A day at the Grand Canyon

I got up at 4:14 am to watch sunrise. I wasn't the first one out. Someone leaving alerted me that I need to get moving. I threw the dogs in their crate in the front of the truck and headed to a nearby picnic area to watch the sunrise. They sky was glowing on the horizon when I got there. I watched in joy and frustration as the sky slowly lit up and the canyon formations became visible. The frustration was because I couldn't figure out how to photograph it properly. But the sunrise brought joy to my spirit.

 That sunrise was worth the trip-- so were a lot of other moments. After the sun came up and the magic faded a tiny bit, I made my coffee and oatmeal and fed the dogs at the picnic area. We enjoyed hanging out and watching the light change and the birds feed for quite a while. We went back to the campsite and I got to rest in the hammock for a while. About mid morning, we headed out to experience all the overlooks on Cape Royal Road. I drove up to the top to start. It was surely a canyon road. Thank you to whoever built the road so we could enjoy it, The view at the top was stupendous,

 It would truly be a fantastic sunset point, but I wouldn't want to drive back down in the dark. On the way down I stopped at all of the overlooks. At one picnic area I stopped and ate lunch. I skipped the last 2 overlooks because I needed a break from the views. My mind was saturated.

When I got back to the campground, I hiked a bit of the Transept Trail (without the dogs who weren't allowed). I get why dogs aren't allowed. The trail is narrow and a lot of people walk on it. The dogs would feel really crowded. I took another hammock nap and read but roused myself in time for the ranger presentation at the amphitheater. He was very interesting. He talked about the ancient people who used to live in the canyon and on the rim. He told us about caves within the canyon and why there are areas closed to the public. He then taught us to make little sheep like animals. Archaeologists found them made of split willow in the caves. We made them out of twist-tie wire. I think they look like elk. I watched sunset from the Transept trail, along with a few other friendly people. And went to sleep tired, with beautiful scenery in my head, looking forward to sunrise again.

Silver Springs State Park, Florida

Silver Springs State Park, FL

Lake Sommerville, Birch Creek Unit TX

Lake Sommerville State Park is not far east from Austin. It has two separate units both on Lake Sommerville. I like Lake Sommerville better than my closest lake, Lake Livingston, because it is not developed. There is a lot of ranch land, the state park units, and several Core of Engineer parks. When you go out that way, you really feel like you are getting away. I have stayed at both units, and liked both. When I go back, I want to go back to the Birch Creek unit to hike more of the trails. I stayed at Birch Creek one night in my truck in April of 2023. I arrived after dark, but had no trouble getting into my campsite. The bathrooms were nice, as they are at most of the Texas state parks I have been to. I enjoyed walking the campground loop in the dark. The sites were reasonably private with a lot of plants between neighbors and great areas behind the campsites to explore. This is a great place to bring kids. The trails were close to the camping loops and I really liked exploring them. They were easy to walk on and had a lot of surprises. I am glad this park is within 3 hours of home, I look forward to more getaways here. I believe the best time to go here would be spring. They have lots of wildflowers. I was here very early in the season.

Caddo Lake State Park, TX

We stopped at Caddo Lake State Park in northeast Texas in July of 2022. I had seen a lot about the birds you could see on the lake and was really looking forward to visiting this park. There are campsites for both big and small rigs and some really nice tent and cabin sites. You will need to pay attention to the site sizes when reserving your spot. The big rig friendly sites seem to fill quickly. The site I picked was fine for us, but we had no extra length. The campsites have a lot of privacy and are beautifully separated from each other. The trails are within walking distance of the campsites, so is the lake. We rented a canoe (It was heavy, be prepared) and enjoyed a paddle on the Mill Pond area of the lake. We went a little bit into the main lake, but not being experienced paddlers, we decided to stick closer to the launch. It was fun paddling and seeing the cypress trees, lily pads and turtles from close up. I walked some of the trail system. The trails are well maintained and have lots of little bridges. I enjoyed the trails and really wanted to see more, but time and daylight was limited. This park is a great balance between swamp and woods. The visitor center is excellent and worth spending time reading about the history of the area in. I think the best time to visit this park would be fall to spring. We didn't see many birds, they weren't migrating through when we were there. The park is well cared for and well loved by it's staff and visitors.

