When we arrived at the park we were surprised to find that the campgrounds was actually packed for the weekend. Apparently there were lots of people whom had the same ideas of taking advantage of the wonderful weekend weather we were having. Once we signed in at the park office we found our campsite and began setting up. While Michael and Dalton worked on setting up the tent I decided to take Cayden and Alyssa on a short nature walk to keep them out of the way. Conveniently there was a path that led right out from our campsite and met up with several different hiking trails. While on our short walk the kids were excited by all that they could see and find. We found some wild berries, animal tracks, burrows, a wild mushroom and bees pollinating flowers. Of course with Cayden and Alyssa the first questions about the berries and mushroom were "can we eat it?". LOL When we returned to the campsite we were delighted to find that the guys were finished setting up and all that was left for us to do was put our cots, mattresses, and bags inside of the tent.
(Wild Berries)
(Burrow)
(Bee Pollinating Cactus Flower)
(Alyssa & Cayden in the trees)
(2nd Burrow)
(Closer look at the burrow)
(Looking through the trees)
(Raccoon Tracks)
(Wild Mushroom)
(Deer Tracks)
(Our Campsite)
After setting up camp we all took a walk over to the lake area to see if we could find a suitable spot for fishing in the morning. Unfortunately in the camping area and with the lake being 6' below level right now there wasn't anything quite suitable for us. So after a short walk by the lake we returned to camp, Michael and Dalton set off to the local bait shop for some more worms, ice and fire wood and I took the little ones to play at the playground (which was conveniently just across the road from our campsite).
Once the guys returned from the bait shop we decided to fix a quick dinner of grilled hot dogs and sausage accompanied by some chips (yeah we like to keep things really simple. No plates or utensils needed.) and followed dinner up with a walk down some more nature trails. During this hike we were able to see some pretty amazing things as a family and were fortunate enough to capture some of it on camera. Of course there were more amazing plant life all around us but as we walked we were fortunate enough to come across some pretty amazing animals as well.
First on our tour we discovered that the area has plenty of these trees that are covered with what I would like to call 3" death spikes. If this is what they made Jesus' crown out of I have to say that I could really sympathize with the poor guy. These things are not a joke and can puncture tires.
Also along the paths were many more of cacti in full bloom as well as this next plant. I'm not quite sure what it is but it was sort of pretty and smelled nice.
As we continued along the path of course we were hopeful of seeing an exciting animal and continuously told the kids to be sure to stay with us and listen for any sounds that would indicate that an animal was nearby. It wasn't long before the kids were beginning to collect things they thought were cool when we came to a spot along the trail where you could tell that something had been rooting and digging beneath the trees. The smell here was horrendous. Seriously it was like walking through the stables of an uncleaned pig pen. You could hardly breathe without gagging but we pushed on through and was out of it within a matter of moments. Then it happened.....Dalton abruptly stopped everyone and said to listen. The bushes just ahead of us were moving and something was in there rustling around.
As we stood and watched and listened the bushes continued to rustle around but the culprit responsible could neither be seen nor heard making any other sounds. With everyone gathered together I told them to stay put as I edged cautiously and quietly further towards the area with my camera in hand hoping to catch a glimpse at whatever was in there. As I stood just feet away from the area and the grass continued to move it became clear that whatever it was was not alone but also had more with it. Then in a brief quick moment I saw a flash of grey and thought it was a couple of wild hogs. Immediately I told the others to begin backing away slowly and quietly but was still concerned because I still hadn't heard any grunting or other noise aside from the movement of the bushes and grass. So I called Michael forward telling the kids to remain where they were and together we discovered that the source of all of the noise and our fear was none other than..............................a couple of baby armadillos. **Phew that was close**
(In the center you can see the gray of the armadillo that I thought was a hog)
(In the center you can just make out the grey shell and tail of the armadillo)
After giving everyone a chance to take a look at the armadillos and a few minutes to settle down from the fear that we were going to have to run for our lives from some wild enraged animal we set off once more down the trail only to have to turn around a few minutes later because the path was flooded out. On our way back we continued to tread cautiously and I think that we were all listening just a little harder when off to our right, just through the trees and in an open field area we watched as three dear were sprinting past us at full speed. Unfortunately they were too fast for my camera to capture them and by the time I'd tried to get a picture they'd already disappeared from sight but not before everyone had a chance to see them. A little ways down the path again with Michael and Alyssa in the lead a large rabbit hopped out in front of them and again was gone before we could get a photo. With the feeling of excitement all around us we continued following the trail back towards camp. As we came to a dirt road we'd crossed earlier we could see a small animal just off to the right side of the road in the grass. With permission from Michael, Dalton sprinted down the road to see if he could find out what the animal was and just as he reached the point where the animal had run back into the woods something else emerged from the left side of the road. We all stood and stared in silence while trying to motion to Dalton to turn and look behind him cautious not to scare it away. In confusion Dalton began walking back towards us and the new animal continued to stand and stare. As I walked towards Dalton he tried to shout that what he ran after was actually an opossum but quickly I shushed him and told him to turn and look. Standing just to the left side of the road we were on was a deer and it was just standing there staring back at us. I tried zooming in as far as my camera would and was able to get a couple of pictures of it before it ran off (accompanied by a second deer) but not well enough to see any major details.
(Dalton running to catch the animal on the side of the road. Notice in the background all you can see on the left is the tree line)
(Now on the left behind Dalton coming out of the trees in the far back is the deer)
(Now the deer is in the clearing still near the tree line to the left)
Once the deer were no longer in our range of sight we set back on the path headed back towards our camp site. The sun was beginning to set, the temperature was dropping and we were ready to light our fire. Now even with all of the excitement of seeing the animals along our nature walk, I have to admit that sitting around the campfire and roasting marshmallows is probably the most favorite part of the camping trip for the kids. It's just not camping if they can't get all gooey and sticky and sugared up just before bed.
