Hill Country Trip Overview

Donna and I just returned from a wet and cool 10-day trip in our trailer. We left San Angelo on Tuesday, May 5, and spent a week in Blanco State Park in Blanco, Texas (more about the park in another entry). It rained on us as we drove there, but let up while we set up the trailer. Once we were set up, though, the heavens opened and we had a good rain, perhaps as much as 2 inches.

And that was just the start for us. It rained on us at least a little bit every day while we were gone. Some days, the rain was light, but some days it was heavy. After a week at Blanco, we then journeyed to Kerrville where we stayed 2 nights at the Kerrville-Schreiner Park. It rained on us as we traveled, but let up again long enough to let us set up. We were even able to take a short hike on the day we arrived, though we did so in a constant mist.

The next day, the rain really came down in Kerrville. I have no idea how much it rained, but it was considerable. We truly felt “trapped in a trailer” on that day. But that is part of the RV lifestyle. You have to take each day for what it is. We felt snug in our trailer knowing we had all the comforts.

I’ll start publishing entries from our trip as soon as I can. Even though we endured a lot of rain, we really had a good time. And I’ll never complain about the rain. This country needs a good soaking, so when it comes, we are grateful.

Trailer Life: Navy Showers

When staying in our travel trailer, we essentially enjoy all the comforts of home. We have a kitchen complete with 3 burner stove, oven, and microwave for cooking. We have a double sink for kitchen cleanup. We have a small refrigerator with separate freezer for keeping food fresh. We have a queen sized bed where we can get a good night’s rest. We have a television with both antennae and cable hookup. And we have a bathroom complete with flush toilet, sink, and shower.

But we don’t live in our trailer as we do in our homes. This is especially true when taking showers. Normally, we take “navy showers” when we are in our trailer. A navy shower is a way of taking a shower while conserving water. The practice of navy showers originated on naval ships where water had to be conserved. It basically involves turning on a shower long enough to get thoroughly wet, then turning it off. At this point, you lather up and do your basic washing. Once this is done, you then turn the shower back on and rinse off. Various studies show that a basic residential shower can use up to 60 gallons of water by leaving it on for the duration of a shower, while a navy shower may only use 3 gallons or so.

We adhere to the practice of navy showers in our travel trailer, but for different reasons. First, our water heater is only 6 gallons, so there is a limited amount of hot water available. Keep the water on too long and you’ll be rinsing in cold water. Brrr! Second, unless you are connected to a fresh water system, you may have a limited amount of water available for a shower. This is a situation similar to being on a naval ship. Most of the time, though, we are in parks with water hookups. Third, even if you are connected to fresh water, you may not be connected to a sewer, so you have to contain your used water in a storage tank, which is limited in size. In our case, we have a 32 gallon grey water tank.  Finally, it’s not a bad idea at all to conserve resources. Leaving water running for no reason is simply wasteful, and our fresh water resources are limited.

The shower in our travel trailer has a push button for turning the water on and off. So, once you get the water turned on at the temperature you like, simply push the button to turn the water off. When you turn it back on, it will be at the same temperature as when you turned it off. This makes it easy to conserve water.

Trail Maintenance

Last week, I posted an entry ("Walking at San Angelo State Park") in which I indicated that one reason we were road walking was because some of the trails at the park were becoming a bit overgrown from spring rains.

Well, this past Saturday, Donna and I went out to the park for a 5 mile road walk. We took the shorter of the 2 routes I detailed in the entry referenced above. From the parking area, we walked southwest along the main park road. As we neared the headquarters, we heard quite a bit of activity. Through breaks in the brush, we were able to see clusters of people doing some trail maintenance on the Tasajilla Flats trail. A group of probably a dozen or so young people -- boys and girls both -- were armed with shovels, clippers, weed eaters, and other tools, and they were spread out for at least half a mile along the trail cleaning it up.

What a great way to spend a few hours. Donna and I have often thought of volunteering our time in such activities, but we just haven't done so yet. Guess it's time to get online with the Texas Parks and Wildlife site and see if there are any listings in their volunteer section.

Trailer Life: Leveling Your Trailer

If you've followed my blog for long, you know that I have several recurring subjects, such as "Hike Reports," "On the Road" entries, "Good Eats" reviews, and "Trip Reports." I'm starting a new subject today called "Trailer Life" in which I'll deal with issues regarding travel trailers. Now, I'm no expert on travel trailers by any stretch of the imagination, but I seem to get by. And if you enjoy the RV lifestyle and can pick up a tip or two from these entries, then I'm satisfied.

For the first entry on this subject, let's look at how we level our trailer, which is one of the first things we do upon arriving at a campsite. I have attached levels to the front and side of the trailer so that I can see at a glance whether or not the trailer is level. If it isn't, then I get out my boards and back the trailer on these boards. I use 2"x10" boards with beveled ends for this purpose. These boards are wide enough for the trailer tires to fit upon.

Level on front of trailer. This level indicates how level the trailer is from side-to-side.

Level on side of trailer. This level indicates how level the trailer is front-to-back.

Close up of level. Bubble is dead center, right where it should be.

Leveling boards, wide enough to accommodate the tires.

