Fort Clark Springs Campers World: a Mixed Bag

The Empty Saddle statue that commemorates fallen calvarymen greets you when you enter Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville, Texas.

To quote their association materials, “Fort Clark Springs is a gated recreational community encompassing approximately 2700 acres of land. At least 1,600 acres will remain as club ground (Community Property of Green Area) for all members to utilize and enjoy.”

Among their amenities is the RV park. The sites are typical of a commercial RV park,

but since they offer monthly rates, some units are set up to be seasonal, at least.

Members here have all kinds of housing. There are very nice traditional homes in some areas.

In the historic area of the fort some of the old barracks are now townhomes and condos.

This has been a gated community since 1971, and some streets have single wide trailers that look like they are from that era.

They also allow permanent RV sites, and I found the variety of these fascinating. Almost all have metal structures to protect the RV. Some are fairly simple and it looks as though those people take their RV out on the road regularly.

Some are quite large. To pull the trailer out of this one you’d have to take down a panel on the front of the building.

Some have structures built inside the RV “hangar”, to give you more living space when you’re here.

Sometimes that becomes the house and the RV is gone.

Like the housing, the rest of the grounds are varied. The whole place is a bird sanctuary,

and they have beautiful axis deer, but as you can see, the yards sometimes look fairly junky,

and some of the units in the storage area…

are probably past their useful life.

Nevertheless, I have enjoyed wandering the trails with Matey. Many are old roads from when this was a military base.

First built as a fort in 1852…

it was expanded and in use until 1946. As you can see from the signage…

things aren’t very formally done, but that adds to the adventure.

From time to time you come to an oasis of live oaks.

I was a bit dismayed by this footbridge,

that had approaches to restrict golf carts and came close to keeping Matey’s stroller from passing.

All of this is here because of Las Moras Spring, which has been used by people for millennia and today feeds a swimming area.

I stopped there today on my four and a half mile walk with Matey.

Unfortunately, Las Moras Creek is sluggish, murky and weed choked.

Again, almost beautiful, but not quite.

Still, it has been a nice enough place to stay and I was able to wash and wax the camper, so although it is a mix of good and bad we are happy to be here for now.