Loving Texas

There are so many things we are enjoying about Texas. For one thing, many of the state park hiking trails are multi purpose so we have loved hiking and biking without leaving the park. We also continue to have great timing with the weather with temps in the 70’s and low humidity so our clothes line dries all our gear in less than an hour. (I don’t believe our towels ever got completely dry in Louisiana). I’ve also loved the stereotypical “Texas” things that are all new to me. The beautiful giant live oak trees, cacti and blue bonnets and my first armadillo!

The Lone Star State

We crossed into Texas and stopped for lunch at the I 10 welcome center. I am excited about exploring a small sliver of this huge state. First stop: Martin Dies, Jr State Park. State Parks in Texas allow you to make reservations but you pick out your campsite once you arrive. We got an amazing spot right on the river (308). Another cool thing we discovered about Texas parks; you can fish for free if you cast from the shore. Mark got a fishing pole, when we bought our camper, but hadn’t used it till now. He was so excited to catch his first fish of retirement. As a footnote: while fishing one day, a baby alligator swam right up to Mark’s bobber. Supposedly, they scare the fish away, but we were excited to see the little guy.

Not everything in Texas is bigger!

Back to Louisiana

So far, our timing has been perfect on this trip. We arrived back in Louisiana, for a short stay at Tickfaw State Park, and our reserved campsite was one of the few unflooded ones. It was also very secluded, so after a very social two weeks, in FL, we enjoyed the solitude. The river continued to rise, the four days we were there, and as we packed to leave, our fire pit disappeared under the water.

The moon was so bright, on our last night, we were able to load our bikes up with out using a flashlight.

 

Two Weeks in One Place

Today is the last day of our two week stay in Florida. I have to say the two week “experiment “was a huge success. We felt like we got to experience this state park, and the surrounding towns, in a way we haven’t before, while still having plenty of free time to relax and unwind. We did things we knew we’d love like mountain biking and hiking but also spent more time in Milton, FL (riding their Heritage Trail) and even drove to Pensacola for a day on the “real “ beach.

  

It was nice seeing the ocean but my favorite beach days were on the banks of the Blackwater River with Starbaby....even after seeing the parks resident alligator in an Oxbow Lake.

Another nice thing about staying in one place a bit longer was getting to know a wide assortment of fellow campers. We loved meeting Roland and Lynn who invited us over to talk about the meaning of life.Scott and Karen who shared their campfire and homemade cheesecake. Joel and Alex who had great camping tips and blueberry cobbler. Mike and Sheila escaping Wisconsin’s cold. Linda and her brother Bill, and Eric and Kathy who had their campers out for the first time. I can’t decide if only nice people camp or if camping makes people nice.

Consumerism

Every trip offers opportunities for learning new things. We thought we had a “varmit” proof outside trash can but discovered, on this trip, it’s not raccoon proof. The real irony was after Mark went out, in the middle of the night, to confront the rascal, the raccoon was peeping at him from underneath the camper. Mark is now questioning how cute my new bolster pillow is.

Speaking of new things, I thought buying a 19 foot trailer would be wonderful for curbing my desire to shop for “stuff “ because there just isn’t room to store things. However, I’m constantly being tempted to purchase retro/vintage items on Etsy. I love my new/used diner dinner plates and aluminum tumblers.

February-May 2018 Trip

Our last trip began with a solar eclipse at our son’s home in Tennessee. We kicked this trip off by first visiting our daughter’s family in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. After a fun filled few days we headed to Blackwater River State Park. Blackwater is a park we have been to before but decided we wanted to revisit. We thought it would be a good place to see how we like being in one spot for two weeks. The night before we arrived we received a call from the park staff informing us one road leading into the park was closed due to flooding. We are now so thankful we booked two weeks here giving time for the flood waters to recede so we can hike and bike along this beautiful river. Until then we are just 6 miles from the Florida Trail and Red Rocks Mountain Bike Trail so there is still plenty to keep us busy.

King cake on Mardi Gras Day

Hiking on the Florida Trail

Home Again

Of course, it's not all sunshine and rainbows when you are on the road. Mark and I have completed our Fall 2017 Adventure and I thought I should document  a few of the mishaps that occurred that I haven't mentioned. We had to make an emergency trip to the vet in Michigan's UP because Starbaby drank stagnant water and we thought she might have Lepto....she didn't....but it was pretty ironic that this poster was in the vetenarian's waiting room as we waited to see a Dr. I lost my prescription glasses somewhere in Missouri.... I never found them but had plenty of spare contacts to get me home. When we came back from a hike in Illinois we heard from fellow campers that while we were gone a hickory limb fell on the roof of our trailer and left a dent....the good news? Nothing else was damaged and Mark burned the limb for fire wood!

Other than these few hiccups, it was a Mary Poppins adventure; "Practically perfect in every way!" We are excited about being home, to touch base with family and friends, but are already planning our next exploration of the lower 48!