I've used these levels enough over the years -- on this and other trailers -- to know at a glance just how unlevel the trailer is and how many boards might be needed. So, with Donna's help, I place the trailer in the site exactly where we want it. At that point, I check the level on the front of the trailer to see how level it is from side-to-side. If it is level, then we can disconnect and get on with our other chores. If, however, it is not level, then I estimate how many boards are necessary to make it level. I get these out, place them right beside the trailer tires, then have Donna pull up or drive back -- whichever is the most practical. I then slide a board (or more, if I think necessary) over and line it (them) up with the tires. Donna then pulls the trailer on the board(s), and I recheck the level. If it is level -- or very close to it -- we are then ready to disconnect. If it is still not level, then we repeat the previous step and add another board.

Once the trailer is level from side-to-side, we can then place chocks under the tires and disconnect the trailer. Once the trailer is disconnected, I then work on leveling the trailer from front-to-back. To do this, I check the level on the side. I then raise or lower the front of the trailer using the electric hitch I have. This is a simple process, much more so than leveling from side-to-side.

Once the trailer is level from front-to-back, I then check the side-to-side level again. If it is not perfectly centered, I then use my stabilizing jacks to finish leveling. Let me point out that the purpose of stabilizing jacks is to stabilize the trailer, not level it. Ideally, they should just make snug contact with the ground, enough so that there isn't much or any movement when you walk through the trailer. But I do use them to fine tune the side-to-side leveling. I'll discuss the stabilizing jacks more in another entry.

Let me say a final word or two about the boards. They offer the advantage of ease of use. It is easy to pull a trailer on them, and it is safer than other methods of leveling. I watched a couple at Huntsville State Park recently as they used a collection of wood blocks of various sizes and shapes. The process lasted no less than 20 or 30 minutes as the husband would move some blocks under the tires and the wife would pull or back up an inch or two. Not only did it take a great deal of time and effort, but I thought it was dangerous.

But using boards like mine has the disadvantage of weight and space. My boards are about 5 feet in length, so they weigh quite a few pounds; when you are towing, you want to avoid adding pounds. And then there is the issue of storing them. I carry mine in the bed of the truck. When we return home, I park the trailer on the boards to keep the tires off the bare ground.

I'm happy with this process. The boards provide a firm and stable surface for leveling the trailer, and the ease of using them is a big plus.

Walking at San Angelo State Park

We enjoy hiking at San Angelo State Park. Over the past few years, I've posted numerous entries about hiking the parks 50+ miles of trails. You can see these on my website Living the Good Life in the "Hiking" section. We probably hike at the park once or twice each month, mixing up the trails as best we can to get new experiences.

Sometimes, though, we prefer to walk rather than hike. You might wonder what the difference is. To me, there are several differences between hiking and walking, but in this specific instance the difference largely lies in the surface. When hiking, we stay on natural surface, while when walking we stay on park roads, most of which are paved. Also when walking, we are mainly concerned with fitness, so we walk quickly and without stopping. When hiking, we stop often to "smell the roses" along the trails.

The park is ideal for "road walking." Originally an Army Corps of Engineer park, there are roads all over in various condition. Many of these roads extended into areas that are no longer maintained. As a result, some of these roads are deteriorating. Roads once paved are now breaking apart, with grass growing up in the cracks. Dirt surface roads are now overgrown with grass, weeds, and other plant life.

The two routes we have been taking recently in our walks range from  5.1 miles to 6.3 miles. We've been walking these often in the last few weeks, for we are trying to get in shape for longer hikes. We used to enjoy 10 mile hikes, but lately we just haven't been in shape for that distance. Yeah, we could go that far if we needed to, but we'd be pretty exhausted as the end. For me, my legs and feet wear out, and I think Donna is the same.

For both of these walks, we park at the restrooms next to the playground near the Red Arroyo Campground. The shorter walk is merely a loop that goes southwest to the headquarters, then east along the park road to a lesser used and deteriorating park road that veers northeast. When the crumbling road turns sharply southwest, it then becomes a maintained park road, for it winds briefly through a campground, eventually heading due north. It then turns sharply southwest again, passing through occasional campsites then veering off by the Chaparral Pavilion. From there, we follow another older park road, once again in deteriorating condition, which then intersects with the main park road, taking us southeast to the headquarters and then back to our truck.

This is the 5.1 mile route

The longer route starts from the same location, goes by the park headquarters as in the previous walk, then east along the park road. Instead of turning off as in the previous walk, though, we continue on the park road. Near the O.C. Fisher dam, the road veers suddenly in a north/northeasterly direction. On the left is a colony of prairie dogs that are sometimes scampering about. Most of the dogs in this colony are small, and we rarely see them anymore. There is another colony in the north section of the park with some pretty chubby citizens. We follow the road north along the dam to its very end, then turn around. On the return trip, we veer off on the deteriorating road mentioned in the shorter walk, then come through the campground, eventually back to our truck.

This is the 6.3 mile route

We've had several rains lately, not enough to build our lakes back up at all, but enough to keep things green and wet. Several of the trails are now becoming overgrown, and we prefer not to hike through tall grass, so walking on the roads is a good alternative to this. Also, there are numerous mud holes on the trails during wet weather, and we prefer to avoid those as well.

