Junction, TX

This past week we took a quick overnight trip 100 miles south to Junction, TX. The main attraction was the South Llano River State Park. Floating the river was on our bucket list and this is the perfect spot! We were able to float for almost 2 hours and only had to walk about 10 minutes before we put in and after we got out, because of the way the river runs and the trails and roads they've made.

We had a gorgeous day to do it too-not blistering hot but still warm enough that the water felt good!

Loved the peaceful feeling of just floating.........when we weren't rescuing Emily or Michael from a bush or lagging behind :). We had some bungee cords along and they worked so well to strap our tubes together. Ethan had his arm floaties and wore a swim ring that we looped to my tube and he spent most of the time trailing behind me in the water!

After the first time these 3 decided to go again. I sat in the truck and meal planned while Ethan napped and Emily played on the tablet. It worked out well for us all! 

We also did a 2 mile hike first thing when we got there since it was a little cool to be in the water. This park has lots of lovely hiking/biking trails through wooded areas. We saw deer all over the place as well as lots of birds. This area has a lot of turkeys too but we didn't see any.

A note about the campground- I'm sure most big rigs COULD get in but it could be a little stressful and most sites aren't big enough for an RV and a vehicle. There's a lot of low trees and some of the sites are at a really strange angle. However, the City Park has huge sites and we "heard" that you can park there free for at least 2 nights. 

We opted to get a motel since we were only going one night even though I hate shelling out that money. Thanks to Priceline, we stayed at the Econo Lodge for less then $50. We often go to the cheapest motel and have had wonderful luck and this was no exception. It was clean (I checked around the toilet - it always tells the true story) and spacious plus it had a pool! They had an area with grills, picnic tables and a playground too. Breakfast was nothing to brag about but they had cereal and bagels, which are two things our children hardly ever get so they thought it was soooo special!!!

The next morning we went back to the State Park with big plans to do lots of hiking. The first trail was .7 miles but very steep to an overlook. 

By the time we got done with that it was heating up and the children were just exhausted and quite grouchy. We ate our picnic lunch and headed home! They all slept nearly the whole way, except Ethan who didn't sleep at all, lol. It was a super fun little vacation and we're so excited that Eldon's contract in San Angelo is up in only 10 days and then we'll be off to more new places!