Texas State Parks - Abilene State Park

January 2nd, 2017


After leaving Copper Breaks State Park, I headed toward Abilene, TX to stock up on groceries and to look for a place to get my Texas Vehicle Inspection.

I forgot that some places would be closed on Monday for the New Year holiday, so I didn't get the inspection done. On shopping days I do not like to drive far between campsites, the drive was around 150 miles between parks. 

Since 2011, I have burned through 2 Garmin GPS units.  So now I plan my route online, ahead of time, and keep a paper map on the passenger seat, just in case I need to stop and check things out.

I will use google maps on my iphone. I do not keep the iphone app on for the entire drive, usually just at the end, when I need turn by turn directions.  I may occasionally miss a turn, but usually realize it right after going through the intersection and need to turn around and get on the correct road.

I use a sticky note on the steering wheel, with a list of the major roads that I will need to look for.

I also have an index card listing my route and the towns I will be going through.  It's easy to memorize a short list of town names and match them up, on road signs, while driving.

The cold weather, snow and ice were chasing me, so I would only spend one night at Abilene State Park, before moving south and east to get away from the winter weather.

"Abilene State Park is nestled around a beautiful grove of oak, elm and pecan trees along Elm Creek.
The thick canopies of trees are unusual for this part of Texas and provide a wooded oasis throughout the park. long before pioneers arrived, native americans, such as the Tonkawa and Comanche, camped along Elm Creek while hunting buffalo as the herds migrated through nearby Buffalo Gap. In the early 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built the original stone structures. the masonry arches and intricate stonework of locally quarried red sandstone and native limestone are an enduring legacy"

"Eagle Trail, constructed by local Boy Scouts, wanders down to Buffalo Wallow Pond, a one-acre pond developed with children in mind."

 I arrived early enough in the afternoon to go for a long walk around the park and also went out for a walk the next morning before moving on to my next destination.


Posts for the next few months will be randomly posted, not by date, as I get pictures and info together, I will post what I remember.  I have a mileage log book that I update every time I stop in the RV, even if it is just a rest stop - this will help me to remember locations.