POSSUM KINGDOM LAKE #2

POSSUM KINGDOM LAKE CAMPING

Swimming area at Possum Kingdom State Park

I have been away from my blog for quite some time now...the computer had viruses, I had viruses all at different times. Don't know whether I gave my virus to my trusted friend the computer or if my trusted friend passed the virus on to me; nevertheless, we are now both well and up and running. Hello there Walsenberg!!!!!

I have noticed that a number of people who randomly happen upon my blog do so while searching for information about camping at Possum Kingdom State Park. I have done you a disservice. In my only post about Possum Kingdom I was talking about the Great Blue Herons nesting on a small island in the middle of the lake. Since we live on the lake, we seldom take advantage of the wonderful camping facilities at Possum Kingdom State Park. We have been there and if we did not have a home here, it would be one of our favorite places to park the trusty ol' chalet.

The park is a beautiful place. It is covered in cedar trees and most of the campsites are well shaded and private. Some have wonderful covered patios with a table in the middle...very nice.

Campsite with covered patio

Other sites are simply lovely places overlooking the lake. Most of the sites are right on the lake and they have primitive camp sites as well. I'm sorry that I don't have a park map so I don't have definite information about how many sites they have and how many have water and electricty. It is a fairly large park and I do know that most, if not all sites do have water and electricty. They also have nice clean restrooms with showers (that's important to me.) There are several cabins available for rent. Not sure, but maybe about ten. They are located near the day use area and the swimming area (no lifeguard on duty.) The day use area is roomy and located near the swimming hole...a great place for a picnic and swimming with the kiddos. Speaking of the younger set, there is lots and lots of space for riding bikes and also, some great hiking trails. Probably should watch out for rattlesnakes during the summer months. There is a small play ground area, nothing too exciting. They do have a basketball goal.


When you come to Possum Kingdom bring your boat. If you don't have one, you can rent one at the park or at several marinas around the lake; however, getting to one of the marinas will necessitate some traveling. The park is not near anything by land. But, it will be worth it to have a boat because Possum Kingdom is a really beautiful lake. You will enjoy just slowly cruising around enjoying the scenery and gazing with awe at some of the incredibly gorgeous homes that have been built on this lake. Most are not visible by land, but you can certainly see them from the water. Also, you are going to want that boat for fishing. Possum Kingdom was once known as one of the best fishing lakes in the state. Then a few years ago we had a horrible fish kill caused by Golden Algae. Many thousands of fish were killed. The fishing came to a halt; however, the lake as been restocked regularly and the fishing is coming back! We had friends up this past week-end (May, 09) and they both caught their limit of stripers and white bass. So, not only will you want to have your boat with you, you will be really angry at yourself if you leave the fishing gear at home.

Possum Kingdom is a great lake for water sports. It is deep and water sports entusiasts should not be in danger of underwater trees jumping up and grabbing them. Then of course, there is Hell's Gate. This is a landmark of the lake and truly needs to be seen by boat. Hell's Gate is located in a really deep part of the lake near the dam, and many of the extrodinary homes have been built there. This is also a BIG PARTY area during the Fourth of July weekend. Boats hook up to each other and people go from boat to boat for the continuous party. Can be dangerous, especially if alcohol is involved. But, lots of people show up and have a grand old time. The fireworks on the 4th at Hell's Gate are just an added bonus. There is also a fireworks show and huge party at Possum Hollow. This is probably visible from the park since Possum Hollow is just across the lake from the state park. You might just want to show up for their party. If you do, plan to go early and stay late. I'm not sure that your children would enjoy the party, but if you are a young couple (or old like me) you might have a good time. Lots of music, often with a live band, and partying with the fireworks showing up when it gets dark. Great fireworks! Just a short boat ride from the park (but I don't like to be on the lake at night on the 4th.) You could go by car, just head north toward Graham, turn right on FM 1148 and drive until you see "Possum Hollow" or all of the cars. It's a BIG party.

To get to the State Park coming from the Ft. Worth-Dallas area or the Abilene area, get on Hwy 180 to Caddo (there's not much at Caddo, but there is a sign telling you that you are there.) Turn north on 3253 (may also be listed as Park Rd 33) and follow the signs to PK Lake. Be sure you bring all of the provisions that you need because you will be a long way from any grocery store or Wal-Mart...probably 40-50 miles from Breckenridge or Graham. There is a park store which has most everything you may have forgotten, but not a lot of choice. The drive is nice. It's isolated and you won't see much except maybe an occasional flock of wild turkeys or a white-tailed deer.

