Kerrville-Schreiner Park

Kerrville-Schreiner Park is a 517 acre park owned and operated by the city of Kerrville. Originally, the park was a city park, but was deeded to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in the 1930s and was a state park for many years, but control was returned to the city in 2004.

We had never stayed here before, so we planned a stay of only 2 nights on our way home from Blanco just to check it out. It’s a nice park, and we plan to visit again.

The park is in the southeast side of Kerrville and is divided by Texas 173, which is the highway running from Kerrville to Bandera. The section north of the highway borders the south bank of the Guadalupe River. I’m sure this section of the park is brimming with people during the summer. The section south of the highway is much larger and contains the hiking trails.

The Guadalupe River forms the north border of the park. This picture is looking downstream from the day use area (see map in brochure)

Camping is available in both sections. For RVers, there are 30 amp and 50 amp camping areas on both sides of the river. The 50 amp campground in the north section has the only covered picnic tables in the park. Oddly, though, the utilities in these sites are split. The sewer connection is on one side of the pull through while the water and electricity are on the other. In addition to RV sites and tent camping, numerous "mini" cabins are also available. From what we could tell, these are a step up from shelters and contain air conditioning, but no bathroom facilities. Tent camping is also available in both sides of the park.

Some of the mini cabins in the park. These are located in the "High Point" area. Note air conditioner in the unit on right.

A couple of the tent sites in the "Fawn Hide-a-Way" campground. I did not see electrical outlets, and I believe 2 campsites may share a water spigot.

Exterior of restroom located in Pecan Loop on the north section.

The Pecan Loop campground in the north section has 30 amp full hookup sites. These sites appear to be more level than those in the Deer Field Loop.

A brochure, complete with map, description of facilities, fees, and other information is available here.

We stayed in the Deer Field Loop camping area in the south section in site 115. All sites in this campground are pull-through, and based on my observations, I would say most are not level. They are 30 amp sites with full hookups. All interior roads and sites are paved. Our camping area was very quiet at night. It is far enough from Highway 173 that we could hear little if any highway noise. Camping areas in the north section are closer to the road and would probably be exposed to much more highway noise.

There is a laundromat located behind the bathroom in the Deer Field Loop, but machines are exposed to the elements, so I would not use them. We did locate a small laundromat on Highway 173 near its intersection with Highway 16, and it appeared to be quite nice.

We camped in the Deer Field Loop camping area in site 115.

Utilities in this campground are conveniently located close together. Note table and fire ring. Tables in this campground are not covered. Note that sites are well maintained. Mowing was going on while we were there.

Showers in men's bathroom in Deer Field Loop. In addition to these 2 shower stalls, there is also a handicapped stall located behind door on right.

Men's bathroom in Deer Field Loop. Bathrooms appeared to be well maintained.

Check-in, by the way, is at the park headquarters in the north section. About 100 yards in on the south section, there is a gate that requires a code. If you don’t have the code and need to turn around, it is a tight fit for most rigs, so be sure to check in at the headquarters in the north section first.

The park is well maintained. Sites are regularly mowed and all roads and sites are paved. Deer are plentiful throughout the park and wander through the campgrounds throughout the day.

Good Eats: The Salt Lick, Driftwood, Texas

I’m not a BBQ snob. I don’t get embroiled in those discussions of whether Memphis BBQ is better than Kansas City BBQ, for example, or if Carolina BBQ is better than Texas BBQ. Whatever BBQ you like is the best BBQ. Most of us are influenced greatly by the BBQ we ate growing up. For me, that would be the sliced brisket from Sam’sOriginal Restaurant in Fairfield, Texas. (See "Good Eats: Sam's Original Restaurant and BBQ, Fairfield, Texas" from August 2012). That BBQ has more or less been the standard for me over the years. It is smoked over hardwoods, and just pulls apart on your plate. When served, it is covered in a sweet BBQ sauce. The potato salad, beans, and bread are among the best I’ve ever had.

But over the years, my tastes have altered, and today I prefer to use no sauce when possible. It’s kind of like a steak with me. When served a steak, I always sample a bite. To me, a properly seasoned and cooked steak needs no sauce. The same with BBQ. If the BBQ is truly good, it does not need sauce. And that is one of the many things I like about the central Texas meat markets. Most of them just serve meat, and some of them don’t even provide any type of sauce other than hot sauce. It's that rich smoky flavor that I crave these days.

