beauty – Texans Travel Life

November 15, 2018September 17, 2018

Stephen F. Austin State Park

By the time we visited Stephen F. Austin State Park, we knew the drill. There would be closures in the park due to Hurricane Harvey. We were prepped for that. We adjusted our expectations prior to arrival. We were ready to embrace whatever opportunities awaited us, and with that cranial approach, our visit to SFASP was a surprisingly pleasant experience!

I say surprisingly because the river portion of the park was closed, which meant no fishing, and like I have stated before, The Manling is happiest when he can drop a line in the water. But…

After talking with the most outgoing Park Ranger we’ve encountered to date – seriously, Bryan was super enthusiastic, a lover of birds and edible plants, and just so happened to know his park backwards and forwards, so he completely hooked us up with some stellar hikes in his breathtakingly beautiful park – we headed to our first stop.

I’ll never look at trees “dripping” with something in the same romantic way. Ever again. Seriously.

The Barred Owl Trail was a compact dirt trail through towering trees draped with what The Manling thought was called Grandfather’s Beard (which he pointed out was Tick Paradise, which maybe wasn’t what I especially wanted to hear in the moment. “And it’s good as a fire starter, too.” Okay, then. That info will come in handy if we need to send smoke signals once the ticks descend upon us en masse.) Within the first five minutes on the Barred Owl Trail, we heard a massive flutter overhead. Looking up, we were shocked to see an actual Barred Owl taking flight! Owls being a favorite of The Manling, he thrilled at being able to see one so up close while my prevailing thought was What an aptly named trail! closely followed by We’re definitely not going on the Copperhead Trail then!

We continued on that wide trail to the Scenic Overlook, which was the closest we got to the Brazos River. It was both beautiful to behold and sobering to see the destructive potential that rivers bear on the areas surrounding them.

Our next stop was the Amphitheater, where we parked the car for our hike on the Opossum Loop, which sounded like a way less sinister trail than the aforementioned Copperhead Trail (which Bryan suggested would be a great hike for us to explore, but I was not having that name in the HQ, and even less so once we encountered the Barred Owl on the Barred Owl Trail). Park Ranger Bryan pointed out that the Opossum Trail featured 100′ tall cottonwood trees draped in vines that were a definite must-see, and he was right. They were magnificent and majestic and exquisite and stunning. I got a little turned around with the map and directions in general while we were on that looped trail, but thankfully I had an Eagle Scout with me so I was able to just enjoy the sights and sounds while he navigated us back to the Tiny Toyota Tardis (because the Yaris is bigger on the inside).

Look how utterly inviting the path looks as The Manling directs our steps into the blessed shade of those towering trees. Delightful!

I’m pretty sure this guy was stalking us.

Seriously the most serene, easy to follow trails through beautiful towering trees. SFASP knows how to do trails.

One more thing I want to point out is the fact that SFASP has the most adorable log cabin-type shelters in the existence of log cabin-type shelters. It totally looked like something out of pioneer America and if, by chance or plan, you find yourself in the area, I would highly recommend staying in their Log Cabin-inspired Tiny House Community. They would make such an adorable addition to your memory-making moments. Trust me.

Why We Love Stephen F. Austin State Park

Log Cabin Tiny House Village. Go back and look at the pics. Adorable, right? You can’t help but want to make those a part of your memories at SFASP.
Aptly Named Trails. How often have you hiked a trail and thought, Why’d they name the trail that? I didn’t see anything but this. Amiright? We saw a Barred Owl on the Barred Owl Trail. Which leads me to believe the Sycamore Trail has Sycamore Trees; the Opossum Trail has opossum; and that Copperhead Trail has (gulp!) copperheads. There are maybe about 6 miles of trail in the park, broken down into very doable loops or one-ways that are very well maintained. Enjoy exploring them!
Bryan. This guy has information in spades stored in his noggin. Use him. He was a wealth of information, super friendly, and he made our adventure sound like so much fun I asked him to join us! (He actually wished he could, but he was training a new recruit that day.)

Must Do’s

Stay. Tiny Log Cabin Village. How can you not?! They also have camping, RV spots, a cabin, and group barracks. I’m partial to the pioneering-type shelters, but you do you.
Hike. The trails are all manageable lengths for most anybody. The longest trail is only 1.25 miles and it’s marked as Easy. Get out there and explore, especially the Barred Owl Trail and the Opossum Loop.
Talk to Bryan. He’s your man for all things SFASP-related. And if you really want to speak his language, ask him about birds or edible plants.

