Author Archives: Jill and Bud

We’ve now started back east and north for our return to Hot Springs. Our first leg took us to Mother Neff State Park. This is one of the oldest parks in the Texas State Park System. The original 6 acres were willed to the state of Texas by Isabella Neff on her death in 1921. These acres along the Leon River were a place where friends and family gathered and she wanted the people of Texas to continue to enjoy them.

Her son, Pat, developed the family park and added 250 acres. He was governor of Texas from 1921 to 1925 and was instrumental in establishing the State Parks Board. In 1934 he donated the family park and it became Mother Neff State Park.

From 1934 until 1938 the Civilian Conservation Corps worked here. This bell called them to dinner and meetings and warned them of storms.

Besides roads and trails they constructed picnic tables, like this one.

They added to a natural dam to create this wash pond on a stream flowing into the Leon River.

The CCC also built this stone viewing tower;

although I was disappointed that the view did not include the Leon River. In fact, you can’t get to the Leon River or the original 6 acres of the park as all that area is closed due to flooding.

There is still plenty to see, like this cave we explored this morning.

This was used by the Tonkawa people 200 years ago, and is a very pretty place.

However, the civilized tranquility of places like this pond are occasionally interrupted by extremely loud noises. This morning while I walked with Matey there was a prolonged roar that was scary to hear. Bud said it shook the trailer. We found out there is a SpaceX facility in nearby McGregor where they test their rocket engines. So perhaps this park isn’t quite as civilized and peaceful as Mother Neff had hoped.

It was another sunny day, though still cold. Bud joined Matey and me in looking around San Angelo State Park. We drove to one of the boat ramps, now ending far above the level of the water in O C Fisher Lake.

We then drove to the north end of the park to hike the Dinosaur Trail. This is central Texas and it’s pretty wide and empty.

The trail led not to dinosaur tracks, but to tracks even older and more unusual, tracks from animals that lived 90 million years before the dinosaurs.

The actual tracks aren’t marked, and there’s no guide to them. We are certain this is one set. I’ve never seen such a long set of tracks preserved as fossils before.

There were other marks we thought were tracks,

Since the sign said there were tracks from 26 different animals, these might well be Permian era tracks also.

Almost every plant that grows here has thorns.

Or at least sharp points.

The trail back led through some pretty thick stands of prickly pear cactus. Unfortunately, I slipped on a rutted part and fell. It would not have been significant except I came away with one hip and one side of my butt covered in fine, fine prickers. Bud and I both got them in our hands trying to get them off my jeans. I know some are still in me.

Not just the plants are covered with spines. On the way out we spotted this porcupine. I’ve never seen a live one before and was surprised at how big he was. He was at least three feet long.

He just kind of ambled along and we followed him. I got close enough to catch a picture showing his quills. Sorry you can only see him from behind, he did not stop to look at us.

It was a cold day and a prickly day, but we got to see some new things, so it was a good day.

We left yesterday to come a couple hundred miles west. It was in the 20’s and wasn’t supposed to get above freezing. We called ahead to make sure they still had water at San Angelo State Park and since they did we emptied our fresh water tank and drained the water lines to make sure nothing would freeze on the trip. The temperature actually dropped to about 16 and we drove through snow flurries. Ugh!

Eventually we ended up here. But first we went to our site at the north end of the park where all the water was frozen. I called the gate and they had us come back to the south side where they said they’d find us a site with water. But they couldn’t; all the spigots were freezing up despite being wrapped in insulation. We ended up backing in by the hosts’ trailer and using their water to fill our tank. Two hours later (and about 6 hours after we’d started out) we were finally set up. The inside of the trailer was 35 degrees. With two electric heaters and the propane furnace we got it up to 70 in about an hour. But we still had no water because evidently there was enough water left in the lines somewhere to freeze.

So we went to the restroom where we found although the sink had no water the shower was still running and we filled our five gallon container. Fortunately it takes very little water to flush an RV toilet.

The forecast did not look good. This morning Bud took an electric heater outside and aimed it under the trailer. He thought the stubborn freeze might be in the pickup tube from the tank, even though we had our tank heater on. Just after another very kind host refilled our water jug and brought us an extra 4 gallons in an old jug they had (they were about to shut off the water to the restroom) Bud tried our water pump again and it worked. That frozen part let loose about 20 hours after we got set up.

It’s 28 and sunny now. The snow has evaporated.

So Matey and I took a walk. Much better.

Whenever we head southwest from Hot Springs we try to stop near Austin to visit our friends Jack and Sharon. We were supposed to move on Tuesday but there was a high wind warning for the whole day so we stayed one more day and watched the waves on Lake Livingston.

Wednesday we drove for about 5 hours and came to Blanco State Park. This is a very small park (just over 100 acres) along the Blanco River on the edge of the little town of Blanco.

To get to the campground you have to cross the river on this roadway. It is made so the river can go over it when the water is high. At low water there are a couple of culverts. This picture was taken standing on the crossing looking downstream to the highway bridge. A flood a few years ago had the river up to the bottom of that highway bridge!

For a small park it is surprisingly pretty, with structures, like this pavilion, built in the 1930’s by the CCC.

Wednesday afternoon in our initial reconnaissance Matey and I found this lovely trail heading east along the south bank of the river. It only went about a half mile,

but happily it made a tight loop and we walked back along the lower bank, closer to the river.

Thursday was the only day we had to spend with Jack and Sharon as they were leaving town on Friday. Luckily it was the nicest day in the week. Jack and Bud played a round of golf at Grey Rock, where Jack plays several times a week. He shot this video of Bud approaching a green. Sharon, Matey and I took a walk over to the nearby campus of The Wizard Academy, which calls itself a nonprofit, non traditional, business school. It’s a strange place. There was almost no one around. We walked sidewalks that gave beautiful views across the hills. We tried to get a bit of lunch from the food truck, but it was closed. We came back and sat in the sun in Jack and Sharon’s back yard. I, of course, forgot to take pictures.

