# Texas Sized Travel



## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

We plan on traveling to Texas soon after the 1st of the year. We're thinking about 5 or 6 easy days from L.A. to Big Bend National Park. Then will either go to the Austin/San Antonio area for a week or south to Brownsville. From there we'll move east to Port Arthur. If we don't go stir crazy from being in the trailer we may spend as many as 6 weeks on the Texas Coast. Not sure about the return but if we don't visit Austin/San Antonio before we head to the Coast, we'll stop on the way back. Otherwise we'll head north to Shreveport and then meander back to L.A. via OK, NM and AZ. All in all we may be gone for 3 months. Our longest trip so far has been 3 weeks and that went pretty smoothly. About half that time was at State and County Parks and while not exactly dry camping, at one park we relied on ye olde batteries for 4 days. Don't have a generator yet and will probably pick up a Honda 2000 before heading out. The other thing we need to do is work on the bed. After 3 weeks on the Keystone mattress I was ready to sleep on the ground. It couldn't be any harder and at least I'd be able to stretch out.

Texas is such a large state with so many parks and campgrounds I'm sure we'll be able to find enough places to stay. We prefer National and State parks but will probably spend a few nights at private places. It's always nice to use the laundry facilities at the private places.

All suggestions on campgrounds, parks and places to visit are welcome. Also thoughts on extended traveling. We plan on taking the Yamaha VSTAR on this trip. I like the idea of an extra vehicle if the 6.0 Powerstroke goes on strike.


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## OBcanOB (Aug 23, 2007)

We made that trip ourselves this past January, and spent about 3 weeks in Texas. Though we didn't get down to Gulf Coast, we enjoyed the country. Some of the highlights were:

- Langtry, and the famous Judge Roy Bean

http://www.lobo-texas.com/lobohome/en/langtrygal-1.php

- Big Bend is quite amazing.

- San Antonio, the Alamo, the Missions, the River Walk, and the people. We stayed for a week at the Braunig Lake RV Resort as it was quite economical and by then we needed some city comforts.

http://www.brauniglakervresort.com/

- On the way there, be sure to stop of at Tombstone, Arizona and see the OK Corral and a couple of the original historic buildings. Also, if the weather is warm enough, a few days in the desert around Florence, Az. is recommended.


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## ALASKA PFLOCK (Jun 24, 2007)

garyb1st- Get a memory foam mattress topper, lightweight and comfortable as well as keeps the cold from traveling up the coils in the mattress.


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Gary,

I suggest you stop at Ft. Davis State Park on your way to Big Bend. Its beautiful. Visit the mcDonald Observatory while your there and tour the surrounding countryside including Alpine, Marfa and Marathon.

The national park at Chisos Basin is very nice - make reservations in advance. There is a private campground in Terlingua/Study Butte area and another campground on the east side of the park called the Rio Grang Village.

When you leave Big Bend travel east on US90. There's a great campground at Seminole Canyon SP where you can see the Indian cave drawings and tour Lantry ( that doesn't take too long).

Keep on US90 east to Uvalde area. There are campgrounds all over. Take the scenic tour up to Camp Wood, then over through Leakey, Vanderpool, Utopia and Concan. You might consider staying at Lost maples State park or Garner SP if you can get a reservation. This is one of the prettiest areas in all of Texas.

Keep on US90 then into San Antonio. Can't help on campgrounds there, but do visit the Alamo, riverwalk and take the mission tour.

Have a great time.

Regards, Glenn


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## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

OBcanOB said:


> We made that trip ourselves this past January, and spent about 3 weeks in Texas. Though we didn't get down to Gulf Coast, we enjoyed the country. Some of the highlights were:
> 
> - Langtry, and the famous Judge Roy Bean
> 
> ...


Thanks for the links. Weather is a concern. I grew up in Minnesota so try to avoid anything that requires antifreeze. What kind of weather did you have last January?


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## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

ALASKA PFLOCK said:


> garyb1st- Get a memory foam mattress topper, lightweight and comfortable as well as keeps the cold from traveling up the coils in the mattress.


That's on the short list. Just haven't decided if I want to attempt a King bed mod. So far I haven't seen anything that I comfortable with.


