Know before you go - a park drive thru video.
We were in Site #59 - 50a/water.
Monday, May 17, 2021
Sunday, May 16, 2021
Camping Cache: Abilene State Park and Buffalo Gap
Found:
Can you See me Now?
Nite Time on Elm Creek Trail
TGT: Buffalo Gap
This trip included our first night cache - and it was really neat! Nite Time on Elm Creek Trail starts at the the parking lot of the Elm Creek Trail in Abilene State Park. From there, wait for nightfall and grab your flashlights. As you start down the trail, you're watching for small round white reflective dots - that during the day, you likely wouldn't even notice!
So, with our favorite flashlights in hand, we took off for an owl prowl with a prize at the end!
We did meet a furry friend along the way.... I think he was "deer in the headlights" frozen mid-bite!
We continued on, looking for the small white reflective dots, on limbs, on guardrails, tree trunks, and wooden steps...
Until we finally came along to an orange reflector (signifying not to continue further down the trail, and several white reflectors all on one tree.
And there it was! (Have I mentioned, I love ammo can sized caches?! Sooo much easier to find, especially at night!).
And I'll be the first to admit, I was pretty excited to bring home a token of our first night cache - THOR! Seeing that we began to feel the drops of rain from the thunderstorm in the distance with its lightening strikes, it was only appropriate that he come home with us!
We'll definitely keep our eyes open on future trips for other nite caches - the added element of the reflectors and mystery of wondering what creatures you might meet along the way were an added part of enjoying this sport!
Friday, May 14, 2021
All the Riches All Around You
Sometimes, I struggle with the effort it takes to GO camping. The planning and preparation, the long drives, setting up and breaking down, the unknown challenges along the way.... but every time I look out the window or read back thru the pages of this blog, I'm reminded about how much it's all worth it: to be able to enjoy this incredible planet we inhabit, to be amongst nature and friends and with RDB, to have the ability to travel and relax and really take a moment to just be.
I was struggling this week with keeping our planned camping trip. I gave huge efforts and energy into two days of spring VECCON at work after RDB and I had trauma-filled start to the week. I had a steroid shot in my shoulder on Monday, and though the procedure itself went fine, the recovery did not: the nurse gave me fentanyl for pain and my breathing tanked from a regular 12-13 breaths per minute down to just 3 breaths per minute. The nurses had to keep reminding me to BREATHE. The more I think back on it, the scarier I realize that was. Add to that, Tali spent the night at the ER vet with the same symptoms that Toby was exhibiting the evening before he died. She and I are both ok now, but it was a long, emotional week for all of us.
We had plans to go to Abilene State Park with D&V for the weekend, and by midweek I was wavering back and forth about going. Friday morning we decided, yes, we'll go, but we'll add in a stop-over about halfway at a KOA Friday night so that we don't have to drive the full 5 and a half hours after work.
It worked out rather well - RDB got us into the Leander/NW Austin KOA Friday evening around dark; we didn't even unhook since we knew we'd be up and out again to finish the road trip over to Abilene to meet up with D&V. He was so worn out by the drive that I volunteered to hook-up our hook-ups (for the first time, ever! And y'all? It's not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be!) We ventured over to the Cracker Barrel for lunch on the way out - and with a wait of over an hour, we made good use of our parking spot and our fold-out camping chairs!
We were listening to "How to Own your Own Mind" on Audible along the scenic drive. The first chapter is a conversation with the author and Andrew Carnegie about the mentality of creative imagination. I was struck by Carnegie's comments about wealth: he didn't see his riches as the monetary gains he had achieved in life, but in the wisdom he was imparting thru the course of this book. RDB and I both were grateful for men like him who made it a point to see the value in people vs things, and, much like Rockefeller, had a vision to invest for the future.
We made it into Abilene around 5pm, with D&V waving to us as we drove past and into our spot. We got settled in and walked back over to their site to hang out for the evening. RDB and I made the decision to leave Diesel at daycare so we could have a restful "vacation" of a trip, but D&V had brought Obi and Revan with them. Rev is Diesel's blood brother from a litter about two years before Diesel's - so he's an old man of 11+ years at this point.
As the evening wore on, they brought out the SkipBo cards and taught RDB and I how to play. Y'all - D is _super_ competitive! There were a few times that evening where she just about trounced all of us for making moves that benefited the next person in line, or didn't work in our own best interest.
It was great to see her smile and laughing; about a month ago D&V lost their young adult daughter, Corbin, to suicide. We've been heartbroken for them and knew this trip would be healthy and good. It was sweet to have the chance to talk with both D and V Sunday morning about Corbin, her love for the lotus flower and her narwhal tattoo. Though we never had a chance to meet her, I could see the love and light that she shined through the memories of her mom.
Sunday morning we all lazily got up and around. D&V packed up and took their rig back home (only 30-ish minutes away - how nice!) and RDB and I spent the better part of the afternoon exploring the park. Several camping loops and the nearby Lake Abilene make this park a perfect getaway. You can even rent your own yurt!
The CCC built several structures in the park back in the mid 1930s which still remain today, including a full sized swimming pool and a stone water tower; the nearby plaques state that the swimming hall was built first, and due to a slight miscalculation, there wasn't enough water pressure to flush the toilets so they had to build a water tower.