I’ve heard about the Salt Lick outside of Austin near Driftwood for years. It has been featured on numerous food shows. Needless to say, it has a reputation. I knew that as a good Texan, I could not go to my grave without at least one visit to this legendary establishment. So during our stay at Blanco, we took the short drive through the winding narrow backroads of the Hill Country to Driftwood to see what the fuss was all about.

We were impressed with the scope of the place upon arrival. The parking lot is huge, and the restaurant itself sprawls through the oaks. We arrived a few minutes before 11, and only a few other people were ahead of us. We stood in line outside at a little booth. A young lady would then greet us, escort us in and seat us with our menus. It is a slow process, as the distance from the booth to our table was probably about 50 yards. The problem is not the distance, but the time it takes the young lady to escort a group in, then return for the next customers. But we figured the wait would be worth it.

We were disappointed.

We decided to try the senior combo plates (see the Driftwood menu). Donna ordered the sausage and ribs while I ordered the brisket and sausage. We could then share so that we could sample a variety of meats. These plates cost $9.95, a reasonable price for a reasonable BBQ dinner these days. We each were served a dish with about 6 slices of sausage. I had one thin strip of brisket, perhaps the thickness of a crepe, while Donna had 1 rib. So, that $9.95 wasn't looking like a good value now. The meat lacked any real flavor, and the brisket was a bit tough. It wasn’t bad; it just didn’t have the flavor we’ve grown to love in smoked meats. And that is because the meat isn’t smoked. It is cooked over an open pit, so there is no smoking; note the picture on their web site.

The sides were a bit unusual as well. The potato salad was basically potatoes cut into squares and boiled, then mixed with some brown liquid that coated them and provided a bit of flavor. I saw no bits of things one normally puts in potato salad, such as pickles or onions. Donna said that some of her potatoes were not done enough. The slaw also was merely shredded cabbage coated in some sort of slightly seasoned mix, but it, too, had little flavor. The beans were  fine, and the bread was great.

So, is the food at the Salt Lick bad? No, not at all. I cleaned my plate. But it is not what Donna and I look for in BBQ these days. We prefer places such as Smitty’s Market in Lockhart or City Market in Luling. I suspect that a lot of folks simply eat at the Salt Lick because of its legendary status. But if you look over the web site, you'll see all sorts of testimonials from various organizations, publications, and others, so a lot of people like this place.

And one final thing. Should you go to the Salt Lick, be sure to take cash.

Hike Report: Inks Lake State Park

I’ve wanted to hike Inks Lake State Park for some years now, but never seemed to get around to it. On our recent trip to Blanco State Park, we decided to make the short drive north and visit this popular park.

We put together a hike consisting of parts of 3 trail systems and their “connecting” trails. When you check in at the office, be sure to pick up one of the trail maps just to the inside right of the door. I neglected to do this because I thought the official Inks Lake State Park facilities map was a good map of the trails, but it does not show all the trails, nor does it name them. At this time, this trail map is not available online.

We began our hike at the parking area next to the park headquarters. Initially, we followed the “green” trail, which heads south on a good crushed rock surface. The green trail is actually the “Lake Trail.” The complete trail is 2 miles, and we walked almost the entire length. At less than a quarter mile, we arrived at our first decision. A side trail veered west, and no sign was present to direct us. But the park map showed such a trail, so we continued south, which was the right decision. The first of many sizable granite outcroppings rose up before us, and an arm of the lake appeared on our right.

Trailhead near park headquarters. These kiosks are located at major trail junctions throughout the trail system.

Granite outcroppings such as this are very common along the trail.

Arm of Inks Lake near the start of the trail.

Down the trail, another trail junction appeared, this one marked with an “Interpretive Trail” sign. Again, the map showed a trail heading east confirming our location, so we continued south. Near the end of this hike later in the day, we would come out on this trail. We crossed a small foot bridge, and walked briefly along Park Road 4. At some point here, there is another trail junction, but I never saw it. This part of the trail is simply a loop, and we were on the right-hand part of the loop. It took us up and over small granite covered hills. Wildflowers and prickly pear cactus were in bloom, and there are many views of the lake.

Prickly pear in bloom along the trail.

The trail affords numerous good views, including this one of the Inks Lake dam.

