Road Trip

A couple of days ago, I awoke with a mild 'chills & body ache' combo that told me to take it easy and not breathe directly on Dennis. We had heard that this was the week to witness the magnificent fall colors at Lost Maples State Park. They say that the reds are brilliant, but they only stay on the trees for a few days. Reasoning that I could sit in the truck as comfortably as I could at home, I popped some Tylenol and we took off on a road trip to witness the splendor of nature.

The hour-long drive from Kerrville to Lost Maples follows the Guadalupe River through Hunt, TX and winds past some lovely homes, resorts and youth camps. We arrived at the state park entrance and joined the slow parade of vehicles to the parking lot. On our right, we saw this lovely bit of red and were hopeful.

We made our way down the trail and noticed quite a bit of color....

...already on the ground - Oh no!

We followed this 'stairway to who knows what' and kept our fingers crossed.

We hoped that this was not an omen....

When we came to a clearing on the stony path, I fell in love with this beautiful scene.

Now, this is my kind of rest stop!

Then we saw it; what we'd come for - the Lost Maples were found! =]
We weren't completely skunked after all; thanks, Mother Nature!

Continuing on our way, we left the park and drove south and west into Medina where we had a bit of lunch at the Patio Cafe. We learned that Medina has been the biggest supplier of Bigtooth (Lost) Maple trees since 1982.

Between Medina and Camp Verde, we came across these bison enjoying a lunch break. A few hundred yards north of this we saw a herd of longhorns also dining.

We drove into Camp Verde specifically to see the historical Post Office and General Store. The military camp was known for its "Camel Experiment" from 1856-1869; read about it at their website: http://campverdegeneralstore.com/History.html.

Here is Dennis in the Post Office portion of the building...yes, they are already decorated to the rafters for Christmas!

The woodwork is absolutely gorgeous. We loved the ancient creak of the floorboards as we explored every nook and cranny.

Between Comfort and Kerrville, there is a delightful road that meanders along at a slow, country pace. Farm Road 1341 winds around goat farms, through low water crossings, and past rock walls and a quaint little cemetery.

The road also took us past one particular residential entrance. We assumed that there must have been a mighty wind recently...

Yikes!

The day was delightful, I lived through my mini-flu bug, and all is well in our little world.

Until next time,
Blessings to you all!

The Colors are Coming!

Fall is in the air! Could it be that just a week or so ago we had the a/c running? Now with the temperatures dipping into the 40's in the wee hours of the morning, we've turned on the furnace a time or two. I love snuggling under the covers though, so I'm happy as a lark. =]

In addition to the temperature changes, we are blessed to be able to witness nature's chameleon act. Seemingly overnight, the lush greens are turning to earthtones - and in central Texas that can be quite spectacular.

This is a shot I took while we were on a walk in town about 2 weeks ago. There is just a hint of rust beginning to appear.

My daughter, Megan, took this picture at our campground yesterday. She is quite a good photographer; these cypress trees were really busting their buttons for her!

Megan and my mom came to visit for a couple of days and they stayed in this cute little cabin about 200 yards from our RV. We had a great time roasting marshmallows, taking walks, and just enjoying each others' company. [Oh, and during one of our walks yesterday...on the golf course...yours truly had her very first hole-in-one! Uh-HUH!!! It was pretty awesome; I think I am still in shock. Perhaps I should quit playing golf right now; I mean, can it get any better than this?!?! ...but I digress... back to the blog, Lori!]

In the next few days, Dennis and I plan to drive out to Lost Maples State Park to get some more pictures. The colors are supposed to be terrific this year and the weatherman says that we are approaching the peak time for the change this week.

Stay tuned!!