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Stephen F. Austin State Park! Please share your thoughts on this magnificent park in the comments.

*In all natural areas, you are a guest. Educate yourself on what lives in the areas before your visits, always talk to the Park Rangers upon arrival and take precautions so that your experiences end as positively as ours.

July 30, 2018July 6, 2018

Falcon State Park

Texas is big. Colossal. Massive. Ginormous. YUGE (as President Trump would say). As a resident of North Texas, you have to get up early and ride like the wind if you want to visit South Texas – because geography. (Or go halfsies, spend the night in an airbnb RV on a rural ranchette in Llano, TX, and drive the rest of the way the next day so that you’re not all Hunchback of Notre Dame from hours on end in the car once you reach your faraway destination.)

Father’s Day weekend 2018, we went the halfsies route.

Being unfamiliar with the South Texas Plains, I took to the internet and researched the area we’d call home over the extended weekend prior to our visit. I was specifically interested in two things: 1) What slithery neighbors we might encounter of the zero-legged nature; and 2) Is human trafficking a concern (because since I first saw Taken with Liam Neeson, this has been a back-burner concern of mine, being a mom of two attractive daughters). I researched, read, and then reached out to Texas Parks and Wildlife a couple of weeks before our trip because my diligence uncovered an incident involving drugs and pirates and kidnapping and I tend to obsess about such things. I was assured repeatedly (because I repeatedly asked the same question in varying detail about the aforementioned drugs, piracy and kidnapping – don’t judge) that they have had no incidents within their boundaries. That being the case, we booked a shelter with air conditioning (because, hello, it’s June in Texas) and prayed begging prayers that the no-incidents-within-the-park streak would continue through our visit. Because we’re myopic that way.

I called Falcon State Park on the road the day we arrived because we knew we would arrive after the HQ closed and we needed to know how to get into our locked shelter after business hours. Two things happened that were complete surprises upon our arrival: 1) We were greeted by State Park Police at the gate who were checking every single car entering the park; and 2) When we arrived at Shelter #9 – our home sweet home for the weekend – we discovered that the Park Staff not only left the light on for us by the door, but they had also turned on the a/c so that it would be cool upon our arrival. <3 The FSP Staff could not have offered a better welcome to their park for us – a feeling of safety and chill.

You served us well, air conditioned shelter #9 with the locked door.

Once we unpacked the Jeep, set up our beds, and ate our Fry-day dinner (Smith family camping tradition dictates deep fried food on our first night camping, which usually falls on Friday/Fry-day.), we headed toward the beach for some fishing. We parked at the boat launch parking lot, planning to do some shoreline fishing only to discover the water level wasn’t quite up to snuff. We prepped ourselves for some hiking to actually get to the water when a Park Ranger entered the parking lot. He explained that if we just drove through those trees there, we would be able to reach the beach in our Jeep.

Me: Um, really??? We’re allowed to drive our vehicle off road?!?!

At this point, I should probably point out that there are always, always, always taboo roads or paths at Texas State Parks and while your first instinct may be to explore them, the signage clearly indicates that it would be a no-no. This is the first time we have been invited to be “naughty” and explore off road and I’ve gotta tell you, we were having it!!

We navigated the Jeep past trees and deep ruts in the combo sand/dirt path, smiling and squealing like school girls as we were tossed about the interior of the car on our first off-road adventure in the Jeep. Not too far away, we saw several extra-large pick up trucks attached to boat trailers in what appeared to be the make-shift boat launch/parking area. We parked the Jeep beside one of the behemoth trucks and just as we were beginning to feel some size-related issues, the same friendly Park Ranger drove by and suggested we go further.

Friendly Park Ranger: Keep driving until you get to the beach. You can park over there.

Me: Are you for real?

Friendly Park Ranger: Yes, ma’am.

And we did just that, dear reader. We drove further off road. We parked on the beach. Like rule breakers. Like rebellious fisher-people.

And then, giddy and completely feeling ourselves, we fished. And photographed. And explored the beach. And watched as other awesome people did the same, but with jet skiis, kayaks and boats, too! It was the magic moment during our weekend spent shelter camping on the border of Mexico. Sure, we enjoyed the bat show in the evening and the peccaries that came to see us off at 6:30am, but that off road fishing adventure? That was epic.