If you want some really good fried catfish you can leave the park and head north towards Graham. Turn right when you get to FM 1148 and follow it around until you get to a sign that says "Fox Hollow" Turn right there and follow the road to the end where you will find a small restaurant..Fox Hollow. Their food is great and lots of time during the summer months you will need to have a reservation if you don't want to wait 20-30 minutes. The fried fish dinner is scrumptious but usually the fried fish basket is all I can eat. It's good! Then, if you are in the neighborhood on Thursday night you might want to stop at Papa's Wheelhouse for all you can eat ribs. Oh, my! Served with beans and potato salad. They usually have a live band on the week-end nights. You can't go wrong with either place. It's probably 20-30 minutes from the State Park. That's as close as you're going to find any food that's not cooked over the campfire. Speaking of food ( I do speak of food quite often) on your way to the lake if you have to go through the little town of Strawn...even if you don't have to go, you might want to make a detour...you must stop at "Mary's" The mexican food there is "to die for." The other food is great as well. The chicken fried steak is all you could ever want. It is definitely worth the detour for lunch or dinner. Believe me, people. Well, now I'm hungry. Guess I better go to bed before I raid the 'fridge.

So, hope this is helpful to all of you who are looking for information on Possum Kingdom Lake camping. Come on down!!! It's a great place to spend some time.

