A Snapshot and The Scoop: Channeling Our Inner Astronauts

This past March my little sister and I took a trip to the coast, and made sure to stop at Houston's NASA Space Center! We spent several hours touring the park, inspecting every exhibit, and making sure we got the full experience. We'd been there as a family ten years ago, but neither of us remembered much of it. Our trip there jogged all sorts of memories, and we were both glad we took the time to go!

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you've ever visited NASA yourself. What was your favorite part?

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Can It Get Much Better Than This?

I think everybody who's ever camped can agree that one of the best parts about it is the campfire. I have to take that one step farther, and assert that there are very few things in the world that can compare to a campfire on the beach of an ocean. Other than a campfire among the mountains, a campfire next to a tent staked on an ocean beach, the constant beach breeze blowing off the water, bringing its salty scent along with it, and the clear, star studded sky above has to be one of the best experiences a camper can have. I know my sister and I certainly enjoyed our time on the beach, and now I can't wait until I get a chance to go back. Bring on the fire!

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you've ever had the pleasure of a beach campfire.

The Gold Standard of Adventure Buddies

Caring. I just love when I get to share my adventures with someone, especially someone I haven't adventured with before. A friend and I took off for a weekend of sun, sand and surf down on the Gulf Coast of Texas at Sea Rim State Park on a recent weekend, and I'd forgotten how different traveling with another human being is. I usually do my own thing and don't consult with anybody about my decisions, but when I travel with someone I have to take their wants and needs into consideration. I'm happy to say I choose to travel with people who I feel are similar to me, so we're usually on the same page regarding what we do and when we do it, but it's just different thinking about somebody else on my trips.

Roads through the marshes..

I do have to say, having a buddy sure makes tent set-up on a windy beach a thousand times easier! It's also a lot more fun to share an adventure with someone, from late night drives to midnight walks on the beach (where I tried to catch a crab but got pinched...ouch!), and waking each other up to catch the sunrise over the Gulf. Twice. Having a friend along makes mundane trips into town bearable, and makes pot-hole riddled dirt roads more fun, if that's even possible. And after bouncing around in the car for an hour, our reward of seeing (and hearing) wild hogs snorting and splashing in the marshlands is just the icing on the buddy-cake.

A large blue crab waits in shallow water over the road

Beachcombing gets way more exciting when you can show off your finds, pointing out the swirls in this shell and the colors in that one. Little hermit crabs become things to squeek at, and you remind each other to not step on the ones that will pinch your toes. After a misguided and ill-fated canoeing attempt where you learn it is much more difficult to canoe against the wind than it is to paddle with it, you don't totally hate each other as you help cool yourselves down under a cold shower. Dinner becomes a lot easier when there are two to share it, and s'mores over a beach campfire become your favorite thing.

Campfire on the beach. Be jealous.

Another midnight walk, passing out when your head hits the pillow, and gentle taps on the elbow to wake up and catch the sunrise wouldn't be so rewarding alone. And when you're walking in the surf but squeal and leap out of the water because you accidentally did step on a crab that will pinch your toes, and your companion does the same exact thing a few minutes later, fright turns to laughter and you both decide without speaking that you're done walking in the water. On your way home, with the mere mention of donuts, you both agree that you need to stop and get your fix, whereas on your own you wouldn't have acted on the impusle and been deprived of that jelly-filled pastry perfection to end your trip.

If I lived near the coast I would never miss a sunrise

Sure, I love traveling alone, and I have every intention to keep on doing so. I can't have somebody come with me every time I want to go somewhere; people have lives and things to do and I don't always have the patience to wait for them. When I do get the chance to take someone along on my adventures though, they make the trip that much better. So, who wants to to with me next time?

Sunrise and Ocean

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Moons on the Beach

At the beginning of March my sister came down to visit me and we made a trip to Sea Rim State Park on the Gulf Coast of Texas. There, we came across these giant cloudy jellyfish, washed up on the beach. Both of us wanted to touch it, but without knowing exactly what it was we knew better, so instead we poked at it with a bit of driftwood. It was surprisingly firm, though I don't know if that's from drying out in the sun or if that's they way they usually are. We found out later that these are moon jellyfish, and they're only mildly iritating to the skin. We probably could have touched it, but knowing myself and my sister, we probably would have both broken out in hives or something stupid. It's best we left them alone!

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you would have touched it, or would you have left it alone too?

