Happy Vegan Campers

Days #159-161 of Our Epic Trip

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4-8-2024
H: 81°F L: 57°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

Happy Total Eclipse Day! Daniel has been planning for this day for the past six months. We walked from our campground to downtown Blanco, TX. There were a good number of people there even though it was a cloudy day. The old courthouse was open to explore and the surrounding shops were inviting as we waited for the big moment and any time the clouds cleared.

Happy Vegan Campers Total Eclipse in Blanco Texas — Arrival

4-9-2024
H: 84ºF L: 64ºF
Meridian State Park, Meridian, Texas

Today is a travel day! We are staying south of Dallas for a couple of days at two different campgrounds. While traveling today, we stopped at a charger where another Tesla pulling a camper was charging. Daniel geeked out talking to the other campers from Colorado. They had solar panels on top of their camper which they can use to charge their Tesla, if needed. This is the first time we have seen another Tesla pulling a camper in person. How fun!

Happy Vegan Campers another Tesla pulling a camper

We quickly set up at our campsite and then headed to Dallas to see Neal Barnard, MD at a book signing. While driving we saw funny traffic signs: “Slow down. You’re already in Texas.” and “Drive friendly, the Texas way.” We also drove through some small towns, one with a creepy looking courthouse.

Happy Vegan Campers creepy looking courthouse

We got to meet Neal Barnard, MD at a book signing at Intrabang Books in Dallas. Daniel was proud to wear his Keep Calm Plants Have Protein t-shirt. Dr. Barnard was very nice and we hope to continue to collaborate with PCRM on presentations to medical students in the future.

Happy Vegan Campers with Neal Barnard MD

For dinner we stopped at an all plant-based pizzeria, Pizza Verde. We learned that the owner makes all the almond based cheese they use. I had a pasta dish and Daniel had pizza. Both were excellent!

4-10-2024
H: 66°F L: 55°F
Dinosaur Valley State Park, GLen Rose, Texas

We started our day with a hike during coffee time. Meridian State Park is beautiful! We took trails over rocky terrain and through small seasonal streams. Wildflowers were everywhere! We explored Bee Cave right on the shore of Meridian Lake. Bee Cave got its name from a large colony of bees which made their home under this limestone ledge. The hive was 4 feet long! Unfortunately, vandals burned the hive and destroyed the colony in 1993.

Happy Vegan Campers at Meridian State Park in Meridian Texas Fern Ledge — Fern Ledge

Happy Vegan Campers at Meridian State Park in Meridian Texas bird sanctuary — Fern Ledge

Today is another travel day. We are staying at Dinosaur Valley State Park. We are excited to see dinosaur tracks! We passed through Glen Rose which looks like a cute town to explore.

We quickly dropped our camper and then headed to one of the multiple sites of dinosaur tracks. Daniel and I waded in the river to see the tracks. Yes, that’s right, Daniel braved cold water and I braved the snakes swimming in the river.

We saw tracks from Acrocanthosaurus, a type of carnosaur, and Pleurocoelus, a type of sauropod. The tracks were discovered in the limestone bed of the Paluxy river around 1910. The tracks are approximately 100 million years old.

Happy Vegan Campers at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose Texas dinosaur statue — Acrocanthosaurus tracks

Happy Vegan Campers at Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose Texas dinosaur tracks — Acrocanthosaurus tracks

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $93.03
Camping memberships: $11.19
Food: $88.62

Miles driven: 415.4 (215.6 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2

Campground Recommendations

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Days #155-158 of Our Epic Trip

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4-4-2024
H: 83°F L: 49°F
Blanco State Park, Blano, Texas

We started the day with Marcel puking on the bed, twice. Since we were going to be gone all day, the best we could do was strip the bed, hose the bedding off, and deal with it later. Luckily for me, Daniel handles the vomit because I have a weak stomach for that sort of thing.

We drove to Baylor Medical School in Houston for Daniel’s presentation to medical students in collaboration with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. We were met by a very nice physician assistant student, Brenna. There were about 50 students present both in-person and via Zoom. We both felt invigorated following the presentation.

