The Blissful Blanco (River) - A Blanco State Park Chronicle Entry
A Blanco State Park Chronicle Entry
When committing to a blog, one of my worries was, "what in the world do I actually write about?" I feel a sense of deja vu as well in that I've already posed that question here, and we're only on what, our 4th blog post? You're OK with repetition, right?
I suppose that creating a chronicle of sorts might fit in well here, seeing as Rio and I are traveling around the country making puzzles and all. Basically, a chronicle of places we've stayed at. I talked it over with Rio. We came to a mutual agreement that chronicle is a good word... vastly superior to a diary.
Dear Diary Chronicle,
Rio and I officially rolled out on the road. After much debate, we set our sights on Blanco State Park. I'd like to say that we drove and drove. Still, the reality is that I left him at my mom's house (just to pick him up later in the day - he takes a while to say goodbye), picked the trailer up at storage, and slowly cruised 45 miles westward.
Blanco State Park is actually only about 20 minutes from my old place in Wimberley. Go big or go home, eh!? Actually, I had a slew of custom puzzles to make and deliver back into Wimberley, a nephew's football game, a few See Ya Later's to give, and I needed a final meal from Pho-Lishas* (like any food I mention here, just go try it - you will thank me later).
*regardless of how often I mention food, this is not a food blog
Blanco State Park is one of the smaller properties operated by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at just 104 acres, of which a decent portion of them are submerged, covered by the typically blissful but occasionally aggrieved Blanco River.
What do I mean by aggrieved? How can a river be aggrieved, and what happens when the Blanco is aggrieved? Texas Monthly has those answers. You don't want to camp here when the river is aggrieved.
Under normal, everyday circumstances, Blanco State Park is a little piece of accessible paradise in the Texas Hill Country. The park is long and skinny, relatively speaking, with both banks firmly in park territory. In an unusual configuration for state parks, private residences line the northern boundary providing direct access to the park. Additional traffic moves through on Park Road 23 to access residences and ranchland located further south.
Though small in stature, this park packs a punch - offering up all of the water activities that are so dearly loved in the Texas Hill Country, except tubing. You can float around in a tube if you want, I suppose, but it's just not a real popular tubing river this far upstream. Fishing? Yup. Kayaking. Swimming. Picnicking. goose chasing and squirrel chasing (two things Rio really wanted to do but that danged leash).
Plenty of camping spots exist in two loops. A few (more than 10, less than 15?) premium sites with water, electric (50/30/15 amp), and sewer are primarily arranged on the interior of the first loop. On the outside of this loop, nearest the water, are several screened shelters. The park does a reasonably good job of keeping a decent amount of room between sites and avoiding an RV-park feeling; the parks are usually pretty good about this anyways.
The second loop offers significantly more camping areas (again, well spread out and conspicuously absent of pink yard flamingos - thank ya, Lord!). These sites all offer water and electricity (30/15 amp plugs on each pedestal).
An abundance of shade and covered picnic tables along both loops provide a relaxing environment whenever your dog isn't out chasing geese and squirrels.