So for now, we'll continue our walks along the paved park roads, building our legs and endurance for longer hikes on our camping trips.We're lucky to have a state park on the edge of town. It is so much more pleasant to walk there than in town, where traffic and noise make the walks unpleasant. At the park, we can hear the wind and birds and not be bothered by traffic. It's a good way to spend a couple of hours.

End of an Era

It's the end of an era for Donna and me. Last Sunday, her mother, Thelma May Neel Cromwell, passed away at the age of 92. She enjoyed a good life, and she leaves behind a score of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as evidence. We attended her funeral in Conroe this past Wednesday and said our goodbyes. Thelma was the last of our parents. My mother died in 1996 and my father passed away in 2008. Donna's father was the first to go, back in 1994. I miss all four of them, but have so many good memories of each of them.

We still have a few family members from our parents' generation still alive. Donna has an uncle by marriage still alive. One of my father's sisters is still alive, and one of my mother's brothers is still alive. For the most part, though, our parents' generation is largely gone. I've always had the greatest respect for my parents' generation. They suffered through the Great Depression, then fought the greatest of all wars.

While attending my mother-in-law's services (visitation and funeral), I could not help noticing that my generation has now assumed the mantel. We all have children, grandchildren, and a few of us even have great-grandchildren. There were a lot of white-haired folks in attendance.

The passage of time takes us from childhood to old age. I like to think that Donna and I are aging gracefully. We are still pretty lively, and we certainly enjoy life. We look forward to what each day brings, and there is so much we still hope to do, so many places we still plan to see. I just want to live as long as I can do so with some quality of life.

Goodbye, Thelma -- we'll all miss you.

Hike Report: A Mix of Trails at Lake Brownwood State Park

We were happy to be back in West Texas at Lake Brownwood State Park. This time, we stayed in site #83, which is in the trees. In fact, there was no room to let out our awning, but we didn't need it since the trees provided so much shade. A fire ring was at the edge of the trees, and we sat out one night with a cozy fire.

Site 83 at Lake Brownwood State Park

On our first morning there, we rose early for a hike. There aren't many trails at this park (see trail map), so I pieced together a route of 3 trails connected by paved park roads. Altogether, we probably hiked only 4 to 5 miles.

We began near our campsite in the Council Bluff Camping Loop. Just to the north of the camping area is the short -- .31 mile -- Council Loop Hiking Trail, which basically leads from the camping area to the fishing pier. The first part of the trail, though, provides some nice views of the lake, which appears to have more water than any other time when we've been there. I'll be glad when this long, long drought is over.

One of the views from the Council Bluff Hiking Trail.

Donna at the fishing pier. We camped here about 3 years ago, and the water line was farther out then.

From the fishing pier, we followed the paved park road past the Willow Point Campground and the Fisherman's Lodge to the main park road. From there, we followed the road due east to the Group Rec Hall.

Monument honoring the 36th Army Infantry Division in front of the Group Rec Hall.

At the Group Rec hall, I followed the steps leading towards the roof, where I enjoyed some good views of the surrounding area. You can see the steps to the right of the large window in the picture above.

I kind of felt like I was in a castle going up these steps of the Group Rec Hall.

It's a good view from the crow's nest at the top of the stairs.

After leaving the Group Rec Hall, we picked up the Lakeside Trail (.72 mile) to the northwest of that building. This by far was the most scenic portion of the hike.

Rest areas such as this are all along the Lakeside Trail. The CCC really was an industrious group of men, and they did such good work with native stone.

This is the CCC Grand Stairway, which leads down to the lake. It is quite impressive.

I walked to the bottom of the stairway and took this picture of Donna, who stayed at the top. She's a bit right of center.

Another CCC constructed rest area along the Lakeside Trail.

Unfortunately, the battery on my camera died at this point. Oh well, I guess I'll have to do this trail again to get some pictures.

The trail continued on high ground overlooking the lake. There are numerous ups and downs along this stretch. The trail comes close to several of the cabins at the park, and there are many rest areas near the cabins with fire pits. I'd love to have a fire at night in one of these locations overlooking the lake.

Eventually, the trail levels off and curves west. Keep your eye open and you'll see a wooden sign indicating that the trail goes in the direction you just came from. The sign is intended for folks walking in the opposite direction, but it is your signal to turn sharply left and follow the rock steps down, where you will soon find yourself on another paved road near some shelters. If you miss the sign, you will probably continue walking on what looks like the trail and you'll eventually have to back track.

We then followed the paved road past the screened shelters and up a good hill to the main park road, where we headed west for perhaps a quarter mile. We then found ourselves at the trail head for the Nopales Ridge Trail, which we hiked on our last trip to the park (see "Hike Report: Nopales Ridge Hiking Trail, Lake Brownwood State Park"). This time, though, we only walked about a mile of the 2.89 mile trail. We started in a counter-clockwise direction. When we neared the park headquarters, we exited and returned to our campsite via the park road.

It was an enjoyable hike. The weather was ideal and the views were really good, especially along the Lakeside Trail. All trails were in good shape.