South Llano River SP - Nov 2005

Well, we had intended to stay at the Caverns of Sonora for several days, but since we didn't find the RV parking to be to our liking, these full-timers did what comes naturally......we hit the road. Since we were getting close to our old stompin' grounds, we knew we had a couple of good options for a nice place to stay for a few nights and so we picked one of our favorites -- South Llano River State Park near Junction, Texas. Each year between October and April the park closes off a major portion of it's acreage to give the Rio Grande wild turkeys a secure place to roost for the winter. They number in the hundreds and are one of the largest populations of wild turkeys in the area. The deer are also protected within the park's boundaries, so large numbers of them seem to know to migrate here during hunting season.

We like this park because it is very scenic and has good hiking trails along with several lovely sites that back up to the wild turkey habitat. We picked out a great spot that was very private and set back from the road -- giving us a great viewing location for the deer and turkeys that wander through the campground.

Twice a day -- morning and evening -- a flock of turkeys would meander through our campsite -- digging and scratching and generally driving our dogs crazy. They didn't seem to be at all worried about the approaching Thanksgiving holiday and the tragic outcome that faced their domesticated relatives.

Several deer liked our site too and it was so calming to sip on my morning coffee and look out the window to see a mama deer and her two youngsters nibbling on the grass next to our picnic table. One of the youngsters had discovered tree leaves and he was getting very good at balancing on his back legs so he could reach the lower tree limbs.

While the park is a protected area for the deer and turkey, right next door is a wildlife "management" area and hunts are scheduled at certain times throughout the year. This particular weekend there was an exotic animal hunt going on and several times a day we could hear gunshots in the distance. Our site had a very large oak tree on it and the overhanging branches were loaded with acorns. Every time the wind would blow -- an acorn or two would fall off and plunk down on our roof and it sounded very much like a nearby gunshot. The first couple of times it happened, it startled me and I was sure an overzealous hunter was in our backyard. We laughed about it later and said that we should put orange vests on our dogs so they wouldn't be mistaken as exotic animals. That made us think about what we could use since we don't happen to have any orange vests and this red, doggie sweater came to mind. In this outfit, would you confuse him with an exotic animal? This sweater was given to Scotty by his "Gramma Gracie" so he wouldn't get cold when we ventured into cold climates. She meant well, but the poor little guy looked absolutely miserable in it -- probably because we laughed so hard at him that he was mortified.