Thursday, April 19, 2018

Hords Creek Lake, Coleman TX - Florey County Park, Andrews, TX - Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad, NM




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Hords Creek Lake C.O.E, Coleman, TX     Florey County Park - Andrews, TX   Brantley Lake State Park , Carlsbad, New Mexico 

(Campground Ratings are listed below each section)

As Martha and I continue on our trip to nowhere in particular, we've made stops at Hords Creek Lake C.O.E. near Coleman, Texas.  Florey County Park, near Andrews, TX  and are currently at Brantley Lake State Park near Carlsbad and Artesia, New Mexico.

Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad New Mexico (below)


What a great park. We are in the Limestone Improved Campground. Be aware that some sites (even though they are long enough) may not be suitable for big rigs. We are 40' and had to drive up on blocks stacked four high (6") on the drivers side to get level. 



The drivers side was up 4.5"  After set up, we ended up very level with a beautiful view of the lake and each evening's sunset.  Park Review below.

The sunsets are spectacular 






Lot's of desert critters to drive your dog nuts


Nature trails to wander



Did I mention sunsets?




Into the rabbit hole


We are here until Sunday and I am already regretting not staying longer. If you are headed through Carlsbad or Artesia, New Mexico, you might want to consider staying at Brantley Lake State Park.

Park Rating

Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad, New Mexico - RATING - 4/5

WIFI No
AT&T - Yes, two to three bars
VERIZON - Yes, four to five bars
SERVICES - 20/30 and some 50 amp sites, water, sewage dump in the park.

COST - $14 Nightly no discounts offered. $18 Nightly for the two sites with sewer hook ups.

DISCOUNTS - None

REVIEW - Great park. Beautiful lake with good fishing but the lake is contaminated with DDT so you cannot take fish even if you wanted them. Sites are mostly level but if you have a coach or fiver that is bigger than forty feet (select sites) you may have a problem leveling front to back. Restrooms are very clean and smell clean. Water pressure is 40#. Dumpsters dispersed throughout the campground. Each site has a Casita and ADA sites have a small waste receptacle. 

Florey  County Park (below)


This is a good overnight spot if the City of Andrews free RV park is full. It is a giant limestone gravel parking lot with full hook ups. They have 20/30/50 amp electric. The water tastes of sulfur so if you have an ice maker in your refrigerator turn it off. The water is clean but two sets of filters did not rid the sulfur smell from the water. There is a nice recreation area for the kids but you might want to heed the warning about Rattlesnakes.  Park Review (Scroll down to Texas)


It is expensive nightly. However, the attendant didn't answer his or her door, there was no place to self-register, and they did not come by our RV, so our stay was free for the night. 



Two of the other three RV's in the campground seemed to be occupied by "oilers."  There was a family in the one next to us.  This area is rife with oil, fracking for gas etc.  In fact, the view across the road was an oil well, and there was a processing plant next door.  The park itself was once part of an oil company's campus, and was donated as a park in the 50's.  We felt safe here though.

Park Rating


WIFI - No
AT&T - Yes, one bar of 4G LTE
VERIZON - Yes, five bars of 4G LTE

SERVICES - 20/30/50 AMPS, Sewer, Water, Trash barrels. 

COSTS - RV Full hook ups - $35 Daily, RV No Hook ups $10.00 Tents $10 Daily, Car Sleeping $5.00 Daily, 

DISCOUNTS - None that we are aware of.

REVIEW - This is an out of the way park about 10 minutes North of Andrews. Take Main Street North out of Andrews and look for the park sign.  The park is a nice one night stop over and beats Wally World. It is basically a large pea gravel parking lot with a power pedestal, sewer hook up and water outlets. All of the hook ups appear to be just several months old. Large area to pull a big rig in and plenty large enough for any size coach and their toad and/or trailer. Not a garden spot but clean and quiet.