Happy Vegan Campers Dr. Daniel Dubay giving whole food plant based presentation to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas

4-5-2024
H: 83°F L: 56°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

Since we got home so late last night and because Marcel threw up on the bed, we stayed at the camper today just relaxing and enjoying the nice, sunny day. We did a ton of laundry. Daniel received some very nice feedback from one of the 3rd year medical students who attended his presentation:

“Your presentation was fantastic! The message was clear and succinct. Your passion was invigorating, and your statistics were shocking. I think it left a lot for people to think about and consider going forward in their own lives and when treating patients in the future. I feel you were able to cover a breadth of information supporting lifestyle medicine in such a short time. I’m certain there is so much more that you could have talked about! I believe your lecture should be required to view for new members of the lifestyle medicine interest group across every medical school at the very least!”

Wow! We feel so fortunate to be able to share Daniel’s expertise on food as it relates to health. If you would like to watch the presentation, you can watch on Zoom here. The passcode is X*iN3*xe.

4-6-2024
H: 80°F L: 60°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

We went to Canyon Lake and Dam and walked across the dam. It was nice to see water in the lake.

Happy Vegan Campers at Canyon Lake Dam in Canyon Lake Texas

4-7-2024
H: 79°F L: 58°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

We relaxed a lot today. I’ve been reading Neal Barnard’s The Power Foods Diet so I was glad to have time to devote to that.

A few days ago, while walking across the small dam at the campground, Peter fell in the river – a slimy corner of the river to be exact. We went straight back to the camper to hose him off but now he’s red and itchy. We think he might have swimmer’s itch. Poor buddy.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $108.56
Camping memberships: $14.92
Food: $109.58

Miles driven: 576.7 (185.7 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1

Campground Recommendations

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Days #152-154 of Our Epic Trip

4-1-2024
H: 88°F L: 67°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

We took the boys for a walk in areas of the campground we haven’t explored. We found some cool things like a bird sanctuary lookout which seems to be a popular feature of Texas state parks. A lot of the buildings were built by the men of Civilian Conservation Corps which is true of many state and federal parks. We found an old pump house next to the river.

Happy Vegan Campers bird sanctuary at Blanco State Park in Blanco Texas — Bird sanctuary lookout

Happy Vegan Campers at Blanco State Park in Blanco Texas — Bird sanctuary lookout

I used Microsoft’s Copilot app to “create a story about Peter the pitbull” and here is what artificial intelligence came up with:

“Once upon a time in the bustling town of Barksville, there lived a pitbull named Peter. Peter was not your ordinary dog; he had a heart as big as his smile and a spirit that could light up the darkest alleyways of the town.

Peter was known as the ‘Happy Helper’ among the locals. Every morning, he would trot down the streets, his tail wagging like a metronome set to the rhythm of joy. He helped Mrs. Green carry her groceries, he played with the kids at the park, and he even kept watch at night, ensuring everyone slept safe and sound.

But Peter had a dream. He wanted to show the world that pitbulls were not the fearsome creatures many thought they were. He wanted to spread love, one wag at a time. So, he started the “Happy Vegan Campers” club, a place where dogs of all breeds could gather, play, and learn about kindness and compassion.

The club became a hit, and soon, dogs from all over the country were joining in. They would camp under the stars, share stories, and enjoy the vegan treats Peter’s human would make. Peter’s message of love was spreading far and wide, and Barksville became known as the town where every dog had a friend in Peter the pitbull.

And so, Peter lived his days spreading happiness, proving that the size of one’s heart is not determined by their breed, but by the love they share. And in Barksville, love was always in abundance.”

Best story ever!

4-2-2024
H: 71°F L: 54°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

We started our morning with coffee and meeting our neighbors who were very interested in our dog fence. They have three large dogs and a very cool older Class C camper manufactured by Lazy Daze.

We went to Fredericksburg, TX and walked around downtown. It’s a popular tourist destination with many shops and restaurants and the area has many wineries and breweries. We drove by an upscale campground/tiny house community. They selling campsites for $250,000.