A Snapshot and The Scoop: A Wild River in Texas

Above Guadalupe River State Park in Texas, this river is undammed, meaning it is uncontrolled and one of the few wild places left in central Texas. Because of this, the river is subject to wild floods, sometimes reaching as high as the upper branches of the tree you see on the riverbank. While calm, the deeper parts of the river are some of the most unusual shades of blue-green I've ever seen, yet the shallow waters seem to be crystal clear. I was the only person on this part of the river, and I was thrilled to have it that way. I'm sure that during the summer this beach will be full of people wanting to enjoy the Texas sun!

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you've ever had the pleasure of visiting this particular river, or if you have plans to go in the future!

The Lighthouse

Glad. You know when a sign at the trailhead says to not start the hike if the temperature is over 85 degrees F, accompanied by a giant thermometer, that the hike you're about to start on is no joke. Of course, 87 degrees F is only 2 degrees more than the suggested cutoff, and it was still only early April in West Texas, so I figured I would be good to start anyway. The entire hike to the Lighthouse formation at Palo Duro Canyon State Park is completely exposed, and I could totally see why they recommened against going if it was too hot. There is zero relief from the sun. Callie and I started mid-afternoon underneath the beating sun, but I saw respite on the horizon in the form of low grey clouds.

Callie explores a small off-trail wash

We weren't in any hurry to get anywhere, though the trail sign warned us to allow for several hours round-trip on the hike. We stopped often, allowing time for plenty of picture-taking for me and plant-sniffing for Callie. We found a few washouts that we wandered up, away from the main trail, where I let Callie off-leash explore for a bit before leashing back up and continuing on. We hadn't gone too far though before we were stopped by a couple of ladies coming back down the trail, warning me of a rattlesnake directly on the trail right around the next corner. My worst fear when taking my dog hiking or camping with me is something happening to her, such as a snake bite, and me not being able to do anything about it. With that in mind, I picked Callie up and proceeded cautiously up the trail, listening for the tell-tale rattle. I never saw the snake, but it was a while before I put my dog down again.

Thank goodness for clouds!

The clouds finally moved in and covered the face of the sun, bringing with them a strong breeze and a drastic drop in temperature, making me wish for the jacket I'd left on the passenger seat of my car. Callie and I kept going, though, passing other hikers and lots of other dogs who were (surprisingly) mostly well behaved. We arrived at the last bit, and the steepest climb, of the trail before I expected to, and after a few tries at scrambling with Callie attached to my wrist I gave up and let her off leash. She is better than me at picking the easiest way up, so I followed her lead as she rock-hopped up the scramble. Every few steps she'd stop and look down at me, and I could see in her eyes that she was telling me to hurry up!

The Lighthouse itself

Eventually we reached the top of the scramble, and found ourselves facing the giant hoodoo named The Lighthouse. There were people (and dogs) everywhere, climbing all over the twin hoodoos and small cliff faces, resting and gearing up for the hike back to the parking lot. We really didn't stay too long, just enough to get pictures of ourselves and The Lighthouse, before the wind and threatening rain drove us off of the high places and back down to the shelter of lower ground. The hike back with the wind was easy, and in no time I was digging my car keys out of my pack. Callie, in her usual post-hike mood, flopped over on the seat next to me and immediately passed out. She had no idea how much more hiking we had yet to do.

The view down the trail from The Lighthouse

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Taking the Plunge

This last February I spent a weekend in Texas hill country and visited Inks Lake State Park. It was a warm and humid day, and I myself was in shorts and a tank top. Have I ever mentioned that I love Texas winters? I was busy exploring Devil's Waterhole along the edge of the park when I heard whoops and clapping, so I went to investigate. I found several men standing in a line, all in swim trunks or shorts, clearly waiting their turn to climb a boulder next to the lake and jump from the top. Now, I've done my share of rock jumping into rivers, but it wasn't warm enough for me to go jumping into a lake from the top of a very big boulder perched on the edge of the cliff wall. Points to this guy, though, and to all of the others who climbed the boulder in front of us spectators and made the leap.

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you'd have jumped!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Texas State Pride

This winter's tour of East Texas brought me to some cool places, and Mission Tejas was definietly one of them. I wasn't at all surprised to see the Texas Star inlaid among the brickwork of the mission, and am honestly a bit surprised the missing bit of it hadn't been replaced. If there is anything to say about Texas it's this: they have an extraordinary sense of state pride. The care and work that went in to the mission was obvious as you approached, and it's value to the community was clear.

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you like historical buildings as much as I do!

