We headed to Loyd Park for a perfect fall weekend, complete with mild weather, chilly nights and crisp, clear mornings. It was an ideal time for reflecting on the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. The guns fell silent at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month…
It’s hard to believe that more than five years have passed since we last visited Lake Tawakoni State Park. Opened in 2001, the park is one of the newer facilities in the Texas State Park system. The reservoir, located on the Sabine River and constructed in 1960, supplies water to Dallas and surrounding suburbs, and…
Although we tried for weeks to get a local campsite, none were to be had. Halloween has taken on all the trappings of a national holiday, so area campgrounds are completely booked the weekend closest to it. Our only option was to spend the weekend in Cloud 9 parked at the storage unit. It’s like…
For the sixth consecutive weekend, rain fell in North Texas. But we didn’t let it stop us from heading to our favorite local campground. We took a half-day of vacation so we could get a jump start, which enabled us to arrive at Loyd Park in the early afternoon. Rain started falling in the early…
We must have checked the Loyd Park reservation system a hundred times. Cliff called the office daily. Finally, our persistence paid off as we were able to get the only open site on “Texas/OU” weekend. Officially known as the “Red River Showdown,” the football game has been played annually since 1900 between the University of…
We left for Loyd Park immediately after ending our work day on Friday, and quickly made our way to campsite 34 and two glasses of Cabernet. It wasn’t long before Chef Cliff’s expertly grilled Eisenhower rib eyes, baked potatoes, asparagus and shisito peppers not only capped our long work week but also ushered in a…
After traveling more than 2,800 miles on our Mighty 5 adventure, we headed to Loyd Park for a weekender to clean Cloud 9 and return to our routine. We arrived at our site shortly after 6 p.m., which enabled us to get set up and enjoy a proper cocktail hour before turning our attention to…
We began our journey home with a change in plans. Fellow Airstreamers at Zion River RV Resort advised us against overnighting in Albuquerque because of an uptick in gang-related crime at RV parks, so we opted instead to make Gallup our destination. Doing so allowed us to have a long, leisurely morning at the park…
When we first arrived at Arches National Park, we asked a ranger at the entrance about a park pass that would give us access to all of the Mighty 5. She asked how much time we had set aside to visit the five parks, and we said five days. She responded, “Well, that’s going to…
After a leisurely morning, we departed for our fourth national park: Bryce Canyon. The trip took about two hours, and brought us through a large agricultural area adjacent to the Fish Lake Plateau. All was going well until we came upon an area of Utah State Route 62 where road signs declared an end to…
At this point in our trip, we’ve completely run out of superlatives to describe the wonders we’ve seen. We’re unsure what we’ll say about the wonders that await, but we may need to try another language. Interestingly, when we planned this trip, we didn’t consult any of the guidebooks or websites for the “ideal” itinerary.…
Canyonlands National Park was the second destination in our national park quintet. Established by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Canyonlands is known for its dramatic desert landscape carved by the Colorado River. The park features towering rock pinnacles, remote canyons, whitewater rapids, and Native American rock paintings. The first formations we encountered were the Monitor…
