Traveling with the Longdogs: 2025-8-11 Bandera Pioneer RV River Resort

I was more than ready for some relaxation and fun. Dave was recovering from his back injury to the point where it felt okay to take off for a few days especially since he was all for it.

My friend from Louisiana, Carolyn Patin, was on the tail end of her two month trip up north and was going to be in Bandera for 4 days and I haven't seen her for quite a while. So I called Pioneer RV River Resort.

With all the horrific flooding on many different rivers in the Hill Country, I wasn't sure what I would hear. Pioneer said they had minor damage to their big dog park which is down near the river but it was all repaired and everything was in good shape. I picked up the RV from storage Sunday night, threw some things in and headed out late Monday morning as it is only about an hour and a half drive. I took a chance and took 1604 around San Antonio and, in spite of the massive amount of construction going on, I only ran into one slow down that didn't last long. Zipping up Hwy 16 was a nice easy drive once I got past the 1604/16 interchange. Pioneer looked much the same although it has been years since I stayed there. They had recently redone all the interior roads. It's located just a block up or so up a hill from downtown Bandera so a nice walk in cooler weather. This is definitely not cooler weather. The check in staff was very friendly and efficient just as they were when I called to make the reservation. They told me Carolyn had not yet arrived and put me in a buddy site with her.

Right past the office, the first thing you see is the caboose which is fitted out for guests. They also have some cabins for rent.

I got my motorhome situated in the pull through spot, leveled, and all hooked. Carolyn arrived a short time later. She had a little more difficulty getting leveled but she is an experience pro so nothing she could not handle. The sites at Pioneer are fairly close together so we were both glad we were sharing the buddy site with each other and not someone we didn't know.

We relaxed and visited for quite a while and shared a pizza for dinner. Then we took a walk around the park. There is an ice machine at the office and there is also a laundry room. On the left you can see a big covered pavilion with picnic tables and a grill for park residents.

The building next to the pool has a rally/community room which was locked so we didn't get to see inside. Outside they have some props for camera shots or possibly for kids to enjoy.

The pool is very nice and definitely not crowded. School just started this week so there were too many travelers so we had the pool mostly to ourselves. With temps in the upper 90s, we really enjoyed it after dinner.

They also had a hot tub which we enjoyed after being in the pool.

We finally had some shade later in the day. I think our awnings might have touched had Carolyn put hers out at the same time.

Those of you that know Carolyn, know that she takes hundreds of pictures in a day so of course we had to take photos in the stage coach before we went back to get ready for the pool.

This should have been earlier because it was inside the building by the pool. Very nice bathrooms with showers.

This huge cattle skull was on the side of the building across from the RV park. It was absolutely enormous and looked so realistic but, of course, was not as it was probably 25 feet across the horns

We also took a drive along the river. There is a city park just under the overpass by the park. Great way to turn something rather ugly into a piece of art.

And the deer, they are everywhere. You will find them in the park and all through the neighborhoods of Bandera.

They are more than willing to pose for you, lol.

The only thing not big in Texas are the deer. They are small compared to the ones where I grew up in Minnesota but this guy is a pretty good specimen.