McKinney Falls State Park was a great spot from which to see Austin and is a wonderful park in general. The sites are large and our site #42 was perfect.
Camping in Austin
We chose to camp in Austin because it was close to nearby family and we loved the McKinney State Park. It also offered everything we needed for two days in the area. This park had very nice showers too. Our site was very large, offered a lot of privacy, and was only about 200 feet from the bathhouse, which was immaculate. Furthermore, the park is very close to downtown Austin with the only downside of some road noise.
Site # 42
We would be away from the campsite for all of our one full day there, so we did not do anything beyond hooking up power and water and putting a tarp over the gear that rides inside our camper. Also, rain was expected and we wanted to be able depart easily.
Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum
We needed an indoor activity, so we arranged to meet a couple of beloved cousins at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum. We enjoyed the museum and learned a lot about this country’s thirty-sixth president (1963-1969). The android in the photo below depicts Johnson’s mannerisms and the way he used humor to make a point.
President Johnson Android
The library included a replica of the Oval Office as it was in the Johnson years.
Replica of Oval Office as in the Johnson years
Johnson was known for being very persuasive and for getting up close and personal. There was a name for it, “The Johnson Treatment.”
Big Guy and cousin getting the “Johnson Treatment”
The library also included a video about events in his presidency, articles from the Johnson family’s life, an exhibit of pop culture of the time, and a film about his family life. We were there about two hours and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Quality Seafood
We then had a very nice lunch with the cousins at Quality Seafood, which has amazing gumbo! It was great spending quality time with them and we were appreciative because they drove quite a few miles in the rain to hang with us.
Hanging out with cousins
The Capitol
Before heading back to our campsite, we visited the Texas State Capitol, which is the largest state capital in the United States. The Italian Renaissance Revival building, completed in 1888, is quite beautiful. At the time of its construction, it was reputed to be the seventh largest building in the world.
Texas State CapitolView from inside the rotundaThe domeThe Senate FloorThe House of Representatives
Because of space limitations, an enormous underground extension was added in 1993. Therefore, it doubled the space available for state business. In the photo below, you can see the Capitol Building through the skylight.
Looking up from underground extension
We also took a free guided tour, which was very informative.
Conclusion
After the tour, we rented a couple of movies at Redbox and headed back to camp. This was another part of the rainy day plan.
We are taking a winter trip along the southwestern border of the United States in our T@G MAXL camper. Stop number one was in Mississippi.
Natchez State Park
Natchez State Park was the first stop of our first long trip in our teardrop camper. Our longest prior trip was seven days and we expect this trip to last about four weeks. We don’t really know what to expect as we have never spent so much continuous time in our tiny camper and have not driven in most of the areas. Lastly, although we will be south of most of the country, we will be traveling in the winter. Exciting—but scary!
One of the trip goals was to limit driving hours to 3-5 hours each day. Natchez was a five hour drive and on the long end of our goal, but it gets us well on our path. The post regarding how we planned this trip follows.
It was our first time to camp in Mississippi. We reserved site 46 through Reserve America. It was pretty inexpensive, only $16.05 for the night. The campground was nice with typical state park facilities. Fishing and hunting are big activities in the area and it is my understanding that the fishing is especially good at the lake in the campground.
Rain was expected that night, so we did not really set up camp. Therefore, we just moved items that were in our camper to a picnic table and plugged in the electric cord. We had a couple of places to visit and were having dinner out, so it would be dark when we returned.
Items removed from our bed
Long wood
Natchez is a city with a very interesting past. I was surprised to learn that before the Civil War, more than half the millionaires in the entire country lived in Natchez. Consequently, there are an abundance of very elegant mansions that still exist from that time.
Longwood, an Oriental Villa, is the largest octagonal house in the United States, designed by famous Philadelphia architect, Samuel Sloan. Construction began in 1860 and it was to provide 30,000 square feet of living space. It had been under construction for about eighteen months when it was halted in 1861 as tensions rose regarding the Civil War. The owners, Haller and Julia Nutt, had the basement area completed early and were living in it while the remaining construction was occurring. The owners never completed the remaining interior levels.
LongwoodPlan for First FloorInterior roomView of upper floors through the dome
Longwood’s wealthy owner became sick and died while in his 40’s, but his wife and their children lived in it for many decades in this unfinished status. Longwood was often referred to over the years as Nutt’s Folly. The Pilgrimage Garden Club acquired Longwood in 1970. It was designated a historic landmark in 1971.
