Texas RV Travel blog

Texas Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo
July 3-6
Texas Cowboy Reunion Grounds; Business Loop 277
Stamford, TX 79553 (close to Abilene, Texas)
(325) 773-3138

The Texas Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo corrals about 500 cowboys from all over the Southwest and Texas for the world’s largest amateur rodeo. Rodeo prizes include cash, trophies and handmade saddles. Dance beneath the stars to live country, western swing and honky tonk music. Enjoy the fiddler contests, Western art show and cowboy poetry. Sample food served from chuck wagons.If this does not sound exciting enough, take a look at the Wild Mare Racing event.

Camping and RVing Notes:

Stamford Park (325/773-2411) has picnic sites, camping areas with hook-ups, cabins and a fishing house. Silo Scott Memorial Park (940/864-3779) has picnic and camping areas with hook-ups.

Lake Stamford is a 4,690-acre lake that is popular for fishing, boating, water skiing and some of the best fishing around. It is a power plant lake, so the fishing is good in the winter as well.

• Lake Stamford Marina, 120 Marina Drive, Stamford, TX 79553, (325) 773-2095
• Anchor Marina Lodge, 788 Anchor Lane, Haskell, TX 79521, (940) 864-3779

What to See and Do:

Evidently there is a lot of ghostly activity in Stamford and the surrounding area. Visit Ghosts of America for more information.

Make sure you visit the Texas Cowboy Museum  located at 113 S. Wetherbee Street, across from the Chamber of Commerce. View original paintings and prints by noted cowboy artists; farm and ranch artifacts from early 20th century, including living room/kitchen and blacksmith shop. The museum is open Monday to Friday from 8 am until 5 pm.

The Stamford Centennial Monument ?was sculpted by Throckmorton artist Joe Barrington, This 15-foot tall sculpture of a cowboy on a bucking horse crossing a railroad track was unveiled June 2000.

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The Wind Never Stops and it is Hotter’n Hell

June 10, 2008 in WICHITA FALLS, TX:

High Temperature: Actual: 97°F
Normal: 90°F
Record: 105°F

The Hotter’N Hell Hundred endurance race is one of the oldest and largest cycling events in the USA.

With the huge consumer products show, off-road mountain biking and USCF Races over the weekend, the Hotter’N Hell offers an awesome start and the greatest weekend on two wheels. Fitness riders and bicycle racers will come to Wichita Falls, in August, from almost everywhere to participate. Races begin at 7am (sunrise) and end at the Finish Line Village. But, first, you must pass through Hell’s Gate.

Off Road Biking on 10-mile off-road trail is open all day. Help comes for you at 6 pm on Friday and 1 pm on Saturday. This natural trail is single track with quick short climbs and drops. Off-roading requires skill and caution on the part of the rider.

Registration and Races

All the excitement of the HH100 begins with Registration for one or all races held during the weekend.

8/22/2008
Wee-Chi-Tah Trail Races
Mountain Bike (13 miles) and Trail Run (5, 10, 13 miles)
online registration closes 8/18/2008 8:00:00 AM ET

8/22/2008 - 8/23/2008
Hotter’N Hell Hundred Ultra Road and Criterium (USCF races for licensed racers)
online registration closes 8/20/2008 11:00:00 PM ET

8/23/2008
Hotter’n Hell Hundred Endurance Ride - HH100
10K - 25 mile - 50 mile - 100K - 100 mile
online registration closes 8/18/2008 7:00:00 AM ET

Consumer Show

8/21-8/23/2008
2008 Consumer Show

The Hotter’N Hell Consumer Show is one of the largest consumer bicycle trade shows in the nation. Visit old friends and make new ones in the exhibit Hall of the Multi-Purpose Events Center (MPEC), 1000 Fifth St. in downtown Wichita Falls.

Thursday 3 -8 pm
Friday 1-10 pm
Saturday 9-3 pm

Camping

There are lots of opportunities to camp–from full hookups to tent camping to indoor camping in a hall with A/C. Visit the camping page of HH100 website for more information. There are also hotels listed.

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Horseback Trails

McKinney Roughs Nature Park is located about 15 miles east of Austin on Highway 71. McKinney Roughs spreads over 1,100 acres and includes horseback riding (not camping). McKinney Roughs has two equestrian trail heads. Several of the trails offer scenic overlooks, cross pine groves and grasslands, as well as offer access to the Colorado River.

Trailhead gates are opened at sunrise and closed at sunset every day to allow trail riders access to the trails during optimal riding times. Fee is $10 per rider. Equestrian passbooks can be purchased for $250, which includes 50 passes. To check if equestrian trails are open, call the 24-hour trail information hotline at 1-800-776-5272, Ext. 7427.  Link to the trail map in PDF.