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## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

GlenninTexas said:


> Gary,
> 
> I suggest you stop at Ft. Davis State Park on your way to Big Bend. Its beautiful. Visit the mcDonald Observatory while your there and tour the surrounding countryside including Alpine, Marfa and Marathon.
> 
> ...


Glen,

Thanks for the reply. The state parks info is really helpful. We really hate making reservations and are hopeful that because we'll be traveling during the off season they won't be necessary. Definitely going to visit Lost Maples and Garner. From the pix on the State Park web site they both look like a little bit of heaven.

I stumbled across the Marfa lights a few days ago while surfing the web. We love that sort of thing and plan on visiting Roswell NM on the way out or return.

It looks like you have a similar sized trailer and truck. Are there any areas we should avoid due to our overall length?

Gary


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## OBcanOB (Aug 23, 2007)

garyb1st said:


> We made that trip ourselves this past January, and spent about 3 weeks in Texas. Though we didn't get down to Gulf Coast, we enjoyed the country. Some of the highlights were:
> 
> - Langtry, and the famous Judge Roy Bean
> 
> ...


Thanks for the links. Weather is a concern. I grew up in Minnesota so try to avoid anything that requires antifreeze. What kind of weather did you have last January?
[/quote]

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The weather was cooler than their normal right from California through Yuma, Apache Junction and all the way to Texas, until we got to San Antonio. They were still in a drought, so we brought the rain with us for a few day. Other than that, very nice t-shirt weather. A couple of the camps in Arizona suggested you remove your water hookup at night because it freezes, but that's pretty normal nights in the desert, and not enough freezing to break anything (we did unhook the water a couple times). The days were pretty good. Certainly NO antifreeze anywhere.


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

garyb1st said:


> Gary,
> 
> I suggest you stop at Ft. Davis State Park on your way to Big Bend. Its beautiful. Visit the mcDonald Observatory while your there and tour the surrounding countryside including Alpine, Marfa and Marathon.
> 
> ...


Glen,

Thanks for the reply. The state parks info is really helpful. We really hate making reservations and are hopeful that because we'll be traveling during the off season they won't be necessary. Definitely going to visit Lost Maples and Garner. From the pix on the State Park web site they both look like a little bit of heaven.

I stumbled across the Marfa lights a few days ago while surfing the web. We love that sort of thing and plan on visiting Roswell NM on the way out or return.

It looks like you have a similar sized trailer and truck. Are there any areas we should avoid due to our overall length?

Gary
[/quote]

Gary,

I haven't had any problems getting my RV into any parks. One thing I forgot tomention. It's best to avoid pulling your RV eastbound on the River Road (State Hy 170) between Presidio and Terlingua Texas. There's a long hard climb that forces many to unload their trailers at the bottom, pull the RV up, then return to get the unloaded stuff and passengers. This is a great day trip though without the RV.

As far as reservations, you might get into Garner SP in the winter if your lucky, its usually booked though.Best to at least call ahead to check.

You shouldn't have to worry about antifreeze in the RV. Nights will typically be cool, days in the 60's.

Regards, Glenn


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## dunn4 (Feb 16, 2008)

HOWDY









As recommended check out Garner S.P. and Lost Maples S.P. along with Davis Mountains S.P. which is just above National Historic Site Fort Davis. They occasionally will get light snow in January/February. Black bear are coming back into the Davis Mtn. S.P. and is one of our favorite places to camp since it is close to the McDonald Observatory, Fort Davis and Balmorhea S.P.

The hill country is a beautiful part of the state and has numerous state parks: Pedernales Falls, McKinney Falls (in Austin city limits), Guadalupe River S.P., Enchanted Rock (mostly tent sites), and many more. Be sure to check the Texas Parks and Wildlife website for information on activities and closures. Some state parks close for "control hunts" during the hunting season to keep wildlife at manageable levels.

Big Bend is quite remarkable, but I have never camped there in a TT. Palo Duro is another favorite and is outside of Amarillo. Have fun and enjoy the Great State of Texas


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## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

dunn4 said:


> HOWDY
> 
> 
> 
> ...


