rocks – Texans Travel Life

September 13, 2018August 21, 2018

Franklin Mountains State Park

We made four major memories at Franklin Mountains State Park when we visited in July 2018.

We got lost. Waze, who had become our BFF on our West Texas Road Trip by navigating us through the middle of many nowheres for five days straight and diverting us around a parking lot situation on I-20 in Odessa on day one, kind of let us down on the day we pointed the Tiny Toyota Tardis (because the Yaris is bigger on the inside) toward El Paso’s Franklin Mountains by not intuitively knowing we meant the Tom Mays part of the park. On the flip side, she did get us to the HQ, which hooked us up with the likes of Erika the Office Manager and Ranger X (for Xavier – how cool is that?!) and they not only showed us how to get to the part of the park that we wanted, they also talked us through some great options once we got there. So, serendipity. (To aid you in your adventure, use this address in your map app – “Tom Mays Park Access Road” – to get to where the adventure is in Franklin Mountains State Park. It’s on the opposite side of the mountain from the HQ.)
FMSP is serious about mountain biking, offering a fix-it station at the Beginner’s Loop!
We mountain biked. I mean, we had burdened the Tiny Toyota Tardis with a heavy bike rack, our bikes, and The Manling’s fishing gear for days of driving up and down mountains, along rough dirt roads, across jarring cattle grates, and through stop-and-go big city traffic. And now, now we were finally getting to use them! Ranger X suggested the Beginner’s Loop to test our skills (because it was the most level), so that was our first stop. We figured we’d get a taste for what we were in for before we progressed to the more advanced trails. Ranger X did us a solid. The Beginner Loop is no joke, people. It was a barely discernible, teeny-tiny, twisty-turny trail through sharp cactus and over even sharper loose rock that caused us to skid and slide our way around it until I popped my chain. Twice. And got a flat. Back at the car thirty minutes later, we felt like we’d had a proper sampling of what mountain biking in West Texas was like and we were good. As in, done.
We paused at the entrance to the Beginner’s Loop to take in the spectacular view of the Franklin Mountains. Note: The beginning is the only wide portion of the trail you’ll see.

The Beginner’s Loop was the most level of all the trails, but it was a narrow, slippery ride that left me questioning my mountain biking prowess.
We hiked. We headed to the various trail heads next to get a sense of which one(s) we would tackle in the nearly-noon heat. Ranger X suggested we check out the Aztec Caves Trail or the Cottonwood Spring Trail. After a quick drive by of both, the Manling was feeling the Cottonwood Spring Trail. Since he was already feeling the effects of the heat from our mountain bike ride on the Beginner’s Loop, I just went with it, no questions asked. Long story short, we never made it to the lone cottonwood perched up on the rocky mountain’s side, clearly visible from the parking lot. And also clearly farther away than it looked, especially in temps that soared above 100 degrees. We made it about halfway before deciding that even if we continuously chugged the rest of our electrolyte-filled waters, that would not be enough to replenish our bodies for the remainder of the hike. We reluctantly retraced our steps back to the parking lot, the cold a/c of our vehicle, and drown our defeat in still more electrolytes in an attempt to recover from #4.
Heading up the rocky Cottonwood Spring Trail full of hopes and dreams

And heading back down the rocky Cottonwood Spring Trail, dehydrated and deflated
We suffered heat-related exhaustion. I don’t know how we could have prepped for a better outcome because we sucked down electrolytes all the livelong day like we were doing a paid endorsement, and we make sure our foodstuffs provided prime nourishment for our bodies so that they would be up to the tasks we asked said bodies to do. Maybe it was the time of day. Maybe it was the over 100 degree temps. Maybe it was the dry, West Texas heat. I don’t know. All I have to share is this, Be Aware. Heat exhaustion is real. When you go out and about and start to feel yourself struggle, Go Back. Live to adventure another day, my friend.

Why We Love Franklin Mountains State Park

Mountain Biking. If this is your thing, go for it! In my opinion, the trails are for experienced mountain bikers, including the Beginner’s Loop. Word to the wise – bring extra tubes because the rocks and cactus are sharp. You’ll need ’em.
Hiking. Excellent trails like the Cottonwood Spring and Aztec Caves await you. One thing I really liked and would make me return is that we never made it to our destinations. And you can see the caves as a gaping hole in the mountain from the parking lot and that kind of is an irresistible draw. Same for the Cottonwood Spring – you can see one, lone Cottonwood on the side of the mountain and you just HAVE to go to it. Wear good shoes. And drink plenty of electrolytes.
Park Staff. Office Manager Erika, Ranger X, and Ranger Geoff (whom we met in the Beginner’s Loop parking lot) were all top-notch human beings. Make sure to meet them and take advantage of their knowledge of the park to help plan your adventure in it.
Mountain Pass. Make sure you mistakenly start at the HQ so that you can ensure the drive through the Franklin Mountains pass, which was fun and beautiful and a little humbling when your car is struggling to the top, but totally worth it.

Must Do’s

Trails. They have long trails, short trails, bike trails, foot trails, even trails, steep trails. They have all of the kinds of trails you could imagine at FMSP. Go explore!
Hydrate. Talk to the Park Staff before your visit for suggestions on how to not have to cut your trip short like we did. It is seriously hot. And it is seriously dangerous to under-prepare. Educate yourselves before you go.

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Franklin Mountains State Park! Please share your experiences at this hot-to-trot State 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 5, 2018June 21, 2018

Continuing in the tradition of transparency in sharing our adventures, I confess that our visit to Longhorn Cavern State Park in early June 2018 was not all it could have been. The big attraction at LCSP is, after all, the cavern. And we didn’t tour it. (Like I shared here, Texans Travel is a passion project and at the point of this writing, funded solely by The Man – God bless him. The pictures on the State Park website look truly amazing, but $17.50 per person to take a gander at the same up close & personal was too rich for our budget.)