4-3-2024
H: 77°F L: 46°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

We picked up some deliveries and returned a few items. We have to drive an hour into Austin for the nearest Amazon locker. It’s a very pretty drive which goes through a neighborhood populated with new contemporary homes. We’ve heard tales of Californians moving to Texas causing skyrocketing home prices.

I have been reading Neal Barnard’s newest book, The Power Foods Diet, which offers great advice on foods that increase your metabolism. Dr. Barnard is the founder of Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and he is starting his book tour next week. We hope to see him in Dallas.

One tip from Dr. Barnard’s book is using Ceylon cinnamon daily to boost your metabolism. You can sprinkle it on cereal or oatmeal and put it in smoothies.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $81.42
Camping memberships: $11.19
Food: $170.71

Miles driven: 205.6 (65.9 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2

Campground Recommendations

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Days #150-151 of Our Epic Trip

3-30-2024
H: 80°F L: 61°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

Today is an adventure day!

We started with Old Tunnel State Park which houses a 920 foot long train tunnel built in 1913 and decommissioned in 1942. It now houses 3 million bats. We didn’t see the bats exit the tunnel but we could see them flying around inside the tunnel.

Happy Vegan Campers Old Tunnel State Park in Fredericksburg Texas

We went to Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg, TX. Fields of poppies and bluebonnets, a Lady Bird Meadow, and a lot of very expensive ceramic pots ($895 for an 18” pot).

Happy Vegan Campers at Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg Texas

Next we drove through Fredericksburg, TX but decided not to stop because it was too crowded. So we went to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area but we were told they are full because it’s a holiday weekend. We will definitely go back to hike to the top of the hill.

Happy Vegan Campers at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area in Texas — Enchanted Rock

We went to Inks Lake State Park at the recommendation of our friend, Stacy. We were happy to see this lake had water. The landscape is a little different than other parts of Texas with red granite rocks.

Happy Vegan Campers at Inks Lake State Park in Burnet Texas

On the way home, we stopped in Llano, TX to charge the car and do a little browsing of the downtown area.

3-31-2024
H: 81°F L: 63°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

We picked up some Amazon packages and then went to Dear Diary Coffee, an all vegan coffee shop. We met our friend, Stacy, and we all went to the Austin Boardwalk. It offered pretty views of the city and seemed quite popular with lots of walkers and joggers.

Happy Vegan Campers at Austin Boardwalk in Austin Texas

Next we had dinner at Mission Burger Co. and had the best burgers (thanks, Stacy!). After dinner, we drove to the Tesla Gigafactory and saw a lot of Cybertrucks waiting for new owners. We are on the list to order one and hope to get it this year.

Happy Vegan Campers at Tesla factory with Cybertrucks in Austin Texas — Look at all those Tesla Cybertrucks!

Lastly, we went to the South Congress Bridge in Austin to watch 1.5 million bats leave their roost. Unfortunately, we saw some bats but didn’t get to see the large horde flying from the bridge. It might be too early in the season for that spectacle.

Happy Vegan Campers with dogs on bridge in Austin Texas — View from bridge

Happy Vegan Campers view from bridge of Austin Texas — View from bridge

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $54.28
Camping memberships: $7.46
Food: $0

Miles driven: 368.8(117.6 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

Campground Recommendations

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Days #145-149 of Our Epic Trip

3-25-2024
H: 75°F L: 54°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

We are leaving the campground in a couple days so we did a lot of laundry and relaxing. We took the boys for a walk after dinner and saw a beautiful sunset. We also saw desert rabbits – they’re really big!

Happy Vegan Campers sunset over Medina Lake in Lakehills Texas

3-26-2024
H: 74°F L: 48°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

Someone ate our begonia plant last night! It was big, beautiful, and bloomed nonstop with red flowers. It has a few stems left on one side so hopefully it will bounce back. They also ate our green onion and chives plants.

Happy Vegan Campers begonia plant eaten by critter at Thousand Trails Medina Lake in Lakehills Texas

3-27-2024
H: 68°F L: 44°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

Today is a travel day! We are staying at Blanco State Park where we will watch the total eclipse. Blanco is a small town about an hour west of Austin. The campground is right on Blanco River. Daniel has been excited about this reservation and the eclipse for a long time.