There's a First Time for Everything

Appreciative. The first thing I heard when I opened my car door was a peal of thunder. Which, ya know, is super encouraging when you're about to embark on your first ever backpacking trip. I had been meaning to get to Palo Duro Canyon State Park, billed as the largest canyon in the U.S. second only to the Grand Canyon, ever since I moved to Texas more than a year ago, but I never made the time. This April, I remedied that oversight. Or at least I hoped to, as long as the weather held out for me.

Canyon hikes don't all have to be hot and dry

My dog and I had already spent all day exploring the park and intended to finish out the day by hiking deep into the backcountry, finding ourselves a peaceful place, and setting up camp for the night. As soon as we reached the backcountry parking lot, though, the clouds closed in and I realized if I wanted to camp I needed to find a place quick and have the tent up before the skies opened on us. We hiked about a mile and a half up the river responsible for carving Palo Duro Canyon out of the surrounding high plains of West Texas before the thunder really started to roll and I became nervous about flash floods. The storm was coming up from down river, but what about later in the night?

Storm clouds made everything dark, fast

We turned and headed up the banks to a small ledge overlooking the river bottom and I started scouting for a campsite. I needed something somewhat sheltered from both the wind and the rain, as well as providing a small measure of protection from any errant lightning strikes. I ended up settling for a site tucked next to a small cliff facing up canyon - away from the coming storm. I had my tent up in minutes, and not too soon: I had just finished securing the fly when the skies finally let loose and I dove into the tent, throwing Callie in before me. We made it!

I know it doesn't look like it, but my tent was up next to a small cliff. Sorta. 

The storm really didn't last too long, and I was soon stepping out into a rain-washed red dirt world. I set up for dinner and settled back, watching the storm move away. I explored a little after dinner and discovered several campsites on top of the cliff I was currently sheltered under, and am making a note here and now to go back and camp up there on a clear night. You could see for miles up and down the canyon! Next time!

One teeny tiny little river carved one huge canyon

It didn't take long for darkness to fall after the storm passed, and I headed in to call it an early night. I fell asleep listening to a pack of coyotes yipping across the canyon... And then I proceeded to be rudely awakened by a serious thunderstorm with tons of lightning and thunder so loud I actually covered my ears. And you know what? Callie selpt right through the whole thing. She didn't even twitch. I have to say, she's a great adventure dog! Once the storm moved on the rest of the night passed peacefully, and I only woke up once more before dawn to an outbreak of coyote howls on my side of the canyon. That was it until dawn. Sunrise found me awake and packing up, anxious to head back to my car and hit a trail I'd been scouting the day before. For my first overnight backpacking trip (and with only my dog for a companion!) everything went quite well, despite the thunderstorms. I didn't get washed or blown away, didn't get struck by lightning, and survived a night in the wilderness alone. Sounds like a success to me!

I might have found a part of Texas that I love...

What I'm listening to: The wind in the trees and the birds and bugs of Caprock Canyons State Park - while backpacking in the canyons!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Noticing the Little Things

It's the small things that you notice on the trail that sometimes stick out the most. Callie and I were enjoying ourselves at Martin Creek Lake State Park in East Texas when I very nearly stepped on this giant slug. So, being me, I got down on my hands and knees and started taking pictures of it instead! Callie was super interested and kept trying to lick it, but she listened when I told her to leave it. After a few minutes of watching it slowly slide over the twigs on the ground, we left it to its business and went on our own way. Again, it's the little things!

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you'd have noticed this in your path, and what you would have done if you had!

A Snapshot and The Scoop: A Simple Request

While visiting Julia and Mark in Oklahoma this past winter, my only request (other than plenty of girl time) was to visit a nearby park at sunset. I got my wish! We went to Lake McMurty, and we were treated to a brilliant sunset over the lake, owls calling, a kayaker paddling in the calm, and even a pack of coyotes howling from the opposite shore. It was incredibly peaceful, and even though it was a touch chilly, I really could have just pitched a tent and stayed the night. Next time I visit, we just might do that!

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you ever have requests when you visit friend. A favorite meal or a shop? Or do you prefer parks like I do?

A Snapshot and The Scoop: Posing with Bumblebee

I'm just as big of a nerd as the next person, so you can imagine my excitement while visiting Julia in Stillwater, and she took me to this awesome tribute to Bumblebee! Do I care if the Transformers movies are marketed to teenage/young adult boys? NOPE! We took turns taking pictures of him, and stood underneath to measure up. We didn't even reach his knees!

Leave me a comment below and tell me if you would have pulled off the road just to get your picture with Bumblebee, like Julia and I did!