CAMPGROUND: Lockhart State Park. Tiny spaces. Deep drop-off. Nice shade. OK bathrooms. Firepit and picnic table. Water and electricity. $23/night. 3 stars out of 5
LOCATION: Lockhart, Texas, about 1/2 hour south of Austin
WEATHER: Hot and humid
We hung out at the Airstream community all morning, taking advantage of phone and internet service. Then, we went in to town to buy some Texas/Cajun food for lunch. We had seen these food trucks before, and heard that the food was very good. Unfortunately, it is not crawfish season, so we bought some peel & eat shrimp. It came with a baked potato and an ear of corn. Quite tasty! Interesting story at Tejun the Texas Cajun
We thought we only had a few hours to drive today, but it turned into five hours on the road. We took the backroads to avoid Waco and the worst of Austin. It was interesting to pass through towns with Czech and German roots. A lot of Czechs settled here in Hill Country of Texas. You see a lot of Czech bakeries advertising kolaches, a fruit-filled pastry. Donuts are also big in Texas, with almost every little town sporting a donut shop. There is also the trifecta – little restaurants advertising the big 3 – kolaches, donuts……and tacos!
We stopped in this area (south of Austin) as we have an appointment early Monday morning for the Airstream’s annual check-up and to get some minor warranty work done. It will be at the Airstream dealership in south Austin where we bought the Airstream two years ago.
As we neared Austin (guess who was driving…), at a stop sign, a man in the car next to us motioned for me to roll down my window. He yelled that one of our tail lights was out on the back of the trailer. Great……having to negotiate around the freeways of Austin without being able to signal our moves.
We managed ok, and arrived at our campground. The site is pretty tight, among the trees. George had a challenge maneuvering it between the trees and the steep drop-off.
One of the reasons I chose this state park campground is that it has a swimming pool. I was dreaming of diving into the cool water all day during the ride here. Alas, when we arrived, it was closed for the season. Come on — it is 97 degrees!!!!
KARMEN’S KITCHEN TIP We have a nice shower in the trailer that we use for storage, and not for taking showers. Some people think we are crazy, but the storage comes in very handy, and we are almost always somewhere with halfway decent showers. The shower is multi-purpose storage: liquor cabinet, wine cellar, dirty clothes basket, broom closet, and clothes-drying area. My Nova Scotia friend Jenny gave me this great Command strip broom holder which works perfectly in this space. We also use a soft-sided insulated cooler in which we store beer when the refrigerator is too full. It fits in this shower storage, too. It works for us!
DINNER: Pasta with a thick tomato sauce. I used up the last of my orzo. Now that the trip is coming to an end, I want to use up as much food as possible, so we don’t leave a lot of food in the house while we go to Africa. I sauted onions, garlic, bell pepper, and spicy peppers up with a lot of Italian seasonings. I added some Italian sausage George had grilled weeks ago that I had kept frozen. Then, I added tomato sauce, red wine, and chopped tomatoes to simmer for awhile. I served it with slivers of fresh basil (yes, my plant is still kicking) and parmesan. Salad on the side with avocados and Iowa tomatoes.
Reids on the Road with Joy 