3-28-2024
H: 76°F L: 46°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

We stayed at the camper today. Daniel noticed our fresh water tank is cracked so he wanted to figure out how to fix it. He is going to try soldering the plastic but we may just purchase a new tank. We also took a walk around the campground and saw three small armadillos. They were so cute! We’ve seen one on our Tennessee property multiple times and Daniel is hoping there are more. The first time we saw an armadillo on our property, it was so noisy, we thought it was a person walking toward us. Then, when we saw it, at first we thought it was a giant rat! Afterward, we studied up on armadillos to be good stewards of our land.

3-29-2024
H: 78ºF L: 56ºF
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

It was a lazy dog day although we did manage another walk.

Happy Vegan Campers dog sitting in flowers in Blanco Texas

Happy Vegan Campers dam at Blanco State Park in Blanco Texas

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $81.42
Camping memberships: $18.65
Food: $19.37

Miles driven: 129.6 (61.4 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 2

Campground Recommendations

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Days #142-144 of Our Epic Trip

3-22-2024
H: 81°F L: 55°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

Update on our package delivery saga: The Pipe Creek USPS told us they won’t hold a package unless it’s sent USPS because they have no way of marking it was delivered. So our UPS delivery was sent back by USPS. They did tell us that if we call ahead of time to let them know we have a non-USPS package coming, they will hold it for us. We are gradually creating a guide for getting mail and packages while on the road.

We went to a Government Canyon State Natural Area which has 110 million year old dinosaur tracks but the trail to the tracks was closed due to the recent rain. The trails are also not dog friendly so we probably won’t go back.

On the way to the park, we saw a stray dog cross the street in a busy area. I got out to try and catch him and I was quickly joined by three other people including someone who knew where he lived. We didn’t catch him but he was headed in the direction of his house and one lady was going to try to follow him into the area to see if he made it home. It was nice to be around other animal lovers.

3-23-2024
H: 75°F L: 50°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

We had a great day! I got a haircut and then we went grocery shopping at H-E-B (Here Everything’s Better). This grocery store is like Kroger but better. They actually put the label of “vegan” right on the price tag attached to the shelf.

I cooked a ton of food while Daniel built a shelf to replace a heavier unit in our closet. Of course, Peter monitored his work.

Happy Vegan Campers working on camper modification while dog watches

3-24-2024
H: 74°F L: 54°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

It’s my birthday! For years I refused to work on my birthday and instead spent my special day doing something fun. Today, we went to Boerne, TX at the suggestion of the hairstylist I saw yesterday. It was a cute town. We found a clothing store in an old house with a well outside. It was the oldest house in town. I found a cute dress there. We also saw some neat antiques including a 17th century Italian limestone fireplace surround and a 16th century French wall fountain. They also had 17th century limestone floor tiles which I really liked.

Happy Vegan Campers 17th century Italian limestone fireplace in Boerne Texas

Happy Vegan Campers 16th century French wall fountain in Boerne Texas

Then we went to a Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio. It was built in an old quarry. Unfortunately, it was very crowded and not as nice as other Japanese gardens we’ve been to.

Happy Vegan Campers at Japanese Tea Garden in San Antonio Texas

To end the night, we went back to the San Antonio Riverwalk because we wanted to see it lit up at night. We found a nice place to sit – a small heart shaped island on the river.

Happy Vegan Campers San Antonio Riverwalk at night in Texas

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $0 (Thousand Trails)
Camping memberships: $11.19
Food: $55.15

Miles driven: 237.9 (74.4 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

Campground Recommendations

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Days #139-141 of Our Epic Trip

3-19-2024
H: 62°F L: 46°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

We both had dental appointments today with Dr. Daniel Drefke. We have never had a dentist actually do the cleaning before. We really liked Dr. Drefke and his staff – they were really friendly and our teeth are super clean.

We are still figuring out how to get packages. We learned that things can be delivered to the post office via:

Your Name
General Delivery 
City, State Zip

However, UPS said our package was undeliverable because it didn’t have a street address. The post office said they can’t accept something with their street address on it. UPS is in the business of delivering packages yet they don’t know how to do General Delivery. How do they deliver to P.O. Boxes? It’s been frustrating.

