Bluebonnet rally, Bandera, TX (19-23 Apr 2017) and more.

Once again, we attended the Bluebonnet Casita rally (they allow Scamps) held in the cowboy capital of the world in Bandera, TX. This year we decided to go early so we could catch some of the Bluebonnets that bloom in early April in Texas. We were not disappointed! Our route from our home in GA to Ennis TX and their Bluebonnet trails (available at their visitor center) included a stop on the Natchez Trace at the free National Park campground at Rocky Springs near I-20, and ended at a Corps of Engineer (COE) park at High View, a pretty little site near Ennis and actually not far from the Casita factory. We followed the map from the visitors center and were treated to several fields of bluebonnets and great photo opportunities. Being retired also gave us time to head down to the Waco TX area, where we camped at Midway COE, a great spot for visiting Waco and the Texas Ranger museum, Dr Pepper museum, and Chris and Joanne's Magnolia place (a hit HGTV show). We have to admit that we never heard of Chris and Joanne until my sister saw that we were in Waco and asked if we had visited them! Spent a few more days at Inks Lake state park, and then at Cedar Breaks COE. Recommend both of those as well. We also toured Longhorn Caverns state park, which is just a short ride from Inks Lake. Didn't see as many bluebonnets in this area, but we did find some good food at Coopers BBQ in Llano, Bluebonnet cafe in Marble Falls, and Black's BBQ in Lockhart. Spent Easter weekend at our daughter's house in San Antonio and then headed to the Bluebonnet rally. The Bluebonnet rally is huge! They usually get almost 200 campers here. Most are Casitas, but there are also a variety of older and newer brands, including Scamps, Trilliums, Bolers, and Escapes. It's a very well organized rally that always has a waiting list, and they always seem to have great door prizes for everyone. It's normally held at Skyline Ranch RV park and everyone involved is just so friendly and inviting that it's easy to want to go every year! Following the Casita rally, we headed back to San Antonio for another week with family and friends. The rally coincides with San Antonio Fiesta week, so we enjoyed going down to San Antonio and the Fiesta. (travel hint: get an all day pass on their VIA city bus for less than $2 senior price and you can ride all day, even on their city trolley buses or to the missions). We were able to meet up with several of our camping buddies on this trip (Fred and Dora, Dave and Linda, Ken and Bonnie just to name a few). Our trip home involved back country roads to avoid the hustle and bustle of the interstates, so we were able to enjoy two more COE parks on the way home. Sandy Creek COE was on Steinhagen lake near Jasper TX and very peaceful, and then Service COE near Coffeyville, AL was right on the Tombigbee river, and we could watch the barges, tugs, and yachts pass right by our campsite as they traveled up and down the river and through the nearby locks. This was our first trip using our new Dodge Durango pulling our Scamp. We got about 17.1 MPG with our V-6 and 8 speed combination, and it handled well. Not quite as much cargo room as our Dakota quad cab pickup (V-8 with 6 speed) but it does use less fuel than our Dakota's 14.5 MPG average towing.