Lake Corpus Christi State Park with Friends

We normally pull out of our camping spots by noon, but we were moving on Sunday this week. By the time we went to church with Mark's brother's family and ate lunch, we were on the road later than usual. But Sunday afternoon is a good time to make the drive down the middle of San Antonio, as traffic was light. At the end of a three-hour drive straight south, we pulled into our next destination right before sundown. As we look overhead, it looks like we're not the only ones heading south.

Lake Corpus Christi State Park is a popular camping spot. We found friendly neighbors here, and a welcoming committee with a whole herd of deer on the hill beside our motor home.

One would suppose that this lake was close to the city by the same name. But in fact, we are 45 miles away from the coast. But even without the ocean, we have plenty of water views here at the lake.

After steady travel for the past week, we are looking forward to a day at the lake. We decided not to make the drive into Corpus Christi since we visited there last year. We were greeted by more deer sightings the next morning--this time by the male member of the herd.

We had gotten an email from friends that we met this summer in Springfield, Illinois. Dale and Pam were in San Antonio, spending time with a daughter that lived there. They knew our plans were to head south through Texas after Christmas. We were excited that they were willing to drive over an hour south to meet us here at the lake. We hiked all the trails at the state park together, and got to catch up on their new full-time travel experiences since we met them this summer.

We'll be watching their journey as they head to Florida. They're going to the Pro-Bowl football game, followed by time at Disney World with grandchildren. It sounds like they'll have a good winter!

We ended our day with good food at a local restaurant. Texas publishes a top 50 barbecue restaurant list, and Smolik's in Mathis, Texas, made that list. After Smolik's barbecue, we bought their signature cinnamon rolls and cookies at their Czech bakery before Dale and Pam headed back to San Antonio. What a sweet way to end a sweet day at Lake Corpus Christi State Park!