Our home for the week, site #12, is fairly private, has lots of shade, and easy access to the canoe/kayak launch area, a grassy park-like space called Lewis Point Commons. The boys took advantage of the shallow water to admire the little fish, splash around in the water and play in the mud. (My only wish is that the park have a laundry facility as they really like mud!)
The mild spring weather is rapidly turning to summer, but there were still wildflowers everywhere, and our site had a nice view of a little meadow filled with lemon balm, coreopsis and coneflowers. With a bit of the lake as a backdrop it made a really pretty scene.
With a week to enjoy the park we had a lot planned, and we had fun doing it all, with a lot of relaxing in between!
The boys had never been in a canoe before, so they were really excited about the opportunity and by the end of the week 7-year old Jaxen was developing some pretty good paddling skills.
Raylan (not yet five years old) is a bit too short to manage the paddle, but he's growing fast! and he had a good time watching the wildlife in the water and on the shore.
Raylan does have a difficult time sitting still for very long, so we worried about how well he'd do in the canoe. Steve did some research before the trip and created a stabilizing pontoon-like system to keep the canoe from tipping too much. I think it gave the boys a secure feeling just to see it, it worked well, and we had no problems at all. It's easily removed for transport too.
Lake Bastrop is a prime spot for birdwatching, and there are a lot of other wildlife on the water as well.
If you're into bird watching, you might like the Bastrop County Audubon Society's 8 page checklist. It's helpful in identifying birds you may not be familiar with. A Checklist for Bastrop & Buescher State Parks Lake Bastrop.
Soon after we arrived in camp the boys spotted a turtle they named Tiger in the park next to our site.
We found other turtles on our walks and while canoeing. The boys saw one they were just sure was Tiger, sunning himself on a rock at the edge of the water. These Red eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) are common in Texas. They have a pretty nice life in Lake Bastrop!
A round of mini golf was also on the agenda. We planned that for early in the day, before it got too hot. The boys and a great time playing and quickly learned that getting the ball in that little hole wasn't as easy as it looked!
During our last visit we hiked and biked on Heron Trail, which goes from our campground through the woods over to several cabins. It's rather rough for biking, so we tried out a different trail this time. We took Swift trail from the entrance to the campground and followed it to Loblolly trail.
These trails are wider and smoother than the Heron trail we walked last time. Steve had purchased a bike so he could ride with Jax and they enjoyed an early morning ride all the way out to Loblolly Loop. At the same time I took the dogs for a walk starting out on Swift trail and then heading for Gideon loop.
We hadn't gone very far past the intersection with Loblolly when we encountered a copperhead snake. The dogs didn't even seem to notice it, but I wasn't in the mood to meet any more of them, so we headed back to camp. That's the nature of hiking in the woods - you never know what surprise will meet you around the next bend in the road.
You can pick up a trail map, a campground map, and a lake map with depths indicate in the office when you check in, or you can download them from the website.
The first few days of our stay were overcast, and in the 80's but it quickly warmed up. Though I wasn't really looking forward to the heat, we wanted to try out the solar oven (instructions here) the boys and I had constructed before we left for the trip.
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| Master Hot Dog Chef |
A wrinkle thrown into this trip was our home air conditioner. It died a week before the trip. With temperatures inching into the 90's it was not a happy event. Fortunately we could just relocate into the trailer so we stayed comfortable.
The repair was scheduled for Thursday, in the middle of the camping trip, so Steve went home to take care of that, while the boys and I stayed in camp. Kendra came out and had lunch with us, and Raylan decided to go home with her. He's usually only good for 2 or 3 nights away from home at this age, so timing worked out well.
In the afternoon Jax and I took the dogs over to the swimming beach. We played fetch with the dogs in the water until we wore out, and then Jax and his "floatie" enjoyed the warm water. He made friends with some children from Houston, so he had a really good time that day.
Sunday was Father's Day, and of course, thunderstorms were predicted for Sunday, so we moved our plans up to Saturday.
Skot and Kendra and Skot's parents all came out for a little fishing and an early dinner. The boys took their dad out in the canoe to show off their skills, and then he set them up for a little fishing. The back side of our site had easy access to the water so they didn't have to go far.
Raylan was so excited - he caught his first fish!
Jax came in right behind with another catch, so they both felt very accomplished! (And they let all the little fish go back to swimming around.)
More photos of the trip in the album.
It was a great trip, and we've decided will definitely go back to this park again.
We checked out several sites with an eye to alternatives in case that's necessary when we make reservations.
