A reoccurring theme you’ll see during the course of 2020 is COVID-19. Lots of things changed and one of those things that changed how we will spend our vacation.
We packed our bags and drove on down to the Frio River. We had been planning a camping trip for a while but always felt like Isla was a little on the young side. Now that she’s 4, we figured it’s a good time to get out there and let her play.
After lots of research and shopping around we finally decided to tent camp at a campground called Zubers River Camp. It’s a nice little campground right next to the river. A short walk or even shorter drive and you’re right at the water. Zubers offers RV spots, cabins, and tent camping spots. The people there are very nice and helpful. I would 100% recommend going and staying there. We will absolutely be going back again.
We decided to go down to the Frio in the middle of the week so that there would be less congestion at the river. It tends to get more crowded over the weekend and I’m not about that life. Crowded rivers are not for me.
To say the least, it was beautiful. Our first day there was pretty hot and that night we quickly learned that a tall oscillating fan would make the nights far more bearable. It was… errr…… WARM. But we survived and made it to the next day. We went and bought a big fan and it made sleeping 100% better. Since it was our first time tent camping with it being just the 3 of us, it was a lot of trial and error.
We were able to be at the river for two full days. Both days we were in the water were terrific. The river is called the Frio because it’s generally pretty chilly but the days we were there the water was around the 68° mark which made it super nice to just chill in.
We did decide to take Dodger with us and while the allure of having a doggo at the river SEEMED like a good idea…. Dodger did NOT like it. We even invested in a doggy life vest for him but he wasn’t having it. I put him in the water and he immediately doggy paddled back to shore. Poor baby was shaking and scared. Next time we’ll leave him here with the sweet dog sitter that he goes to. But hey! At least we tried.
Growing up camping was one of the things I always looked forward to as a kid and even though we were hot and sweaty, I loved it this time too. Isla was a trooper and didn’t complain at all. She had so much fun playing in the water and collecting stacks and stacks of rocks. The beauty of going down to the Frio is the sheer simplicity of the whole experience. We were completely out of cell phone service so we weren’t distracted by our phones. Completely unplugged and enjoying nature is exactly what we needed.
One thing I will never forget from our little trip was seeing Islas face light up when she saw a lightning bug for the very first time. They aren’t something that we have where we live so seeing them truly brought a bit of magic to our camping experience. It was so cute. It lit up right in front of her and she gasped and her eyes got as big as saucers. I hope she ever forgets that moment. I know I won’t.
It was a quick trip to the river but we are definitely looking forward to our next trip back. Now that we know what the heck we’re doing and what to expect and know that we will mostly make it back in one piece, I definitely foresee us going back multiple times this summer.
Adventures of a Texas Momma 