Our Summer Vacation

Wednesday June 10—Our high hopes the day before we left were for leaving on Wednesday morning by 6 am. Were we tempting fate? A little! Pattie decided that she did not need to go to bed until 11 pm, so when that alarm went off at 5 am, it was a pretty groggy time. We managed to drag ourselves out of bed anyway and we were actually on the road by 6:30…unbelievable! We thought we would need to stop at least once for gas and we fully anticipated stopping 3 times due to kids finally having enough, or Jayme’s notorious girl bladder. We had opted to bypass Dallas on our trip by taking some smaller state highways. Surprisingly, it was me who needed the first bathroom break so we pulled into an empty school parking lot and I made use of the bathroom we were pulling behind us…so nice!
By the time we needed to stop for gas, we were nearly to Temple and while Jayme wanted to wait, we just could not make it. The first gas station we tried to get to proved to be a logistical nightmare. In order for us to pull in far enough to be off the feeder road, we were too far from the pump to use it. Then we realized…we can’t turn around in here! So we had a few hairy moments backing out onto the feeder and continuing on our way. We did make it to a gas station and were able to fill up and Clay and I went in to get us all a drink.
We actually managed to get all the way to the State Park without Pattie getting out of her seat! UNBELIEVABLE!! She was so good. 5 ½ hours in her seat with nothing more than a scream or two. We were pretty lucky. We checked in to the park and even managed to score a pull through campsite which, if you don’t know, is infinitely easier than a back in slot when you have a 34 foot travel trailer behind you. We ate a quick sandwich after getting everything set up and went off on our bikes to explore our home for the next week.
McKinney Falls State Park actually has two “falls” called Upper and Lower. The Upper Falls is where the swimming hole is located. The Lower Falls were not so great due to the length of hike to get to them and their scummy appearance. We went back to the trailer and switched to swim mode and went back for a fabulous afternoon. I wasn’t feeling too well (thanks a LOT mother nature) so I stayed out of the water but loved watching my little fishies have a fun time.
The next day we went for a hike on the trail that was near our camping area. We saw several deer and a lot of lizards. We also found a spot where we thought Luke could get in the creek to cool off. He got in fine, but getting out was another issue. Luckily he had his harness on and Jayme was able to “rescue” him by hauling him out of the water with one hand while dangling from a tree limb with the other. After a quick lunch it was our turn to get wet. I was feeling better so I suited up to swim as well.
We noticed the day before a spot where you could jump off a high edge into the water. It was deep enough for it to be safe if you went off feet first. Jayme gave it a shot and then, much to my horror, the boys wanted to do it as well. Now I am not a “swimmer”. I use pool noodles (two is my minimum) to keep me afloat in waist high water, so cliff-jumping is not attractive to me…especially when it is my child doing it. Both Raley and Clay jumped off about 20 times that day and I alternated between feeling like the worst mother in the world for letting them do something so DANGEROUS, and being so stinkin’ PROUD of them I could burst.
Friday was our first Austin day. We went to the State Capitol, and the Texas State History Museum. If you ever get the chance, do it yourself. It was awesome. We had some minor trouble in the Capitol building with Pattie. She decided that 10 am was her naptime so I sat with her on a bench in the rotunda while Jayme took the boys upstairs. When the boys came back down, Jayme took Pattie and I got the grand tour from Raley and Clay.
On Saturday morning we set off for Pedernales Falls State Park for the day. We took Luke with us on this journey. We should have known it wasn’t going to be smooth sailing when we arrived and discovered we had left the canopy for Pattie’s backpack at the trailer (she still won’t wear a hat for more than a few minutes) and when Raley got out of the truck he was wearing his Crocs! He did have socks on so it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. We set off on our hike only to discover that Pattie again thought 10 am was naptime. She and I found a shady spot at the top of the falls and she slept while the boys went down to explore. Once again we switched when the boys got back, only this time, Pattie woke up and she and I went down together. Back at the top we decided to just go down to the swimming area and play for the rest of the day. The “swimming” area is way to shallow to swim in; it is more like a tubing area. We had a wonderful time. Luke was able to watch us from the shore and he got in to cool off a few times. Unfortunately he seemed to hurt his foot or shoulder at some point so he was limping and very pitiful. We left after a few hours and just in case you ever consider going to this particular park, let me warn you. The swimming area is down a steep staircase that doesn’t seem like much going down, but when you have played for hours and are tired and hungry and carrying a 35 pound Pattie….it is HELL getting back up!!
