Huntsville State Park

Huntsville was our first 2 night stop of the trip.  We checked in on a Sunday night and we were the only people in the tent loop.  Huntsville is in the piney woods so the trees are beautiful tall pine and oaks.  We saw lots of wildlife here, especially birds.  A hawk landed n a log right next to our site. Huntsville SP has a lake for fishing and swimming, boat rentals, hiking trails and horseback riding.  We chose a spot by the lake and near the bathrooms.  We had plenty of firewood and the kids had a great time playing in the sandy dirt with bamboo sticks and pine cones. We finally got everything setup and got dinner ready.  The mosquitoes were pretty bad, but we had purchased repellant lotion so we didn't get bit.  However, there was no breeze at all and it was very very hot.  I will admit this was the closest I came to having a hissy fit about the heat and bugs and crying to go to the Holiday Inn.  But I sucked it up (because after all this whole trip was my idea) and after a shower I felt much better.  We settled into the tent and were lulled to sleep by 473,982 frogs chirping and croaking in unison.  It cooled down at night and even with no breeze it was ok.  During the night we heard the "who-cooks-for-you" of a barred owl and found a feather in the morning.  Monday morning, I went on a hike while the kids and Shawn went fishing.  The park is known for its woodpeckers, particularly the Pilated Woodpecker.  They modeled Woody after this particular bird because it is the largest, the size of a crow.  That morning we saw 4 different kinds of woodpeckers: pilated, downy,  hairy, and red-bellied.  We were hoping to rent a canoe, but they changed the hours for summer and were closed on Mondays.  The beach area was also closed due to an alligator near the swimming area.  That was ok because I would not have swam in that lake if you paid me.   But it was disappointing to see that the camp store and the nature center were also closed.  That afternoon, to escape the heat, we went into town to see the statue of Sam Houston and have ice cream.  We also made a stop at Walmart to get more mosquito stuff and buy a battery powered fan.  No owl sounds the second night, but our frogs and the coyotes sang us to sleep.  In the morning we hurried to break down camp so that Natalie and I could go horseback riding at 10.  The boys planned to fish while we were gone.  But the gate to the stables was closed and when I called the number, they told me despite having a reservation they were closed on Tuesdays.  Long story short, I took a shower while Shawn fished with both kids and don't ever make reservations with 2E Stables.
We decided that this is probably a gorgeous park in the fall and winter.  Unfortunately communication does not seem to be their forte.  Had we have known that everything was closed we would have either chosen a different park or stayed a second night in Galveston.

San Jacinto Monument and Battleship Texas

On the way from Galveston to Huntsville we stopped at the San Jacinto Monument and Battleship Texas.  This was not a pretty drive at all.  The whole area is filled with oil refineries and chemical plants for miles.  Once we turned into the parking area we were in awe of the monument.  Engraving around the base of the building tells the story of the fight for independence from Mexico.  We have visited the Alamo and Independence Hall, so to see this in person really brought the story to life.  We plan to visit Goliad soon too.  The Park service does not run the monument and while the museum is free there is a charge to go to the observation deck.  We decided to postpone that until next time when we had more time. After looking through the museum, we drove over to the Battleship Texas. 
Battleship Texas is not air conditioned so in summer it is very warm.  Also the decks and ladders have not been modified for tourists, so if you bring your kids have them wear sneakers and be prepared to help them climb the ladders.  Patrick and Shawn enjoyed the ship the most.  I have been on a couple of different ships as a kid, so I was not quite as excited.  Natalie was hot and itchy from mosquito bites, so she really wasn't feeling it.  There are lots of opportunities for touching and climbing on things to keep kids occupied.  We only had about an hour on the ship, but it was worth stopping by.

