Free Camping in Utopia... near 3-Sisters [Archive]

HoopleHead

11-13-2008, 12:49 PM

As long as I live, I will welcome campers from this forum on my property. This is NOT a commercial campground, so don't expect luxury. I keep an area mowed for campers (this is also open to PGR and BTK forum members) but have rustic wooded areas and a riverside area for camping. If you don't like to camp, but would like to meet others here, there are cabins at the property next to me for reasonable prices.

I have a nice clear river (Sabinal) on the property. It's about 8-10 feet deep and not muddy except for rainy days. There is a deck, a rope swing and a diving platform. I feed the catfish and there are usually some lunkers hanging around. There's also bluegill perch for the kids to catch.

I usually have some veggies growing in my mini-gardens and campers are welcome to pick what they need for their meals. Utopia has a little general store that stocks most of what you need for groceries, and a hardware store for most other stuff. There are three decent places to eat and a nice coffee shop.

Pics are on my signature below, as well as a text file I update when needed.

Please feel welcome to stay here, small groups or large. Just have the courtesy to give me advance warning that you are coming (of course you'd never find me without directions!) Please, no dogs. I have three but they don't eat my chickens!

Oh... you'll need your own tents and camping gear.

Prothos

11-13-2008, 12:58 PM

Thats very kind of you to offer the camping area to travelers.

Desert Skies

11-13-2008, 01:30 PM

Cool Ed, thanks for the generous offer. Utopia lays between me and Big Bend so I may take you up on that on one of my excursion.

Tom

RedPill

11-13-2008, 01:36 PM

That is a very generous offer. Kudos to you.

tricepilot

11-13-2008, 02:38 PM

Excellent - we plan to take you up on the offer.

:clap:

Love the Sabinal!

Bob

Pooh Bear

11-13-2008, 04:45 PM

Hoople, can it accomodate a small pop-up camper, or is it for tents only? We'd love to take you up on it to and have both! How do you feel about kids?

HoopleHead

11-13-2008, 06:19 PM

Oh, Pooh... this place was made for kids. One of my favorite sounds is the kids having fun down at the river. Yes your camper is welcome, no matter what size. I don't offer it as a RV park though, because of legal issues, but exceptions can be made.

Also if you have special circumstances, indoor accommodations can be arranged. My sister is building a campground farther up the dirt road and has a cabin we could borrow just for special situations. I just don't want to take advantage too often.

Hotboot

11-13-2008, 07:05 PM

You are alright dude, I need to swing by just to meet you on my next trip down there.
You might know a buddy of mine 'Toad' that I need to see too, PGR on a silver V rod.

11-13-2008, 07:11 PM

Very kind of you to offer your place to TWTEXers, Ed. Good on ya :clap:

jsb223

11-13-2008, 09:39 PM

Those pics are beautiful...

Thanks for the invite...

:clap:

HoopleHead

11-13-2008, 10:16 PM

You are alright dude, I need to swing by just to meet you on my next trip down there.
You might know a buddy of mine 'Toad' that I need to see too, PGR on a silver V rod.

Don't know Toad, but I'd like to meet him and his v-rod... I have a friend that just ordered a night rod and I'm so jealous I can't stand it. I wish I was rich like him (joking, he's prudent, not rich)

JTL

11-14-2008, 11:17 AM

THANKS!! Can the mods make this some kind of "sticky"

Plan on meeting you early part of 09', w/ a good group of GS riders, when the river is warm enough to get a "bath" after a good day of riding!

JT Lake

seantx

11-14-2008, 11:39 AM

What a generous offer. Beautiful place you have there as well.

HoopleHead

11-14-2008, 11:40 AM

:shock: the river usually reaches 70º late may. Being an old panzy I wear my shorty wet suit... haha

gotdurt

11-14-2008, 11:51 AM

Wow! You are my new best friend :bigokay:

Outlander

11-14-2008, 01:34 PM

Very nice offer. After seeing the pictures I am already planning a visit for next spring with my daughters. Do you mind non-bike related visits?