Once the guys finished their golf game we went out for an early supper at the Salt Lick Barbecue, a regionally famous place just a few miles down the road. We sat outside because Matey was with us, but it was warm enough. Jack remembered to take a picture and he shared it with me.

Today Matey and I explored a bit upriver from the campground. There are some massive cypresses…

and some big, beautiful sycamores.

At the upstream end of the park is a city bridge that is also constructed to let high water flow across it. Just beyond that, in front of a low dam, is the old bridge. I wasn’t sure we could walk all the way across it.

I later walked up on the other bank to the old bridge; I’m glad I didn’t try to cross it as we would have had to scramble across some broken parts to get to shore.

With its white limestone banks, beautiful trees and old dams and river crossings the park has a lot to see in a small area.

We’ve moved on to Lake Livingston State Park in southeast Texas. This has paved sites with full hook-ups.

But our site is not level.

We have a gorgeous view of open water, but there are no cypresses.

There are miles of nice trails, but no disc golf.

It is a beautiful park,

on a lovely lake and although it’s different I like it just as much as the last place we stayed.

Like many of the places we visit there are nice homes built just outside the public land. They get to see these views every day,

but I don’t envy them; they don’t get to see the next campground.

We left Lake Catherine State Park in Hot Springs on January second and drove down to Tom Merrill Recreation Area Campground just northeast of Shreveport, Louisiana.

This is an Army Corps of Engineers campground; it has water and 50 amp electric, paved level sites and with our lifetime America the Beautiful Senior Pass it’s $7.50 a night.

We’re camped next to the now empty playground, and tonight there is only one other motorhome and the very nice hosts, so we have lots of privacy.

It has a pretty decent disc golf course (although there are lots of trees to hit) and we’ve played it twice.

As you can see from my map program, the campground is just below the dam for Bayou Bodcau Reservoir.

The first day I walked with Matey here below the dam and found this rather pretty cypress swamp.

Today we took the truck over to a boat launch on the reservoir side and found this rather pretty cypress swamp!

This is the view of the reservoir from the road on top of the dam. The brown trees are cypresses without their needles (they are deciduous and drop their needles in the winter). The green to either side is the pines on slightly higher ground.

We took a drive down Duck Dam Road to see if we could find some open water. Here we are returning along the road where the map showed it bordering the reservoir. The reservoir is to the left of the road, in case you can’t tell.

I love traveling and finding surprising places like this. That’s why I like to book us into parks we haven’t visited before. People sometimes ask me what my favorite campground is; I have to say it’s the next one.

We’re spending two weeks here in Hot Springs to celebrate the holidays with Jamie and the family.

Here we are in their kitchen on Christmas Eve. Sean, Bud and I are on the right side of the kitchen island. Their friends the Brashears are on the left, except for Tia, who is nearest on the left.

This is a long time Christmas tradition for Sean and his girls. Now Jamie and Adler are part of that, and for the last three years Bud and I have joined them. (Adler is across from me, that’s Tia with her head down and Jacey is at the far end of the table.)

I love being part of that and being there on Christmas morning to take their annual Christmas photo in their new Christmas Eve pajamas. Jamie and Sean are in back. In front are Tia, Bria the dog, Jacey and Adler. (Beth Ann had the flu and wasn’t there.)

But we only plan to stay two weeks, because it can get pretty cold in Hot Springs. Nights have been in the 30’s, days in the 40’s this week.

I’m surprised at how many other people are out camping in this weather. On Wednesday Bud, Adler, Matey and I went out to play disc golf. The only one enjoying the cold was Matey. We cut our game short.

Last night we made plans to bundle up and try it again. We woke up to a forecast of snow flurries with a high of 43.

We wore our warmest clothes and went out there anyway. We actually had a good time even though the temperature stayed at 39.

Bud and I were supposed to leave Tuesday for southern New Mexico and Arizona, but now we have to come back here by the end of January. Bud did a Cologuard test and it came back positive. It may be nothing, but he has to follow up with a colonoscopy and Dr. Jamie says he should have that done as soon as we can get it scheduled. That is January 29th. So now we will get as far as central Texas and then head back. I have us booked for 11 more days in Hot Springs starting January 27th. Brrr. I may need some more warm clothes!

Merry Christmas to all,

and to all…

a good night.

I’m having a good time on my birthday today. Earlier we went out and played disc golf. I thought it was great that I could be playing on my 74th birthday, so I asked Bud to take a picture of me. I opened the camera app and handed him the phone. “Don’t take me from behind,” I said.

Here’s the picture he took.

So I handed him the phone again and had him take another. These are the “live” photos that iPhones take, where there are a number of exposures and the camera chooses the best as the “key” photo.

Here’s the second photo he took. Not bad, but I don’t really look like I’m moving. So I hit edit to see if I could select a frame where I was moving more.

Oh.

Now you know why I do the blog.

But he’s making me gluten free lasagna, so all is good.

We are back in Arkansas at White Oak Lake State Park. As I was walking with Matey this morning I found myself thinking once again about “forest bathing”.

We encountered this term on signs on a short hike in Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland. They encouraged you to immerse yourself in the sights, sounds and smells of the woods. At the time I thought it was a bit hokey, but the idea has come back to me on many of my walks.

I think this is something that is important to me. While I appreciate a campground with level sites and good amenities,

and I like privacy and nice views,

what I like most in a park is good walking trails.

I love being with family and friends, but I need to get out in the woods…

and I crave the company of trees.