Del Rio
First of all, Del Rio was a logical stop along our path to Big Bend. It is a relatively small town, but it offered some entertainment of special interest to my husband and a very nice campground.
Laughlin Heritage Foundation Museum
We try to do something in the local area for each stop on our trip. Before going to our campground, we visited the Laughlin Heritage Foundation Museum because they closed at 4:00. It is one of Del Rio’s highly-rated attractions and has a tremendous amount of information about aviation as it pertains to the Del Rio area. Jim Long, the docent, provided very detailed explanations about the history and artifacts displayed. Jim is very knowledgeable and seems very dedicated to the work of the museum.
Del Rio played a part in aviation going back to the first transatlantic flight. Laughlin Air Force Base is nearby, named for Jack Laughlin, a local hero and B-17 pilot who lost his life in WWII.
We learned that Del Rio was the location for the U-2, the first CIA spy planes. The museum has a lot of recently de-classified documents. My big guy is a huge aviation fan and he was enthralled. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it too. I learned something major that I did not know. While Pearl Harbor was being bombed, the Imperial Japanese Air Force were also bombing Singapore and Hong Kong. I now understand a lot more about the Japanese mindset at the time of the bombings.
The museum is free, but it does accept donations. However, it is not open every day and has limited hours. I recommend checking the website before going.
Broke Mill RV Park
We stayed at Broke Mill RV Park and it offered lots of amenities. We were in need of some creature comforts at that time. It was unseasonably cold and very windy when we arrived for our one night stopover. The facility was very clean with the nicest bathhouse we have seen in a long time. The laundry offered about six each modern washers and dryers. There was a spacious day room with a television we could use while the clothes were laundering.
The campground was nice as well and provided good spacing between sites. Again, we were there one night only and just moved our interior gear outside under a tarp. We only hooked up the electricity and cable.
The campground offered very good cable reception and also a fair number of channels. During office hours, the campground sells grass-fed beef, so it would be a great place to get a fresh steak to grill. As a result of the many amenities, I highly recommend this very well-maintained campground.
Next stop, Big Bend National Forest!
