Friday, May 4, 2018

Texas Is Upgrading Rest Areas! (Free!)

After spending a couple of (free!) days camping at Corpus Christi's La Blonte Park, we headed back up 77, then jumped over to I-10, where we stopped for the night at the Edmund Kuempel Rest Area, near Kingsbury. 

Digression: Edmund Kuempel served for many years in the Texas House of Representatives, and died of a heart attack in 2010.
For a long time, Texas rest areas were sad little places. Generally, a rest area was just than a place to pull off the road, with rickety picnic tables, and a trash can or two. We're happy to report things have changed!
This is one of the new Safety Rest Areas. It has a walking trail, playground, restrooms, and wifi, although the wifi wasn't working when we stayed here.

There is also a new focus on safety, including 24 hour camera surveillance. Texas also now allows people to stay for 24 hours at any state rest area, which they're hoping will encourage travelers to stop for longer breaks when they are tired. As you can tell, this a well-rested and happy husky. Thanks, Texas!
One thing that we found unique at this rest stop was the exhibits. There were several interesting displays about Texas history, as well as a video. We do have one  teeny tiny complaint. The building has concrete floors and stone walls, and the video's sound echoes badly. We'd like to see them turn down the sound a bit and add some subtitles, so everyone can enjoy it.
Hmmm, something tells us we must be in Gonzales County. 

Yes, there are several large parallel spots designed for RVs.  Even better? Each pavilion at this rest area has an electric outlet. Yeah!
Did we mention the pavillions are huge?

Know before you go: Texas rest stops are heavily used by truckers. Its always best to walk around the rest area and find a place to park away from the semis if possible - unless you want to wake to the sound of a couple of dozen semis idling in the early morning hours!

0 comments:

Post a Comment