The estate has many beautiful live oak trees such as the one below. A link to the Longwood website follows.
Another amazing architectural design in Natchez is St Mary’s Basilica. The See of the Roman Catholic Church in Mississippi designed the church and began construction in 1842. Most noteworthy, it is the only church built as a cathedral in Mississippi and designated a minor basilica.
St. Mary’s Basilica
It is a beautiful building. Unfortunately, we arrived at a time when mass was just beginning, so we did not get to take photos of the interior. I would have loved to be able to just sit quietly in all that beauty and splendor for a few minutes. Our schedule did not allow for a return to the basilica on this visit, but we want to see it again if we are in the area.
Main entrance with papal coat of arms on the left
Roux 61 Seafood and Grill
Dinner was at the highly-rated Roux 61 Seafood and Grill and it lived up to its reputation. We arrived at approximately 4 p.m. and the parking lot was full. We had some incredible chargrilled oysters! Our favorites were the oysters, slaw, hush puppies, and bread pudding. We shared a seafood platter and the fish and seafood were also good. This was a very,very good meal!
Roux 61 Seafood and Grill
After dinner, we returned to our camper and watched a movie. It was raining, but we were dry and cozy and the temperature was perfect.
There is still much more to see in Natchez and we hope to return.
Next stop, Sea Rim State Park in Sabine Pass, Texas!
St. Augustine is America’s oldest city, officially founded in 1565 by Pedro Menendez. We have wanted to visit for a long time and our return from Tampa provided an opportunity.
Camping in St. Augustine
Anastasia State Park in St. Augustine is the third Florida State Park visited on our trip to Tampa and we are big fans of all of them. Anastasia offers lots of shade and privacy, a very good thing, but it does not facilitate interaction with your neighbors. We had no neighbors across from us, and thick foliage on both sides. The sites are on firmly-packed sand and our site, #92, was quite spacious. A link to Anastasia State Park follows.
Our setup was minimal because there was ample shade and a close bathhouse. Also, we wanted to keep it simple as we planned to spend most of our time a away from the site. We had tons of room! There would be plenty of room for a big rig as well, though the turn off the road is a little tight.
Site # 92My big guy
The Beach
We checked out the beach, which is within the park. It was beautiful, but so windy! There were 16 mph winds in St. Augustine that day, and I suspect they were a good bit higher on the beach. There was a boardwalk to the beach, with wetlands on each side.
Boardwalk to the beachThe beach located within the park
It was quite difficult to walk on the beach with the high winds, but this would be a wonderful place on a day with better weather. I would love to come back in late August or September, after summer crowds diminish.
It was so cold and windy that we decided to build a fire, something we have never done before while camping. Using wood purchased from the campground store, we had a very nice fire going rather quickly. Our hot dogs for dinner were cooked over the fire. After dinner, we sat for a long time just watching the fire and drinking wine. The night was chilly and the fire was mesmerizing.
Our dinner entertainment
St. Augustine
We were up early the next day to see the sights in St. Augustine. We parked our car at the lighthouse and took the Old Town Trolly Tour bus to the historic district. It is a pretty small area, but my husband’s knee was not up to a lot of walking, so the trolly was a good option for us.
St. Augustine has many old structures, such as the fortress below. Castillo De San Marcos is a U.S. National Park and, most noteworthy, it is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States. Constrution began in 1672 and was completed in 1695. Unfortunately, we did not have time for a tour, but we plan to visit it the next time we are in the city.
Castillo De San Marcos
There are many “firsts” in Saint Augustine. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine was America’s first parrish, founded on September8, 1565.
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine, America’s First Parrish
St. Augustine’s oldest house is pictured below. It was built in 1702.
Oldest House in St. Augustine
The Fountain of Youth
We also spent some time at the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park and drank some of the water. We surely need it! It was from the same water source as legend has it that Ponce De Leon drank in his search for the Fountain of Youth. In addition, the water has lots of minerals and a strong sulfur taste. It was pretty bad, but I am hoping the placebo effect will kick in.
There is a replica of a Timucua Indian village and demonstrations of how they lived. Timucuas were the indigenous people in St. Augustine during the time that Ponce De Leon was in the area. The park also provides live canon firings every hour.
