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| Home |
| Family Photo Album (Family, Graduation 2006 ) |
| Our Trips-(Kerrville-Schreiner, McKinney Falls SP) |
| Our Trips Page 2- (Goose Island SP, Garner SP) |
| Our Trips Page 3- (Palmetto SP, South Llano River SP) |
| Our Trips Page 4 -(Goliad SHP) |
| Our Trips -Page 5 (Padre Island NS and Pedernales Falls SP) |
| Our Trips, Page 6 -- Davis Mountains SP |
| Our Trips --Page 7 (Bastrop SP and Oak Thicket Park) |
| Our Trips--Page 8--Mustang Island SP and Daytrip to Lost Maples SNA (NEW!) |
| Summer Trip 2005 (South Dakota/Rockies--OK City Memorial,Bette's Kitchen)--Page 1 |
| Summer Trip 2005--Page 2 (Badlands, Hot Springs,SD, Mt. Rushmore) |
| Summer Trip--Page 3 (Deadwood, The Black Hills and the Rockies) |
| Summer Trip 2006-- Roadtrip to NYC and Back (Page 1) |
| Summer Trip 2006-- Roadtrip to NYC and Back (Page 2) |
| Summer Trip 2006-- Roadtrip to NYC and Back-- (Page 3) |
| Summer Trip 2007-- Grand Canyon/Las Vegas |
| Favorite Links |
| Contact Me |
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Goose Island State Park
Lamar, Tx
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/goose/
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| Our campsite at Goose Island |
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Goose Island SP is in Lamar, Tx. which sits across Copano Bay from Rockport. We found this state park to be one
of the prettier ones we've been to. The campsites are shaded by very large live oak trees and there are alot of berry bushes,
grapevines and other types of vegetation. The camp site we had (#101) had full hook ups, including sewage. It was a bit set
apart from most of the others (there was only one site a few yards away) but it was also farther from the bathrooms and showers.
With the exception of two or three other sites, most of the camp sites with hook ups were fairly close together, although
they were also very shady.
| View from the bridge over Copano Bay |
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| This bridge runs from Rockport to Lamar, Tx. |
| The Stella Maris Chapel |
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| Campsite # 101 at Goose Island SP |
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| The "Big Tree" near Goose Island SP |
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The biggest coastal live oak tree in Texas is located near Goose Island and is over 1000 years
old, as well as an old cemetary and chapel (the Stella Maris Chapel and Cemetary). Both these sites are very well cared for
. We found them interesting because my grandparents (several generations back) were among the first settlers to the area and
are buried in the cemetary. I also had a grandfather (again, generations back) that would rope cattle from the Big Tree to
herd them up the cattle trail to Kansas. The town of Lamar itself is a small community and any shopping can be done across
the bridge 10 minutes away in Rockport.
| The family at the Goose Island SP pier |
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The "premium" campsites are located right next to the water, boat dock and pier. These campsites have no shade, although
they do have covered picnic tables. There is no swimming in the bay at the park, but there is a beach right across the bay
in Rockport. The pier is open to the state park guests and is long with fish cleaning stations and tables. This is a great
park for those who enjoy fishing. We also saw several people fishing directly from their camp sites at the "premium" sites.
| Our son and I at the Goose Island SP pier |
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Garner State Park
Con Can, Tx.
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/garner/
Our first trip to Garner SP was years ago
and I have to say that we were not very impressed with the park. It was a summer weekend and we rode through the "day area".
It was noisy and VERY crowded. Not the type of place we wanted to camp.
That said,
we made our camping reservations at Garner with much trepidation. I noticed that there are now two areas of Garner-- Old Garner
and New Garner. New Garner is the less expensive area to camp because it is furthest away from the day use area and concessions.
(A bonus we figured) We reserved a spot in the new area because all other SP's in the area were booked up. Boy, were we in
for a pleasant surprise!
The campground we were in is called "Shady Meadows". The entire campground is flanked by large hills on
all sides. It is in walking distance of the Frio River and most of the campsites are pretty well shaded. There are several
restrooms with showers all around the campground. There is also a visitors center with a gift shop and a small open amphitheater
in the center of the campground called the "Cowboy Theatre". (Not sure what this is used for. It's probably for seasonal productions
or informational presentations),
The campsites are spaced fairly far apart, but there's not a lot of privacy between sites, they are
all pretty open. The campground was just about full, but it was also very quiet.
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| Rob and the kids wading in the Frio |
Overall, we would give this SP campground four thumbs up. As I said, the hiking is great and during the summer, in the
Old Garner section there is always something happening...tubing down the Frio,swimming, bands playing on the weekend, a general
store, etc. This is one of the most popular state parks in Texas and it sometimes closes to further admittance
during the summer due to crowding. This is why it is strongly recommended that reservations be made, especially during the
season and for that section of the park. I don't know if this applies to the quieter New Garner area, but if you plan on going
during the summer, plan on making reservations.
We had no big complaints with our campground except that it is a bit close to a small highway, so we got the
occasional traffic noise at night. Other than that , as I said before, we were pleasantly surprised and we
will definitely be camping there again.
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| Rob hanging out on a rock in the Frio |
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| Our campsite, #111 |
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| The hill behind our area of campsites |
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The Frio River which definitely lives up to it's name this time of the year.The water is cold and clear. There are
also miles of hiking trails, some of which wind pretty far up into the hills. The scenery is beautiful and the trails are
well-marked, if not a bit steep and rugged. Rob and our son took one trail by themselves which was particularly
narrow, long and steep and Rob spent most of the hike trying to hold on to our son to make sure he didn't slip down
the side. This trail was the "Old Horse Trail".
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| Our daughter and her friend at the Frio |
| My little guy and I on a hike |
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| My mom, stepdad and the kids |
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| My mom and stepdad were able to join us at Garner for a cookout |
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Garner SP Scenery
| A view of the Frio River between the trees |
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| Hills surrounding Garner SP |
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| Shallow area of the Frio River |
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| Hills surrounding campground |
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