Day 4: Casita Factory

 Day 4: Hot Springs, Arkansas to Ennis, TX. High View Campground - 1 night

• Miles: ~350 miles
• Left: 7:30 AM Central Time, Arrived: 2PM Central Time
• 3 Pit stops
• Weather: Sunny, cold start to the day

Had a great nights sleep finally.  Up early to take advantage of the great showers to shampoo hair before packing up.  Ate a quick breakfast & on the road by 7:30AM. Gulpha Gorge campground is a great one even though sites are close together.  Every site has full hookups including sewer so we were able to dump at the site instead of making another stop on our way out. The nightly rate is very reasonable at $34/night even before Steve’s 50% discount.  We would definitely stay here again but would choose an outer loop site that is along the creek if available.  We plan to come back again for a longer stay. There are lots of hiking trails in the area plus I really want to experience the Buckstaff Bath House.  

The drive was fairly easy but there was a lot of truck traffic in Arkansas and lots of construction as we approached Dallas…..so much construction. We made one rest area stop & one gas stop before arriving at Casita factory shortly before 1PM.  Casita had announced a new larger travel trailer that we wanted to see in person.  We would really like to upgrade our camper to include a dinette & I would love a dry bath plus a double axle & 4 season would be great too. This new trailer checks all the boxes.  The new trailers are bigger in every way.  The shower was huge, so much more storage, big fridge/freezer & plenty of room to move around.  It felt huge compared to our current trailer.  Unfortunately, the fit & finish wasn’t impressive. It was not enough to sell ours & spend the extra money for it. Seeing the new Morningstar at the Tampa RV show really ruined us for lower quality / less expensive campers.  We were really glad we stopped to look at the new Casita in person.  Definitely worth the trip.

Casita Factory - Rice, TX

Our Setup

17 Foot vs New 24 Foot

17 Foot vs New 24 Foot

We got to High View Park Campground about 2PM.  It took us about 30 minutes to get setup.  We took the dogs for a long walk along the lake.  The campground is on Bardwell Lake & several of the sites back up to the lake.  It was off season so it was really quiet. We stayed in Site 23 on the lake side.  Each site has a covered picnic table, water & electric for $30 / night and since it was an Army Corp of Engineers campground Steve got his 50% discount.  Really great deal.  

Once we got the dogs settled in their pen, Steve did some birding & I did some yoga.  Lots of driving time so felt great to stretch.  We went into the town of Ennis for Bubba’s BBQ for dinner.  It was OK but nothing great. Afterwards we ran into H-E-B for a few supplies before heading back to camp.  The drive back we saw a beautiful sunset over Bardwell lake.  

High View Park Campground - Site 23

Bardwell Lake

Sunset

Sunrise

• High View Park Campground
• Ennis, TX
• Army Corps Of Engineers Campground
• Rating 5/5
• Site 23
• Private showers - Plenty of hot water
• $15 / night with Senior pass (50% off)
• Water & electric
• Sewer dump on site
• Covered picnic table
• Site backed up to Bardwell Lake
• Off Season - Campground was very quiet
• ~10 minute drive into Ennis
• Road Conditions: Meh, lots of construction near Dallas / Fort Worth

Next Stop: Avenger Field - Sweetwater, Texas