We sure enjoyed our time with our family in Canyon Lake Texas, but it was time to roll on down the road. Our next stop wasa a one night stay at Fort Mason City Park in Mason, Texas.
The drive was a pretty easy 109 mi to Fort Mason City Park. Mason experienced a lot of the same rains the Hill Country had received. As result it was green everywhere which was really beautiful this time of year because it's normally brown.

The purpose of our stay in Mason, Texas was to visit a friend of mine I hadn't seen in years. I used to work with him at Texas Parks and Wildlife many years ago in the mid-80s and ran into him a time or two since then.
I knew he had retired to Mason and was looking forward to seeing him again. I texted him when Sharon and I were in the town square doing a self-guided walking tour. Robert and his wife Leticia pulled up beside us and told us they would help us finish the tour.
This is when I received the surprise of my life regarding Robert who as it turns out is now the Mayor of Mason, Texas. So, the Mayor and his wife gave us a very special tour of downtown Mason. While touring the courthouse he introduced us to the County Judge who was very gracious. It was also fun to hear as we walked the square all the quirky small-town stories he shared from his experiences as mayor.
After touring the town, we chatted for several hours at their house. It sure was fun catching up with Robert and Leticia. It still amazes me how now two of my old friends have become mayors of towns in Texas!
The next morning, we drove another 110 mi down the road and pulled into a park we've stayed at before, San Angelo State Park, in San Angelo, Texas.
We spent a few days reminiscing about past visits as we've have always enjoyed this town. We hiked along the Concho River like we've done before and nothing much had changed since the last time we were here. We also made a return visit to the Lilypad garden which is always a great visit!
We also planned to play a couple of nine-hole disc golf courses. However, like everywhere else it had rained so much this year. Both of the courses had grass about knee-high. We decided to try and play one of them but spent way more time than needed just looking for our disc after each throw in the very tall grass. We played about eight or nine holes and then said, to heck with it.
We did find a new brewery we haven't been to before called the Zero One in San Angelo. They have some really good beer. There was a nice IPA, a good Stout and a really interesting barrel-aged Weissbier. If you happen to be in town, check it out.
We really like staying at San Angelo State Park because we always see a lot of wildlife and birds. This trip was no different as there were deer around almost every morning and I spotted a bobcat crossing the road across from our site. I also saw a feral cat who looked a bit like a bobcat with the markings in its face. One morning two Great-horned owls were perched in a tree beside the rig and they were "talking" to each other. What fun!
I sure like this Park but alas, it became time to move on again and so we shall...