Examples of how Timucua Indians lived
Furthermore, the park is beautifully landscaped and filled with peacocks, including albino peacocks like the one below.
Albino peacockOne of many canons in the park
So, after some educational shows at the Fountain of Youth Park, we had a late lunch. We ate at O. C. White’s Seafood and Spirits because it was recommend by a local. The meal and service were both excellent!
The Lighthouse
A Trolly bus took us back to the lighthouse and our car. The lighthouse is on Anastasia Island and quite impressive. It is 140 feet high with 219 steps to the top. I am happy to say that I made the climb. It was not easy, but not too difficult. It was incredibly windy at the top because the winds were over 25 mph.
Stairway to the topView from the top
It is still a functioning lighthouse and continues to be used for navigation.
The lighthouse at night
Also, the Keeper’s House, built in 1876, was a part of the tour. It is a beautiful house with several massive live oak trees in the front yard.
The Keeper’s HouseFront yard at Keeper’s House
Next Time
However, time constraints prevented us from doing everything we wanted. We really needed two full days to see St. Augustine and would also want to some time to spend at the beach if the weather is good. Lastly, if we return to St. Augustine, we want to see the fort, Flagler College, and the Lightner Museum. There are a lot of touristy places in the city, but the city has a long history and many sites worth seeing.
St. Augustine is an interesting city to visit and Anastasia State Park is an excellent campground. Therefore, we highly recommend both!
If you would like to follow along on our adventure, next is a link to our main webpage.
Falling Waters State Park was a place to stay the night on our way to Tampa. It was the first of three Florida State Parks on this trip. The park has Florida’s tallest waterfall, which is 73 feet. A gristmill was powered by the waterfall during the Civil War.
Camping at Falling Waters
This trip was primarily to visit family in Tampa, but we did not want drive the ten-hours to get there in one day. Falling Waters State Park is roughly at the half-way point, which worked very well for us.
We reserved site #3 and were very happy with it. It was on a pull-through concrete slab and, for the first time, I parked us at our campsite. My husband is the back-up king and getting us installed at campsites has always been his job.
This was our first Florida State Park and we really liked it. It was a small campground, but very well-maintained. Typical of state parks we have visited, it has electrical and water, but no sewer or cable. There is an older bathhouse and two newer family bathrooms with heat. There is also a dishwashing area.
We did not disconnect from our tow vehicle as we were not leaving the park until the next morning. We had a late lunch in Dothan, Alabama, at the Thai House, so dinner was only minimal snacks. By the way, the food at Thai House was delicious.
Site #3 Falling Waters State Park
We removed items stored in the cabin and set them under the galley door to protect from moisture. We did not set up any tents, not even the privacy tent, as the bathhouse was very close. In the photo below, you can see the bathhouse from our site.
Bathhouse in the background
The Waterfall and Sinkhole
We had a couple of hours of daylight left, which we used to check out the waterfall and the sinkhole into which it flows. It was an easy walk to the waterfall with a path that was mostly level trail with an abundance of boardwalks along the way.
Trail to the waterfallBoardwalks along the path
We had inquired if the waterfall had very much water and already knew it had been dry in the area and it was only a trickle, so it was not a disappointment. It was interesting to see it with the sinkhole below. It was certainly worth the pleasant walk to get there.
The waterfallThe sinkhole
The sign below reminded me that we are in Florida and alligators are everywhere. Not a pleasant thought when you think about getting up in the middle of the night and walking to the bathhouse. I kept my flashlight close.
Alligators have been known to attack humans
Our Evening
We showered when we arrived back at our camper and had some snacks, then we settled in for the night. We are off daylight savings time and it gets dark early. It was cool to be outside, but very comfortable in our camper.
We tested our little makeshift air antenna and were pleasantly surprised to see that it pulled in ten stations, all with a great picture. Of course, results would vary greatly by location. I like it because it is so small and easy to store and retrieve.
Air antenna
There was a gentle rain most of the night. We had our fan vent slightly open but rain did not penetrate our cabin. We were warm and comfortable.
On the Road Again
The next morning, there was very little to do before leaving as we were having breakfast on the road. Next stop, Hillsborough River State Park, which is in the Tampa area. This link will take you to our main page if you would like to follow our adventures.