Along much of the trail, including the section we were currently on, the trail crosses very rocky areas where no trail is visible. But if you look closely, you can see where people have walked before, and there often is a “trail” of sorts on the rock. But also look for the painted blazes. At this point, since we were on the green trail, we sought out the round green blazes painted on rock surfaces. From time to time, flat metal posts were present. Occasionally, you may need to simply stop and look about before spotting your next blaze, but they are there.

At this granite outcropping, you can clearly see the trail worn across the rock over time. Numerous rock cairns also populate the rock. We stopped so that Donna could build her own cairn.

At the next signless trail junction, we decided to head south. We almost immediately crossed Park Road 4 on this “connecting” trail, then hit a trail junction with a kiosk. This was the blue trail, otherwise known as the “Wilderness Trail.” It’s total length is also 2 miles. It “circles through juniper woodlands over rough grounds” according to the kiosk info. We followed this loop trail in a counter-clockwise direction. At this point, we were “off” the park map and relying solely on what we had seen on the kiosk map. From that map, we knew this trail had only 1 other junction besides the one we had entered the trail from, so we felt confident.

I find things like this tree growth interesting. Pioneers might have cut off the growth and fashioned it into a bowl of some wort.

This little beauty is about to burst forth. You can find beauty everywhere in nature.

Notice the blue blaze in center foreground, as well as the rocks lining the trail.

In places along the Wilderness Trail, grass and other plant growth began crowding the trail. In some places, it was chest high.

Overall, we would follow the Woodland Trail for almost all of its 2 mile length. This was the longest section of the hike. It took us over an hour. We were constantly working our way up or down hills, threading our way through boulders. There were also sections of very tall grass we found ourselves walking through. The Hill Country has enjoyed good rain this spring, and the lush countryside was evidence of this. In a couple of places, the growth was chest high. The trail itself was always worn and visible, but the grass and brush would crowd in from the sides. Near the end of this trail, we spotted a mature doe grazing, but she darted off as soon as she became aware of our presence.

After more than an hour on this trail, I was beginning to wonder if we would ever hit our trail junction. But we finally found it, and another kiosk was available. We took the connecting trail east. At some point, according to the map, the connecting trail should have had a junction with a south trail heading off to a youth camp area. I never saw this trail, though. I did see a 2 wheel track intersect our trail from a northerly direction at an angle. We followed it for a short distance before it veered off in a southerly direction, but I did not see a sign.

It's always reassuring to come across a kiosk on a trail.

At our next trail junction, we picked up the Pecan Flats Trail, or yellow trail. The total trail length is 3.3 miles, but we took the left junction north for only a mile or so before we worked our way back across the Park Road to rejoin the green trail at the fork where I mentioned the “Interpretive Trail” sign earlier. But this left part of the Pecan Flats Trail is very scenic, with good views of the lake and a distant view of the dam on Lake Buchanan. This trail also has numbered markers, so pick up an interpretive guide at the headquarters to help you identify things along the way.

Distant view of the Lake Buchanan Dam.

Wildflowers looked great on the hike. We were too late for the bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes, but there were plenty of other flowers to see.

Deer near the end of the hike.

The scenery is great on the trails. The hike does require some effort. It seems as if we were almost constantly climbing or descending, working our way slowly around rocks and boulders. Although the elevation change is not much throughout the park, the constant up and down can tire you out. And be careful walking around the boulders. Some have areas where rattlesnakes can be resting out of sight.

We encountered only 1 group of 4 senior citizens on our hike, accompanied by their unleashed dog. Otherwise, we had the trail to ourselves even though the park was bristling with visitors. Road noise from Park Road 4 is fairly constant. Otherwise, it was a nice and peaceful hike.

San Marcos Day Trip

While staying at Blanco State Park, we spent one day in the San Marcos/New Braunfels area. Our initial purpose in the day trip was to shop at the outlet malls in San Marcos.

We took Highway 32 from Blanco to San Marcos. About halfway, near the little community of Fischer, is a scenic area known as the "Devil's Backbone." We pulled into a roadside park on the north side of the highway and enjoyed the view.

View along the "Devil's Backbone" on an overcast and occasionally rainy day.

