Fort Clark Springs, Texas

Just before leaving Canyon Lake we checked the weather to see what the forecast had in store for us for our travel west. It looked like our best chance to avoid the rain would be to drive to Brackettville, Texas.

We departed Canyon Lake and we drove to Fort Clark Springs RV Park, a park we have stayed at before. This required us to through San Antonio with a total of 173 mi for the day.

Fort Clark Springs RV Park is an oasis in the middle of the scrubby landscape found in this part of Texas. There is a huge natural spring which pumps out 68° water year-round feeding a small lake/ swimming area.

We were only there for two nights because the rain is in the forecast once again. This time of year cold fronts tend to bring rains and cooler temperatures about every 3 days.

During our stay in Fort Clark Springs, we spent time hiking and birding as that is about all there is to do in this area. There are some nice trails winding along the creek created by the spring. Many large live oaks and pecan trees make up most of the overstory.

Another place we like to bird within the park is at the sewage lagoons. Those who don't know much about birding might find it hard to believe that the best place to see migrating waterfowl is at a local sewage lagoon. This one was no different as there were hundreds of ducks of several species. We sure had fun just watching and taking pictures of them frolicking on the recycled waters.

Yet once again it's time for us to head further west. I just checked the weather and it looks like we're going to have a spell of colder weather with with some rainy weather where we are now. So it looks like our next stop will be Marathon Texas where we'll be there for three nights of what appears to be chili cold weather, but at least it shouldn't be raining.

The Beautiful Hill Country of Texas

We left College Station and made good time over to Canyon Lake in the Hill country of Texas. Of course, on the way we had to stop at Buc-ee's to fill up with diesel and dash inside for some smoked brisket for lunch. We will be staying at Potters Creek campground on Canyon Lake. We enjoy staying there nearly every year. This year the water level is at record lows but it is still as beautiful as ever.

We came to visit our son and his family who moved to Canyon Lake this past year. We were excited to see them and their new home for Thanksgiving. Our son Jason cooked up a perfect turkey and we pitched in to make the sides. Everybody feasted and had a great time.

While at Canyon Lake and while our son and his family were working, we made time to drive the Old River Road toward New Braunfels. This has got to be one of the top scenic drives in the USA. We also took a driving tour over to Fredericksburg, Texas and along the way we stopped at a new state park (to us) called Old Tunnel State Park. What a cool stop this State Park is and it's free to enter. It has a nice trail a short way to the tunnel where 2-3 million Mexican freetail bats will emerge at sunset. While we didn't stay for the emergence of the bats, we had a great time walking around and bird watching in the smallest State Park in Texas. What a hidden gem this park is!!!!

We also made a trip to Luckenbach Texas which is mandatory on our scenic loop drive to Fredericksburg. Everybody's somebody in Luckenbach. Also one day we drove up to Real Ale Brewery in Blanco, Texas for some cold craft beers and live music. They've really done a nice job of creating an outdoor space at this brewery. A new addition is the old Threadgill's stage acquired when the Austin icon sadly went out of business.

We've enjoyed our stay in Canyon Lake, spending time with family and enjoying the beautiful Texas Hill country but it became time to move further west and we're not sure yet where we'll stay next because the weather is unsettled with chances of rain predicted for the next 7 to 10 days along our route. Stay tuned...