of mine who had spotted a pink flamingo on the Texas coast while camping at Goose Island State Park.

Flamingos are rarely seen on the Texas coast, so it was surprising when the Greater flamingo reappeared at the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge this year.

The Greater flamingo is originally from Africa and he is one of two Greater flamingos that escaped from Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas in July 2005.

The African flamingo has been joined by a Caribbean flamingo, who hails from the Yucatan Pennisula. The Caribbean flamingo is thought to have flown up, or have been blown up, during hurricane season last year! This is his second year to return to the Texas coast as well.

Both birds made remarkable journeys. The Greater flamingo flew 678 miles from Wichita, Kansas. The Caribbean flamingo flew about the same distance (mostly over open water) from the Yucatan. The identity of the Greater and Caribbean flamingos have been confirmed by leg bands and research by area biologists.

The Refuge covers 115,000+ acres, including the Blackjack Peninsula, Matagorda Island, Myrtle Foester Whitmire, Tatton, and Lamar units. These areas provide vital resting, feeding, wintering, and nesting grounds for migratory birds and enangered Texas wildlife. The Refuge is the winter home of the largest wild flock of endangered whooping cranes in the world.

RV Parks in Port Aransas:
Island RV Resort
Raintree RV Park

RV Parks Rockport/Fulton Area:
Ancient Oaks RV Park
Bahia Vista Waterfront RV Park

Texas is a world-class birding spot. Try your birdwatching luck on the Texas coast this winter.

Tags: flamingos on the Texas coast, Greater flamingo, Carribbean flamingo, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

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