The last two years, we have booked a spot at Garner State Park (www.tpmd.state.tx/state-parks/garner); a very popular park about 1.5 hours west of San Antonio.
Garner is popular for good reasons. There are lots of different camping options, from cute little cabins with microwaves and curtains, to water only tent sites. Each campsite has lots of space and the facilities are generally clean and ample. The Frio River winds through the park and offers cool, clear water for swimming, rope swinging, fishing, kayaking, and tubing. Over memorial weekend the river fills with groups of college kids and families tubing down the river.
Over any given holiday, the park offers ranger programs and activities for kids, including hayrides and limited geocaching. Every night there is an outside country dance at the pavilion where young and old dance the Texas two-step.
On the drive to Garner, my Outlander passed 100,000 miles. I love my car. 100,000 miles and I've had no problems whatsoever. No mechanical problems that is. There are a few scratches, scrapes, and some significant body damage. There was that time Andrew scraped it along a cone on the highway trying to avoid a merging vehicle, and that time he drove it into/over a boulder (which, ironically, happened at Garner a few years back), and then last week when he replaced my rotors, saving me about $300, then caused about $300 worth of damage when he didn't put on the handbrake ("no Debi, we won't need to put on the handbrake") and the car fell onto the detached wheel and bent the body on the wing. Other than those minor modifications, I can list it as "excellent" condition when I sell it.
After 4.5 hours on the road, we arrived!
Garner's popularity means that you really need to book at least six months in advance to secure a site. I managed to book in January, but unfortunately the only sites left were "water only", meaning we would be living with candle light and flashlights. My popup is pretty well equipped with a sink, air conditioning, heating, electrical sockets and lights, but that is all pretty redundant when you have no power. I can do without all those things, but I was nervous of how cold it would be at night, so I googled and found a tent heater that looked perfect!
Turns out that even when you're cozy warm, it is still hard to sleep for fear of carbon monoxide poisoning. The California state tag didn't help much either with their paranoid warning of cancer and heart problems.
Mary was off as soon as she discovered our neighbors had 4 kids around her age and they all loved tree climbing.
Camp
The tree hammock is always a hit
We took in "Critter Corner" at Cactus Jack's area and Mary learned about local wildlife and got up close with some animal hides.
The ranger had heard about Midland. His response to my hometown was "oh, you must be in oil". He also mentioned visiting Monahans Sand Dunes one August and only spending a few minutes there due to the heat.
rawr
Our campsite was a 45 second walk across from the river.
Mary is a water baby and we're so starved of natural water in Midland, so we spent lots of time net fishing, swimming, and playing in the Frio.
Mary's net also helped snatch a couple of butterflies. On occasion, Mary amazes me with the amount of knowledge she has about animals and insects, their habits, why they look the way they do, how they defend themselves, what they eat, etc. It seems to come out of nowhere, but I suspect it has something to do with her obsession with Wild Kratts.
Wednesday, we took a hayride up the Old Entrance Road, which has been closed since the 1960's, learned about the CCC, and drank lemonade.
Earlier that day, we took a hike on Bridge trail and Crystal Cave trail.
Crystal Cave
Nine year olds love put-put
There was, of course, a burn ban. This meant that you could only start a fire for the purpose of cooking a meal. A point was made on the "Burn Ban" poster that s'mores did not count as a meal. What this meant for us was we could make s'mores, so long as we also threw a hotdog on a stick for dinner.
"roasting" marshamallows
random picture, does not really fit anywhere else
By far, Mary's favorite time of day was the evening dance at the pavilion. It is tradition that you ask a partner to dance and Mary is not shy about running around and finding a boy she can ask to dance. Even if it verges on stalking. Her little group of friends could be found hanging around in various lookout spots throughout the night, giggling, and picking out the most likely "good dancers". I managed to get some blurry pictures without "embarrassing" her.
On Thursday, we took a trip to San Antonio to visit Six Flags. I am generally a happy person. Apparently, this is only true so long as I am not at Six Flags.
1. We waited 45 minutes for a water ride and then it was closed due to "technical difficulties".
2. We waited 20 minutes to buy a shake, but they were "out".
3. We waited 2 hours for the Pandemonium and then it was closed due to "technical difficulties".
4. All the eating places were disgusting and hadn't been cleaned for what looked to be about 6 weeks.
5. I paid $17 to park my vehicle and $15 to store my backpack (for which I was charged twice).
6. Mary's season pass had expired in January, not one year from the date it was issued, so we paid for two entrance fees. Because Mary is taller than 48 inches, she now pays the adult fee, even though most "cool" rides require 54 inches in height.
7. We were there 7 hours and rode 3 rides.
8. Thank goodness I paid $25 on games so that Mary at least came away with a Hello Kitty, silver-footed unicorn and Scooby Doo.
9. I would write a complaint letter, but I'm terrified they will send me a free pass to return.
I tried super hard not to show my frustration with this place because it was her treat and Mary had a great time, so all ended well.
Sorry Mary, 54 inches
We finally got to ride the Gully Washer and got soaked, just as the sun set and temperature dropped 20 degrees.
