Big Thicket, the land of contrasts

After leaving Louisianna in the dust, we headed to Big Thicket National Preserve which is north of Beaumont, Texas.  We decided to stay at Village Creek State Park. It has a small campground with about 25 sites, all have water and electric. There is a dump station and flush toilets and showers. Be warned; there is a daily state park fee of $6 per person per day; however, you can purchase a yearly pass for $70. The park was in Lumberton which had a Walmart for groceries and other emergeny items

Padre Island National Seashore, a great place for fun in the sun

Padre Island National Seashore is located off the south Texas coast. Its 70 miles of sand beach is a mixture of sand dunes, grasslands, and tidal flats. Getting onto Padre Island was quite easy via route 358 through Corpus Christi, TX. Be aware that Corpus Christi is a great destination itself and the traffic can get congested. Once you are on Padre Island head south toward the National Seashore. You will pay a fee to enter the park and at Malaquite Beach Campground and Bird Island Basin.

Cedar Hill State Park, Dallas, Texas

We continued our journey to Dallas, Texas where we visited my bother. We found a campground at Cedar Hill State Park that was near to where my brother lives. The state park is situated on Joe Pool Lake which covers 7,500 acres and is a flood control lake. Upon our arrival we found that many of the camping areas were closed due to flooding from last year, but we were fortunate to have been assigned a nice spot in an open area close to the bathrooms. Most of the sites are very spacious with a

Waco Mammoth National Monument, newest national monument

I ventured on a litte side trip on the way from Austin to Dallas. Waco has one of the newest national monuments within its boundaries. On July 10, 2015, President Obama issued a Presidential Proclamation making Waco Mammoth Site a part of the National Park System. This site contains the only recorded discovery of a nusery herd of Columbian Mammoths. The fossils can be viewed "in situ" under the protection of a dig shelter. The site is open Tuesday-Friday, 11:00-5:00, Saturday, 9:00-5:00 Tours