Much like our fall vacation, spring break called us for another Texas RV Trip. We had to get some work done down there, and it was a nice opportunity to visit family over Easter. With the easter weekend ahead, we headed out of town, braking down our drive into 3 short driving days.
An Overnight Stop in Sikeston, MO (365 Miles)
We left central Indiana around 4.30pm after school let out for spring break. Traffic in the mid-west is usually not too bad until you reach one of the major population centers. Lots of traffic and not ideal road – looking at you Indy – made progress a bit slow.
We had picked out Sikeston, MO as our first overnight spots with the hopes of finally making it to Lambert’s Cafe and its famous “throwed rolls”. Sadly, going was slow and we arrived within an hour of their closing time. Maybe next time. It did give us the opportunity to set up shop without unhitching the travel trailer. Something we had never done before. It’s pretty amazing how much time that saves.
A Pleasant Surprise in Avinger TX (465 Miles)
We had originally planned to make it to Jefferson, TX during the first full day of driving. When we arrived, we decided that we really didn’t like the first campground we had picked out and decided to move on. We are so thankful we did! On a whim we called Avinger Station RV Park in the tiny town (Population of 371) Avinger, TX. What a pleasant surprise!
The RV park is brand new, and the nicest park we have ever used for an overnight stay! It comes complete with very spacious spots, workout facilities and even a Sauna. The owners have done a beautiful job! Even better, the RV Park is located less than 2 minutes walk from 5D Cattle Company Steakhouse. Another very pleasant surprise! They served some of the most tender Ribeye Steaks we have ever experienced!
We liked our overnight stop in Avinger so much – read more about Avinger Station RV Park and 5D Cattle Company here.
Easter Holiday in Livingston, TX (179 Miles)
Livingston is a regular stop on our tours to Texas. Not only to visit family, but because there is lots of fun to be had here. Usually we stay at the Lake Livingston State Park (which we love). This time however, due to the Easter weekend, all of the spaces there were reserved. Bummer. We stayed at the Blue Sky RV Park. which is located quite a bit closer to the city of Livingston.
The park is huge, and offers very nice sites. It seems like the treed section is reserved for long term campers. The section for short-termers has no shade. Even in the early spring time our AC was cranking in overdrive. “Downtown” Livingston is only a few minutes drive away. We revisited “Blue Duck” for their delicious steaks – and we also tried something new: Katie’s Cafe and Bakery. We visited Katie’s for Breakfast on Easter Sunday and very very pleasantly surprised. The food and service were both OUTSTANDING.
Work Work Work in The Woodlands (59 Miles)
At the end of the Easter weekend work was calling us into the Woodlands, TX. We have camped here a few months ago and were happy to return, with one exception: We picked out another RV park with a more convenient location. BIG MISTAKE!
I won’t mention the name of the campground – but it was not right. The original site they placed us in was 6″ off-level and located next to a few sketchy dudes. We if they had a more level spot, and management promptly gave us a new spot. We rolled through the park were surprised at the many run down RVs. We turned tail and rolled right back out.
We called Woodland Lakes RV Park where we had stayed last fall, and they had a spot available for us. The very same one we stayed in last year. The park is eons nicer than where we had intended to stay. With nice lakes, paths and well maintained facilities.
Same as last time we visited, our phones and 4G hotspot got horrible reception at Woodland Lakes RV Park. We knew it was coming, but we finally had to break down and pick up a Starlink. Look for a future post on Starlink, but as a teaser: WE LOVE IT!!! With our jobs, “Connectivity Anxiety” was the only real downer in our still new, RV lifestyle.
While our short stay in The Woodlands was filled with work, there was one culinary highlight. We visited an Italian Restaurant – TerraVino Kitchen & Wine Bar. The service was excellent, and the food absolutely delicious.
Hazen AR (469 Miles)
While we could have stayed a day longer, we headed north early, to get ahead of the 2024 Eclipse watchers. Practically the whole route home was within the path of totallity, with tons of travelers and mayhem expected. We drove north the 459 miles to H&G RV Park in Hazen, AR expecting heavy traffic. Much to our surprise the traffic flowed smoothly!
Arriving at H&G RV Park we saw first signs of the eclipse travel wave. The campground was full! We shared a water connection and electricity with another camper, but it worked out well. H&G is a very no-frills overnight campground. It’s very close to the highway, with a Love’s at the same exit. What more could one ask for. Even though the site was busy, it was very quiet at night making for restful sleep.
The Final Stop in Benton KY (282 Miles)
Our last stop of the trip was in Benton, KY. We only had a relatively short driving day, leaving us an out in case traffic for the Solar Eclipse was going to be crazy. Again, it seemed the huge waves of eclipse fewer was smaller than anticipated. We late in the afternoon, and set up camp. Other than Dinner & a movie, we didn’t do much.
Our stay at Stagecoach Station was pleasant and uneventful. The park is not huge, but clean and well maintained. It’s just a few seconds from the highway and therefore very convenient for an overnight stop.
Home (301 Miles)
After a total of 2,120 we finally returned home. We had a great on our Texas vacation/work trip. This was our 6th overall RV trip since buying the trailer. Since September 2nd, 2023 (when we got the trailer) we have 35 travel days in it. 2024 is bound to bring A LOT more than that. It seems we have gotten the hang of the trailers peculiarities and travel seems easy.
As for the expected wave of eclipse travelers, we found that our home in the middle of Indiana had quite a few visitors. It wasn’t nearly as crazy as the media hype leading up to the event made it out to be. But from what we hear, restaurants, hotels and retailers were pretty excited about their windfall profit.
As for us, we’re already planning our next run & gun work Texas RV Trip in just a few weeks – stay tuned!