By about 10:30pm everyone was pretty wiped out from the days activities and with the fire dying out we all decided to head off to bed. Michael and I were in the main tent with Cayden and Alyssa while Dalton was on the other side of the campsite from us (near the road and away from the trees) in his own tent. We were already aware that the night was supposed to get chilly, which is why I made sure everyone packed warm pajamas, but we were in no way prepared for how cold it actually got. Well at least I wasn't. The temperature for the night must have dropped down to around 50 degrees outside. The kids were both wrapped up all snug and warm in their sleeping bags and had no trouble sleeping. Michael was wrapped under a blanket and his jacket and seemed to be fine but I on the other hand was under two (yes 2!) fleece blankets dressed in pajama pants, a t-shirt and a zipped hoodie. I had the hood pulled as tight as I could get it around my head, ears and neck and had the blankets wrapped around me so tight that I probably looked mummified and I was still freezing. Through out the night the temperature continued to drop and I continued to lie awake shivering and listening to the sounds of nature all around me. There were birds that made this weird whistling noise that kept talking back and forth with each other, there were owls hooting, and of course the howling of the coyotes. Now as far as the animals go, it really doesn't bother me to hear them. If anything it sort of fascinates me and I generally sleep poorly at night anyways so the "calls of the wild" were pretty much just a distraction from the constant shivering that I was feeling. As I continued to lie there through out the night and drift in and out of a frozen sleepiness I could periodically here other sounds of vehicles driving by, people talking as they walked to and from the restrooms and finally a noise that jerked me straight out of a dreamy sleepy state and into a wide awake and alert state.
About 2am I heard a sort of grunting noise followed by a rustling sound that sounded as if something were in our campsite and either messing with the other tent or with the table cloth on the picnic table. Quietly I laid in our tent listening for the sound to happen again so that I could determine whether or not to wake Michael when just as before there was a *snort*snort* followed by the movement of Dalton's tent. Immediately I began to worry that a wild hog had entered our campsite and was terrorizing Dalton but then realized that if something were Dalton would probably be screaming his head off by now. So I lay and waited and sure enough a few moments later *snort*snort*jumping tent*. With a quick peek outside I quickly discovered that the wild hog in our site was in fact Dalton. He was sleeping and something would disturb him which would result in his snorting type snore followed by him jumping in his sleep causing the tent to jump. This went on with him for about 45 minutes and I so regret not bringing the video camera with us. All I could do was lie in our tent and laugh. Finally when I couldn't laugh any more and I had no other choice but to leave what little warmth I had in my blankets so that I could go to the restroom I grabbed my flashlight and stepped out of my tent. The light from my flashlight of course woke Dalton and after a brief reassurance that all was okay he went back to sleep and I made my way through the dark and down the road. When I got back Michael was awake and was setting up the butane heater we'd brought in hopes of taking the "chill" out of the air inside of the tent. As for Alyssa and Cayden, they were still sound asleep; warm and snug in their sleeping bags. By 7am however they were both cuddled up between Michael and I trying to stay warm.
(Cayden sleeping @ 4am)
(Alyssa sleeping @ 4am)
(Cayden snuggled with Daddy @ 7am)
(Alyssa is snuggled up with me @ 7am)
(Doesn't she just look cold?)
With the sun finally up Michael got the campfire going again and everyone was ready to warm up and have some breakfast. On the menu was your choice of pop tarts, fruit bars or rice crispy treats. Again we just like to keep it simple. Topic of discussion: where to go fishing.
After breakfast Michael loaded Alyssa and Cayden into the truck with him and headed out in search of the "perfect" fishing spot. While they were gone Dalton and I were left to entertain ourselves at the campfire. So in the spirit of entertaining myself I snapped the following pictures:
(This leaf was next to the fire pit and thanks to 8 years with Michael and having kids that are addicted to Star Wars I immediately noticed that the leaf bore a strong resemblance to the head of General Grievous)
(This one is my interpretation of what it would be like to look into the caverns of a volcano)
By 9:30am we were out at the floating fishing pier which was located at the Bluebonnet Day Use Area. We spent a few hours out here trying to catch something but the only thing we managed to catch was one small catfish. It was actually quite windy out and the fish just weren't biting. But the area there was really nice and Alyssa and Cayden had some fun running around and playing.
After fishing it was back to camp for some lunch then to pack everything back up into the van.
(Cayden didn't want his napkin to blow away. LOL)
Upon leaving the campsite and state park we decided that since we were out in Cooper, TX (we used to live here) we'd drop by and see if some friends of ours were home. Luckily for us they were and we were able to spend the evening hanging out with them before we had to return home. We really do love and miss the Huie family and the kids just love everything there is out on their farm.
(Poor Cayden was whooped from the morning and was sleeping when we got there)
Alyssa making friends with Duke
Dukes as big as she is!
Cayden woke up just in time to see one of the dogs eat a bug
Now he's making friends with Duke
Here they're giving the German Sheppard puppy some love and attention
Bobby discovered some baby birds nested on his tractor so they fed them some fishing worms
He's an ass alright but loves attention
It was a great weekend that ended with some great Chinese food for dinner. The kids were all in bed and asleep early and since everyone was already tired from the trip we opted to do my birthday cake tonight. Now we're thinking about doing it all over again for Memorial Day.
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