A Day with Marilyn and Jude.. :): Going to Pace Bend Park 10/1/11

This is our first time at Pace bend park and we really had a great time. For those of you who don't know about Pace Bend Park, it's a HUGE park along Lake Travis about 1 hour away from Austin. We are geared up to camp here. We arrived at 5:30 p.m. A little too late to really get to enjoy this huge park but we managed to check out two of the MANY different areas of this park. To camp here, it's $15 a vehicle a night and this does not include electric hook-up or water nor any showers or bathroom facilities. There is electronic hook up and water for those who desires this but it's a little more $. For day use to the park it's $10 a car.

We arrived to the gate greeted by a very friendly guy who collected our cash. We are handed a map and trash-bag and off we went. Like I said earlier, this park is HUGE, there are several areas to camp, swim, and hike. Our first stop is a place called Levi Cove. Water level here is 32 feet below normal due to the horrible drought we are facing here in Texas, so unfortunately there is no cliff diving, which is completely fine with me since I don't cliff dive but a bummer for my son and Brad (He and his dog(Callie) joined us on our camp adventure). We hung out at Levi Cove while Callie swam in the water. The water is not as clear as other parts of Lake Travis so my desires to swim went out the window. We hung out at Levy cove for about one hour before we decided we needed to set up our camp site, so we left and stumbled upon Gracy Cove. This area was private and there was no one around but us (We love the privacy). There is a cliff I climbed down to get to the lake. The view down the cliff was beautiful with a scenic view of Lake Travis, canyons, and distance hills, but unfortunately I don't have my camera with me to capture this beauty. The camp site supplies a picnic table and a BBQ pit. There is a burn band this year so no open flames allowed. The only thing allowed is a propane burner. We spend a peaceful night here amongst the stars. All the stars were so bright since there was only a crescent moon out.

I will definitely return to Pace Bend Park. Next time, we will make sure to arrive early to allow us plenty of water and exploration time. The park itself is several miles and loops around in one big circle. There are beaches and swim only areas that allows for no boats. There are several miles of hiking, unpaved roads, and paved roads to explore, swim, hike, and camp in. For those who decide to go, you'll need time for exploring the many areas of this park. I look forward to a return to this park when water levels are better. I just can't believe I have not discovered this park sooner.