Galveston Island State Park

Galveston Island State Park suffered a lot of damage when hurricane Ike hit in 2008.  They lost their headquarters and other structures on the beach.  Due to budget cuts, this park still has limited facilities and camping spots.  There are 2 RV or water/electric loops on the bay side of the park and some beach side spots in a parking lot type area.  There is 1 water only loop on the bay side and that is where we pitched out tent in campsite #46.  They are building bathrooms in the center of the circular loop and have a trailer with temporary bathrooms that are actually air conditioned.  This made them our favorite camping bathrooms of the trip!  The sites were not very exciting, but were spaced fairly well and had a nice shade structure, fire ring and picnic table.  The sites were grassy and there was a light breeze that blew making the temperature fairly comfortable.  The beaches were across the highway and shared space with the day use visitors.  Galveston reminds me of Daytona Beach.  Lots of hotels and condos, restaurants, souvenir shops, rental companies, and people.   But the beach area in the park was fairly calm and clean.  Most Texas beaches do not remove the seaweed that washes up.  The seaweed is a food source for animals and helps dune accumulation.  That said, I admit I am a beach snob.  We decided that the beaches at Port Aransas and North Padre are much prettier.  However, the kids still had a great time playing in the waves and building (grey) sandcastles.  Natalie and I took a walk to hunt for shells.  What we found was a lot of occupied shells.  This beach was full of sea snails and hermit crabs.  We also saw a few jellyfish.  That night after showers we watched as a few coastal storms came through the area.  Luckily they missed us, but it still drip dropped just enough to keep the rain fly on.  The mosquitoes once again were brutal.  We woke up in the night to Natalie and I being eaten by a few that were trapped in the tent.  We left the next morning with rain showers rolling in and lots of bites.  We went into the downtown area to see the historic homes before leaving the island to go north toward La Porte and the San Jacinto Monument.

Brazos Bend State Park

We made it!  2100 miles, 9 state parks and 1 national park, 2 screened shelters, 1 cabin, 1 room at the lodge, and 2 tent camping sites all in 10 days.  We purchased 2 additional dry sacks and a roof top bag for the car.  We managed to fit everything we needed into the car and only had to do laundry once.  We made multiple trips to Walmart, Kroger, Target, and tiny grocery stores along the way to get ice and refill the coolers.  We have returned with a great appreciation for the state we call home.  I will be writing about all of the parks we saw on our trip over the next couple of posts.  I will write about each park individually so that they can be searched and also because I have so much to write!

The first park we visited on July 27th was Brazos Bend State Park.  This large park is located southwest of Houston in Needville.  We stayed in screened shelter #9.  The shelters had good shade under large trees and large grassy areas around each shelter.  This park has nicely paved roads that make biking easy even for small kids.  The bath house was close by and were "not too buggy" according to Natalie.  The raccoons in this park have a bad reputation for being pushy so keep your ice chests and food in the locked car or in the locked shelter.  I think the very best thing about these shelters was the ceiling fan.  That fan was a saving grace because it was obviously quite warm (mid-90's).  After unpacking and relaxing a little, we went on a hike on the 40 Acre Lake Trail near the front of the park.  If you go in the summer bring plenty of bug spray as the mosquitoes were insatiable.  The trail is around the lake which is a haven for birds and alligators.  We saw 4 alligators and a long list of birds including: Cormorants, Anhingas, Stilts, Herons, Coots, Egrets, Ibis', Kingfisher, and Cowbirds.  This was an amazing hike for bird watchers and probably even more exciting during migration.  Natalie found a couple of special feathers, although she dropped one from the observation tower.  We couldn't get it back though because it landed in the water about 10 feet away from a gator.  So we let the gator keep the feather.  Other animals we saw were possum, stag beetles, turtles, and deer.  In the morning we visited the Nature Center.  This was a fun place to bring the kids as they are encouraged to touch.  The rangers lead talks and educational programs for the whole family about the plants and animals of the park.  They brought out a tarantula, a snake, and a baby alligator for the kids to touch.  They also had fossils, bones, fur, snake skins and other exhibits about the critters in this park.  The ranger staff went above and beyond answering questions for my curious kids.  This is a beautiful park for hiking, fishing, and bike riding.  I cannot recommend it for swimming.