The mockingbird...state bird of Texas. Lots of these guys around Possum Kingdom.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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

~~~~~~~~~~

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.

Inks Lake State Park

Bluebonnets In Texas

Field of Bluebonnets near Brenham, Texas


There is no place more beautiful than Central Texas in the springtime! That's a fact. The highways and byways are loaded with wild flowers. The most prolific and the one that's guaranteed to take your breath away is the bluebonnet. It's the state flower of Texas and it fills up the fields and roadsides so thickly that at times you think you are seeing a lake of blue.

You will find bluebonnets all over Texas mid-March until mid-April, maybe early May. The one place where you will find them in more abundance than anywhere else, is the Hill Country of Texas. Could be the hub of the Hill Country is Austin. Whether you are coming or going from Austin, you're almost promised lots of bluebonnets; however, when you get out into the countryside around Austin you will be in for a spectaular experience.

The Highland Lakes area is just to the northwest of Austin and includes places such as Marble Falls, Burnet, Kingsland and Lake Buchanan. This is picturesque country and usually has lots of bluebonnets.

The Llano/Fredericksburg area is west/northwest of Austin and is home to some of the most spectacular bluebonnet displays. this area includes Llano, Fredericksburg and Stonewall. The LBJ State Park is located near Stonewall and almost always has a good wildflower display. The wildflowers of Texas were Lady Bird Johnson's passion and she did much to ensure that the Texas highways would be awash with color.

The Mason County area is northwest of Austin. It's a rural area with many backroads, stone fences and stone houses. They can make for great backdrops for the bluebonnets. This area includes the town of Mason and Fredonia.

The Washington County and Brazos River area is east of Austin. It includes the towns of Brenham (home of Bluebell Ice Cream,) Chapell Hill, Hemstead and Navasota. The area around Brenham and the Brazos River are often called the best wildflower scenic drives anywhere in Texas.

The LaGrange area is southeast of Austin. It includes the towns of Bastrop, Schulenburg, La grange and Fayetteville. South of La Grange in the vicinity of Hwy 77 you will no doubt find some excellent wildflowers. You will also find the "Painted Churches" trail in this area. Beautiful old churches with ceilings and walls painted many years ago by immigrant artists. A beautiful sight to see.

Yoakum and DeWitt County is east of San Antonio and April is the best time for viewing wildflowers in that area.

I'm giving you all of this information with the hope that you will gas up your car, hitch up your camper, strap that camera around your neck, and hit the backroads of Texas during the Spring. You're guaranteed to see wildflowers. Of course, the great abundance of flowers depends upon the amount of rain the area has received during the winter months. There is a Wildflower Hotline at the State Capitol. You can get it by contacting the state tourism department. And, right in the middle of all those bluebonnets in the Hill Country sits the charming Inks Lake State Park. More about that tomorrow. It's late. I need my sleep.

Lip-licking, longhorn in field of Bluebonnets near Brenham, Texas

GALVESTON ISLAND STATE PARK

GALVESTON ISLAND STATE PARK

I can't leave the Gulf Coast of Texas without remembering the fun times at Galveston Island State Park. It saddens me that as of today the park is still closed because of the devastation of Hurrican Ike. Ike literally wiped away a hugh portion of the city of Galveston and the gulf coast in that region. I know that the citizens of Galveston are doing everything they can do to restore their city, and hopefully the state will find the funding to restore the state park because it was truly a gem and a wonderful place to take children.

We traveled to Galveston Island State Park for a long weekend with our daughter Gailey, her husband John and six of our fifteen grandchildren. What a grand time we had...all hot and wet and windblown...but it was worth all of the bottles of sunscreen (we're a fairly light skinned bunch.) The kids played in the surf for hours and hours just falling on the waves and being washed to shore. They fished, they played on their boogie boards, they built sand castles, they hunted shells, some followed me down the beach as I tried to get a picture of a strange bird that kept eluding me. We ate hotdogs and all that other good stuff you get to eat when you are out camping, we played games, we fed the birds, we had a grand old time!

We took our trusty little pop-up camper and the kids took their tents. We had side by side sites. Each site had a wonderful shelter, so we had plenty of room to spread out. The beach was just a short dune away from our sites and the sound of the waves easily lulled us to sleep after a fun, busy day in the sun...except for one night. The second night we were there the rains came and they were not alone. They brought their frisky friend the wind with them. I'm talking WIND! Not much sleeping that night. Those in the tent were busy trying to hold it down and those of us in the camper were just hoping that the wind would not be strong enough to toss us over. We all emerged the next morning dry but a little less rested than if we had just been listening to the gentle lapping of the waves.

At the time we were there, the state park had 149 camping sites with picnic shelters and water and electricty on the gulf side of the park. Not all sites were immediately on the water, but all were within a very short distance. The beach was extremely clean and much less populated than the beach along the seawall in Galveston. There were restroom/showers scattered all about the camping area, but there were no trees, thus no shade! Across the road from the gulf side campsites there were twenty campsites and ten shelters all with electricty and water. These were situated on a small lake and adjacent to a number of hiking and birding trails.

