Wright Patman Lake, Texas, summer vacation 2022

So this year for summer vacation, we went to Clear Springs campground on Wright Patman Lake in Texas. It was an easy two hours drive. Because this was early summer, and in Texas, there was the possibility of it being a little on the hot side, so I got a campsite with electricity to have a fan in the tent.

It turned out to be wonderful weather, even though it did rain the second day, the temperatures weren't much above 90F/30C during the day, and about half that at night.

 

We only explored the campground a little before and after the rain, but we went hiking at Atlanta State Park across the lake on the third day.

On the forth day, after returning to camp from taking a shower, we discovered that the wind had some fun with our gazebo. There were several tears in it, so I have already ordered a replacement.

We always try to have a big campfire our last night camping, and this one was perfect with the sunsetting behind the trees on the other side of the lake.

I always say that a camping trip isn't memorable without a problem to laugh about in the future, and this time, not only did the wind damage our gazebo, but we had a tire blowout on the trailer on the way home. I heard a roaring noise over the music playing in the car and the air conditioner, so as soon as I pulled off the road as soon as I had a place to do so. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was an easy fix, since we had a spare tire for the trailer. Destiny learned how to change a tire. Now I just need to buy a new tire.

Getting ready for next Summer's vacation.

I am planning a three week vacation for next Summer. We will drive over 4,000 miles, through 10 states, to see places such as:

Badlands, South Dakota

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Crazy-horse Memorial, South Dakota

Devil's Tower, Wyoming

Little Bighorn, Montana

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Grand Tetons, Wyoming

Zion National Park, Utah

Monument Valley, Utah

Grand Canyon, Arizona

And we will be camping in a tent for 16 of the 17 nights, preparing our own meals, so I need to have somewhere to store all of the camping gear while traveling.

I bought this cargo carried, and also I installed a hitch on my car. 

I can even still open the hatch with the carrier on.

After we arrive at each campsite and set-up the tent, we might need to use the car for sightseeing, so the cargo carrier can fold up out of the way.

Summer fun.

We went back to Magic Springs this weekend. This time around, the water park side, 'Crystal Falls', was open for the first time this year. We rode a few rides first. I tried the 'Brain Drain'. It took me up 132 feet, before dropping me at about 55 miles per hour. And then there was the 'Summit Plummit' and the 'Splash Zone'. The water park was lots of fun, including the 'wave pool'.