Colorado Bend State Park

Ahhh spring has sprung and we have had cabin fever.  So before our big spring break trip we seized the chance to get away for one night.  We had Colorado Bend booked for 2 nights in October, but cancelled due to rain.  river + rain + Texas = flash flood.  Colorado Bend is located west of Lampassas about 2 hours from our house.  We took the truck even though we left the bikes at home because the last 6 miles into the park is gravel road.  Saturday morning was sunny and in the 60's, perfect camping weather.  I had booked a guided cave tour for the boys at 1:30 ahead of time.  For $35 you get a guide and a helmet to take you through 2 different unmarked caves.  The tour is for ages 6 and up and you have to bring your own gear.  This includes head lamp, knee pads, back-up flashlight, and gloves.  Pants and long sleeved shirts are recommended.  Sturdy shoes or boots were a must.  The cave is also home to bats and small white crickets.  In the summer the walls are an inch thick with crickets and daddy long legs, so winter is the better time to go.  eww.  I don't do small spaces and little girlie is the minimum age, so we opted for the guided hike to Gorman Falls instead.  Our tour started at 2pm.  We ate lunch on the tailgate and headed off on our adventures.  We rode with the rangers to Gorman Springs and learned about how the falls were formed and the history of the property.  The guided hike was great and a bargain at $5 for adults and $2 for kids.  The falls were beautiful!  The hike down can be difficult and impossible with a stroller or wheelchair.  The limestone has become worn and very slick.  They have installed a cable railing to help get safely down there. 
The campsites are down on a grassy area by the river.  There is not much privacy between sites, but we chose site 23 at the end.  This park has only cold rinse outdoor showers and chemical toilets.  But the scenery was beautiful.  We even found a secret little stream by our campsite that begged for the kids to explore with their boots and nets.  The water in the river right now is low, but still flowing and it made for a very soothing sound at night.  While making our fire, we watched the full moon rise over the hill and even saw a bald eagle swoop down for a fish when we first arrived. 
We got new sleeping bags for Christmas and gave our old bags to the kids. I got a Northface 20 degree bag and Shawn got a Marmot 0 degree bag.  We gave the kids our old mummy style 15 and 30 degree bags to replace their Target non-rated sleeping bags.  They said they were much warmer.  Which was good because it was around 40 degrees that night.  We would have slept fantastic with all that warmth and river music, but our beloved Aerobed chose this as its night to die.  So about halfway through we found ourselves sleeping on the rocks.  We are still unsure whether to fix it, replace it, or find something else to sleep on. 
Next morning we had our pancakes and bacon and made a plan.  We packed up camp and went hiking to find the geocache and show the boys the waterfall.  The hike to the falls was 1.5 miles there and we detoured to find the cache on our way back.  All total we hiked around 3.5 miles before loading up and heading back home. 
We really loved this park.  It takes some effort to get to and without warm showers and paved roads, it is ideal for camping purists.  But you will be rewarded with great scenery and beautiful starry skies.