After a much needed bio break following the drive to Longhorn Cavern State Park, The Manling and I made a beeline for the long-haired mature lady behind the information counter. She naturally asked if we were there for the cave tour (like the dozens of others buzzing about the gift shop). A tad bit embarrassed that we weren’t, I asked if there was anything else to do at LCSP other than tour the caverns. To my surprise, she smiled and said Absolutely there is! After reaching for a copy of the Park Map, she highlighted a great walking tour of the park that very conveniently began just outside the back doors to the building – which she walks or bikes every night with her husband and dogs. Because she lives there! She genuinely seemed glad that we wanted to explore her park and didn’t give us even the slightest vibe that she thought we were nut jobs for coming to a cavern and not looking at it.

In no time, The Manling and I were out the back doors and on the trail. A delightful trail, too! It was completely shaded, except for a patch around the middle, which made our exploring all the more pleasant. The trails were mostly wide dirt paths with a few rocky points thrown in for good measure. They were well-marked. And we even saw a few people along the way, also enjoying the one thing to do at LCSP besides the cavern tour. When all was said and done, I commented to The Manling that while I couldn’t have visited with a stroller when he and Kinder Frau were wee creatures, they would have loved running through the treed trails and climbing over the rocks as preschoolers and little folk.

Why We Love Longhorn Cavern State Park

Park Staff. I say it so often it’s becoming my mantra, but the Park Staff love their park. They want you to love it, too. Talk to them, even if you’re embarrassed that you’re not doing the expected while you’re there. They will inevitably have alternative ideas to make your visit a memorable one.
Trails. Shaded. Pretty. Kid-friendly. Great photography ops (though ironically I took no photos. The Manling and I were enjoying the sights and sounds on the trail and were obviously engrossed in super important conversation, which supersedes the need for remembering to snap pics on my iPhone.)

Must Do’s

Enjoy the Trails. There is shaded beauty awaiting you on the LCSP trails. They are well-marked, short trails that all intersect to make a longer trek if you’re game. See why our long-haired hostess enjoys them nightly with her hubs and pooches.
Tour the Cavern. I cannot speak from personal experience, of course, but I feel like I’d be remiss if I didn’t encourage you to check them out. They are why there is a State Park there, after all.

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Longhorn Cavern State Park! Please share your thoughts on this underground gallery 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.

June 25, 2018August 30, 2018

Blanco State Park

We revisited Blanco State Park in early June 2018. The first time we went, we spent a third of the day tubing down the Blanco River on tubes we had rented from the park’s store for a nominal fee (see photo of our Tiny Toyota Tardis – because the Yaris is bigger on the inside – hauling our 4 tubes like a boss!), a third of our time swimming in the Blanco pool next to Falls Dam, and a third of our time fishing at the last dam on the northeast end of the park. That was such an excellent adventure we were excited to see how well BSP held up to our memories (queue the nostalgic photos, Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World, and my ginormous Mama tears for yesteryear).

Not much has changed; the little fishies like us at BSP and The Manling still likes catching them. (He’s so adorable as younger him!)

We all caught something our first trip to Blanco, even the Kinder Frau when she was much younger.

We entered the park after the HQ closed. After we checked ourselves in at the self-pay station, we immediately headed left along the Blanco River to the same dam we enjoyed fishing from years ago. There was a family fishing and swimming from the dam, so we began shoreline fishing the lower side of the dam – me with worms (made possible only because The Manling gentlemanly offers to place them on the hook for me because I don’t want to touch them – ewwwww!); him with lures. To make things interesting, I asked who he thought would catch something first – him with his fancy lures, or me with good old fashioned worms? We agreed it would likely be me (because, life) and we were both right! I caught a wee little thing not big enough to be away from it’s mother between some rocks off the little island near the dam. I dropped another in the same spot and bam! I caught another. And another. And another! About this time, I began to feel Mama-type feelings about showing my angler up, so I threw in the proverbial towel and prayed begging prayers that he would be able to catch something – ANYTHING! – before we left. And they worked! The Manling caught a cute little guy like the ones I had caught and then he finally – nay, gloriously! – hooked the very fish he had been hoping to catch the past few hours (photos below; cue the magnificent Hallelujah chorus as you feast your eyes on the two catches that redeemed the trip for The Manling because catching is more fun than fishing).

I think his little guy was bigger than all of my little guys.

The Manling kept his eyes on the prize and with hours of patience finally landed what he’d come to catch.

What We Love About Blanco State Park

Water. The Blanco River is the bell of the ball at BSP and for good reason. Tubing. Fishing. Swimming. Kayaking. The Texas heat doesn’t have to beat you down at BSP because there are a wealth of ways to enjoy long & lazy summer days on the Blanco River.
Fishing. I know I included it above, but fishing is The Manling’s love language so it gets it’s own category. Both times we have visited Blanco State Park, everyone has caught something. ‘Nuff said.

Must Do’s

Fish. Drop a line anywhere on the shoreline. Perch yourself across a dam. Walk across to the tiny island*. Grab a kayak or conoe. Our experience at BSP is that if you drop a line, they will bite it – which makes for an excellent experience for first time anglers and more experienced fishermen alike.
Tube. The all-day rental rate for a tube at BSP’s store is insanely affordable! Grab some friends/family, slather on the sunscreen and enjoy a lazy day floating down to the Falls Dam from the westernmost part of the park.
Swim. After tubing to Falls Dam, enjoy the swimming pool set into the side of the river/dam. Or swim in the Blanco River proper. Both are excellent ways to cool off.

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Blanco State Park! Please share your thoughts on this tubing/fishing/swimming family favorite Texas State 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.