Don't Overlook Your Backyard for a Micro Escape

When we bought our motor coach we set a goal of using it every month. Given the constraints on our time (we both work full time) I figured that might mean driving the Kismet to the grocery store or WalMart 20 miles away most months to meet that goal. Fortunately Linda had some better ideas. 

I have often observed that those who live close to an attraction may go there less than those of us who live further away. Maybe it's a case of not seeing the forest for the trees. Or not appreciating what you have. In any case it might be a big mistake. 

Taking the travel time out of a short getaway leaves more time for other things. 

We just proved this point and it was delightful. Here's Linda exploring our newest campsite. (click on any of the photographs to enlarge) 

This is Oak Thicket Park on Fayette Lake and it's only five miles away from the MC Kismet's home port. That's right, five miles, or about seven minutes driving. Only recently did we discover that this recreation area operated by the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) included a campground. We had always thought about it as a popular boat launch, but not much more. 

All twenty RV campsites are on a single loop and are back-in spots with electric and water only. Each has a picnic table, grill and fire ring. Most have a nice separation of trees and thicket.The site we selected had 50 amp service and a water view. 

Saturday afternoon we enjoyed the outdoors and fresh air while walking through the park. It would not have made any difference if we were 500 miles from home instead of five. It was someplace new and different. It was in our backyard, yet it was still a world away. 

Dinner at the Captain's table aboard the Kismet was spectacular. Linda is a wonderful cook and we enjoyed pork tenderloin with raspberry chipotle, baked sweet potato with butter and cinnamon, broccoli, and a glass of moscato d'asti.  

Our stay was quiet, peaceful and very relaxing. Overnight we had a light rain. 

Sunday morning we experienced another Kismet first as we deployed the main awning for our first time. Very nice and much easier to extend than I had thought it would be. Long, deep and high. We'll be seeing more of this awning in the future. 

As required, we vacated the campsite an hour before noon. However, we just moved the Kismet to the day use parking lot and played with the smaller awnings before taking another walk down to the water.

Linda posed on the T-head pier where she was enjoying the sounds and view of the wildlife like ducks and a great blue heron. We had been here a few times many years ago for boating, but had never seen the camping sites. Now that we know what's here, we'll be back. They also have several rental cabins adjacent to the RV camping that we can invite non-RV owners to rent and join us in the future. Cool. 

What a nice micro escape. It was only overnight, but with round trip mileage being only 15 miles almost all of that time was at our backyard destination. What's in your neighborhood? 

If you are just now joining us on our motor coach adventure you can see how this highway life began by clicking on this link: Our Hwy Life  At the bottom of each page you can continue by clicking on "Newer Post."