Inks Lake State Park #3

The Backroads

Precious "Jesus" donkey standing in the bluebonnets. It's called a "Jesus" donkey because the hair on his back forms a cross.

It's late, I've been gone all day and I'm tired. Thought I could write, but I can't. My muse is stuck in a bottle and I can't find a corkscrew. Maybe tomorrow.

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I'm not sure, but I think I found the corkscrew.

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When I left you, we were leaving Inks Lake State Park, right square in the middle of all those lovely bluebonnets. We were prepared. Judy and I had little journal notebooks and pens so that we could jot down exactly what we saw and where we saw it, and of course there were fresh batteries in the cameras. Since that time I have misplaced that little notebook, but Judy who is our family keeper of everything has it all written down. I know all the general areas that we covered but if I mention anything specific you will know that I have called Judy and gotten the information. I did, however, retain all of my photos. Never lose sight of those important things.

We headed sort of north/northwest toward Lake Buchanan and found that every backroad we took was brimming with wildflowers...mainly bluebonnets. I think that 2007 must have been a banner year for the bluebonnets for we were not disappointed at any turn. Bobby was driving and was not used to my command of , "Stop, stop quick!" Therefore, we spent a lot of time backing up, because I found my self issuing that command quite often. He was a great sport and soon was anticipating our stops. He would see a bluebonnet growing inside a discarded old tire and realize that Judy and I would certainly want a picture of that. And so we passed our day driving slowly and stopping all around the Highland Lakes area...Lake Buchanan, Marble Falls, Fuzzy's Corner (Judy has that written down,) Kingsland, and a beautiful area between Longhorn Cavern and Inks Lake. There was no place we turned that wasn't full of beauty. We stopped to take pictures of bluebonnets in front of rocks, in front of old rotted trees, in the middle of cracks in the road, in pastures filled with the reds and yellows and pinks of all the other wildflowers. We stopped at a wonderful roadside park and had our lunch of crackers, cheese, bologna, pickles (Judy's homemade dills,) apples and oranges. We could not have picked a more beautiful dining room. There is never a day more beautiful than one spent with people you love in the middle of one of God's masterpieces. And that's where we were, in the middle of one of God's great watercolors.

What a great day! Late in the afternoon we headed back to ol' Trusty, our little pop-up who was quitely waiting for us to return to Inks Lake. Tomorrow, we were headed to Fredericksburg by way of the Willow City Loop.

Kicked back after a long day of starting, stopping and backing up

Inks Lake State Park #2

With visions of bluebonnets dancing through my mind, I picked up the phone and called my cousin and my best friend, Judy. I told her the plan. Skip and I were getting our trusty little pop-up hooked up and filled with all the neccessities for a wild (flower) weekend. I suggested that she and her husband Scrooge (actually his name is Bob, but we affectionately call him Scrooge because he really hates to get rid of those nickles and dimes,) might want to come along with us. Judy, who also packs a mean camera, was ready as always. It was just a matter of explaining to Scrooge that it really would not be all that expensive. They could
share our camper and we would split the cost of food. He finally saw the logic in our presentation and agreed to come along. I'm glad he did. We always have a good time.

They headed out from Ft. Worth. We headed out from Possum Kingdom Lake, and we met in the little town of Hamilton. Met up, had lunch and headed for Inks Lake State Park. One of the places to be for Bluebonnet season.

We got into the park in the early afternoon, and since we were there in the middle of the week (one of the great perks of being a senior,) we found a great camping site right on the lake and not far from a bathroom. I found that it's extremely important to be close to a bathroom after I took my diuretics by mistake with my evening meds one night when we weren't camped near a bathroom. That was maybe the least enjoyable experience of my camping days! About every hour I would reach over, gently touch Skip and whisper in his ear, "Darling (I made sure to call him darling,) would you like to escort me to the bathroom?" He was a great sport about it all, but since then we have made bathroom nearness a priority.

Anyway, our camp spot was beautiful and we parked our trusty little pop-up easily under the trees and set up camp. It was a most enjoyable site. It was quiet. Our neighbors couldn't hear our conversations and we couldn't hear theirs. That's a nice thing. The four of us enjoyed a quiet evening talking, playing cards, enjoying a spectacular sunset, and just being happy that we were all together. Then the four of us climbed into old Trusty for lights out and a good night's sleep. I have to admit, Trusty's facilities were a bit snug for four adults and a Big Yellow Lab. We slept on the bed, Judy and Bob slept where the table was supposed to be, and the dog had the floor. Difficult to step around the dog when you got out of bed, and of course there was no privacy. At our age, who needs privacy? We were happy to have a place to sleep.

Morning found us up and ready for the bluebonnets. Now, Inks Lake State Park itself is a lovely place to be, what with its dramatically beautiful pink granite outcroppings and it's Devil's Waterhole swimming destination. It was too cool for swimming while we were there, but during the warm months Devil's Waterhole is full of young people jumping off of ledges and climbing over boulders. Bluebonnets scattered about the park greeted us and invited us to just stay in the park for awhile, but we were in the Hill Country for the big show! And, big show is what we got!

We left Inks Lake and headed for the backroads...(next post.)

Sunset over Inks Lake from our campsite

Important Facts About Inks Lake State Park:

This is a very popular state park year round and reservations are highly recommended

There are 137 camp sites with water and electricty.

Many of these are right on the water.

Others are in easy walking distance.

Easily accessible bathrooms/showers

There are 50 water only sites

A number of walk-in sites

Mini-cabins

There are very good hiking and biking trails...some strenuous, some not so strenuous.

There is a 9 hole golf course.

There is fishing, swimming, scuba diving, water sports, and lots of wildlife (white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, Osprey, Bald Eagles lizards, etc.

Your best chance to see Bald Eagles is during mid-November until mid-March. The Vanishing Texas River Cruise near Lake Buchanan is the best place to view Bald Eagles.

It's an easy place to spend some time.

SKIP, KAY, DOLLY AND OUR TRUSTY LITTLE POP-UP

My husband, Skip and I love traveling the backroads of Texas and camping along the way. I travel with my camera around my neck and Skip travels with his foot on the brake! He has gotten really good at answering the command: "Stop! Backup!" We have a cute little pop up camper that's just big enough for Skip, me and our yellow Lab, Dolly. It's all we need. It's easy to pull. It's easy to set up, and it's easy to get into places that the big rigs cannot get into. We also get to meet a lot of people who are curious about our little rig. It's amazing how many people walk by our campground and ask if they can look at it. We're always happy to oblige and we end up talking and even sharing meals with people we would otherwise never have known. It's a good life!

We're not much into the "country club" campgrounds, we just like to be out in the country feeling the wind, listening to the birds and watching for wildlife. Of course, I am ever on the look out for a beautiful sunset or anything else that makes for a great picture. I have gotten some really fantastic pictures of birds and animals and places, and they are all within the great state of Texas. It is truly amazing what this state has to offer from the tip of the panhandle to the vast gulf coast. Then there is all the beauty that lies within the heart of the state. I never cease to be amazed at the variety of landscapes, animals, trees, flowers, birds and people. And, let me say right here that the people of Texas are some of the friendliest you will ever meet. Oh, there's a curmudgeon or two along the way, but if you take the time to talk to them you will find that deep down they really have a beautiful heart; however, there are some you might be wise to avoid. Like I said, Texas is all about diversity!

State flower of Texas: the beautiful bluebonnet