Hords Creek C.O.E. Lakeside Campground (below)



Hords Creek C.O.E. is a fairly typical Corps of Engineers park. Water and electric, clean restrooms and showers. There are dumpsters provided and each site has a casita with a picnic table.  The camping facilities are distributed around the lake, so it's not crowded.  There are a few 50 A, full hookup sites, and a few 30A full hookups, as well.  We went with only water and sewer the first 4 days, but splurged and spent the extra $3 a night to have a sewer hookup the last 2 nights.  The views are nice and the campground is quiet. Park Review (scroll down to Texas)


Sunrises were beautiful



The neighbors were quiet







Park Rating


WIFI - No
AT&T - Yes, but weak with 2 bars and drops quite regularly. If you have a Cell Booster you're golden
VERIZON - No viable signal - 1x service

SERVICES - 20/30/50 AMPS, some FHU's available but most are water and electric only. Sewage Dump and trash bins are on site about a half a mile away.

COST - $16, $22 FOR 30 AMP - $26 FOR $50 AMP 

DISCOUNTS - If you have the Golden Access Pass the cost is cut in half

REVIEW - Our RV site was #2  The campground includes pull through (50-70 feet in length), many 40' sites - some with low hanging trees.  The lakeside sites are very nice and the grounds are kept mowed, beaches on the lake, good fishing, Staff is helpful and very nice.  It is exceedingly quite at night. Much wildlife on the park grounds. We counted 15 deer in one group. Most pads seem quite level. There are sites that have a screen room in addition to the RV Pad. Water is quite good, power pedestals show some wear, check voltages before plugging in or have an on board or plug in EMS

Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Exploring Ft. Worth

Rahr and Son's Brewing Company - Prost Y'all


In this blog entry we explore - Rahr and Sons Brewing Company - Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens and Ft. Worth Water Gardens

We have been in Rio Vista, Texas for a week and a half now staying in my brother in laws driveway (with full hook ups). In all the years we've come here to visit we have never been sight seeing in Dallas or Ft.Worth. We decided to change that starting with Ft. Worth. 

Our first excursion took us to visit Rahr Brewing Company in Ft. Worth for beer tasting, what else?

You can visit them for a tour and beer on Saturdays from 1:00 - 3:00 PM  or on Wednesdays from 5:00 to 7:30 PM.  

They have live entertainment and you can purchase a "beer wrist band" for $10 that will give you a chance to try three 12 ounce servings of their excellent beers...AND you get to take a custom glass home with you when you leave!


Visit their website Rahr & Sons Brewing Company here and check out their event schedule.  Of special note is the upcoming Cinco De Mayo celebration complete with the band "Metalachi."  which is a hybrid Mariachi and Metal Band.....This should be a heck of a good time.

So what about the beer?  How is it?  In a word "Excellent." I highly recommend the Texas Red, Adios Pantalones, Paleta de Mango and the Rahr's Blonde.  Even Martha, who isn't a big beer drinker, enjoyed these beers.


They even had food trucks

My Lovely Brother in Law Dan and my beautiful Wife Martha

Yours Truly

The Band


Chilling in the Beer Garden - AKA the Loading Dock Area


For good beer and good fun, check out Rahr Brewing. No, I don't work for them :)

Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens



If you have a free day while in Ft. Worth make sure you visit the "FREE" Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens This is a very popular spot with the locals and visitors alike. I will let the photos speak for themselves.








Left to right - Martha, Lisa, Dan and Alex


































I took over a hundred photos here but I will end them here so we can move on.

Next up is the Ft. Worth Water Gardens. This is a very unique space within the hustle and bustle of the city. It is a place to reflect, admire, relax and people watch.  The Ft. Worth Water Gardens is a "FREE" and magnificent place for peaceful reflection.









"The Active Pool"






Quinceañera - Sweet Sixteen Party On "The Mountain"




This place is also where many women have their "Pregnancy Photos" taken. Yes, it's a thing.













"The Aerated Pool"








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