There are 2 outlet malls located just south of San Marcos along I-35: San Marcos Premium Outlets and Tanger Outlets. These are large outlet malls, much larger than the ones we've shopped before in places such as Conroe, Hillsboro, and Terrell. We spent most of our time at the Tanger mall because it had the stores we were most interested in. We were disappointed, though, in the prices. These were not outlet prices. Now, everything is normally higher in the Austin area, and I guess the same goes for outlet malls. But the thing I like about outlet stores is that I can find the precise size of pants I like. Most department stores usually carry pants with inseams in the even numbers. The best fit for me is an inseam of 31, and it's very difficult to find this size in normal stores. I was able to find some pants in the Haggar store in my exact size, so that made the trip worthwhile for me.

We ended up spending only 2 hours or so at the mall before we moved on. Just down the road in New Braunfels is a Camping World, and we wanted to stop in and check on some chairs and other things related to camping. We ended up buying only some step covers.

Since we were in New Braunfels, I had a hankering for some chile, so we went downtown to the Phoenix Saloon, which we visited a little over a year ago (See "New Braunfels, Texas"). This time, we sampled a large bowl of their sirloin-based chile with a double shot of fire. It was good. I thought it had the right amount of heat for me. I don't like really spicy food, but I do like some burn, especially in the back of my throat. My fire-eater wife, though, thought it was a bit mild. Next time, she can try the "Ring of Fire".

From New Braunfels, we took Highway 46 west back to US 281, then followed that highway north to Blanco.

Blanco State Park, May 2015

Donna and I spent the week of May 5-12 at Blanco State Park. It was our first time to stay here in about 3 years. That's a shame, for this is such a nice little park.

The park isn't very large, and there are no real hiking trails though there is a nature trail along the river. But walking the park roads is nice and provides opportunity for exercise. Donna also got in quite a bit of fishing while there. I don't know if she caught anything; I know we didn't have a fish dinner during our stay there.

One of the nice things about this park is that it is actually located in the town of Blanco. From the park, you can easily walk to downtown and other areas. In fact, there is a paved trail connecting the east end of the park to the historic square and downtown. If you look at a map of the park, please note that north is pointing down, so you are sort of looking at things upside down -- at least in my mind.

The park is popular with visitors and locals alike. It's easy to fish along the river, and a swimming area below the dam is popular with families. Kayakers also like the calm river here.

Families enjoy swimming in this area below the dam. The low water crossing is about 100 feet downstream.

Another view of the swimming area, this one taken from the low water crossing.

Since our last visit, they have made a few changes at the park. For example, on our previous 2 visits, we camped in site 10 within a little circle or ring (see park map). However, that section is now reserved for 50 amp rigs. 30 amp RVs are now assigned to the inner sites of the loop just to the west of the restrooms. Specifically, these are sites 11, 12, 14, 16, 21, 23, 25, 27, and 31. Both the 30 amp and 50 amp sites have sewer connections.

We stayed in site #12, which was well shaded. All sites are paved and have a covered picnic table. Our site was perfectly level, and that is always a pleasure. All utilities are conveniently grouped together. Each site has a fire ring and a covered picnic table, which came in handy for enjoying the easy rain.

Campsite 12. Lots of shade and a nice covered picnic table. Since it rained often during our stay, we spent a lot of time sitting around the table under the cover.

This is a popular little park. When we arrived on Tuesday, only 3 sites in our area were available. Unless you book a month or more in advance -- as we did -- it is difficult to secure a spot on weekends.

The park hosts do a good job in the park. They were constantly cleaning sites after people left, mowing the grass, and doing all the other things that keep a park in good shape.

Dam upstream from the park. Note kayaker off to the right.

Tree growing sideways

Wildlife viewing area in western part of park.

Black squirrel eating bird feed in wildlife viewing area. Black squirrels are common along Spring Creek in San Angelo, and we see them just about every time we visit there.

Texas asparagus. These yucca are just about ready to bloom.

Donna and her new best friend. This duck came to visit every day.

I noticed a city police vehicle make rounds through the park on a regular basis. I appreciate that; it gives a sense of security.

On our prior visits to the park in our Rockwood trailer, we were able to pick up numerous television stations. However, on this trip, we were limited to only 3 stations, and they were never clear. I'm not sure whether the issue was weather, location, or the antennae on this trailer. There is also WiFi in the park, but it is not secure and it is very slow.

To read about one of our earlier visits to Blanco State Park, click the link below:

• "Blanco State Park, February 23 -- 25, 2011"