When we started planning this trip I was thinking 2 months in Texas was too much. Now I'm thinking it may not be long enough.

Thanks for the info on the parks and also the heads up on the snow. I'll bring a warm coats and extra blankets. I actually enjoy cool evenings.


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## Texas Friends (Feb 12, 2006)

Gary,
Lots of answers about places to camp but I will help answer the one question not yet addressed... THE VSTAR!
If you are heading across I-10 in central Texas stop in Kerrville and unload the VSTAR!
From Kerrville head south on 16 to Medina and then head East on Ranch Road 337. From there you can catch the "3 Sisters". Those are Ranch Roads 335, 336 and 337... Beautiful rides thru the Texas hill country. You will very much enjoy.
Check out this link.... its great for information about riding in the Texas Hill Country.

http://www.hillcountrycruising.com/the3s.html

Let me know how it goes....

Bryan

Happy Camping (and riding)


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## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

Texas Friends said:


> Gary,
> Lots of answers about places to camp but I will help answer the one question not yet addressed... THE VSTAR!
> If you are heading across I-10 in central Texas stop in Kerrville and unload the VSTAR!
> From Kerrville head south on 16 to Medina and then head East on Ranch Road 337. From there you can catch the "3 Sisters". Those are Ranch Roads 335, 336 and 337... Beautiful rides thru the Texas hill country. You will very much enjoy.
> ...


 Bryan,

Thanks for the link. That's a definite possibility. We'll be in the Austin San Antonio area for at least a week so an afternoon ride on one of those roads would be a blast.

Let me know if your ever going to be in So Cal. I'll send you some links to some canyon roads. They're in the mountain and a bit twisty but well worth the ride.

Gary


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## BullwinkleMoose (May 22, 2006)

If you can't get into Garner you might want to try Parkview Riverside RV Park which is right across the Frio river from garner. Very nice and quiet, full hook-ups, cable 10 chs or less,nice staff. They do have a website, don't have the info handy at this time. Lost maples is a really nice park, just water and electric with a dump station. Lost maples does have in the park hiking trails.


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## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

BullwinkleMoose said:


> If you can't get into Garner you might want to try Parkview Riverside RV Park which is right across the Frio river from garner. Very nice and quiet, full hook-ups, cable 10 chs or less,nice staff. They do have a website, don't have the info handy at this time. Lost maples is a really nice park, just water and electric with a dump station. Lost maples does have in the park hiking trails.


Thanks for the heads up. Looks like a nice place. Will add that to our list. The link is http://www.parkviewriversiderv.com


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> Thanks for the heads up. Looks like a nice place. Will add that to our list. The link is http://www.parkviewriversiderv.com


If you are considering going there, make your reservations WELL in advance. Garner State Park is the state's most visited state park. Parkview fills up early!

Mark


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## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

garyb1st said:


> garyb1st- Get a memory foam mattress topper, lightweight and comfortable as well as keeps the cold from traveling up the coils in the mattress.


That's on the short list. Just haven't decided if I want to attempt a King bed mod. So far I haven't seen anything that I comfortable with.
[/quote]

You won't regret the king bed mod, made a world of difference!


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## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

Mark

Hopefully even the most popular parks will have a few open spots during the winter months. In the few months we've had our trailer, we've only been out 4 times. The longest was for three weeks and we never reserved a place. It got a bit dicey a couple of times and once we ended up parking at night with very little light. That's an experience I prefer to avoid. But generally it wasn't a problem. The real problem for us is we're just not planners. We just like to go. That will change this next time but primarily to keep costs down. Our worst experience so far was the late arrival at a park along a river near the Northern California Coast. We were right on the water. But the river that had so little water in it, you could jump across. That view cost us an extra $5.00.







The night cost us $45.00 and in the morning, we discovered we had spent the night at a third rate park that catered mostly to full timers who had trailers that looked as if they were long past due for the grave yard. Aside from that we had good experience.

Gary


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## zachsmom (Aug 17, 2008)

Sounds like a great trip!!