Rather than just adding an unsightly metal tank to the top of the building, the CCC built a separate tower nearby. Though it isn't used to hold water today, it still stands as a reminder of what communities can do when they are focused around a central cause.
RDB and I did a bit of geocaching as well - including our first night cache! It was really a neat add-on to an evening owl prowl.
We drove in to Abilene and enjoyed a nice dinner with D&V and several friends at Lytle Land & Cattle Sunday night. Though it was a bit of a wait for the large group, the service was excellent and the food was delish! We were treated to a beautiful sunset as we said our goodbyes and headed back to the campground.
The incredible colors in the sunset were such a joy to watch, as it changed from flaming oranges to dark navy. Everything this trip just felt so vibrant in color.
From the shades of green in the trees that lined the park roads...
...to the yellow cactus flowers along the drive...
...to the red of the clay-filled water in Lake Abilene...
...to the purple of small wild flowers....
...to the pink of the sandstones in the CCC buildings...
...to the white puffy clouds and the bright blue sky.
Monday morning we woke to a significant rainstorm, but RDB and I didn't let that dampen our plans. (We just slept in anyway... like we always do!) We took a short trip into Buffalo Gap to refuel the truck and have looong lunch at The Gap Cafe before coming back to pack up and start the long trip home to Houston.
There was so much about this trip that was genuine and sweet. I couldn't help but feel so connected to nature and the beauty that is all around us, shared with dear friends. Truly, to me, those are the riches of our life.
Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sun sweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth
The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends
We were in site #59 inBushy Trail loop at Abilene State Park, 50a/W. Lovely amount of shade over top the camper, a rig any taller than ours might have trouble with the big trees and branches, but it was perfect for us. Situated in the back of the loop, there was little to no traffic around our site for the majority of our stay. Even with the massive amount of rain on Monday morning, the site stayed relatively dry - the red clay dirt drains well so there's not a tone of mud around. We look forward to coming back again to hang out with D&V and have a bit more time to explore Abilene.
For more camping pictures, go here.
Saturday, April 17, 2021
Park n’ Drive: Caddo Lake State Park
Know before you go - a park drive thru video.
We were in Site #19 - full hook-ups.
Friday, April 16, 2021
Got an Itch to go Camping?
Lush, dense, green, glorious foliage., oh, so beautiful..... but don't let it fool you! Being in nature this weekend was the height of my worst nightmares.....
....because the vast majority of that lush ground cover you see there is my worst enemy:
Poison Ivy.
RDB and I pulled in long after dark to Caddo Lake State Park and were startled to realize the the campsite we had booked was literally surrounded with ivy. Growing up the trees in mature vines, popping out of the ground in little leaflets, crawling criss-cross around the site with no safe place for Diesel to run around and sniff. And just _looking_ at it was making my skin crawl.
Remember the three ways to determine if it's actually poison ivy (and this site had examples of _all_ of them):
Leaves of three? Leave it be!
Hairy vine, ain't no friend of mine!
Leaves like mittens? Itch like the dickens!
Y'all, I was itching just _looking_ at the stuff!! Needless to say, the little time we were at the campsite, I was either in the dead middle of the paved road or hiding the camper. It. Was. Everywhere!
RDB and I took a walk along the only non-ivy-ed safe place: the water! Caddo Lake State Park isn't actually on Caddo Lake, but there are a few ponds within the park. You can even rent a kayak or canoe from the park office if you like. RDB and I just enjoyed walking out on the dock in the cool early afternoon air.
We had plans for Saturday to head over to Sis & TJ's house for a brisket cookout in the evening. They live just 30 minutes away, across the Louisiana state line and Dad and Bunny were there for the weekend, but we hadn't told them RDB and I were coming up, so it was a sweet surprise to show up and be there for the evening with family.
Sunday morning RDB, Diesel, and me slept in, lazily went for a walk, and then off to fuel up the truck before getting ready to head back home. Diesel may not have understood why he couldn't go sniff every tree or step off the pavement, but I really didn't want to have to use my Poison Ivy First Aid kit.
When we got back from our errands, we noticed the lights were out in the camper - come to find out, the entire park had lost power. Bummer. It was a good thing though, because it gave us an excuse to walk one site over and chat with the park host, Chester (hi again!). He'd just moved over to this park about 18 days ago. We talked with him a bit about the surprise of poison ivy everywhere, and come to find out, it's protected by the state as winter food for the birds. Ugh, go figure! He'd already gotten an exposure rash in jut the two short weeks he'd been there, so I shared several packets of the Ivy-X pre-contact wipes Mom had discovered a while back, and I'd added to the camper, just in case.
With the power out, we decided to hit the road and head back home. I'm blogging as we drive and it's been a beautiful day over here in East Texas! Though we may never come back to Caddo Lake (oy, the poison ivy - I'm still shuddering over all of it!) we certainly love the piney woods of Texas.
We were in Site #19 at Caddo Lake State Park. Full hook-ups, three legos unlevel, and a tight squeeze between the tall pines on both sides (once we put the slides out, there was no room to walk between the trees and the camper). Lots of space and privacy between sites and the park was utterly beautiful, green and lush, but the poison ivy literally surrounded the site - you could get to the fire ring and picnic table, but that was it. This park is for the birds, y'all!
For more camping photos, go here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)