Why We Love Falcon State Park

Air Conditioned Shelters. No need to let the Texas summer heat keep you from enjoying camping. Staying in an air conditioned shelter was a new experience for us and we loved it! The a/c worked so well in our beloved Shelter #9 that we felt like we needed more blankets. Awesome problem to have when it’s 100* outside! (Note: The outlets are very high on the walls, so bring an extension cord for electronics.)
Off-roading. The fact that you can drive onto the beach is priceless! Seriously awesome! (Just make sure you have a vehicle that can take the beating of the uneven, deeply rutted sand/dirt paths.)
Water. Fishing, kayaking, boating, jet skiing, swimming, wading…Falcon State Park offers it all!!
Wildlife. Fish. Butterflies. Bats. Scorpions. Peccary. We had some pretty amazing encounters, and all of them ended positively. Awesome!
Safe. Initially I was afraid, but this park takes safety seriously. Not only do they have Park Rangers, but they also have State Park Police and Border Patrol. Oh, and those bolted locks on the screened shelters are a nice addition.

Must Do’s

Camp. FSP’s peak season is winter when all the northerners head south for a milder winter. Take advantage of that during the summer months. We felt like we had the whole park to ourselves and we loved that! And with the Shelters with A/C, there’s no reason not to enjoy all that Falcon State Park has to offer, year-round.
Beach. Look for shells. Build a sand castle. Go off-roading (in an appropriate vehicle). Swim. Kayak. Jet ski. Fish. Boat. The water is where it’s at in the summertime in Texas, but FSP takes it one further and has a genuine beach! Felt like we were at the Gulf of Mexico for a fraction of the cost of vacationing there! You’re welcome.
Photograph. It’s too beautiful not to point out – the beach at sunset was gorgeous. The lighting, divine. The scenery, dreamy.
Explore. There are almost 3 miles of trails to explore, but there is a lot of beach, as well! The park has geocaching, which is one of my favorite ways to explore because it’s exercise with a purpose!

As The Man walked back to the car from the garbage, Kinder Frau pointed out the locals coming to say good bye.

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Falcon State Park! Please share your thoughts on this awesome border beauty in the comments.

*In all natural areas, you are a guest. Educate yourself on what lives in the areas before your visits, always talk to the Park Rangers upon arrival and take precautions so that your experiences end as positively as ours.

July 19, 2018June 25, 2018

Fort Parker State Park

Waking in the wee hours of a Saturday morning in mid-June 2018, the final four of our fam set out on a day trip to Fort Parker State Park in Mexia, Texas, with our family mascot, Rosie. The park promised a little something for everyone: hiking for The Man, fishing for The Manling, photo ops for Kinder Frau, frolicking for the Awesome Aussie, and history for The Mom.

Introducing our Awesome Aussie, Rosie. She loves swimming, running, barking, wallowing in dirt, peanut butter, and her family. She is up to an adventure anytime, anywhere.

We arrived about an hour after the HQ opened, one group out of a few checking in at that time. When our turn for some face time with the Park Staff came, we were made to feel surprisingly unhurried. No “treat ’em and street ’em” mindset at FPSP. Each guest is made to feel like a V.I.P. and that definitely deserves a shout out, in my opinion.

Once we were squared away with our registration, our Park Staffer helped us plan our day enjoying this new-to-us State Park. And that’s saying a lot because all four of us had different ideas of how that would be best accomplished. First off, he said, I would hike while it’s still cool. If you park by the Recreation Hall here on the map, you can easily get to the pontoon bridge here (circling it on our map) and then you’ll be on the Springfield Trail which will take you past the cemetery (a San Jacinto survivor is actually buried there!), Group Camping, Springfield Lake, the Dam – oh, and if you listen for the spring about here (pointing to the map), you can follow the sound to see the spring! – and then past the historical marker where…” All that to say, Mr. Park Staffer hooked us up with an excellent adventure that checked all of our boxes!

An example of some of the great trails at FPSP.

Following the Park Staff advice, we followed the Springfield Trail to all of those wonderful spots, which happen to contain signage along the way to educate adventuresome hikers like us on the unique history of FPSP. With our morning hike behind us, The Manling settled in for some fishing at one of the three spots that Mr. Park Staff highlighted on our map while The Man played fetch in the water with our Awesome Aussie (She’s quite ferrel when it comes to getting her country on.), Kinder Frau updated her online presence, and I got some reading done.

