Mammoth Meanders to South-Central Texas

Mon 10/31/2022

Home to Blanco State Park. Exceptionally fast trip. This might be the first and only time we've ever gotten to the Love's Truck Stop in Temple in under three hours, and even filling up seemed exceptionally fast. After filling up, we cut across I-14 and SH (US?) 190 to Lampassas, then on south on 281 to Blanco.

The park isn't much, but then, I wasn't expecting much. I just knew it was reasonably close to Bob and Theresa's house and it wasn't the COE park at Canyon Lake. We've been to the COE park several times, and it's just the same old same. Plus the driving to it is a little unpleasant--hilly little two lane roads to get over from 281. Not my fave.

This place is kind of small (knew that) and kind of nestled in the middle of a little town (Blanco). I knew that, too, but I didn't expect the amount of highway noise. Or the number of people cramming into the tiny campground. They're pretty much all old people, like us. I guess they're the class of people who can't or won't afford the prices at a fancy private RV park.

But I'm being silly. It's a perfectly nice little park and really quite beautiful.  Molly and I took a nice, long walk under the huge hemlock trees by the Blanco River. No birds to think of, just a few doves and couple of huge geese of some undefinable species. Either domestic or imports, but not any native American goose I know of.

Bob and Theresa came over after a little while and we went for a walk. The "nature trail" was a lame, unadorned path cut along the southern edge of the park boundary, We didn't make it all the way to the end--we were talking and pausing and looking around all the while--hoping to see something but seeing very little except underbrush--when our stomachs called out we went out to get supper.

We ended up going to a lovely little Tex-Mex hole-in-the-wall right next to the park entrance. Within walking distance, in fact. Inside, there was only one couple eating, and only six or eight tables total. But their menu was large--all the normal Tex-Mex and a lot of seafood dishes.  

I ended up with Camarones Mexicanos even though I prefer not to eat shrimp of indeterminate origin. (Hint: it's always from Indonesia or Cambodia and most likely harvested by impoverished or enslaved laborers.) But it was excellent!  I'd most definitely eat there again. Even Ed's Chile Relleno was good.

When we left there were a few extra diners in the restaurant. Good--I'd hate to see it go out of business.

My review:
Tiny little park in the middle of a tiny little town
The campsites were okay but small and just a little cramped for a state park. More spacious than a private RV park, of course. Our site was long enough for a 32' Class A RV plus a Jeep.   It was back-in, with full hookups but only 30-amp, although some of the sites down the loop were 50-amp.  There were also sites without sewer and a tiny little dump station on the road going out.

It was very clean all through the campground--only over by the highway crossing the river was there any trash on the ground. None of the sites were far from the river, but didn't have a view of it. But it was quiet and peaceful on the weekdays that we were there. I could see it being very crowded during the summer due to river access--the section of the river in the park was dammed to be high enough for a very short paddle or float trip.

As to activities, the only hiking trail was named a nature trail but that was asperational only. It was just a route cut through the underbrush along the river. One could take a short hike along the north side of the river (away from the campsites) to a bird blind at the end. No one had filled the bird feeders.