We took US-380 east to Greenville, then got on I-30 East via the truck route (not the google map route!). From there we proceeded to ignore google's shortest route and went on the Sulphur Springs, where we exited on TX-19. We went north to Birthright, then west on FM-71 to FM-3505 and into the park.
1. Planned distance: 72.6 miles
2. Map time estimate: 1:23
3. Adjusted estimate: didn't calculate
4. Actual distance: about the same
5. Actual time: unknown
6. No stops
7. Average mph trip: unknown
This is going to be extremely atypical of a trip. For one, I don't have a clue about when we started, when we arrived, how far the trip was or where the map took us. I was driving the truck--all I saw was the RV and boat in front of me. For two, I lost the pictures because my phone died. For three, it wasn't very much fun. You'll see....
Here is my guess about the route:
Since we were taking the boat and needed the truck to launch it, I drove the truck while the RV drove the boat. See, the boat trailer is a little wider than the truck, so in order to drive it on roads without a shoulder--or worse, on a street with CURBS on the side--you have to constantly remember the extra width. When taking turns, you have to keep glancing back and forth to the side mirrors. I got pretty at good doing that in the five minutes it took to drive over the the Princeton Walmart, where we swapped the trailer from truck to boat, but doing that for a whole hour to Cooper Lake would have been nerve-wracking!
Also we didn't have the braking assist installed yet, and when the truck was up to speed and had to stop, it could really feel the boat's weight pushing against it. So it made more sense to let the Mammoth Motor Vehicle pull the boat.
When I chose Cooper Lake as the first place to camp "with boat," we still had the aluminum jon boat. The plan was to choose a place where we could pull it up on the bank and leave it there, jumping in and running out whenever we pleased, hassle free. So I located a suitable lake, not too far away, reserved one of the spots on the lake's edge closes to the boat ramp. It would have been perfect....
Except that between reservation time and trip time, the jon boat had been superseded by a 17-foot bass boat with a huge motor and a lot more depth of keel. When we arrived and found the campsite, Ed waded out into the water to check the depth. He waded a long way--as long as our ropes could reach--and was still in water no higher than his knees. If we'd pulled the boat up there and the lake level went down in the night, we'd be stuck in the mud. In the Texas. Mud.
So that was a wash out. We parked the boat at the boat ramp and headed the RV to its site.
It wasn't a bad site. There wasn't any shade for the RV but a couple of scraggly trees provided thin shade for our patio/backyard. The banks of the lake are lined with thick thickets of honey locust, willow, and brush of all sorts, but the COE had mowed a fifteen foot wide swathe from our picnic table to the lake. So we have a lake view, sort of--only a little constricted.
No birds at all. Okay, there's no such thing as "no" birds. A few Great Egret by the water; a squawky Great Blue Heron; cardinals, Carolina Wrens, chickadees and the eternal white-eyed vireo. But that was about it.
If you walk past the overflow parking area to the next camp site, a short path cuts through the woods to a big, lighted fishing pier. A boardwalk goes on across the creek to a fish-cleaning station and the boat ramp on the other side. The fishing pier was not in very good repair and the water beneath it was unmoving, green and murky. I could imagine it being a great place to hang out during spring rains, but right then it was icky. There could have been alligators there, or huge snapping turtles or show-moving carp. But you you look carefully, you could see raccoon tracks in the mud. Just because I don't like a place, don't mean the critters don't.
By the time we'd parked and unhooked and moved and hooked, and Ed had set the minnow traps to catch (unfortunately) a single perch, we were tired and it was dreadfully hot outside. I had the bright idea of cooking supper first; going fishing later. And that would have worked well except that the night's supper menu included steak, baked potato, and skewered vegetables. By the time we'd cooked and eaten all that food, we were no longer interested in fishing. Instead, I took my towel and soap and went on a hike to the restroom/bath house.
On the way I paused to let a big ol' snake zigzag by. The light was poor but I could tell it was slender, long (about 3-1/2 - 4 feet), fast moving and beautifully colored. I'd guess it was a King Snake but I didn't get a picture to check.
The showers were even nicer than those at White Oak Lake! They were clean and spacious, with awesome water pressure. I took a delicious shower and returned to the Mammoth home for an early last dog walk, sleepy television watching, and bed.
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