We initially stayed at Chosa Campground to visit Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Its location gave us the bonus opportunity to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Part of the same mountain range as Carlsbad Caverns, the Guadalupe Mountains host a stunning array of different microbiomes, thanks to the natural springs and mountain terrain shading areas from the intense New Mexican sun. Each visitor center acts as a gateway to unique and
Free camping isn’t too hard to find. But free camping with hookups is a rare treat. Our first ever time hooking up was at such a place, but that only had electricity. Rodeo Campground in Lamesa, Texas has electricity and water! This is another example of us spending a little less time behind the camera, and we got no pictures of this location. Google did, though. About Rodeo Campground Calling
Texas doesn’t have any of the public lands we’ve come to love in the Southwest. However, it does have a fun assortment of free camping opportunities! One such opportunity is SeaBee Park in Abilene, Texas. About SeaBee Park Just outside of Abilene, Texas, and adjacent to a spur of Lake Fort Phantom Hill, SeaBee Park has a surprising amount to offer. One can go birding on the lake shore, launch
On our journey out of South Texas, we stopped in at the Houston Space Center, in Houston, Texas. This is another one of those museums that we got into for free due to our EAA student membership The boy got during his Young Eagles flight. And probably the BEST space museum we’ve ever seen. The museum was a little overwhelming at first. Everything was off the main entrance, and we’re
We stayed at Goliad State Park and Historic Site as our first stop after leaving our winter home of Resaca de la Palma State Park. Many pros to this site far outweighed the few cons we came across. As we’ve discussed many times, we love museums! Goliad State Park and Historic Site is a park and museum rolled into one! About the history The keystone of this park is the
While staying in South Texas, we had many opportunities to explore South Padre Island. This resort town on the Island of the same name had a lot of activities to do and explore. Of course, the thing we explored most was the beach! South Padre Island (SPI)’s main draw is its miles of white sand beaches on either the Laguna Madre or the Gulf of Mexico. The island has tons
While we wintered in south Texas, we had many opportunities to explore the museums of the region. One day, we decided to check out The Museum of South Texas History. While a lot of the history museums we encountered in Texas were dedicated to a section of Texas history, such as the war for Texas’s independence from Mexico, or the Mexican-American war, this museum spanned from the age of the
While staying in Brownsville, the kids and I decided to spend a day exploring the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park and learn about the Mexican-American war. The free park is dedicated to the opening moves of the Mexican-American War of 1846. This war was the last significant map change for the United States. The US Army eventually occupied Mexico City and forced the annexation of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona,
While we were wintering at Resaca de la Palma State Park, we had many opportunities to explore Brownsville, Texas. One of our favorite spots to return to was the Gladys Porter Zoo! We visit a lot of zoos. This is made possible on our slim budgets thanks to our membership to the Red River Zoo in Fargo, ND. Both Gladys Porter and Red River are AZA members, so our membership
As we stayed the winter at Resaca de la Palma, we had lots of opportunities to explore the many parks and playgrounds that Brownsville, Texas had on offer. Dean Porter Park Dean Porter Park, located across the street from the Gladys Porter Zoo, this sprawling facility is actually a collection of facilities. There are 2 playgrounds that we enjoyed, coming back to the pirate ship playground multiple times. The park