DebbieCPhillips-Photography: South Llano River State Park

We had an easy drive to South Llano River State Park. We parked and I went in to check in. The ranger was very nice about giving directions. Because I didn't want to unhitch for the night, we drove to see the river before we went to our campsite. The access to the river was quite a way from the campground. The river was amazing. I see why it is popular for tubing and canoeing. It was getting ready to rain and the water was a bit cold, but I did get wet, and Tippy and Roudy went in the water. Peanut got her toes wet and drank some. We loaded back up and found our site before the rain really started. It was the only rain we had on the trip. The campground was full. People with all sizes of rigs and tents were enjoying it. I really enjoyed watching the people enjoying camping and most were outside. My only disappointment with the campground is that the restrooms were a long way from our site and the dump station, while it looked close, was a long way away to hand pull the blue boy. (We hauled it full to the next campground and emptied it there).

After the short rain interlude, I grabbed the dogs and started walking. The trails were beautiful and well used. They seemed to have some hunting blinds, I think for turkey hunting. They had areas called "turkey trot" and a large area that was for turkeys roosting that was closed for certain hours during certain times of the year. We found a pond with people fishing, found another access to the river, and found an amazing bird blind right near the camp ground. The dogs tried to chase a deer and were very patient while I watched the birds. My favorite moment of the hike though was coming across a family hiking. I was on a long sandy trail, but they were enjoying it. There were 3 adults, 2 dogs, and 2 toddlers, and a baby. One of the ladies was pulling a wagon loaded with snacks and drinks, the toddlers were walking along having a great time. One of the men was patiently answering the kids questions. I hope their joy continued the entire hike. It probably did, they were well prepared.

I did make time for a short hike the next morning ( we got up for sunrise) and revisited the bird blind before we left. Then we hit the road for our longest driving day of the trip, all the way to Demming New Mexico. I tried getting a night in a west Texas park, but they were full and New Mexico parks were closed to non residents.