Texas Parks Part 1
Posted on Wed 22 February 2023 in Travel Log
Lake Tawakoni State Park
After leaving Hot Springs I landed at a state park 4 hours away in Wills Point. It's a little over an hour east of Dallas, and doesn't have much else around it. A boat launch, some hiking trails, some campsites, and a herd of deer that wander around at dusk. One day after work, I drove over to Ham Radio Outlet in Plano to pick-up a new antenna for the camper. I now have a receiver setup to scan NOAA weather radio for alerts.
Waco Lake COE Campgrounds
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operate campgrounds around Waco Lake where you can stay for relatively cheap with electric and water hookups. I first rolled into Midway Park which is on the southeast side of the lake nearest downtown Waco. I was warned when I checked in that if I felt or heard rumbling not to worry, there's a SpaceX testing facility nearby where they test fire rockets on a regular basis. That afternoon, I immediately felt and heard the firing of a rocket, it rattled the windows and doors on the camper and felt like a mild Earthquake.
Midway Park
Airport Park
Later in the week, I moved to the campground on the other side of the lake called Airport Park. I stayed on a couple sites right on the edge of Waco Lake. The sunsets were again amazing, and the cool breeze blowing of the lake kept it comfortable in the camper at night. This part of Texas has been going through some serious drought, and the lake was down 12 feet below it's normal level. It exposed a bunch of driftwood, rocks, extra beach, and dried clay lake bottoms you wouldn't have seen otherwise.
Waco Mammoth National Monument
I checked out the excavation-site-turned-national-monument to see some Mammoth fossils. Experts say a series of floods killed the 24 different Mammoth remains they found at the site. There were also remains of saber-tooth cats, camels, and a giant tortoise. I did the self-guided tour and read the the signs on the walls and walkways to learn about it. It was interesting information, just not very exciting. But for the $6 admission I'd say it was worth it.