All in all, it was a clean, fun park and a great way to spend a long week-end. Hopefully they will be able to have it up and running again soon. If so, it's a super place to spend some quality time with your family.

It was a fun-filled, short, long week-end!

CAPROCK CANYONS STATE PARK #3

OUR LAST TRIP WITH "HUNTER"

The dog traveling with us on this trip was "Hunter" our faithful old friend of 11 years This was his last trip. We now have a new faithful friend called "Dolly". She will never take the place of Hunter, but we sure do love her.




We finally got all those vehicles loaded and gassed up and started off on our lengthy drive to the Caprock Canyons State Park in far west Texas. It was after noon when we arrived and since all sites are on a "first come" basis, we were a little nervous about being able to find a good site for the tents. Not to worry! Even though there were a number of people in the park we were able to find two tent sites side by side in the Little Red Tent Camping Area. There are only ten sites in this area, and I think they are the best in the park. The site we really wanted was already taken when we got there, but would you believe by the next evening they had left. So, we just hurried on down to the office and changed our spots and there we were with the best two tent sites in the entire park. They overlooked a beautiful canyon with a shallow river running through it. It was a great place for the kids to meander along the river bed looking for whatever or pretending to be tracking the Commanches. At night we sat on the point in front of the tents laughing and talking and counting the stars. There are so many stars in the Texas sky after the sun goes down! It looks like pave diamonds. Having two sites side by side gave us lots of room for activities such as horseshoes or just kicking back in our big old
canvas chairs and reading or dreaming.






On the way into the park, we had noticed a riding stable advertising trail rides through the park and of course all the kids decided that was what they must do. So, Skip and the older kids went down to check it out and got it all set up for a trail ride the next morning. What fun they had! Now, I'm not into horses and trailriding so I contentedly continued my latest novel. When they returned later in the day all they could talk about was the beautiful scenery and what good horsemen they were. Now, I know for a fact that some of them had never been on a horse, but if they say they are excellent horsemen, I believe them. You know, genes go a long way back and I'm certain we had some really excellent horsemen in our ancestry. Not only can you set up a guided trailride, but if you are the type who travels with a horse trailer behind your pickup, Caprock Canyons has a special camping spot for you....complete with



corral and trails that can be ridden at your leisure. Anyway, the trailride was one of the highlights of the trip for all of the grandchildren. If you go to Caprock Canyons and you're into that sort of thing, then my family has several voices of encouragement. They say, "Do it!"

After the fairly long trailride everyone seemed slightly sore and stiff and ready to just sit around the campfire eating hot dogs and telling tall tales. We sat up until the camp curfew of 10:00 looking at the multitude of stars and telling stories with each person adding their own special version of the story. It was fun and it was great family time. Bed time came, and let me tell you something for which you need to be prepared: the wind! Springtime in west Texas means WIND. Not just a breeze, WIND. Make sure you have plenty of staves and ropes for your tent, make sure they are SECURE, and be ready to spend the night with the wind making strange noises and whistling through your tent. It's not a bad thing, just be ready for it.


Next morning after scrambled eggs, bacon and pork and beans (that's a must for breakfast every day you're camping,) everyone decided they wanted to do some hiking. Again, Skip and I are past the age of serious hiking; however, we do like a leisurely, maybe sometimes brisk stroll. So, it was decided that we would hike down one of the river beds. There were several areas of easy access, and the beds were all dry. This is a smart thing to do if you have small children or you are old like me. It was a great hike. The river beds were smooth with no boulders to climb and no inclines or declines, just straight, easy walking. Now, if there's a storm coming this might not be the trail of choice since these river beds can fill up rather quickly. Heavy rains are not that common in far west Texas, but just be aware. It was awesome to be at the bottom of the river bed and look up at the beautiful red rock formations .

lined with gypsum rising above you. It's a great time for discovery.

If you're really into hiking or mountain biking, Caprock Canyons is a good place to be. The older kids did some heavy duty hiking and related that the trails are beautiful and strenuous.
According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife website, there are 13 trails in all including 6 along the trailway. The trailway is an old abandoned railway that was donated by a railroad entrepreneur and turned into a trailway. It is 64 miles long (not necessary to hike it all at once). There are different starting points and destinations. Water is available at some points at the trailheads and developed primitive camping areas. You must carry water with you and use common sense on this trail. It is possible to camp along the trail if you wish, just register with the office. I understand that one of the really neat trails is the Clarity Tunnel trail. Round trip is approximately nine miles. On this trail there is an old abandoned railroad tunnel that is now inhabited by a population of Brazilian Free-tailed bats. They are usually there from April though October. You can contact the park office about good times and instructions before you go. Besides the Trailway, there are a number of trails inside the park that range from very difficult to moderate.

Our week didn't last long enough, but we all decided that it was a wonderful place to be and that we would return. We haven't made it back as of yet, but we will.

SOME THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

There are about 35 very nice, good size, well-manicured sites for camping trailers and RV's. These sites have water and electricity. Tent only sites do not have water or electricty.

