Flo's 2006 April Travels

LOCATION: Corps of Engineers Georgetown, Texas     SITE: Cedar Breaks Park
DATE: 3/31/06 – 4/02/06     SPACE: 46     TRIPS: 4     DISTANCE: 42 miles

Cedar Breaks is one of the two parks located on Georgetown Lake. The campsites are very beautiful. They have a lot trees and is very peaceful. Cedar Breaks is smaller than Jim Hogg. The hiking trail goes about 21 miles around Georgetown Lake. You can see the picnic areas and beach area on the other side of the lake. The view of the lake is magnificent. The trail has a lot of rock so it is a challenge. A rain shower came through early in the morning, which caused the humidy to be high. We enjoyed staying Cedar Breaks Park.

Friday March 31, 2006

My family and I arrived at Cedar Breaks Park about 4:30 p.m. The campgrounds are beautiful and have a lot of trees. There are 65 campsites each one has a covered patio over the picnic table. They all have a barbeque grill and pit. After we settled in we had dinner and went for a walk around the area. We walked down a little hiking trail behind our campsite that leads down to the lake, it was magnificent. We sat on the ridge enjoying the view, when I decided I wanted to go, we walked around the camp area to the boat ramp. The ramp is located in a protected cove and has four lanes for trailers. Right next to the ramp there is a gorgeous waterfront picnic area surrounded by grass. It is a beautiful area very well kept. We saw a few deer while we were walking. When we returned to the camper we listened to the radio for awhile and than went to bed about 9:00 p.m.

Saturday April 1, 2006

During the night a rain shower came through about 3:00 a.m. It was the first night mom and dad had an air mattress and they slept very well. I slept very well and didn’t make a lot of noise during the night. I was tried because mom had taken me for my yearly shots. We got up about 6:00 a.m. and had breakfast. It was very humid but we still went on a 3 hour hike. We walked partly around the lake, about six miles all together. The trail is a challenge because it had a lot of rocks. We stopped a few times because of the humidity and to enjoy the view. While mom and dad were resting I met a little boxer, he was very cute and hyper. He jumped on my mom's lap and got her all dirty. I was very excited because I met a friend. The dog’s master was very nice. Mom took some pictures of the scenery and Russell Park. Russell Park is a picnic and beach area on the other side of the lake. It looked very nice. By the time we got back we were exhausted. We rested awhile and then had bacon sandwiches for lunch. In the afternoon we went for a very short walk because I was very tired. We walked back down to the boat dock and picnic area. On the way back we walked around the camping area. It was a very relaxing walk because I was walking very slowly. In the camping area I met another friend, his name was Buster and he was a basset hound. I picked up my pace a little bit because I enjoy meeting new friends. I get very excited when I meet another dog. We went back to our site and sat outside in our chairs until we went to bed. It was very relaxing. Before we went to bed mom and dad had to set the clocks ahead a hour because of daylight saving time.

Sunday April 2, 2006

We got up about 6:00a.m. ate breakfast and went for a little walk. I was still tired so we just walked to the boat ramp. On the way down to the ramp we saw some deer, it was very slow walk. We went back to our site. We sat around and just enjoyed the quietness. After awhile mom and dad got ready to leave, we took one last walk around the camping area, during our walk one of the campers asked how old I was, dad told them 2 ½ years, the guy thought I was older because I was walking so slowly. Mom and dad told him I just get tired and takes me awhile to recuperate. But it also takes mom and dad awhile to recuperate. We enjoyed the weekend and we will be going on another, camping trip next week.


LOCATION: Corps of Engineers Georgetown, Texas     SITE: Jim Hogg Park
DATE: 4/07/06 – 4/09/06     SPACE: 125     TRIPS: 5     DISTANCE: 46 miles

Friday April 7, 2006

Here we are back at Jim Hogg Park. We arrived back at 4:30 p.m. The campgrounds weren’t as crowded as the time before. The first time it was at Spring Break. Our space is very beautiful and had a few trees. After we settled in we had dinner and went for a walk around the camping area. We walked a little over half the area but I was very tried. The camping area is very nice, some campsites backed up to the lake. We stayed in an area, where it was less busy and didn't have many children. While we were walking we realized that the park wasn’t busy. We went back to the site and just relaxed for awhile. The wind came up so we went inside. While we were sitting inside the weather started to cool off. We went to bed about 9:00 p.m.

