Guadalupe River State Park was our next stop on this 2022 winter journey. Still in the Texas Hill Country between New Braunfels and Bourne (pronounced Bernie), the park is situated on the bank of the Guadalupe River just about 20 miles north of San Antonio.
One issue with traveling through the hill country in the winter is that you do not see the parks in their prime condition. The vegetation that is lush and green in the summer is dull and colorless in winter. Rivers that rush past their banks in summer are slow and shallow in the winter. On the other hand, the parks are more peaceful and quite, just taking a nap for a couple of months. This lazy attitude suits us just fine.
When it comes to the hill country, I may have overstated the lush and green part for literary effect. The flora and fauna are sparse with trees like Mesquite, Juniper and Cedar rising from the sandy ground between the rocks. But in the spring, when the Texas Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush line the roadways and hillsides with a blanket of color it is truly a sight to behold. Since the Bluebonnets weren’t out when we were there, we borrowed this image from the web as an illustration.
Our site at Guadalupe was large, level and private, three key words in our search for the ideal camping spot. Narrow at the front, the space opened up to the side and rear into a lovely area with a few trees providing shade.
About 10 yards from the coach was a concrete pad that held the picnic table. It was the perfect size for the pop up canopy that I bought months ago and had never used.
Of course, I had to run to the closest hardware store for a string of lights to add to the border of the canopy. The result was quite nice if you ask me. But please don’t ask Tim-the-minimalist. To be fair, Tim is constantly concerned with the amount of weight we load into the lower storage bays. I just figure that if it fits, it’s good, just like a new pair of shoes. After three years of camping the bays were beginning to bulge just like my feet in a new pair of shoes after a three mile hike… in the summer… on asphalt.
The weather was getting warmer and we were able to sit outside more each day. One afternoon the Bennets from Dripping Springs drove down for some river fishing and burgers on the grill. Another day Paula and Joel from nearby Wimberly, TX came for a rematch of the card game started at their home the week before. It was nice to get outside and spend time with friends!
All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed Guadalupe River State Park. There was only one tiny mishap involving an open screen and an adventurous feline, but I will let Tim tell you about that later.
Tim and JIll: Thanks for the hospitality and the card game at this site. It was prime even if it was winter. Can’t wait to see you Meeker Hollow.
Joel and Paula