Lake Corpus Christi State Park, 11/22 - 11/24/21

 79. Scampsite #5.  Lake Corpus Christi is a lovely, large park.  There are about 3 miles of hiking trails which are lovely and flat.  The bird blind is AMAZING - it's actually a huge area, with a blind and about a dozen different feeders hanging around.  The fishing pier is the nicest one we've seen in a state park - it's long, wide, well-made, and well-lit at night.  The wildlife here wasn't as challenging as at Choke Canyon; we did see one of the resident bobcats - it ran across the road in front of our truck!  We had a skunk investigate the far edges of our Scampsite (bedtime for us!), and there was a small herd of deer that visited every day.  There is a firewood vending machine, which is really nice for those of us who don't tend to carry cash.  Boating and fishing are definitely a big draw here, but there is plenty of other stuff to do too, including the old CCC building.   

Scampsite #5.

The CCC-built refectory.

The bird blind area.

The fishing pier at sunset.

The fishing pier at night.

Lake Corpus Christi has A LOT to do, but is also relatively close to Corpus Christi, which has lots more to do.  Sadly the old courthouse in Corpus Christi is falling into disrepair and last we heard there aren't plans to restore it.  

Choke Canyon State Park, 11/21 - 11/22/21

 78. Scampsite #137, a few days away before the Family Madness of Thanksgiving!  :). 

This was a much-needed break away from our daily lives and the stress of the school year so far.  Choke Canyon is a small, remote park.  If you don't boat or fish, there's not a lot to do - hiking trails are short, and there's a nice bird blind.  Wildlife was interesting: within minutes of our arrival to our site, a flock of wild turkeys showed up and walked past, followed by a small herd of deer, then a few javelinas.   We learned that javelinas WILL chase you if your dog is acting aggressive and threatening towards them; fortunately our dog and the javelinas did not actually meet up close.  The javelinas were very vocal most of the night; I recommend closing windows at night.  

Scampsite 137, the lake in the background.

Javelina in the foreground, turkeys in the background at the edge of the bush line.  

The lovely bird blind. 

Choke Canyon isn't near anyplace big or entertaining, so definitely plan to stay at the park and entertain yourself there.