ATVing, Kayaking, and Ghost Towns In San Angelo

Located in west-central Texas, San Angelo is the next place we parked our home for a while. It had been about 18 years since any of us had been there, and we all looked forward to seeing the town where so many stories we’ve heard had taken place!

Mom and Dad decided to stay at the Spring Creek Marina campground, which ended up being a great place to camp for a month. The sites were nice and level – a relief for Dad and I, who have to level the camper ourselves if our site is not. We were within a couple hundred feet of the lake’s edge – and could just grab the kayaks, walk over, and go. Where the campground is, the lake narrows down into about the width of a river and boats are restricted to idling only, so this was great for kayaking.

My Great Great Aunt Fran, Great Great Uncle Jack, and Great Grandmother Martha were all there during our stay – so obviously we were around a lot of “great” people! It’d been 9 years since we’d seen my aunt or uncle, and 2 years since we’d seen my grandma at her house in Florida…

While we were there I found out about the Twin Buttes Off-Road Area. Of course, it didn’t take Mom, Dad, and I long to get a day planned to go out there, and the next Saturday that’s exactly where we went! We all had a blast out there, and it turned out to be a great riding area. You can read ALL about our day there on ATV Magazine’s blog by clicking HERE. I also compiled some of the video and pictures we took into a 5 ½ minute short-film that’s on ATV Magazine’s website. There’s some awesome footage in it from the ground, and from our new GoPro Hero helmet camera – so check it out by clicking HERE! (I’ve been writing for ATVMagBlog for over a year, so check out some of my articles while you’re there, along with all the awesome articles posted by ATV Magazine’s other bloggers.)

One day we decided to drive out to the old towns where my grandparents grew up – Texon and Santa Rita. They’ve been deserted for a long time, and it’s amazing to see that where thousands of people once lived with their stores, houses, and roads it’s now almost completely grown over. Surprisingly, though, there is still a lot of small debris left out there for the exploring types like us to go find. I personally found an old toy gun, a model airplane, a Coco-Cola bottle, a Pepsi Bottle, and some pieces of porcelain. My grandma came with us and showed us where their house used to be, and took us up to the foundation of their old swimming pool. Then we drove over to the only building still standing in either ghost town – the Boy Scout’s cabin. My grandpa actually helped build it when he was in Scouts as a boy, which made it all the more amazing to see!

We went kayaking several times during out stay, and had a blast every time! The river doesn’t really seem like it has any current (because we were right where it dumps into the lake), so it’s definitely not the place for an extreme whitewater rafter or anything. (ha ha) But for us, it was perfect – the little kids could fish off the shore while some of us kayaked around the bay.

We had lots more fun and adventures in San Angelo, but once again, time and space has limited me. Check back again soon – more fun is waiting just down the road!


I highly recommend the GoPro HD Hero for anyone who enjoys hiking, camping, biking, off-roading, boating, or almost any other outdoor activity! It takes great quality video and pictures, while being simple and easy to use out in the wild. And there are plenty of different mounts to choose from for your helmet, handlebars, car dashboard, etc.! This camera makes it easy to capture and share those awesome moments with friends and family, or to review the adventure yourself later - whether scuba diving, rally racing, ATVing, skateboarding, skiing, flying, skating, or whatever you love to do!