World's Largest Gas Station and Convenient Store

34-Day Cross Country RV Trip + 7-Day Caribbean Cruise 2022

Day 6: Mesilla, Lake Hills to Columbus, Texas

May 2, 2022

After the long drive getting here last night, none of us feel like doing much other than rest, dinner, and just chilled for the evening. We woke up to another good morning at the Medina Lake Campground in Lake Hills and we wanted to see how the lake is.

I have read that the lake is really dried up and no more. There were some pretty sad reviews about this campground also, so we wanted to find out if everything is like what people said.

Medina Lake Campground (Thousand Trails)

 We purposely picked a spot near the activity center when we got here just so we may be able to get some wi-fi signal. Unfortunately, it still did not work unless one actually went to the center. Son did just that for about an hour or so last night and he said the signal was very good once you are there. He said there was hardly anyone there except maybe a couple of people working on their laptop.

Inside of the Activity Center

There are other activities like mini-golf etc. near the center but I did not take pictures of that. I did have some clips in our video though. Unfortunately, we did not have time to play a round of mini-golf that morning.

Then we set out for a walk to the lake. It was a really nice walk around the campground. It is an older campground that can benefit from a little more tender loving care but overall it is not bad at all! Possibly because it is not crowded, we felt that it was spacious and spread out. Not a lot of grassy areas but with plenty of woods.

Public bathroom down the trail.

This was what we saw when we reached the edge of the lake. All dried up with just a little stream left. Looks like it had been like that for a while with grass growing out now.

Nope, no lake for sure!

The boat ramp leading to no water anywhere.

Sightings of some deer as we walked back to the camp site.

Cautiously enjoying their breakfast this morning.

We met a gentleman by the lake who was stranded because the battery of his motorcycle ran out. He was not able to move his motorcycle as he was not camping at the campground. He was just there to check out the condition of the lake. After we unhooked everything we went back to help him jump-started his motorcycle and he was happily on his way home. As for us, we were ready to leave camp for a shorter day of traveling.

The original plan was to go to Fredericksburg from here, and then coming back down to New Braunfels before getting to Columbus for the night. Since we were at Fredericksburg the day before, it was not necessary for us to back track up north but go straight to the east and visit New Braunfels. Now, what's in New Braunfels, you asked? It just happened that the world's largest gas station and convenient store is in that city. We just had to check it out! 

I know San Antonio is a city with many interesting sights to see, like the Riverwalk, the Alamo, etc. but we all agreed that we should skip that since parking for the RV is not easy. I have considered staying overnight at a campground in town, but we would still have to take the local buses to get around. It's just too much trouble for what it's worth, especially during the pandemic when we try to avoid crowds and enclosed places. So, San Antonio can wait!

Buc-ee's

When traveling to Texas, one should not miss a visit to Buc-ee's. It's absolutely amazing to see such a huge facility that provides everything a traveler ever needs. This one in New Braunfels is said to be the largest one at 68,000 square feet. There are 120 fueling position, 1,000 parking spots and it's the first Buc-ee's Travel Center.

All these fueling stations waiting for travelers to fill up their gas tanks.

There are 64 ice freezers like these all around the buildings.

Buc-cee the beaver welcomes all into their store.

There are 83 toilets which was voted Best Restrooms in America in 2012.

Definitely clean and spacious!

Food, drinks, souvenirs, snacks, anything you can imagine can be found inside.

I suppose their most popular food item is the chopped brisket sandwich.

I liked their sliced brisket though.

And there are 31 cash registers to help customers pay for their purchases.

Don't forget you can also get your self-serv beverage at one of their 80 fountain dispensers.

Many merchandise with Buc-ee's logo on them.

What a place to spend an hour or so!

Did not take a picture of the sandwiches, but here are a couple of their special pastries.

We had a good lunch with many items from Buc-ee's, then we rested in the RV before heading over to Columbus in the east. 

Colorado River RV Campground, Columbus, Texas

It did not take long for us to find this campground even though we did miss a couple of turns. This campground is in a quiet rural area, away from traffic, in a quaint area. When we checked in, they suggested that we pick a site near the office in one of the three circular loops. We felt that it looked kind of cramped so I asked to check out the sites near the river. The ranger was fine with that so we drove down near the river and found us a good, quiet site with no neighbors around us. 

The Colorado River right behind our campsite.

There is no access down to the river but the view was great just the same.

Green, spacious grounds.

This is one of our favorite Thousand Trails campground.

Even with a visit from the deer after dinner.

To watch the video of our day, please click here.

"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you. My soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. "   -- Psalm 63:1