To say we were eager for a second trip with Edie The Aliner would be an understatement. I knew Tyler was especially excited because he booked several trips for us at various state parks over the next six months. For our second trip, we ventured to Martin Dies Jr. State Park in the Piney Woods of East Texas.
Martin Dies Jr. State Park offers fishing, swimming, biking trails, hiking trails, lake and river access, and a variety of campsites. We booked a site for Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. When we arrived at the park, it was already dark. The park layout is simple with plenty of signs to point the way towards our home for the next few days. This trip was our first experience backing the Aliner into a spot, and we are proud to say we accomplished it on the first time! We used hand-held walkie talkie radios so I could communicate with Tyler about the amount of space remaining and provide any guidance. Our favorite thing about the Aliner setup is how quickly it pops up! From leveling the camper and popping up the walls, it took less than five minutes. Tyler took care of turning on the breakers and plugging Edie into the campsite’s power source, while I went to work setting up the inside. After our last trip, I packed items in collapsible storage boxes and stored them in locations which allowed for easy unpacking. It was a cold night for Texas at 31 degrees, so we opted for card games at the dinette table in lieu of a campfire.
Exploring Martin Dies Jr. State Park
The sunrise over the lake the next morning made for a beautiful backdrop during morning coffee. We love our morning coffee time, so I invested in a Keurig to keep in the Aliner. I selected this model because of the removable water reservoir for easy cleaning and the slim design for storage. The coffee sign was a gift from Tyler a few years ago, and I thought it would look adorable in the camper along with our custom mugs. Hank and I watched Tyler make breakfast before he packed up the kayak for a fishing trip on the lake. Tyler loves to fish with his kayak. Over the years, I have learned how to fish with him, but I opted to stay at the campsite and read with Hank.
We stayed at site 200, which was an excellent location off the water for Tyler to launch his kayak and a short walk to the restrooms. The park restrooms were clean and spacious offering showers and a large changing area.
After he returned from his trip, we ventured out with Hank to explore the park. The park offers RV and tent sites along the water along with an additional sites tucked away in the trees. We explored the hiking trails and checked out the various campsites to make note of sites we would like to reserve for future visits. Even with the colder temperatures, almost every campsite was booked for the weekend. We were surprised at the number of people camping in tents!
When we returned to the campsite, we started a campfire and began making dinner. We love making fajitas while camping, and Tyler was excited to try his new cast iron griddle. The stars were on full display at night as we enjoyed the fire. I only wish I could have captured exactly how bright and beautiful they were!
The cold weather motivated us to spend the remainder of the night inside of the Aliner. One of the many reasons we were motivated to purchase an Aliner was to provide a shelter for the cold Texas nights (and the hot Texas summers)! The morning brought in temperatures below 30 degress, so we packed up the camper in record speed! We felt like seasoned pros getting everything stored away before folding Edie for her trip home. We enjoyed our stay and plan to return in the summer for another getway. One the way home, we saw someone towing an Aliner! We can’t wait for our next trip next month and hopefully another Aliner sighting!
Happy Camping,
Dawn and Tyler
These stories ALMOST make me want a camper. Jhowever, I will live vicariously through your enjoyable and awesome storiesđź’—