3-20-2024
H: 66°F L: 50°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

We actually relaxed after a morning walk with the boys. It’s amazing how busy we are considering we are retired. I remember my retired patients telling me they don’t know how they had time to work. I feel that. We are always doing something when we just hang out at the camper – Daniel builds or fixes something or schedules more campsites and I cook and clean and work on Happy Vegan Campers stuff.

3-21-2024
H: 74°F L: 58°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

We explored San Antonio today. The River Walk was amazing and had a magical atmosphere. We were lucky that it was raining because there was hardly anyone on the River Walk. We walked a total of five miles and saw multiple things like the lock and dams, the Grotto cave which has multiple faces, and the heart-shaped island on the river which is a popular wedding venue.

Happy Vegan Campers at San Antonio River Walk in Texas

We also went to the Alamo which was completed in 1756. There is graffiti from the 1850s on the walls.

Happy Vegan Campers at the Alamo in San Antonio Texas 1850s graffiti — 1850s graffiti

Then we went to the Historic Market Square and perused the shops. I found some cute earrings.

Happy Vegan Campers at History Market Square in San Antonio Texas

We also stopped at a Mexican grocery store and loved seeing the different varieties of hot peppers. We got some dried hominy which I like to put in my pressure cooker meals.

We ended the evening with a beautiful storm over Medina Lake. It had tons of lightning and nonstop thunder.

Happy Vegan Campers storm over Lake Medina in Lakehills Texas

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $0 (Thousand Trails)
Camping memberships: $11.19
Food: $32.79

Miles driven: 135.7 (41.5 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

Campground Recommendations

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country are building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the bottom of the page or send us an email: happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Days #136–138 of Our Epic Trip

3-16-2024
H: 76°F L: 61°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

We walked in Medina Lake today. Yes, that’s right, we walked in the lake. Apparently it mostly dried up a couple of years ago. We had to drive miles to find some water. A man-made lake, it was created by damming the Medina river. A decrepit house at the campground had been cut in half and moved uphill when the dam was completed and the lake created in 1913. We noticed the area has definitely suffered since the lake dried up – restaurants, shops, and marinas were closed.

Lake at Thousand Trails Lake Medina in Lakehills, Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers.

Marcel walking in lake at Thousand Trails Lake Medina in Lakehills, Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers.

3-17-2024
H: 68°F L: 59°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Daniel and I had great coffee-time conversation which included why the name “Dick” used to be a common nickname for “Richard” and when it went out of style (most popular in the 1930s and 1940s).

We went to Gruene Hall which is the oldest dance hall in Texas and has been in operation since 1878. Only bottled beer and chicken wire for windows – simply awesome! The owners focus on featuring singers/songwriters and it has been a venue for up and coming country performers over the years such as George Strait.

Gruene Hall in Gruene, Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers.

Gruene, TX is a cool little town and we highly recommend it if you visit Texas. We met some nice shop keepers at Natural Selections where they sell rocks and fossils and we enjoyed the creativity at Dirt Road Salvage where antiques were turned into light fixtures.

Restaurant in old building in Gruene, Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers.

Dirt Road Salvage in Gruene, Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers.

We ended the night with dinner at Plantology, an all vegan restaurant with awesome food. I had nachos and Daniel had a burger.

3-18-2024
H: 65°F L: 51°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

We hung out at the campground today. We took a walk and saw a beautiful bird with a really long tail and orange under his/her wings.

Bird at Thousand Trails Lake Medina in Lakehills, Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $0 (Thousand Trails)
Camping memberships: $11.19
Food: $86.38

Miles driven: 241.2 (71.5 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 0

Campground Recommendations

Subscribe so you never miss a post!

Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email:
happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Days #133-135 of Our Epic Trip

3-13-2024
H: 89°F L: 67°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

We headed north to spend two weeks in Texas hill country. Texas definitely does not disappoint when it comes to springtime flowers. We are staying at Thousand Trails Medina Lake for the next two weeks. The campground is beautiful and is more of a camping experience than some of the other parks we’ve stayed at so far.

