We left Fort Worth Saturday morning and drove to Fredericksburg TX. I arrived just before sun down so I was in quite a hurry to set up camp before dark. We managed to check in, set up camp, cook dinner, and finish our smores in about 2 hours. With some more practice I think we can get this done with minimal drama. The kids favorite part of the campground was the giant pile of dirt near the campsites.
The next morning was the morning after time change, so we all slept in (a recurring theme on this trip). When everyone was up and breakfast was done, we loaded up and drove into town. We swung by Luckenbach and had to double back for our jackets because it had gotten quite cold and windy. We had lunch at the Airport Dinner located at the municipal airport.
After that, we visited the National Museum of the Pacific War where we toured the exhibits there. It was interesting reading about the battle of Okinawa since I had done some research about Grandpa Beadle's time there.
Monday morning, we planned on going to Enchanted Rock. But by the time we got there the park was completely full. So we ent back to Fredericksburg and ate lunch then visited the pioneer museum. Clint and Laura each made a nail in the blacksmith shop. Back at the campsite, the kids enjoyed playing on the playground and other activities.
Tuesday the plan was to wake up early and leave camp in time to make it back to Enchanted Rock as soon as the park opened. That part of the plan worked perfectly, the problem was that almost everyone else had the same idea. There was a mile long line of cars waiting to get into the park. So we bypassed the park and instead headed to Perdenales Falls. We got there before the rush and enjoyed climbing around the rocks there. After that, we drove to New Braunsfels and of course we had to stop at Buccees for gas before setting up camp at the new RV park.
Wednesday, we went to the Natural Bridge Wildlife park. Of course all the other families with kids on spring break were there too so there was quite a line. By the time we got into the park all the animals had had their fill and were ignoring most of the cars. We came back to the campground and enjoyed pizza for dinner before swimming at the pool till dark.
Thursday we explored the Riverwalk and the Alamo before meeting an old friend for dinner. Lee Wright and I had grown up together in Beaumont. He joined the Army shortly before I got out of the Marine Corps. He now has a big family including a couple of foster kids. We drove around San Antonio and visited all the spots I remember from when Sarah and I lived here. San Antonio was the first place I really felt like we made a home together.
Friday we packed up camp and meet another old friend from San Antonio for lunch. The kids hit the bookstore before driving out to Ft Stockton. Driving on the highway while pulling this trailer absolutely murdered my gas milage, but we didn't have any other problems.
Today we got our swimsuits on and drove out to Balmoreah State Park where Laura finished her scuba diving certification. This is the same place that we came to back in October and Clint had finished then, but Laura needed a bit more training. I was really proud to see Laura finish up her training so we can just focus on enjoying our dives this summer.
For now, the trailer is a little worse for wear, but nothing I can't easily fix. I think we've debuged most of the systems. Tomorrow we will head home and back to school on Monday. I've really enjoyed this spring break with the kids.
