-----Rachel and I took the dogs to Lockhart State Park to get them away from the fireworks in San Antonio. We still heard some off in the distance when we went outside the trailer for doggy potty breaks, but neither dog seemed bothered by them. In San Antonio the fireworks go off all night, and , then at midnight are so bad you think the house is under attack for an hour. It actually looks foggy because of all the firework smoke. And, NO, they are not legal where we live.

-----Anyway, we put the dogs in a new soft-sided kennel for two for the trip. They settled down fairly quick. Unfortunately, one of them threw up a stomach full of partially digested food. It was a mess. We withheld food for the return trip, but there was still a little bit of vomit. All in all, the kennel was a good thing. They were safe. They were contained. Vinny didn't get hair all over the truck.

-----Once I had the trailer set up, I headed into town and picked up some barbecue. Lockhart is the officially designated barbecue capital of Texas. Most people talk about Smith's Market, Black's, and Kreuz's Market. I camped at the state park twice in the past and done a barbecue tour both times. My favorite is Chisholm Trail. I think the meat tastes better, I like the plethora of sides, they don't shame me for using barbecue sauce, and it seems a whole lot cheaper to me. We had some brisket, sausage, chicken, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and pea salad for our New Year's feast. It was wonderful.

-----We spent the evening indoors watching movies, etc. This was not meant to be a camping trip, but a fireworks escape. I really enjoyed the quick and effortless getaway. If I hadn't planned on going for barbecue, I would have stayed on the hitch.

===== Anyway, we got up in the morning and headed home. I had originally planned to winterize before leaving, but changed my mind. I am camping again pretty soon, and the 10-day forecast is pretty promising. Besides, I wasn't winterized during the last two freeze nights, and everything was okay.

-----We came back on i-35. The traffic wasn't bad at all. This was a great little trip.