Saturday April 8, 2006

During the night the wind got very strong and blew the windshield cover up and down, which kept waking mom and dad up. We got up about 7:00 a.m. we waited for it to warm up and while we waited we had breakfast. About 7:30 a.m. we went for a hike we took the trail that went the opposite way of the dam. The weather was cool when we started but it soon warmed up so mom and dad had to carry their coats. It took us about 4 hours to hike 9 miles. Whle we were hiking through the hills and woods we saw a couple of deer. We walked through a creek on the way back I went swimming. I swam up stream to a little waterfall, I jumped in and was very surprised when the water went up to my shoulders. Under the waterfall it was very deep, it looked like if mom and dad went in the water they couldn’t touch bottom. The trail went along a cove in the lake, the cove had a lot of tree stumps. We saw a couple of men fishing from boats in the cove. The water was very calm, it was surprising because it was windy. I had a great time swimming and by the time we got back we were tried. We rested awhile and then had lunch. In the afternoon Aunt Louise came out for a picnic, we barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs and I had my special food. It was very relaxing. Mom and dad showed Louise the RV, she thought it was small. She left about 7:00 p.m. and we stayed outside until it got dark.

Sunday April 9, 2006

We got up about 7:00 a.m. We slept a lot better because the wind died down. It was still cold, so we waited for it to warm up. We had breakfast and then  went for a hike along the same trail as yesterday, this hike was just about 1 ½ hours. Mom took some pictures mom takes lots of pictures of the cove in the lake and the trail so dad and I always have to wait for her. It was a very nice hike. We took it easy because we left the site about 12:00p.m. It was a great campout. We had a very nice time.

LOCATION:  Navasota Park Navasota, Texas     SITE:  Navasota Municipal RV Park
DATE:  4/28/06 – 4/29/06      SPACE: 10     TRIPS: 6      DISTANCE:  136 miles

 Navasota Municipal R.V. Park is located right outside of Navasota Texas. It is a city owned R.V. Park located 26 miles west of Brenham Texas off of Highway 105. The R.V. Park has 10 spaces with full hookups. The R.V. Park is on a first-come, first-serve basis. It cost $10.00 a night and you place the money in an honesty box. If you want to use the dump station it cost $5.00.
 
Friday April 28, 2006 

My family and I arrived at Navasota R.V. Park about 5:30 p.m. It is a very nice park. There is no problem getting a space even though there were only 10 spaces. The R.V. Park is adjacent to the Logan Soccer Complex. Each space has full hook-ups, picnic table and a barbeque pit. There is a restroom with showers and there is a covered Pavilion which is shared by everyone. In the same park there are soccer fields, baseball diamonds and an airport. When we arrived it was windy so mom and dad decided to have sandwiches inside and feed me outside. While they were eating I saw a helicopter and started to bark. Mom and dad looked out the window to see what I was barking at and saw the helicopter. They were surprised to see a helicopter landing at the airport because it was so windy. They watched the helicopter land and take off again. Dad thought maybe it was a training session. Shortly afterwards we saw another pilot show up and to take his plane for a spin. It looked like neither pilot had any problems taking off. About 7:00 p.m. we decided to go for a little walk around the complex I chased birds as we walked down the runway about ½ a mile towards the baseball fields, there was a game going on but we didn’t stop to watch. On the other side of the runway there was a golf course the facility looked very well maintained. The whole facility at Navasota is great. You paid for the space you used by putting the money in the slot under your space number on a board.

 Saturday April 29, 2006

 A severe rain storm came through about 5:00 a.m. and woke us up. The wind was blowing hard all night and moved the Minnie around a bit. Then the rain came down very hard. It last about 30 to 45 minutes. Mom and dad watched the storm. After the storm calmed down we went back to sleep for a couple of hours. We got up and ate some breakfast while mom and dad watched the weather forecast on a little portable television. Dad wanted to wait a while for the rain to leave and the roads to clear up a little. After it stopped raining we walked around the camping area. We left about 10:30 a.m. to head for our next destination, which was Ratcliff.

 

 

Ratcliff National Forest

LOCATION:  Ratcliff, Texas      SITE:  Ratcliff Lake Davy Crockett National Forest 
DATE:  4/29/06 – 5/2/06       SPACE:  41     TRIPS: 6      DISTANCE:  108 miles

 Saturday April 29, 2006 – Tuesday May 2, 2006

 Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area is located in Davy Crockett National Forest. Ratcliff is located 108 miles from Navasota. It was built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The camping area surrounds a 45-acre lake. It was once used as a log pond and a source of water for the Central Coal and Coke Company sawmill in 1920. The area has many things to offer.