Atlanta State Park, TX

Atlanta State Park is a bit southwest of Texarkana in northeast Texas. As with many of Texas state parks it is on a lake in the woods. But as with all of them, it has it's own “feel” and special environment. We stayed at Atlanta State Park as an overnight in December 2022. We arrived in a rain storm. I plugged in real quick and we waited out the storm. The park was almost empty because we were there just before they were closing for a couple days to set up for a Christmas light celebration. I was very happy with the timing. I enjoy staying in places with almost empty campgrounds. I could tell the park usually had a lot of visitors, especially in the summer. It looked well used, not abandoned or neglected. Within comfortable walking distance of our camping loop, there was a swimming area on the lake with a big grassy field. I didn't walk down to the actual swimming area, the hill was rather steep. Kids would have a great time with it though. I spent time on a lovely floating fishing dock watching the storm clouds over the lake. I could have spent much longer on the dock, but I wanted to see more. The hiking trails were not near the campground loop we were staying on, but I found an old road to hike that went alongside the lake. The lake had washed out big parts of it, which is why it was an old road. It was really peaceful to walk on. I found sunset on another camping loop that overlooked the lake. I didn't want to leave it. I enjoyed the walk back along the road. I had to work to pay attention to where I was walking, The trees were so beautiful and created many different shapes. I really enjoyed this state park and look forward to returning.

Mc Kinney Falls State Park April 2023

Around 10 I decided I better quit reading and break camp so I could hike. Instead of going to a few stores I wanted to go to, I go slow and enjoy the woods. I took some photos around camp and packed up my cooking stuff.

After I got my paper from the ranger station saying I was allowed in the park, I went to the upper falls first because they were close to the trail and it was easy to walk to. There was only a ranger picking up litter and a couple people in the parking lot behind me so I got to see the falls without people. After viewing the falls from a cliff overlooking the area, I walked out to the top of the falls and stepped over the creek rivulets. Tippy waded through one then jumped the rest. I enjoyed watching the water run through the channels it had carved out of the rocks. It is amazing how constant the water flows.

After I enjoyed the falls for a bit I went to another trail head. The sign said it would take me to old baldy and a rock shelter. It warned me the trail was rough and steep. It wasn't kidding. The path around the picnic tables by Onion Creek was easy and stroller safe. When you went below the picnic area to the trail it got narrow, rooty, rocky, and hilly. Why does it always surprise me that Texas hill country is steep and rocky? It is pretty but it takes concentration to walk. I enjoyed hiking above the creek and looking at all the amazing formations the cypress tree branches took. I watched a cardinal and glimpsed some other birds. Tippy saw a few squirrels. We found Old Baldy in a dry creek bed with a boardwalk around it. Wow, it was big. I imagined what the 500-year-old tree saw and heard and all the storms and floods and beautiful days it experienced. Looking up at the branches at the top of the trunk against the blue sky was awe inspiring, but noticing the patterns in the bark up close was also beautiful.

We then continued on the trail and found the rock shelter. It was not what I expected. I expected a rock picnic pavilion built by the CCC. Nope. It was the side of a cliff carved out by erosion to be almost a cave. It was long, level and had a great view. I could picture people sheltering here in a storm. It would make a great haven. From the rock shelter we followed the trail back to the road and took the easy way back by walking the road to the truck. I really enjoyed my time at this park. There were lots of flowering bushes and trees and he sides of the roads and the bluebonnet field were full of bluebonnets. I am sure the park will be full this weekend with people enjoying being outdoors in the beautiful springtime.

Spring Green March 10, 2023

Old Town Cemetary Bluebonnets March 13, 2023

I stopped in town at the Old Town Cemetary. The bluebonnets were fabulous. There were so many I could smell them when I got out of the truck. I kept looking around for jasmine vines, but then realized that it was the bluebonnets. They smelled so good. I had not noticed the fragrance of bluebonnets before, it takes a lot to make the beautiful fragrance. Now I know why God needs so many of our prayers to make the fragrance in heaven. Thats in the bible somewhere, or several somewhere, that our prayers are the fragrance of heaven. Anyway, the cemetery was covered thickly with bluebonnets. They were almost as high as the concrete benches. There were a few black eyed susans and the tiny white rain lillys that added great contrast. I will definitely be stopping back regularly. I decided to do the 1988 loop, on the way I saw some lovely yards. 1988 was lovely as usual. I stopped by the dam and watched the birds on the river and listened to the birds in the bushes. It wasn't really pretty for photos, but I enjoyed the location. On the way home, my favorite ranch’s pastures were covered with yellow flowers. There were black half grown calves playing in one of the fields. It was a great drive.