Shoreline fishing at “The Point,” which is just past the Recreation Hall. Nada. (A nearby fisherman told us he hadn’t caught either and was going to try the river near the boat launch.)

Rosie is a country dog at heart. She LOVES getting wet followed by a good wallow in the dirt and a nap.

Finding spot #1 a dud, we moved to spot #2, which looked to have a small Boy Scout troop getting ready for a canoe trip upriver. We cast in the full sun. We cast from a tree that had fallen into the water. We cast from the shade. We were using lures, corn and worms. Nothing. Because catching is more fun than fishing, I was about ready to throw in the towel and read while the guys continued their quest. I cast one last time in a shaded spot to the left of the boat launch and BAM! My bobber disappeared! I yanked and reeled her in only to find that my worm had disappeared, too! The Manling hooked me up with another worm and I dropped a line in the same spot. Within seconds, my bobber was underwater AGAIN. I yanked and reeled her in a second time to find my worm was MIA again. I asked The Manling what I was doing wrong. “Is my hook too large for this fish’s mouth, maybe?” No, it’s fine. You’ve just got to…(insert man-spanation here because – teenager). This song-and-dance continued for several more casts before I managed to hook something – the tree that was providing the shade over the water. While The Man helped me disengage my hook from the tree (via the snapped line method) and then repair my reel, The Manling thought he would drop his line in where I was getting the only action on the river. And BAM! The Manling quickly landed the thing that had been stealing my worms! Super happy for him, I offered him a heartfelt congratulations and asked him how he did it. Smaller hook, he replied sheepishly. Really, man? (In his defense, he truly felt guilty for catching “my” fish. I spent quite a while assuring him that I was just glad the little booger was caught and even more glad that he was the one that got to catch it. I think he was maybe feeling guilt about the mansplaining about how I was somehow fishing incorrectly when it ended up being the very thing I had asked him about, but I’m his Mama and I could exact my revenge when I wrote about it later. Patience is a virtue the old possess.)

This is another spot near the boat launch on the river that we fished.

I spy The Man, who found the shade of the trees to the right of the boat launch the best place to drop a line. (That tree in the foreground? That is all I caught that day.)

THE catch of the day was this little guy caught by The Manling in the shaded water under the tree I caught.

Why We Love Fort Parker State Park

Park Staff. Truly some of the finest people on the planet! Ours hooked us up! Our hike even did double-duty, checking off the physical with the historical!
Beautiful. One of the Boy Scout leaders that The Manling had early on in his scouting career said you should always take into consideration what you’re going to be looking at when you camp. Beauty is important. FPSP has beauty in spades and around every corner. It’s just gorgeous greenery against the backdrop of the water and the bluest skies. Every location is picture perfect.
Fishing. The Park Staff can direct you to where the fish have been biting lately, but we found the river to be our luckiest spot on our visit. FPSP also loans fishing gear for use during your visit. AND…they have worms you can buy at the HQ. They go out of their way to help turn your fishing into catching.
Rentals. You can rent canoes and kayaks at FPSP and really enjoy the water on hot summer days.
Hikes. Their trails are (mostly) wide with the shade of the tree canopy overhead. Plus hiking the Springfield Trail gives you a historical tour of the place at the same time. Win-win.
Trees. There are tall trees everywhere at FPSP and because of that, most of the picnic tables and camping spots are gloriously shaded.

Must Do’s

Springfield Trail. Did I mention how much The Man loves hiking and I love exploring the history of the area? This trail combines the two and throws in beauty, shade and water features. It might just be the perfect hike, so don’t rush. Linger. Explore. Enjoy.
Fish. Start at the river. Drop a line in the shade on the right side of the boat launch using worms that you just bought at the HQ. Trust me.
Camp. They have some EXCELLENT spots! We recommend #43 and #49 in the primitive area because they are really big; spots #13-16 at the end of the camping loop are equally spacious sites and provide privacy and shade in spades.

FPSP has some of the most beautiful views. They were literally everywhere, like this view of the lake from the Springfield Trail.

Pier fishing mid-afternoon proved hot and fruitless this trip. But a group of three buzzards came hopping around the fish cleaning station and then went under the pier for some shade. They reminded us of the buzzards in The Jungle Book – remember them?

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Fort Parker State Park! Please share your thoughts on this precious piece of paradise in the comments.

*In all natural areas, you are a guest. Educate yourself on what lives in the areas before your visits, always talk to the Park Rangers upon arrival and take precautions so that your experiences end as positively as ours.