We drove cross-country a couple of years ago (before the TT) and also didn't want to make reservations, not knowing what would happen each day. We took the AAA book with us and had a couple of chain motel booklets with locations and phone numbers, and just called ahead to check availability and make a reservation once we knew about where we'd be that night. I'd suggest the same sort of plan for your trip - a quick phone call in the early afternoon can save a lot of frustration later on. Plus, if a CG is full they may be able to recommend a nearby place that has space.

If you get a chance, check out Inks Lake State Park, a bit north of Austin. I was stationed at Ft. Hood 88-92 and went there for several day trips and really enjoyed it. I doubt that it has changed much since it's a state park.

I did find a review with some pics and contact information:
http://www.texasoutside.com/txorails/publi...w_campground/84

And here is the link for the park:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/inks/

Don't forget military campgrounds, if you are eligible to use them...

Hope you have a great trip, and please keep us posted!


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## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

Thanks Lynne

That's pretty much the way we've always done it. We put about 10,000 vacation miles on our truck before we got the camper. We either slept in the back of the truck at a rest stop or got a room. Never had much of a problem other than last minute rooms can be a bit spendy. The problems with rest stops, at least in California, is that you can only stop for 8 hours. Don't know if/how they enforce that. If we find out, I'll be sure to post about it.









Inks Lake State Park is beautiful. I'm looking forward to this trip more and more thanks to all the input. My only experience with Texas other than flying in and out of Dallas a few times was a drive through the panhandle many years ago. Don't recall much other than Amarillo and a sand storm that brought traffic to a stand still.

Gary


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

garyb1st said:


> Thanks Lynne
> 
> That's pretty much the way we've always done it. We put about 10,000 vacation miles on our truck before we got the camper. We either slept in the back of the truck at a rest stop or got a room. Never had much of a problem other than last minute rooms can be a bit spendy. The problems with rest stops, at least in California, is that you can only stop for 8 hours. Don't know if/how they enforce that. If we find out, I'll be sure to post about it.
> 
> ...


Hey Gary,
If you make it to Inks Lake, let me know. I live on Park Road 4 about 12 miles from Inks Lake. It is a great park but being so close to Austin, it gets plenty of use.

Regards, Glenn


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> If you make it to Inks Lake, let me know. I live on Park Road 4 about 12 miles from Inks Lake. It is a great park but being so close to Austin, it gets plenty of use.


So you're not moving to Idaho?

Mark


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

mswalt said:


> > If you make it to Inks Lake, let me know. I live on Park Road 4 about 12 miles from Inks Lake. It is a great park but being so close to Austin, it gets plenty of use.
> 
> 
> So you're not moving to Idaho?
> ...


I don't think so - good chance on staying in the Austin area, I hope to know more within the next couple of weeks.
Regards, Glenn


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

If you get a chance to head up to West Texas - check out Palo Duro SP and our favorite - Caprock Canyons SP. If you do decide to go to Palo Duro - be sure you are comfortable with the road down into the canyon before attempting it. We don't go there out of concern for our truck pulling back up out of the canyon. We absolutely love Caprock Canyons SP.

-CC


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## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

GlenninTexas said:


> Hey Gary,
> If you make it to Inks Lake, let me know. I live on Park Road 4 about 12 miles from Inks Lake. It is a great park but being so close to Austin, it gets plenty of use.
> 
> Regards, Glenn


Glenn, Inks lake is a definite maybe and if we don't stay there we'll probably visit for a day. It's about 50 miles from Austin and we play on being in the Austin San Antonio area for a week or two. We're also considering Pedernales and McKinney Falls. For now it looks like we'll be in the area over the holidays. My daughters are flying out to visit us during spring break so we need to be back early March and have moved the trip up a week or so. I'll keep you posted.

Gary


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## garyb1st (Dec 6, 2007)

collinsfam_tx said:


> If you get a chance to head up to West Texas - check out Palo Duro SP and our favorite - Caprock Canyons SP. If you do decide to go to Palo Duro - be sure you are comfortable with the road down into the canyon before attempting it. We don't go there out of concern for our truck pulling back up out of the canyon. We absolutely love Caprock Canyons SP.
> 
> -CC


Don't think we'll be that far north but I'll keep them in mind if we ever go to Santa Fe and Taos in the fall or late spring.


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