New Braunfels Tubing Trip, Part I: In the beginning...

A blog so good that it has to be serialized. As much as I would like to just dump it all on you at once, I assure you that it would be much too much to digest all at once. So, here is part 1 of 3 of the long anticipated New Braunfels camping/tubing trip.

Most of us are trying to tighten the belt a bit these days. It just is not a good time in the world to spend frivolously. Joe and I knew that we would not embark on an extravagent trip this year, but that is no reason to deprive ourselves of some quality vacation fun. Two years ago, with our good friend Brent (aka Fire Master B), we took a long weekend trip down to New Braunfels, TX for tubing. It was such a blast, and we have been talking about it ever since. So, it seemed only natural that we make it back to New Braunfels again.

We had been talking about camping/tubing in New Braunfels for months. Brent, Joe, and I finally set a date for the second weekend in June and we made the reservations about a month out. It is highly unlikely to get a decent campsite reservation during peak season at ANY campsite on the New Braunfels river with one month advance reservations. Oh, you can camp, but you will be stuck with "overflow, first-come first serve" camping which sucks (I would recommend making your reservations a good 6 months in advance). So, the fact the I got a river side camp site with one month notice is next to a miracle. It just so happens that I called literally two minutes after someone else had cancelled. So, we lucked our way into a riverside camp site with electricity.

For those of you who have been camping with me or have heard me talk about camping, I take a very planned and practical approach to my camp trip planning. I plan all the meals for the weekend; I cook and prepare as much food in advance as I can; I keep a stocked utility bin with everything from steak knives to rain panchos to batteries to first aid kits. As soon as the camp site reservation was made (and paid for in advance). I started down my pre-trip checklist : menu, grocery list, laundry, restock utility bin, travel arrangements, etc...

The plan was to spend two nights in New Braunfels (NB) over the weekend of June 13-15. We would leave Saturday morning, and return Monday afternoon. This is a very strong NB strategy in order to maximize our fun and minimize the annoying drunk college students (Yes, I know! I was one of them once upon a time). The plan was to arrive Saturday afternoon, set up camp, and just kick around the camp site Saturday evening. The vast majority of people hit the river on Saturday, so we were able to avoid the bulk of the tubing crowd. Instead, we hit the river on Sunday when there are still enough people to make the journey entertaining without it getting to be too crowded or irksome. After the river, we would camp over one last night and depart Monday morning. On our way back we would take a detour through Lockhart, TX, the Barbeque Capital of Texas, for some good grub.

If you are going to NB there are a few must haves: sunblock, water shoes or old tennies, plenty of water (to thin out the alcohol in your blood stream...and because NB can get so very HOT), and a bathing suit. We started planning some of the logistics, and before long we had two other people joining us -- Jimmy (Jimbo or Jumbo to his friends) and his friend Cheryl. We decided that Brent would ride down with us Saturday morning in the Explorer and Jimmy and Cheryl would leave around noon when Cheryl got off of work to join us later in the evening.

So around 9:00 Saturday morning, Joe and I arrived at Brent's house, loaded up his gear (we were packed to the hilt), and got on the road. We had a pleasant drive down to NB despite ongoing construction north of Waco and MAJOR traffic congestion through Austin due to the annual ROT Biker Rally (FYI...Take 183 towards the airport over to 71-Ben White to avoid downtown traffic).

We arrived at Camp Huaco Springs (part of the Rockin' R outfitters) to find that the property was on a good slice of prime river property. Although, the camp sites themselves are packed up next to each other like sardines. Half of the fun of camping in a place like NB is getting to know your neighbors. So, we were generally okay with that. We unloaded the cars, put up the tents, and just got settled into our spot. Over the next few hours, we checked in with Jimmy and Cheryl from time to time to check on their travel progress. They were running a bit behind, and furthermore, got caught up in the Rally traffic through Austin (despite our warning to detour around downtown). No biggie, we just didn't want to have to put up a tent in the dark -- there is not much worse on a camp trip then putting up a tent in the dark.

Eventually Jimmy and Cheryl arrived while we were cooking our dinner of hamburgers and brats. Their timing was good, because they brought the potato salad and Jimmy's homemade baked beans to accompany our burgers. While Joe finished with the cookout, Brent and I helped Jimmy and Cheryl get their tent up. After a full meal on our belly's we sat back in our camp chairs and finally relaxed after a full day. It was hot and we took frequent dips in the river to cool off.

The people watching along the river on a Saturday afternoon was incredible. Hundreds, possible thousands of people passed by our stretch of riverfront property all afternoon. By this point, most tubers had been floating the river for hours. This translates to hours of beer guzzeling in the hot sun. I will just let your imagination fill in the blanks.

The river traffic gradually tapered off and the sun dipped down beyond the tree line. Despite the pending dark, Jimmy decided he was ready to test drive his tube. Now, where the rest of us just decided to rent tubes from the river outfitters, Jimmy made an investment in his own river rube. After blowing up the tube, Jimmy decided to take the tube just a short distance around the bend to check out Slumber Falls rapids (which is within a walking distance). We already had a case of the giggles from the campsite banter and people watching, but Jimmy's three attempts to get settled into the tube kicked our giggles up to full roaring laughter. Admittedly our spirited mood may have been slightly lubricated by the beer.

Despite the hilarity, I had a monster headache. I retired to the tent to rest my head. It was relatively early in the evening, so I had hoped to get back in the saddle that evening once the Aleve kicked in. Next thing I know, my husband is laying beside me in the tent with an aching belly. We were a sad pair. After a while my headache dulled enough that I could join our friends for a few more hours of comradery. Eventually, we all started to fizzle out. Knowing that we would have an exhausting day on the river, we turned in.

Stay tuned for Part II of the New Braunfels blog series to find out why we almost went to the Emergency Room Sunday evening...