Our Rio Frio Adventure Begins!

Paul and Andie watching the hummingbirds this morning!

Normally, I never tell you guys I am gone until I get back and then I recap our wild adventure! This time I am blogging as I go because it is really the coolest place ever!

Last April, my friend and I were sitting on our driveway watching the kids play in the street, complaining about not getting our annual campsite at Garner state park in time before they were booked.

Garner is a family tradition for us, you can read about one adventure HERE (remember the rabid squirrel?)

We decided that it was NOT an option to NOT go to the Frio this year and so started Googling on the driveway looking for places to go.

When we saw this picture, we knew it was where we wanted to go! A TREEHOUSE! I am totally there, playing Swiss Family Robinson!

But we are frugal and the idea of spending what it cost for regular season was not an option! We decided to go this weekend which is the first weekend of off-season. The cost was 1/2 a night what it was through the summer. Plus the lodge sleeps 22 so our friends came with us and we split the cost per night!

Normal price: $600 a night.

Off- Season Price: $300 a night.

Split it with another family: $150 a night each family

Not having to set up a tent and air conditioning: Priceless!

The Lodge is built on the side of the Frio river, it has a deck that extends out over the water and is built around a tree! There is a fire pit and at night it is beautiful to sit out around the tree!

Above is a picture of the bungalow and deck next to the main lodge. The bungalow is gorgeous and is perfect for a small family or for the adults and stick the kids in the Lodge.

Yes, I did pull my kids out of school for Friday and Monday. I am totally O.K. with that! They are learning about drought conditions, hummingbirds, wild boars, how putting a watermelon in the river keeps it cold, how to properly propel yourself off a ledge into the water… plus working on a few science experiments; learning about how many days you can sleep and play in the same swim suit and how many Cheetos can a 14 month old possibly eat before she explodes. All valuable life experience lessons 🙂

Although we are in a MAJOR drought, there is still a little bit of water on this part of the river. Further up the river there are some good swimming holes with a ton of water. Can you see “money bags” swinging out over the river in the picture?! That rope comes OFF the deck treehouse you saw in the other picture. Crazy.

The Lodge is fully stocked with kitchen equipment, so Suzanne and I split up the meals and are eating here to save money. Suzanne made lasagna at home yesterday and we are throwing it in the oven tonight.

I will be posting about what we were able to do this weekend. We plan on seeing the bats tomorrow night.

If you want to see the site where we are staying it is Rio Frio Lodging HERE.