 º The facilities are open year-round
º 77 Camping units 
º 17 Single-family picnic units
º Two picnic shelters
º Swimming area
º Concession stand
º Bathhouse with showers
º Fishing piers
º Playground
º Amphitheater for evening programs
º Hiking trails

 The camping units are located around the lake and have restrooms with running water. The showers in the restrooms are cold water only. There are garbage containers by the restrooms and electrical hook-ups at the campsites. The water for the sites is shared between the sites. We stayed in Dogwood Loop where the water is on the other side of the road where you can’t reserve the sites. It is a beautiful camping area with lots of hiking. Over a couple of days we walked the 1-1 ½ mile “Tall Pines” trail, ¾ mile “Trail Tamers” trail and a trail by our camp. That is called “Tall Pines” (it ran from 1 – 9 miles), we walked 2 miles of the trail and came back, it took about three hours. The hiking trails are beautiful and surrounded by tall pine trees.
On the lake you can only have an electric motor boat, no water skiing. There were people fishing on the lake every day and we saw people using the picnic/swimming areas on the weekend. We saw a turtle on one of our walks, at first I was scared of it and then I barked at it. I was just checking out the turtle, I never saw one before.
The only problem mom and dad saw were the ticks. Mom and dad had to remove the ticks from me and even from ourselves. We saw fireflies and some squirrels. We didn’t see a lot of wildlife which surprised us because of being in the forest. We really enjoyed our stay at Ratcliff.   

 

Huntsville State Park

LOCATION:  Huntsville, Texas       SITE:  Huntsville State Park
DATE:  5/2/06 – 5/4/06      SPACE:  174    TRIPS: 6     DISTANCE:  112 miles

Tuesday May 2, 2006 – Thursday May 4, 2006

 Huntsville State Park is located 6 miles outside of Huntsville. So if you want to go to town to eat or see the sites you can. We prefer to stay at the campground and barbeque. There are two camping area, they are located on both sides of Lake Raven. You have to be careful around the lake because there are alligators that live there. It is a beautiful facility. We stayed right off the lake in Prairie Branch. Huntsville State Park has a lot to offer. 

º The facilities are open year-round
º 2 Camping areas (Coloneh and Prairie Branch)
º Restrooms in both areas with hot water showers
º Each campsite has electric and water
º Picnic area with restroom
º Boat ramp and dock
º Fishing piers
º Swimming area
º Boat rentals
º Screened shelters 
º Lake is no wake zone
º Hiking trails
º Dump station
º Riding staples 

There are nice and easy trails right behind our site. There is a hiking trail that goes around the lake, it is 7.7 miles long and we walked about half of it. We didn’t walk the whole trail because it was quite humid. There are benches for you to rest on along the trail. The trails are shared with bikes and hikers. The trails we walked were Chinquapin, Rocky Raccoon and Prairie. While we were hiking we saw two alligators. The alligators were by the shore where there was some growth. Mom saw a corral snake during one of the hikes. When we were walking around the campground we saw a lot of squirrels, rabbits and a few deer, I chased the rabbits into the bushes. I couldn’t go swimming because of the alligators. People were swimming in the swimming area but dogs were not allowed in the swimming area. Mom and dad met some other campers. We had a great time.

 

Cagle National Forest

LOCATION:  New Waverly, Texas     SITE:  Cagle Park Sam Houston National Forest 
DATE:  5/4/06 – 5/6/06     SPACE:  11     TRIPS: 6     DISTANCE:  17 miles

Thursday May 4, 2006 – Saturday May 6, 2006

Cagle is located in Sam Houston National Forest. Sam Houston National Forest is about 17 miles from Huntsville State Park. There is a 128-mile hiking trail that goes through it called the Lone Star Hiking Trail. Cagle recreation Area is located on Lake Conroe. Cagle has many things to offer. 

º The facilities are open year-round
º Boat ramp and dock
º Hiking trails
º 2 Camping areas (Sweet Gum and Sycamore)
º Each campsite has full hook-up (electricity, water and sewer hookups)
º Restrooms in both areas with hot water showers
º Picnic area with restroom
º Playground

Cagle is a gorgeous campground. The best one we’ve been in. The camping area loops are very well maintained and kept. The loop we stayed on was Sweet Gum, it has 19 sites. Sycamore Loop has 28 sites. Each site had full hook-ups, picnic table, tent pad, lantern post and fire ring. There is a 2 miles hiking trail surrounding the loops. Lake Conroe has a lot of stumps in it. Fishermen explained that the reason you can see the stumps was because they had to let some of the water out so they could fix the dam, now they’re just waiting for the rain to fill the lake. It is a beautiful lake. There is a little loop trail by the lake, it is about .2 mile long. Along the loop is a picnic area and a little cove you can swim in. We walked the trail that went around the two camping loops it is great because it is blacktopped. Sycamore loop is right off the lake. There is a very nice picnic area by the boat ramp. The boat ramp is large enough to handle two or three boats at a time and very well maintained. We had a fantastic time here. We were very impressed by the facilities. I had a lot of fun walking with my mom and dad.