Old barn at Thousand Trails Lake Medina in Lakehills, Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers.

3-14-2024
H: 82°F L: 67°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

The more you know the less you need by Yvon Choinard. Personal artwork of Happy Vegan Campers.

What a great day to relax! We have been tired lately, probably due to the time change last weekend. Daniel and I feel so blessed that we are able to live this lifestyle. We have been asked multiple times about how we managed to retire early. Well, neither of us started a company which sold for millions or inherited a lot from relatives. We worked hard and believe in FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early). We have invested wisely and manage our investments ourselves. We believe in being frugal and making wise decisions on what we purchase. We feel that the consumerism mentality has become a major problem in our society for personal finances, collective happiness, and the environment. We feel it is important to find a deeper happiness than the momentary happiness you get when you purchase something. Ask yourself how much of your life you are willing to give up to make a purchase. If you make $30 per hour and want to buy a new $1000 cell phone, you will have to work 33+ hours to pay for that phone (even more when you factor in income and sales taxes). When you save and invest your money, you are buying your future freedom.

These resources were very helpful to us:

Mr Money Mustache: Read his blog posts and the comments.
JL Collins: His book “The Simple Path to Wealth” is easy to read and understand the Stock Series on his website is very helpful.
FIRE Calculator: Input your information to get an idea of how you are doing financially.

3-15-2024
H: 79°F L: 64°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

Between the car and the camper, we are 800 pounds overweight. What?!! We spent the day at the campsite going through our stuff, looking for ways to reduce weight. Somethings we will ship back to Michigan, other things we will donate, a few things we put next to the dumpster in the hopes they will find a new home. Some of the weight comes from the need to buy some things in bulk like the dried chickpeas which we can’t always find in grocery stores.

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $0 (Thousand Trails)
Camping memberships: $11.19
Food: $0

Miles driven: 124 (90.7 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 3

This post contains affiliate links which do not cost you anything but we may earn a small commission which may help offset the cost of this website.

Campground Recommendations

Subscribe so you never miss a post!

Never miss an update! You’ll get an email once or twice a week with updates from us! We will never sell your email address or in any other way abuse the privilege of you being a loyal follower.

Contact Happy Vegan Campers!

Happy Vegan Campers are traveling the country and building a passive house! Any suggestions on places we should visit or questions about our house? Love our recipes? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send us an email:
happyvegancampers@gmail.com

Days #130-132 of Our Epic Trip

3-10-2024
H: 69°F L: 44°F
Choke Canyon State Park, Calliham, Texas

It’s a travel day! We are staying for three days at Choke Canyon State Park which is next to a big reservoir. After we set up, we took the boys for a walk and then drove around exploring the park. It smells amazing here because the vachellia are in bloom. These are beautiful trees with orange pom pom flowers whose scent is popular in perfume. We also saw deer, rabbits, and Javelinas. And Daniel was so excited to see leaf cutter ants.

Vachellia at Choke Canyon State Park in Calliham, Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Vachellia

Leaf Cutter Ants at Choke Canyon State Park in Calliham, Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Vachellia

3-11-2024
H: 75°F L: a50°F
Choke Canyon State Park, Calliham, Texas

We went to the library because we both needed better WiFi (we have really poor cell coverage at the campground) and took pictures of wildflowers on the way home. We enjoyed some Nice Cream with lots of peanut butter once we finished our work.

Wildflowers in Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers.

3-12-2024
H: 80°F L: 58°F
Choke Canyon State Park, Calliham, Texas

This morning a park ranger showed us a Great Horned Owl and her nest. The owl made unusual noises to warn us away from her nest. We also walked to the bird sanctuary. We love Great Tailed Grackles. They make the coolest sounds which range from a car alarm to an electronic sound. They hang out in parking lots under cars and they have a pretty blue sheen to their feathers. We ended up walking over 4 miles as we explored the park.

