Bye, Bye Conroe, Hello...Lake Medina

Traveling Days....Weather high: 41   Low: 28 (!!!) 

On the road again....Before we get into where we are headed, just wanted to say how cool many of the ranch gates are there in Texas....There's a LOT of state pride here, Texas flags are EVERYWHERE! And Texans seem to be very territorial. They have their big and small ranches and farms earmarked with gates--some are ornate or reflect the personal interests of the owner....This one has a row of cowboys parading across the top of the gate, and the owner's name proudly displayed underneath.

Some are plain....

And some are in between....We saw the very best ones today, much more elaborate, driving north towards Bandera, TX. 

After a delightful three weeks at Lake Conroe, Thousand Trails RV Park, we headed north towards the northern part of Texas to another Thousand Trails park called Lake Medina.... We are there for just one night, just passing through....We are doing the hop, skip, and jump journey...a night at this campground, a night at that campground, averaging about 300 miles a day to get to another longer stay at parks in Arizona, our remaining winter destinations. It's about a 1100 mile trip total to get from Lake Conroe to Tucson, Arizona.

Lake Medina was a big park, 380 sites, and lots of big live oak trees hanging low. Be watchful upon driving through and picking your site! The staff is super nice, friendly and helpful. Be aware that GPS might send you down Park Road 37. (or 35, we can't remember!) Super winding and narrow road. There is a far better way coming in on highway 16. Call the park for directions if you are a nervous Nellie, lol. 

Old barn on the Lake Medina property

our site

There seem to be fewer sites with full hookups than there are sites with just water and electric from what we could see on the park map. They do have the honey wagon (sewer pump out) that you can schedule to come to your rig, but it's 20.00 each time. A whole section of the park borders on Lake Medina. We didn't have time to check those sites out, but there are lots of sites to choose from throughout the park. The sites were pretty level, comprised of gravel, and again, LOTS of deer hanging out. 

Can you see the buck's antlers?

People feed them regularly, even though they are not supposed to, as the deer are getting sick and the DNR is concerned about their welfare. We saw several bucks in the one night we were there. 

We drove 344 miles with extremely windy conditions from Lake Medina to an overnight park stop called Saddleback Mountain RV Park in Balmorhea, TX, easy access off I-10, mile marker 212. It's a small park, 46 pull thru sites, but a VERY nice overnight stop. All sites are very roomy with plenty of space between you and your neighbor. They are gravel and very level. Hallelujah!

There is a restaurant BAR and steakhouse on the grounds, key word, BAR, key word TEXAS, key word SMOKERS, key word LOCALS. The smoke was so thick we turned around and walked out. When Sparky explained with an apology that it was a bit too smoky for us to eat there, a lady at the bar hurled an insulting remark on our way out. They were definitely an unfriendly bunch at the Saddleback Bar and Grill. Mixed reviews on Yelp.

Sparky took a quick tour around the campground learning some species of cacti with her "Seek" app. Bunny ears cactus....They look a lot like Micky Mouse ears, too!

This is desert agave.... or sometimes known as the century plant because it takes years for a blooming stalk to form....

Buckley's yucca....

Pancake prickly pear cactus....Those spikes are so sharp! OUCH!

We feel like we are already in Arizona, with all these cacti and mesas and buttes and plateaus...but not yet...

Stay tuned, we will be there in two more days! See you on the road!