If you live in Texas, you are probably used to the pterodactyl sized dragon flies, huge and beautifully maincured front yards, the rolling hills of cattle ranches, and mosquito swarms that look big enough to carry off one of your Texas sized grown men. But even those of us raised in the south, well, when misplaced for awhile, we forget. I’ve been living in California for almost 8 years and those horse fly bites were fading memories. I was rudely reminded a couple of days ago at the North Dallas KOA, when one of those monstrosities chewed on the back of my leg. OUCH! Those things HURT!

One other big thing my family found in Texas that was much more pleasant and worth the occasional pterodactyl bite, was the Texas sized salt water pool at that same KOA. My skin is very sensitive and chlorine causes miserably dry skin, but somehow the chlorine that is generated from a salt water pool is much more gentle – for me, at least. What a treat for us and another military family we know who live only an hour and a half away. They just moved from Camp Pendleton a few months back and we were thrilled to have a place for our families to play together. After the sun faded and our bellies were begging for a Texas sized meal, we walked over to our Texas sized camping area, where we cooked brats and dogs and watched the sun set over the pond.

While in Texas in the summer, one should look into buying a Texas sized water chest that I found at the Texas sized Walmart just over 8 miles away. We were going through more bottled water than we could stand to recycle, so we decided to find a way to keep hydrated. Four stainless steel water bottles now adorn our truck, replacing cheap plastic bottles. For us it’s a great trade-off since now we have something we will use over and over again, and we are also drinking a lot more water to boot. There’s something about that cold ice water pouring out of the cooler that just helps you drink the water more frequently.

This KOA, officially called Dallas NE (North East, I think)/Caddo Mills was the best one we’ve been to yet, and we’ve been to a few. The Texas sized pool, as mentioned earlier, was beautifully kept, and was equipped with volleyball and basketball nets, noodles, and beach balls. Coffee in the morning was complimentary, the laundry room open 24/7, and they also had a game room available during business hours. The staff was very friendly and even went out of their way to help me get a huge ice chest out of my truck because hubby’s back was broken. He overdid it playing with the kids in the pool in Abilene. I didn’t even ask, they just did it! If you’re looking for a great overnight stay or even a vacation in Texas, we highly recommend this KOA.

I have one more thumbs up for this particular KOA. They are very friendly, not only to the guests who stay there, but also to their community. So many times I see business owners on the selfish side, not willing to budge or bend for the locals, catering only to their own business’ needs. Not these owners though! The pool is used by the locals as well as KOA guests. The owners have a $5 per person fee, and yesterday I saw one local boy, probably about 14, riding his bike with a towel over his shoulder toward the pool as I drove away to do some quick shopping. Kudos Caddo Mills KOA!