Wow it was hot! Ok, I didn’t actually try frying an egg on the pavement – but I bet I could have pulled it off. My little brother actually lives and works in the area, so we made sure to include a stop to see him!

State Park with a confusing name and HOT temps

We stayed at Lake Colorado City State Park. Other than a confusing name, great little State Park in the middle of Texas! We really enjoyed it. It had clean restrooms and large sites. There is a lake, but only partially visible from the part of the campground we were in.

There were a few trails in the park. However; the ambient air temperature was set to exceed 105 degrees the whole time we were there. It was HOT. Still no awning 😒.

I decided that in order for us to enjoy a hike or two, we would need to start pre-dawn. This led to a great experience as I sat outside the trailer watching the sun rise and listening to the wildlife come awake and start their days!

Our hike was great! We actually combined the two hikes. Along the way we had great views of the lake, saw a skunk, several lizards, LOTS of cacti and two coyotes cooling off in a small pond! We got some interesting pictures, but most of the animals were too quick and got out of sight before we could score a picture. We did manage to complete the hike right as it broke 90 degrees, at about 9:15 am!

Of note, the hike starts across from site 103A, the trailhead was a little difficult to find.

Local Eats

There really isn’t much around this State Park. A gas station, a really small town that is mostly abandoned and 2 restaurants. Well, you know we had to eat at both!

The first one was Biggs Pizza and Grill. I was not aware this was a chain restaurant. The pizza was great and they had Big Red on tap. In case you were not aware, the only thing more common in Texas than someone standing there to tell you everything is bigger in Texas is Big Red soda. So that was an overall great experience. I did find out it was a chain, so the next day we went somewhere else.

We had an early lunch at Mary’s Cafe. This was as local as it gets. We ran the gamut from hot to cold to hot again with the local customers. Some just didn’t know how to take us, my wife’s tattoos and crazy hair, mouthy teenager in tow and of course, at 6 foot 3 I am hard to miss. The food was good, not great, but the service made up for it.

Some locals made an effort to chat and that was great. Some of the older generation openly stared at us like we were creatures in a cage and they’d never heard of us. Luckily I revel in attention in general so I openly smiled at them and waved. Our waitress was the first of quite a few after this to make the comparison of Sierra (our teenager) and Max from Stranger Things.

Not as much of a stretch as it looks above. Imagine Sierra frowning with her arms crossed no matter what situation comes up – viola’! Totally snagged the Max picture, no rights to it whatsoever.

Hanging with my brother

My brother, Eric, already lives in his trailer full time. The difference is he stays right there in the 6th circle of hell for his job. We had a great time hanging out and got to go eat at one of the best steak houses I’ve been to in a long time. It was called The Butcher’s Block and was amazing!

We visited the RV Park he calls home, and due to the constant hot temperatures, the premium spots (which he has snagged long term) have giant metal covers to block the sun. Worked great.

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One more in Texas and then some drama! Stay tuned!