With much of the nation struggling to figure out what we’ve got on our Purell-soaked hands, we headed to Cedar Hill State Park, which proclaimed itself “a premier social distancing environment.” To be sure, the COVID-19 outbreak has profoundly affected daily life: no public gatherings, no Broadway shows, no trips to Disneyland, no March Madness,…
The weekend weather forecast was almost unbelievable: clear skies and daytime temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Even though we had taken Cloud 9 to A&P Vintage Trailer Works for our washer/dryer repair last weekend, we were determined to go camping this weekend, if we could get the Airstream back in time. A…
Although our campsite at Cedar Hill State Park gave us expansive views of Joe Pool Lake, a water main break meant we would spend almost half of the weekend looking at water while longing to use it inside Cloud 9. Because we dumped our fresh-water tank a couple weeks ago (to avoid any problems with…
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…
We received an invitation to attend the first AluminumPride rally at Jim Hogg Park on Lake Georgetown and thought it sounded intriguing. After all, it came from a straight friend and his wife — a couple we met two years ago at a gay Airstream rally in Memphis. “We are a friendly and engaging group,…
We spent the weekend with the Heart of Texas Camping Unit enjoying warm breezes off the Brazos River at Cedron Creek Park, an Army Corps of Engineers park located on the east side of Lake Whitney. The park has 65 sites on a tree-shaded hill that overlooks the lake, offering shelter from the warm breezes…
The American humorist Garrison Keillor once said, “The problem with paradise is that it’s temporary: You don’t belong here and the neighbors are nobody you care to know, so it’s only blissful for a week or so.” We lost count of how many blissful weeks we’ve spent camping at Loyd Park this season, but one…
We’re wrapping up a six-week spring staycation at Loyd Park, and we’re in no hurry to leave. In fact, Jon’s Mom recently asked, “Do you think you’ll ever stay in your house again?” There are campers who have no desire to stay, and campers who are in no hurry to leave. We fall squarely into…
The second weekend in March found us among the spring breakers at Loyd Park. It seemed like children were everywhere: playing street hockey, screeching through the forest, riding bicycles. Thankfully, most parents (and grandparents) call a halt to their activities around sunset, so we were able to enjoy calm, quiet nights. Typical of spring in…
We spent the weekend at Cedar Hill State Park, enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures while contending with seasonal allergies. By late Saturday, a cold front moved in, bringing pop-up thunderstorms, sustained winds and overcast skies that lasted well into Sunday. Still, we were able to grill steaks on Friday and lamb on Saturday. And a quick visit…
