Day 14: 267 Miles
Starting location: Sandy Creek Campground, Jasper, Texas – 50 degrees
Ending location: Palmetto State Park, Gonzales, Texas – 55 degrees
Major Stops: Kroger? Westward!
Weather: Cloudy with thunder showers
For those who knew the original plan, I decided to skip New Orleans. I struggled to find a good place to be able to camp, leave Dottie and go into the city; and, I just did not feel safe trying to drive through the city without a co-pilot who could read a map. The city is known for narrow and crowded streets. If I do ever get there, it will be with a co-pilot and without Dottie in tow. So, we are heading westward!
Leaving our vacation spot at Sandy Creek, we headed west for a long day’s drive. It was time to stock up on a few groceries, so as we skirted Houston we stopped at a large Kroger store and stocked up. This was also the day, I listened to the Radiolab podcast, mentioned in the last post.
I’ve been learning that Friday, Saturday and even Sunday nights are hard days to find campsites. The pro’s out here, seem to move during the week, and stay put over the weekend with reservations made well in advance. So our plan was to spend the night in a rest stop just short of San Antonio. Texas allows you to sleep in their reststops; and, being a Saturday night it was impossible to find a campsite along our route.
Last Ditch Attempt
Remembering our last rest stop experience with airbrakes and Dottie’s inability to complete her potty duties while shaking like a leaf, I decided to make one last attempt at finding a campsite. I hear that sometimes people cancel at the last minute. So, I checked the campground that was most optimal on our route. Lo and behold, I was able to book a site. However, little, did I know until we arrived, the site was in the tent only area! I wondered why it made me list a tent as the equipment in their website. I had indicated I was bringing an RV. Fortunately, we fit and had a delightful night at Palmetto State Park without being chastised. It probably helped that we arrived late and left early…..I will say we got some strange looks.