HoopleHead

11-14-2008, 03:03 PM

I'd say as long as you can gab with me about your bikes and your rides, you're ok by me. If you can load up your bike and bring it along, we'll find a way to help you unload. I'm even thinking about dozing up a kind of loading ramp/dock. The guys on BTK forum are helping me plan it.

hardybaker

11-15-2008, 08:15 PM

Ed, there's a special place in heaven for people like you. Your a good man. Thanks. Hardy

wanabeguru

11-15-2008, 08:53 PM

ED: very nice! Wish we were close enough to accept your offer. Maybe some day!

wanabeguru

11-15-2008, 08:58 PM

ONLY 1941 miles one way! Sigh...............

ThirdCoast

11-15-2008, 10:15 PM

Thank You so much for putting this out there. I travel that area a few times each year on my bike. I might give you a call and come by next spring.

Do you know any good dirt roads in the area?

Your offer goes way beyond "Paying it Forward". Very generous of you. Good things come to people like you.

HoopleHead

11-16-2008, 05:29 PM

Many dirt roads for d/s rides but I can never say for sure where the new bumps will be. Sometimes you can follow your gps and find a fence gate across the road. I haven't wandered much on my little XT, just a few roads. We could print out some maps and explore though.

HoopleHead

11-16-2008, 06:08 PM

Pooh Bear and husband Dan came out to look at the area today and I really enjoyed meeting them. The place is looking a little grim with the onset of cooler weather... the cypress trees are still red, but dropping needles into the river and messing that up pretty badly... floating on top and turning the water murkey. Hope to meet more of you some day. The light freeze last night turned my pablano peppers in my garden smooshy... bah I had a feeling I should pick them.

Wastrel

11-17-2008, 07:31 AM

Excellent. I love it when I see people generous enough to open their homes (or their fields) to total strangers and expect nothing more than a shared passion in return. Good for you Ed. I wish I could repay the gesture, unfortunately, my vacant lot sits in the middle of nothing, hehe.

HoopleHead

11-17-2008, 11:07 AM

Do you know any good dirt roads in the area?

oh and we do have some 'non-roads' but be careful please!

http://www.impakt.net/~edscott/camping/IMG_0233.jpg

as opposed to some other places you might find:

http://www.impakt.net/~edscott/camping/IMG_3303.jpg

TWTourist

11-17-2008, 09:18 PM

oh and we do have some 'non-roads' but be careful please!

http://www.impakt.net/~edscott/camping/IMG_0233.jpg

as opposed to some other places you might find:

http://www.impakt.net/~edscott/camping/IMG_3303.jpg

Even that is better riding then what is around my place.:doh:

HoopleHead

11-24-2008, 07:42 PM

ummmmm bad wording on my part... that second picture is in oklahoma. no pine trees here. well, i used to have a big one but it died in a draught. sorry if i mislead, just wanted to show justin in an alternate location.

copusrider

12-14-2008, 08:44 PM

I came very close to moving to Utopia. We used to visit and stay at Bill Fernalds place when he had the campground.
My wife felt it was a little to desolate so we ended up settling for Crockett....my heart is still in West Texas and I love the Sabinal. It is a special place:sun:

HoopleHead

12-14-2008, 10:12 PM

Rick (?) ... Yeah I'm the guy right across the river from Fernald's Good Shepherd Campground... on top of the cliff.

MCRyder

12-14-2008, 11:53 PM

Thanks for the offer Ed, sounds like heaven on earth. I'm wanting to do a solo trip down that way come spring. Camping out at a place like yours would fit in great with those plans.

HoopleHead

12-15-2008, 08:59 AM

We used to visit and stay at Bill Fernalds place when he had the campground.
I love the Sabinal. It is a special place:sun:

That's Fernald's old campground directly across the river. You might remember the log you could walk out on to dive!
http://www.impakt.net/%7Eedscott/camping/river%20deck.jpg
Unfortunately Fernald's Good Shepherd Campground was low and flooded badly each time we got too much rain. Each time, he'd loose ALL of his turf and had to replace the topsoil and re-turf. Finally he decided to build cute little chateau cabins and invested a lot of time and money just the year before we had our 100-year flood in 2002 and washed them all away. Bill made lots of money on his Colloidal Silver enterprises, but eventually sold the property (very large) to a local millionaire who is just now beginning to turn it into (I think) a childrens home or something. All of the buildings being put in are out of my view, so I'm not sure what's happening there. The riverfront area used to be plush and green but most of it now is pretty rough.