Wheelchair accessible restrooms, picnic areas and campsites are available.
The restroom/shower building and a nice playground are convenient to the camping spots.
The restroom is nice and clean and the shower is clean with hot water, but not too much privacy--just a curtain that doesn't close completely. It's almost a certainty that a number of deer will show up around dusk at the play ground area. They're pretty neat to watch. Dogs are allowed but must be kept on a leash.
There are two developed tent camping areas...The Little Red Tent Camping Area (my favorite), and the South Prong Tent Camping Area. Then there are two primitive camping areas where you need to pack everything in with you. Some people really like this and I'm sure they see beauty that the rest of us don't see.. That's great. I'm just too old. Each of the tent areas has a single chemical toilet (looks like an outhouse). Not too bad actually; however, if you need to take a bath you will have to drive about three miles to the shower. You could walk I guess, but you would need another bath by the time you got back!

Then of course there is the Wild Horse Camping Area that has the equestrian sites. There are about 10 or 11 sites.

If I were you, I wouldn't even consider Caprock Canyons in the summertime. It's hot and the rattlesnakes are out! I'm serious about the rattlesnakes. If you are hiking in the late spring or summertime, I would suggest you wear long jeans and boots, and be careful where you put your hands while climbing. They can be very dangerous. We've not been there in the fall, but I'm sure that it is wonderful starting about mid-October. We were there in March, and I'm thinking March and April are good times to go.

There are a number of animals in the park: Mule and White-tailed deer, Auodad sheep, raccoons, coyotes, bobcats (we saw 2) foxes and opossums. Of course, the state Bison herd is also housed at this park. They have a LARGE acreage just for the Bison at the front of the park. They are not always easily seen, depends upon where they are grazing.

There is also a small lake near the front of the park (Lake Theo) where there is good fishing for bass and catfish.

DO YOURSELF A FAVOR. FIND TIME FOR CAPROCK CANYONS STATE PARK.

CAPROCK CANYONS STATE PARK #1

CAPROCK CANYONS STATE PARK

WOW!!!!

If you love the outdoors, you are GONNA LOVE THIS PLACE! No matter where you live, you are going to drive and drive and drive just to get to the entrance of this park. While you're putting all that mileage on your vehicle you're thinking, "Where in blazes is this place?" Well, let me tell you, it's a long way from any place but Turkey, Texas. As you drive these many miles of "not a lot" you can't help but wonder what kind of a park can this be...no trees, no flowers, just lots and lots of flat land as far as the eye can see.

You arrive in the little town of Quitaque, Texas, turn at the sign that says CAPROCK CANYONS STATE PARK and keep driving for a mile or so. Then, there's the gate. You drive through and you are still thinking to yourself, "Was there a reason we chose to come here? Who talked us into this?" Just about the time those thoughts pass from your mind, you see it, beautiful red rock canyons and rock formations. Oh, it takes your breath away. And now you're thinking, "I can't wait to tell my camping buddies about this place!" Just wait. The best is yet to come...the peace, the quiet, the stars that you feel like you can reach up and grab, and the total absence of any city lights. Oh, My! This is NICE!

We found Caprock Canyons by accident. We had been to Gruver, Texas (in the very top of the Panhandle) to the funeral of a family member. On the way home we had time to spare so we decided to take the route that was designated "scenic" on our Texas map. That was Hwy 207 right straight out of Gruver. Now, it takes a long time to drive that highway until you get to the designated "scenic" part of the map. Even after you get to that part of the map you are wondering if maybe the map maker didn't make a mistake in labeling this area. We drove and drove and occasionally I would say, "Oh, Skip, Look! Way out there on the horizon...there's a windmill!" And of course we saw a few cattle and acres and acres of land with great irrigation sprinklers covering them. But the main sight was the horizon where the blue of the sky met the brown, and sometimes green, of the land. As we were laughing about how scenic this route was, the earth suddenly opened up in front of us. It was amazing. It was breathtaking. It is hard to describe. An author named Henry Chappell once labeled it as "Mountains Beneath the Plains."

That's what it is. Deep canyons with pinnacles rising to the top of and sometimes above the highway. And, the highway dipped and curved and ascended and was totally "scenic." We were not disappointed. We continued along this path, pulling over at ever possible point so we could enjoy this beautiful, stark landscape knowing that it would soon end and we would be back to the flat plains of Texas. It did end. And, about the time it ended, Hwy 207 ended and we turned left on Hwy 656 toward the little town of Quitaque. When we reached Quitaque it was getting late but we saw a sign for Caprock Canyons State Park. Being the State Park lovers that we are we decided to check it out even though we didn't have our camper with us. We were not too excited, it didn't look too special, but then like I said before, it hit us! It was late afternoon and the sun was shining on these spectacular red rock formations, painting them a beautiful warm orange as only the setting sun can do in that special time before it disappears. As we dipped down into the valleys and climbed the inclines we were amazed. The road through the park is only about six or seven miles long, but it was a beautiful six or seven miles that was heavily populated by white tail deer. We were only there for a little while but we declared that we would be back soon, and we were going to bring the family. And that we did. We came back for Spring Break. That foray will be described in my next blog. In the meantime, get out your map and find Caprock Canyons 'cause you're going to want to go there. See you in a day or two.