We finally took our first real RV trip with our Livin’ Lite
Camplite travel trailer. Because of the reviews we had read we chose to stay at
Buckhorn Lake Resort and we were not disappointed. Every site has a concrete pad and full
hookups, but what impressed us the most was the cleanliness of the facility. The
staff at Buckhorn Lake Resort was very friendly and helpful. Maintenance
workers were always visible making sure that everything was perfect.
The bathrooms/showers were immaculate and were serviced a few
times a day. I really appreciated being able to take a leisurely hot shower, a
shower that would have certainly drained all the propane we had.
I will say this—the facility is very popular with owners of
HUGE RVs. Below is a picture of our trailer on our site followed by pictures of
the RVs that were around us.
Our Little Trailer
Neighbor 1
Neighbor 2
Neighbor 3
Neighbor 4
There were actually some bigger RVs than these—some of the
Class A rigs had tow-behind storage trailers that were bigger than our little
trailer.
One feature of the Buckhorn Lake Resort that we liked was the
availability of four pickleball courts.
Pickleball Courts
I can say that these are among the nicest and best maintained
pickleball courts I have ever seen. There is also a tennis court next to the
pickleball courts that was also in perfect shape. Normally when you find
outdoor courts like these there are cracks in the surface, the nets are beat up
and so on. Not here. These courts were in excellent condition.
Tennis Court
The resort also has multiple WIFI servers so no matter where
you are you get a strong signal. That came in handy at night when we were able
to watch a movie on Amazon.
Friendly People at Buckhorn
Lake Resort
We met a lot of friendly people on the trip. Our next-door
neighbors, Larry and Ginger, had three adorable Maltese dogs.
They have taken their fifth wheel all over the country
bringing, of course, their dogs with them.
On the second day of our trip we saw a travel trailer smaller
than ours, a “T@G” trailer. It belonged to Charli Flaherty Merchant and Karen
Cruse of the Texas Ramblin' Roses chapter of RVing Women (http://www.rvingwomen.org/event/id/190186/Texas-Ramblin-Roses-Chapter---Bandera-TX.htm).
T@G Trailer
We helped them set up the canopy on the back of their trailer
– believe me, it was no easy task, especially when the wind kicked up. Below is
a picture of my wife Donna talking to Charli after we got it done.
Later in the day a couple, Rick and Denise, pulled a Class C
motorhome into a site behind us. They were all smiles because, I guess, they
didn’t have to deal with sway bars, levelers, sticky ball hitches and so on.
Rick and Denise
I have to say, Class C seems like a really good idea! I wish
I had gotten a picture of their trailer. We also met their German Shepherd—she
was a sweetie.
While we were at the resort Donna and I played pickleball
doubles against a couple of guys, one of whom was Dick Howell.
Dick Howell (I
apologize for the quality of the picture)
After doubles I played singles with Dick and thought, “This
guy is pretty good.” He should be—he won the silver medal in age 75-plus
pickleball singles and, with his partner, won the bronze medal in men’s doubles
at the 27th Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah, in October of
2013. This is the WORLD Senior Games.
If you want to know more about pickleball, visit his web
site: https://blog.pickleballcentral.com/.
To show you want a small world it is, he knew a friend of
ours, Larry Honeycutt. That’s not surprising because Larry is a great
ambassador for pickleball and he, like Dick, knows just about everyone involved
in the sport.
Nearby Parks
Buckhorn Lake Resort is located near two parks--Louise Hays
Park and the Kerrville-Schreiner Park.
Louise Hays Park is a 63.5 acre park with amenities such as
Guadalupe River Access, volleyball courts, birding, trails, centennial stage,
large and small pavilions, and playground area. It has nice trails, as shown
below.
There is also a nice splashpad if you just want to hang out
and relax.
The Kerrville-Schreiner Park is a 517-acre recreation and
camping park on the Guadalupe River. It is a really neat place to walk around
as shown in the pictures below. Note that it costs four dollars to get into the
park (two dollars for seniors) but that’s pretty cheap for what you get.
The Kerrville-Schreiner Park has RV sites, some of which have
full hookups. The sites are very nice and some even have tree coverage, as
shown below.
The setting is more picturesque than Buckhorn Lake but if you
are looking for a quiet time this might be the park you want to choose.
Unfortunately there is little WIFI coverage so if you want to watch a movie at
night, you’d better download it in advance (or get a dish). If you like
kayaking while RVing, then you might want to check this park out. It runs along
the Guadalupe River and has a lot of flat water kayaking spots. If you don’t
have kayaks, you can rent them at the park.
Lessons Learned
We had been having some issues getting our hitch to engage
with the hitch ball and disengage from it. Charli Flaherty Merchant and Karen
Cruse told us about white lithium spray grease for the hitch ball and let us
use theirs. What a difference!
We also learned that the dump hose we got with our trailer
was a piece of junk. Of course we knew nothing about draining the gray water
and I had to stand and hold the hose when we emptied the tank. We now have to
purchase a better hose with an elbow fitting as well as a Sewer Hose Support to
make sure the water drains correctly.
