We recently took a trip about 3 hours north and camped at a state park that we have been to many times. It was a 3 day holiday weekend and we just felt like getting away.
With the busy schedule we had over the summer, we actually didn't get to do a lot of camping, so we were excited to get back into the outdoors and relax at a campground. Not to mention the heat had been a major deterrent in our desire to go camping.
But with slightly cooler temps on the horizon, we ventured out to Fairfield Lake State Park to begin our long weekend. Originally we were going to go see our son who is attending college just 40 minutes away from Fairfield, but he had other plans.
The Journey to Fairfield, Texas
Like I said, it only takes about 3 hours to get to Fairfield and we had made the trip many times in the past. The great thing about this road trip is that about halfway there, we get to stop at a Buc-ees and grab a few brisket sandwiches and fill up the truck with gas.
After we loaded up on sandwiches, drinks, and various kinds of jerky, we got back on the road and made pretty good time.
The park is located about 3 miles from the main highway in the town of Fairfield. It's a pleasant drive through country roads and pineywoods.
The Park Wasn't Ready for Us
After we checked in at the park headquarters, we made our way in to the park towards the camping loops. We were actually pretty excited because we got word at the HQ that the fire ban had been lifted and we could have a campfire.
Once we finally got to our camping loop, we found our site number and noticed that several park rangers were cutting down dead branches from the site right across from ours. Keep in mind this was a holiday weekend on a friday and we arrived at the normal check in time of 2pm.
Before backing into our site, we always get out and do a check to determine where we should line up. But this time there were several huge branches laying in our spot. The rangers noticed us and promptly sent a guy over with a forklift to move the branches and then blow off the site pad.
We thanked them and proceeded to back in and set up camp. They continued to saw off dead branches from the other sites and haul them away. Luckily the people who had booked the other sites around us had not arrived yet, otherwise they would have had to wait for them to finish the clean up.
The Menu
One of the things I love about camping is getting to cook outdoors, however the summer heat of Texas was still looming and I had to try to come up with meals that were slightly on the lighter side.
The day we arrived was actually my husband's birthday, so I had to make that extra special for him. He loves lasagna, but I didn't think I could pull that off outdoors in this heat.
I opted for making a similar but different version of lasagna, by stuffing italian sausage in jumbo pasta shells and cooking them over the table top grill.
I served them with grilled zucchini and topped them with mozzarella cheese.
Having the lasagna style ingredients stuffed within the shells made the dish so much easier to assemble and cook.
The next morning I made a chorizo breakfast quesadilla that took a little longer then I had planned because I was trying to get the tortilla to crisp up. But overall, it turned out great.
That night we enjoyed Grilled Chicken Skewers with Taziki sauce and a side of Parmesan Asparagus Orzo Pasta.
On Sunday morning I threw together a simple breakfast skillet scramble with diced ham, mushrooms, eggs and cheese. I topped it with a dollop of sour cream and some leftover diced tomatoes.
The Weather
It was definitely still summer and the temps remained in the mid 90s the entire weekend, however the mornings were starting off a bit cooler around 68 degrees. This was a welcome change and a sign of crisper temperatures to come soon.
Every day it seemed like there was a looming grey cloud that threatened us with rain. But it only rained the very last evening we were there and it only lasted for about 15 minutes.
However, the rain blew in so quickly that most people in the campground got nervous and packed up to leave. We stayed outside under our awning and enjoyed the wind blowing high in the trees while the rain cooled things off.
Activities and Adventures
Ok so we really didn't do too much in the way of adventures, but we did ride into town once to get more ice and beverages. We also checked out the parks facilities like the boat launch and fishing pier.
But mostly we just relaxed at camp and played a few rounds of chess and poker. I also did a little bit of work while I was enjoying my coffee every morning. Sounds boring I know, but believe me this is just the pace we wanted to keep after such a busy summer.
Overall we had a very enjoyable trip and even though we didn't have enough cell coverage to watch the SHSU football game against Texas A&M, we found out later that it was probably better that we missed it. 3 hour weather delay and we lost big time.
Next time we come to this park, we will definitely hike a few of the trails (which we have done in the past) and maybe even do a little fishing. The 90 degree temps kept us from doing too much of that this time around.