BastropTexas.net has some great photographs of McKinney Roughs park.

Hiking Trails

McKinney Roughs contains the most extensive collection of hiking trails to be found in Central Texas. The official park website mentions over 15 miles of trails, with more planned in the future. $3 per person. No biking and no dogs on trails. View the details at Texas Hiking website.

Photograph from Happy Horse Hotel website. All rights reserved.

Area Campground

Happy Horse Hotel has tent and rig camping (water and electric only). There are a few openings for the May Full Moon Ride on May 16 and May 17) . $35 for each horse/rider, which will include the $5 ride ticket. The ride will last 60 to 90 minutes after mounting up, and riders must be able to comfortably trot and canter their horses, since timing is everything. Call 512-303-0589 for more details and exact times.

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Photography by Earl Nottingham © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Did you know there is a place in Texas where you may view the history of the Great Plains, which includes 260+ million years and six major geologic periods? The story is told in the sandstone cliffs and multicolored clays that form gypsum-laced pedestals, hoodoos and slides of the canyonlands. Standing on the bedrock of the Southern Plains, you will agree that Caprock Canyons State Park amd Trailway is unlike any other area of Texas.

Caprock Canyons State Park was Park of the Month November 2007. Below is an excerpt from this article:

Imagine a place where marbled redrock canyons slice through a vast landscape dominated by table top-flat plains, where miniature mountains pierce an azure sky, where historic railroad bridges seem to float in space and the descendants of ancient bison herds graze native grasses . . .

After the Visitors Center and the Discovery Center, the park road winds from the escarpment to the canyonlands below. Lake Theo, accessed by the first turn-in to the left along the park road, offers fishing, swimming and non-motorized boating. The next right is Honea Flat Camping Area, where you park your RV. Down the road and to the right is Wild Horse Camping Area, the equestrian camping area.

After a couple of miles, as the road descends into the canyons of the North Prong and South Prong of the Little Red River, you will find Red Tent Camping Area on the left, the trailhead of the Upper and Lower Canyon Trails to the right. The road ends at South Prong Tent Camping Area. There are two primitive camping areas on the canyon trails.

Caprock Canyons State Park includes the Trailway, a 64-mile Rail-to-Trail conversion. Used for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, this multi-use trail begins at South Plains on top of the caprock escarpment and ends at Estelline in the Red River Valley. On the way from escarpment to river valley, the Trailway crosses 46 bridges and includes a trip through Clarity tunnel, home to a colony of Mexican free-tailed bats (April through October).

Notes:

• All visitors must obtain an entrance permit to use parking area and trailway.
• Overnight campers must obtain permits at the park headquarters.
• Day-use fees may be paid at pay stations located at each trailhead.
• Do not tie animals to man-made structures.
• The Mexican free-tailed bats living in Clarity tunnel are very sensitive to traffic, noise, light and human presence. Walk your bike through the tunnel.

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Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

16710 Ranch Road 965
Fredericksburg, TX 78624
(325) 247-3903

To Native Americans, Enchanted Rock was the gateway to the next world. They named it Gahe, meaning Spirit of the Mountain. Kiowas, Apaches and Comanches journeyed to Enchanted Rock to achieve enlightenment. There are some phenomena that keep the spirits of Enchanted Rock alive. Ghost lights, moaning, creaking and drumming are reported periodically by visitors to and residents of the area.

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area consists of 1643+ acres on Big Sandy Creek, north of Fredericksburg, Texas, between Gillespie and Llano Counties. At the urging of Lady Bird Johnson,The Nature Conservancy of Texas purchased Enchanted Rock in 1978. In 1984, it opened under the aegis of Texas Parks and Wildlife. Enchanted Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that rises 425 feet above ground, 1825 feet above sea level and covers 640 acres. It is only one of many batholiths in the area and several in the park.

The islands of vegetation, called Vernal Pools, on the bare granite summit of Enchanted Rock are some of the most ecologically significant and severely threatened features of this state natural area. While in the SNA, do not disturb ANY plant or animal life, geological features, or Indian or historical artifacts. No trailers or RVs over 20 feet are allowed. Some of the camping is primitive (hike in), fires are only allowed in fire rings at each site, and wood gathering of any type is not allowed.

This is a gorgeous rock and a wonderful natural area. For an aerial or walking tour, pictures from the top, and many other pictures and information, please visit the E-rock website, maintained by an Enchanted Rock aficionado. Another website that has some wonderful photographs and useful information, please visit the Enchanted Rock page on American Southwest. Enchanted Rock is a wonderful place to learn to climb. Check the ErockOnline forum for help.

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