October 4-6, 2019
Site 31 – 50 AMP (Brosts were in site 51) – far from bathrooms (very old), good shade, close to water, but no access. We like some of the other sites better.
One of the things we love about this park are the abundance of deer that hang around the camp site. It’s like a movie out our windows. They are not afraid of people (or dogs) at all!
We were lucky enough for the stars to align and set up this trip with my cousin Jamie and his family. Getting our calendars free on the same dates proves to be a challenge! We’ve managed to get together 3 or 4 times over the last year after not seeing each other for years. So nice to see our kids get along so well and the adults too – love it!
Kevin headed out there on Thursday ahead of everyone and Jamie went early on Friday as well. The mom’s picked up the kids after school and arrived in time for dinner on Friday. We ate at Pulidos (rated #1 Mexican food in Mineral Wells – my go to for choosing restaurants) – really good beef tacos, beef/bean burritos & interesting sides. Definitely would go back.
That night the girls stayed in our camper and the boys in the Brost’s. Have to get in all the time together they can.
Saturday morning Jamie and Kevin went fishing while Jennifer and I took the kids on a hike – Penitentiary Point. Another reason we love this park in the fall is the hiking – tons of giant rock formations to scale, gorgeous views of the lake and lots of trees for shade. Unfortunately the cold front that was forecasted pushed out until Monday, so we were stuck with 95 degrees all weekend. Man do we feel old and out of shape! By the end, Jennifer’s hips and knees were bothering her and my back was tired. We grunted and groaned a bunch too. At least we got my obligatory hundreds of photos taken (convenient time to take breaks at every snap of the camera).
We had to force ourselves not to “helicopter parent” (anxiety was at an all time high) as the kids climbed to the tippy tops of the massive rock outcroppings – no harnesses of course. At the end, we trudged up the never ending stone stairs to realize our car was not where we thought and walked at least 12 miles (well, maybe that’s an exaggeration) down the paved road with no shade, and the sun BEATING down on us. I almost called Kevin after walking what seemed to be forever, to come get us, but after looking at the map, realized it wasn’t much further. At last we spotted the car and literally yelled for joy. So thirsty!! Now there’s a new rule in place – if you want water, you carry it yourself, not drink all of mom’s.
We headed back to our campers for a rest and some lunch (grilled cheese on the electric skillet – boy that thing is handy, being able to make 6 sandwiches at a time). Cameron and I played some games while Kevin and Chewy napped.
We decided to check out the park store. That turned into a friendly game of tackle football between the kids. We ate some ice cream by the lake while the boys taught the girls how to hike the ball, and some different plays. Miraculously, there were no tears shed and everyone got along! That’s a win in my book!
That night we planned a big dinner together. Kevin grilled up a storm – 5 lbs of burgers and 5 lbs of smoked sausage. Just as it was time to eat, I ran inside to the grab the buns and flung open the door to take them out to Kevin, just as he was coming up the stairs carrying the food. Whammo! Both trays of meat went flying as the door smacked into him and all but 1 burger hit the ground. Some were saved by the outdoor rug and all the rest landed straight on the sand. We washed off what we could and renamed them Sandburgers . . . ugh! One of those moments that, at the time, not so funny, but we all ended up laughing about it anyway.
We had planned on s’mores too, but since there was a burn ban in effect, that was a “no go”. It was alright with me, considering the 95 degrees.
After a mean game of Kings on Corners, all the kiddos stayed at our place that night while Jamie and Jennifer tried to get some sleep. Their dogs kept them up whining until 2:30 the night before, so hopefully not having all of the kids there helped keep the doggies stay asleep.
We made breakfast the next morning – pancakes, bacon and eggs. The Brosts were packed up and headed home before 10 am. We loaded up about noon and saw there were at least 10 campers in line ahead of us at the dump station. Kevin opted to wait and use the storage facility’s sewer. We noticed for the 2nd time, when we were unhooking, that there was a leak coming from the black tank we were going to have to look into. I drove further behind just in case it leaked and didn’t want it hitting my brand new car. Mario, the RV repair man check it out after we got back and said the pipe was never connected (probably a factory default) and he’s not sure why we haven’t had more problems. Also discovered the roof was torn in several places from low lying branches, so that’s going to have to be replaces too. Man, it’s always something . . . but all the headache is worth every bit of it – WE LOVE CAMPING!
Cameron said she wanted to make us dinner that night and Pinterested all the way home, coming up with a recipe. We invited the Pollones over and she served up “Cameron’s Taco Casserole” – Delish!! Not a bad way to end a great weekend.
To Have And To Haas 