Posts Tagged ‘texas’
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Pecan Valley RV Park, Junction Texas
This is a pleasant park with long fairly level pull-thru sites, some with shade. Tent campers are welcomed. The grounds are well maintained and the restrooms clean. Deer roam this quiet, peaceful park. There is no wi-fi and no cable TV. Our only criticism would be that this park likes to portray itself more as a riverfront destination when in fact the riverfront access is a small stretch behind the owner’s house. You may fish or launch a small boat however you cannot see the river at all from the campground. The camping fee in June 2009 was $22 per night. Even though this is not riverfront camping we enjoyed this park and would stay here again for an overnight. Access is off I-10 in Junction, Texas. If you are traveling east bound take exit 445 and follow service road (RR1674) 4 miles. Westbound on I-10 exit 451, turn left and follow the signs for 3 miles. It is recommended that you call ahead for reservations. 1-800-426-3065 website
Tags: Pecan Valley RV Park, RV Park 1-10 Junction, RV Park North Llano River, RV Park review Junction Texas, texas
Posted in RV Resort Reviews, Texas, Things to do in Texas | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
We recommend The Oasis RV Resort in Amarillo, Texas as a convenient overnight stop for those of you driving from the Dallas/Fort Worth area to Colorado or perhaps you Oklahoma folks on your way to Albuquerque. The pull-thrus are paved, long and mostly level. They offer free wi-fi, free cable and free laundry. You may wash your RV at your site if you wish. We found this facility to be clean and fairly well run. A few comments: They advertise an adults only spa that was closed both times we stopped by in the summer of 2009. The cable TV reception was not good at our site. When we called this in maintenance came right out to check it out but could not clear it up. We don’t know if this is a park-wide problem or not. They do state that doggie bags are available in dispensers around the park to clean up after your pet. On both occasions we stayed here the dispensers were empty. I let the office know of this however they did not re-stock the dispensers while we were there. And finally, we decided to stay 4 nights on our way back from Colorado and do some sightseeing in the Amarillo area. The advertised special at the front desk was “stay two nights with us and receive the third night free. We thought we should qualify for one night free on this promotion however the clerk stated that we could pay for two nights but would need to leave after the third free night to qualify. We paid for and stayed the 4 nights anyhow. We turned in a comment card explaining this but never did receive any reply. The prices are $17 for Class C or $20 for Class A per night. There is a restaurant on site serving breakfast and dinner that we did not try. The access is easy on and off exit 60 in Amarillo, TX. 888-RVX-9697 myrvoasis.com
Tags: RV park interstate 40 Amarillo, RV park review Amarillo, texas, The Oasis RV Resort Amarillo, TX
Posted in RV Resort Reviews, Texas | No Comments »
Saturday, October 10th, 2009
Lake Brownwood State Park near the geographical center of Texas, opened in 1938, is a smaller (537.5 acres) park located on the shores of the large (7300 acre) Lake Brownwood. With miles of shoreline to enjoy folks come here in the summer to swim, waterski, jets ski, boat and fish. There are 2.5 miles of hiking trails and a .75 self guided nature trail. This is the Texas Oak Trail loop with 16 numbered stops. You may turn this into a slightly longer walk by continuing on to the fishing pier We camped in the Council Bluff area with 19 full hookups and a partial view of the lake at $25 per night. Water and electric sites range from $15-$20 per night with primitive sites at $12 per night. We found the restrooms in our camping loop to be clean and well maintained. Summer does attract crowds to the campgrounds nearest the swimming beaches so you may want to avoid these if you wish a more solitary camping experience. 16 cabins for 2-4 people are available at $65-$75 per night. Lodges are offered for groups ranging from $95-$290 per night accommodating from 4-26 people A barracks with dining hall is available for groups up to 32 people for $290 per night. Shelters rent for $30 per night. Be aware that poisonous snakes are native to this area including the rattlesnake and cottonmouth. Poison ivy and poison oak also exist. Avoid tall grasses and brushy areas and stay on the trails! Native wildlife include the gray fox, raccoon, opossum, wild turkey and white-tailed deer. 325-784-5223
Tags: Brownwood, group camping Texas, Lake Brownwood, Lake Brownwood State Park, texas, Texas camping, Texas Parks & Wildlife, Texas State Park
Posted in State Parks, Texas, Things to do in Texas | No Comments »
Friday, February 6th, 2009
Texas has 68 species of snakes and if you include subspecies a total of 115, the record for the most snakes found in any state in The United States. Every single one of the 254 counties in the state of Texas is home to snakes. Only 15 % of snakes are venemous. Of these 4 of the 5 categories are found in Texas. Coral, Copperhead, Cottonmouth (or water moccasin) and Rattlesnakes. Texas does not have any Boas. Snakes, like people are vertebrates (they have a backbone) however unlike us they are cold blooded. They will warm themselves in the sun or on rocks and hibernate through the colder winter months. In Texas they emerge from their dens in late February or early March, shed their skin then mate. They do not care for their young and are solitary mostly shy creatures. Snakes donot migrate. Central Texas had the largest number of species of snakes however West Texas or South Texas are the best places to look for snakes as they have the largest number of resident individuals. Snakes are predators and swallow their prey of rabbits, rodents or other snakes whole and alive. Snakes number one enemy is man. Snakes avoid the extreme heat of a Texas summer day limiting activity to the early morning or cooler evenings.
Tags: 68 species of snakes in Texas, copperhead, coral, cottonmouths, rattlesnakes, reptilia, snakes, texas, venomous snakes
Posted in Texas, Texas Wildlife | No Comments »
Sunday, September 7th, 2008
Watch a short video of these hummingbirds.
The tiniest of all birds descend on Texas every Spring as they migrate northward. 18 species of hummingbirds have been identified in Texas with 9 being common. The greatest variety are found in West Texas. The Davis Mountains and Chisos Mountains areas are great places to observe the black-chinned hummingbird, the black feathers on his throat catching the light and flashing a beautiful royal purple as the rapid beat of his tiny wings, up to 80 times a second produces the hum these birds are named for. East of Interstate 35 including where we live in the Dallas/Forth Worth area the ruby-throated hummingbird is common. To prepare your own hummingbird food mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water. Bring the water to a boil, stir in the sugar, boil 2-3 minutes until sugar is dissolved and let cool. Never substitute honey for the sugar. It is toxic to the birds. Red food coloring is not necessary. The hummers feed every 10-15 minutes so you can expect a lot of activity at your feeder especially during migration. It is recomended that Texans leave their feeders up year round as some birds spend the winter in Texas. At night they go into a hibernation like state called a torpor and arouse from it quickly as necessary. The hummingbirds northward migration is timed to the blooming of certain flowers. Many of them travel 2.500 miles from Mexico to Alaska. resting in South Texas after flying 500 miles nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico. If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden choose native plants of bright color with tubular shaped flowers. 25 percent of the hummingbird diet consists of insects so choose plants for your garden that attract insects as well. When you are camping at Davis Mountains State Park in West Texas or Big Bend National Park set up your hummingbird feeder in a nearby tree and enjoy these tiny birds as they hover, fly up and down then backwards putting on one of nature’s greatest shows.
Tags: Big Bend National Park, black-chinned hummingbird, Davis Mountains State Park, hummingbird food, hummingbirds, ruby-throated hummingbird, texas, Texas Hummingbird Roundup, West Texas birds
Posted in National Parks, State Parks, Texas, Texas Wildlife | 1 Comment »