Great Horned Owl nest at Choke Canyon State Park in Calliham, Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Owl nest with babies

Great Horned Owl at Choke Canyon State Park in Calliham, Texas. Picture by Happy Vegan Campers. — Owl nest with babies

Stats

Expenses:

Tow vehicle fuel: $0
Campsite: $55
Camping memberships: $11.19
Food: $0

Miles driven: 224 (133 kWh)

Number of people asking about the Tesla pulling the camper: 1

Campground Recommendations

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4-8-2024H: 81°F L: 57°FBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

4-9-2024H: 84ºF L: 64ºFMeridian State Park, Meridian, Texas

4-10-2024H: 66°F L: 55°FDinosaur Valley State Park, GLen Rose, Texas

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4-4-2024H: 83°F L: 49°FBlanco State Park, Blano, Texas

4-5-2024H: 83°F L: 56°FBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

4-6-2024H: 80°F L: 60°FBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

4-7-2024H: 79°F L: 58°FBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

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4-1-2024H: 88°F L: 67°FBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

4-2-2024H: 71°F L: 54°FBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

4-3-2024H: 77°F L: 46°FBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

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3-30-2024H: 80°F L: 61°FBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

3-31-2024H: 81°F L: 63°FBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

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3-25-2024H: 75°F L: 54°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-26-2024H: 74°F L: 48°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-27-2024H: 68°F L: 44°FBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

3-28-2024H: 76°F L: 46°FBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

3-29-2024H: 78ºF L: 56ºFBlanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

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3-22-2024H: 81°F L: 55°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-23-2024H: 75°F L: 50°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-24-2024H: 74°F L: 54°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

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3-19-2024H: 62°F L: 46°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-20-2024H: 66°F L: 50°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-21-2024H: 74°F L: 58°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

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3-16-2024H: 76°F L: 61°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-17-2024H: 68°F L: 59°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-18-2024H: 65°F L: 51°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

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3-13-2024H: 89°F L: 67°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-14-2024H: 82°F L: 67°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-15-2024H: 79°F L: 64°FThousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

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3-10-2024H: 69°F L: 44°FChoke Canyon State Park, Calliham, Texas

3-11-2024H: 75°F L: a50°FChoke Canyon State Park, Calliham, Texas

3-12-2024H: 80°F L: 58°FChoke Canyon State Park, Calliham, Texas

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4-8-2024
H: 81°F L: 57°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

4-9-2024
H: 84ºF L: 64ºF
Meridian State Park, Meridian, Texas

4-10-2024
H: 66°F L: 55°F
Dinosaur Valley State Park, GLen Rose, Texas

4-4-2024
H: 83°F L: 49°F
Blanco State Park, Blano, Texas

4-5-2024
H: 83°F L: 56°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

4-6-2024
H: 80°F L: 60°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

4-7-2024
H: 79°F L: 58°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

4-1-2024
H: 88°F L: 67°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

4-2-2024
H: 71°F L: 54°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

4-3-2024
H: 77°F L: 46°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

3-30-2024
H: 80°F L: 61°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

3-31-2024
H: 81°F L: 63°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

3-25-2024
H: 75°F L: 54°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-26-2024
H: 74°F L: 48°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-27-2024
H: 68°F L: 44°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

3-28-2024
H: 76°F L: 46°F
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

3-29-2024
H: 78ºF L: 56ºF
Blanco State Park, Blanco, Texas

3-22-2024
H: 81°F L: 55°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-23-2024
H: 75°F L: 50°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-24-2024
H: 74°F L: 54°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-19-2024
H: 62°F L: 46°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-20-2024
H: 66°F L: 50°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-21-2024
H: 74°F L: 58°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-16-2024
H: 76°F L: 61°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-17-2024
H: 68°F L: 59°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-18-2024
H: 65°F L: 51°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-13-2024
H: 89°F L: 67°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-14-2024
H: 82°F L: 67°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-15-2024
H: 79°F L: 64°F
Thousand Trails Medina Lake, Lakehills, Texas

3-10-2024
H: 69°F L: 44°F
Choke Canyon State Park, Calliham, Texas

3-11-2024
H: 75°F L: a50°F
Choke Canyon State Park, Calliham, Texas

3-12-2024
H: 80°F L: 58°F
Choke Canyon State Park, Calliham, Texas