HoopleHead

03-12-2009, 09:38 AM

Due to cancellation of the Memorial Day Rally for you TWT guys, I want to bump this thread so you know that my property is still available to you for free camping. Had to cancel the rally due to stress tolerance on my part and due to impending expenses (sanitary mainly) that would have ended up negating the "free rally" I had intended.

You can see most of the pictures and info at my FREE CAMPING (http://www.impakt.net/~edscott/camping) folder.

Vinny

04-01-2009, 01:46 AM

Hi,

Great offer. I wish I would of seen this a few weeks ago. Just camped at Lost Maples. Hope to make it back there again before it gets too hot.
Thank you very much for the camping area. Can't wait to see it.

Vinny

HoopleHead

04-01-2009, 07:47 AM

Hope to see you soon, Vinny... and I also hope I get out there to mow and rake leaves soon so the place can look it's best. It's turning green now, the trees have bloomed but the wind made a mess of that, but a little more rain and we'll be tip top again.

stacie074

04-01-2009, 11:47 AM

ED!!!

ohh i will have to tell my dad. we will have to make a daughter-father trip down south!! he is from uvalde, so we could even see some family!!!! thank you for your kindness!!!

stacie marie

FDM

04-04-2009, 02:24 PM

HoopleHead;

My wife and I may be in Leakey next weekend on the 10th and 11th are you going to be around Easter weekend? Would like to stop by and meet you and maybe go for a little ride if we do make it up that way.

Did you mention in one of your post about your sister having a cabin she rents? If so I would like some info on it, we stayed at River Bluff Cabins in Rio Frio last October, we had a great time and the river front was really nice, we are just looking for some more options in that general area.

HoopleHead

04-04-2009, 07:05 PM

FDM, yes my Sis has a cabin that is fairly nice that she keeps for family and special events. I'll check with her for availability this next weekend. It should be open because it looks like she has most of her family here this weekend. There are also two cabins at the property next door. Hummingbird House (http://www.clearspringslodgingutopia.com/lodging/hummingbird.html) and Honeybee's Haven (http://www.clearspringslodgingutopia.com/lodging/honeybees_haven.html) (though I'm pretty sure everything around here that's commercially available is booked by now for next weekend). Of course if you want to rough it and camp....

FDM

04-05-2009, 08:24 AM

Thanks for the info, If we are able to make it we will be staying at a friends ranch in Leakey this comming weekend but I wanted the cabin info for a little later down the line.

Also just wanted to stop by to meet ya and maybe go for a ride(if we are on the bike) since we will be in the general area.

HoopleHead

04-05-2009, 09:20 AM

Kit_McConnico

04-05-2009, 10:27 AM

I have a nice clear river (Sabinal) on the property. It's about 8-10 feet deep and not muddy except for rainy days. There is a deck, a rope swing and a diving platform. I feed the catfish and there are usually some lunkers hanging around. There's also bluegill perch for the kids to catch.

I usually have some veggies growing in my mini-gardens and campers are welcome to pick what they need for their meals. Utopia has a little general store that stocks most of what you need for groceries, and a hardware store for most other stuff. There are three decent places to eat and a nice coffee shop.

.

Wow! what a great thing to offer! Thanks Hooplehead.
Woods, river, catfish, deck, rope swing, diving platform, fresh veggies.... Man that's my definition of luxury.

MIKEYLIKESIT

04-05-2009, 04:14 PM

sounds like fun!

FDM

04-05-2009, 05:35 PM

I'd certainly like to meet you and if you come, I'll introduce you to my sister and her husband and you can all make arrangements for the future. I'm always open for a ride, so you know what that answer will be. Hope you can make it.

Sounds good I will let ya know soon as I know for sure we are going to make the trip, I should know by Wednesday or no later than Thursday, it all depends on my friends plans but if that falls through maybe we will come up and spend the day with you if you don't mind.....but if that happens we will more than likely be in the car because of the round trip miles and may have to take a rain check on the ride, Thanks!

FDM

04-08-2009, 02:35 PM

HoopleHead looks like we will be headed to Leakey on Friday, We would like to stop by on are way if you will be home, let me know and if you don't mind pm me your phone number where I can get directions and let you know what time we will be there, Thanks David