Sunday was a day of rest at McKinney. We swam again and had a wonderful lazy day. Right about the time we were ready to leaving the swimming hole, we saw either three snakes, or one snake three times and then, even though the ranger was there and told everyone it was a harmless water snake, it was REALLY time to go. I belong to the school of thought that all snakes are combination rattlesnake/anacondas and will kill you with their eyes so no snakes for me, thank you!
Monday morning we headed to San Antonio. Our first stop was the zoo. What a treasure they have there! We saw lots of animals our own zoo does not have and even Jayme (not a big zoo lover) enjoyed himself. They have some trees there that are over 200 years old! After the zoo we headed over to the Alamo. We found a parking lot by a Denny’s so we stopped in there for lunch first. The Alamo was one thing I really wanted to do. I have lived in Texas for more than 20 years now and have never been to the Alamo. Jayme had not been since elementary school and Raley loves Texas history so we knew he would love it. It was so very, very hot in San Antonio that day, we did go through the Alamo, but we probably went much faster than we should have or would have liked to. We really needed two days to do all we wanted and we decided to forego the Riverwalk and just go back to Austin.
On our way to and from San Antonio we noticed a giant Cabela’s store not far from the State Park, so we decided to go there on Tuesday morning after breakfast. The kids love all the stuffed and mounted animals and Jayme got to look at all the guns and camping gear. Pattie was laughing hysterically over a talking stuffed deer head by the laser shooting gallery, and we nearly had to buy her the bear footstool she thought was a rocking horse. After Cabela’s we went to Super Target (after all, it was only fair for me to get to go to one of my faves!) and picked up the groceries we needed. During the hot part of the day we watched movies and rested back at the trailer and just after 5 we brought Luke with us to Congress Avenue to walk in the park and wait for the bats to come out.
There is a really awesome park there by the bridge. One entire section of it is a “leash free zone” for dogs. There were all kinds of dogs and people to watch. Luke got to swim and sniff other dogs while we walked and tried to stay out of the way of the more serious runners and bike riders. We took a picture of the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue and got back to the bat watching area with lots of time to kill. We just hung out and chatted with the others who were waiting. Pattie found a little boy she was in love with and kept trying to hug (CUTE??!!). Then, all of a sudden…it started. Watching the 1.5 million bats come out just before sunset and spiral up into the air in columns that seem never to end was just about the coolest thing I have ever seen. I know the boys will never forget it and any time I find myself in Austin, I will do it again.
Wednesday left us with our final day at the Park so we went on a long bike ride and had a picnic and then…you guessed it…swimming. This time I surprised everyone by jumping off the cliff myself, pool noodles firmly clamped under both arms. I honestly think Jayme may never get over the shock…he didn’t think I would do it.
By 11 am Thursday we were on our way to Crockett and slightly incredulous that nothing bad had happened on this trip. Those of you who have heard our other stories know that something strange usually happens to us when we go on vacation. Well, we weren’t home yet! As we left the State Park, my truck’s air conditioner condenser belt shredded so we had no a/c; okay, we can deal with that. Then about 30 minutes west of Bryan a tire blew on the trailer. We were able to get to a gas station and change it out with our spare. We tried to find a Discount Tire Company along our way where we could get it replaced, but the College Station store said they couldn’t fit us in so we decided to roll with it to the land and switch it out later. We spent the night at our place outside of Crockett and got home Friday about 3 pm. We are tired and road weary but closer as a family and happier than ever; which is what family vacations are all about. And the summer had just begun………