Spring Texas Road Trip - Easter Sunday April 20, 2014

Early in the morning while it was still dark out at about 6:30, I sat up in the foggy condensate covered windows of  Sharon, my '95 VW Eurovan Camper.  I was worried about whether I was stuck in the mud because of all the rain that fell last night.  The rain accompanied by high gusty winds started soon after I finally selected a camp spot that curved off and away from the road below the dam that formed Lake Balmorhea which is separate from from Balmorhea State Park. The area included a concrete picnic table and bench, at least on one side. Balmorhea State Park camping was full, being Easter Weekend, the State Park employee warned me about camping at Lake Balmorhea as it could be noisy and lots of drinking and no quiet hours like at the State Park.  I was able to use my Texas State Parks pass to enter free and swam briefly in the Balmorhea pool that had plenty of live fish, small ones swam closely as if investigating me and I thought I felt something take a nibble one time.  Weather was blowing in from the South West, rain felt in the air.

I headed to Lake Balmorhea looking for a campsite having no other choice.  It cost $5 to camp, primitive camping, unrestricted.  It was popular with many local Hispanics, at one place the shore was lined with a large number of camper vehicles parked closely to one another. I circled back to the entry point and the entry guard suggested I camp below the dam especially since the rain was fast approaching.

I was concerned that I might be stuck in the mud because of the heavy rain that fell last night. At one point the van rocked in the gusty winds and it briefly hailed.  The Eurovan's top leaked a bit. I took a video with my phone when the hail started wondering if I was about to experience a hail storm like the Montana Hail Tornado. I also didn't want to get out of the van because the mud caused by the heavy rain would certainly stick to my shoes,  there was no underlying asphalt.  I decided to move the van before I got out. Fortunately I had no trouble driving out of the area I camped in. I parked alongside the road on a fine gravel ground surface that was dry and flat next to the lake.  I made coffee and oatmeal at the lakeside and took the below Easter Morning picture.  The sunrise times in Texas seem later, it takes longer in the morning for complete sunshine brightness to appear.  Until that time happens, there are long shadows and dusty sunbeams.