Super "Brazos" Weekend

Yes, I know, it's supposed to be Super "Bowl" Weekend - but I was surprised they even play the game when the Steelers aren't in it.  Ba-da-ching!  Needless to say, we're rooting for the 49ers tonight, as we have a hatred for those Dirty Birds.  I've got the game on (for the commercials) while I'm uploading photos and reminiscing about our camping trip this weekend.

Panoramic Photo Courtesy RDB

Brazos Bend State Park, founded in 1984, it covers over 5,000 acres and is bordered by the Brazos River.  Two camping loops, tons of hiking, biking and equestrian trails, and the George Observatory (Which was amazing! But I'll get to that).  The weather couldn't have been better, either, for our first camping trip of the year.

We planned this one specifically to meet up with the South East Texas Pop-Up Campers Club (SETPUCC).  I've been chatting with the families on the website for a while, and we tried to camp with them at Lake Livingston last fall, but finally got a chance to hook up with them this weekend.  They take Super Bowl Sunday at this camp every year to be their annual planning meeting and potluck, and oh, what a potluck it was!  We felt so very welcomed in by the group - they had 14 families camping in the park, and several more that joined us at the dinning hall for the meal (and I mean, wow - there was a fruit filled coleslaw that would Blow.  Your.  Mind.)   It's a very laid back club - no dues, no requirements to participate unless you want to.  They elect a "Big Kahuna" each year, who keeps members up to date, and helps run the annual meeting.  There's a Vice-Big Kahuna, too, and Scouts (who run camp outs)  M&D tried to get me to volunteer to be a scout, but I think I'll spend a bit more time in the club before I step into a 'leadership' role!  We're already on the list to camp out with them again in April, and I'm excited about it!

Uh-Oh! Look out She!!

Diesel loves when his friends come to visit!

RDB and I enjoyed a few of the park's many trails and the Nature Center, where you can learn more about the critters and ecosystem that the park supports, and even touch live baby alligators.   Brazos Bend is home to the American Alligator; we saw a few while walking around the paved lake trails (also unique to BBSP).  RandShe came out to fish, and bought along She's Dad - he had just flown in from Michigan leaving behind 5* weather for the lovely mid-70's.   Fishing wasn't that great - except for the ones that were literally jumping out of the water.  We might have done better  with a net rather than fishing poles.  At least the sunset was worth catching - RDB said it was one of his favorite parts to the trip - the panoramic pic up top was taken with his iPhone.



I'd have to say my favorite part of this trip was the Observatory.  It's an arm of the Houston Museum of Natural Science located on the park grounds.  You wouldn't think that you'd get a clear view of the sky just an hour south of all the light polution from Houston, but we were surprised with how clearly we could see the sky and stars.  Every Saturday night they open the telescopes for public viewing ($5 gets you access to all three). The 36" scope housed in the large center dome, unfortunately, was under repair, but we still had the opportunity to view from the East and West domes.  It was out of this world!! (no pun intended) We had the chance to view a star nebula that's located in the Orion constellation - and I'm serious when I say the pictures don't do it justice.  We also got to view Jupiter - yes! Jupiter the PLANET!! - And three of it's moons.  The photo below is the closest I could find to what it looked like in the view piece.  But even this is fuzzy - what you saw in real life was crystal clear and amazing!  We just might have to head out there more often....  It was stellar! ;-)

http://www.astrobin.com/full/13446/?mod=none

We were in site 113 - which had very little (read: none) morning shade, but is right beside overflow parking - which made the site a bit larger and perfect for all our stop-by guests.  I know I say, just about every trip, that this one will be on our list of 'go back again' but this one will for sure - next year with the camping club on Super Bowl weekend.  Oh, and by the way - the electric never went out on us while we were camping.  Too bad we can't say the same for the big game.

Happy 1st Birthday to our Guard Dobie.  Love this pup!

For more camping photos, go here.



Viral Zoonotic Neuroinvasive Disease

Rabies

There's hardly another word that strikes as much fear in the hearts of pet lovers as the word rabies.  But visiting the country, as we love to do, means that it's a possible fear we face with Diesel every time we go camping.  We've done what every responsible pet owner should do and have him fully vaccinated against this horrid disease.

(And just in case you didn't know how truly bad it can be, read this. *Warning: this link contains graphic pictures!* There's really no coming back from it.  Even if your pet goes through the required 6 month quarantine, he's not likely to come back your loving, well socialized best friend.)

I was heading down to Corpus Christi for work this evening listening to public radio and learned that Fort Bend County (TX) will be air-dropping rabies vaccines into the surrounding countryside.

Quoting from KUHF:

Fort Bend is the first county in the Houston Metro area to try an

oral rabies vaccine program. Small planes and helicopters will drop

about 42,000 doses. Each dose is about the size of a ketchup packet.

"And it's covered in fish meal, which does not smell very good,

but it attracts the animals. There's a gel vaccine inside of it. 

When they bite into it, it squirts into their mouth, and they ingest it,"

says Melanie Manville with Fort Bend County's Health and Human Services.

(Get the full story here, and a better picture of the drop area here.)

It appears that if the program goes over well, they'll roll it out to other areas of the state.  Seeing that Fort Bend County has has a relatively high number of skunk rabies cases confirmed year after year: 2011 (12); 2010 (5); 2009 (12) - this sounds like a good use of time and money.

I can't help but wonder, though, what all those 'ketchup sized packets' are going to do to the local environment and wildlife (birds and fish, and us!) that will inadvertently be exposed to it.

Bonus:  In my research tonight, I discovered

September 28th is World Rabies Day.