A Snapshot and The Scoop: McBride Canyon

Have you ever started something and realized pretty quickly that it maybe wasn't the best idea? That happened to me when I visited McBride Canyon at Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. I descended down into the canyon and saw the pavement change into dirt. Cool, right? Then more dirt roads started branching off of mine, until I realized I would likely end up lost on those roads without a map, or else I would spend a lot more time in the wide canyon than I wanted to when I was on my way to Colorado already. I turned around the first chance I got, but I would love to go back someday when I do have more time to go exploring. I would love to camp down there!

Leave me a comment and tell me about a time you realized something wasn't smart. I know I'm not the only one!

2015 Wrap-Up: A Peek Into My Crazy

Blown Away. How is it the end of the year?? This has just been a year of incredible changes. I sat down to try and get my head around everything that has happened, all the places I've traveled to and people I've visited, and frankly I'm a little overwhelmed. I'll start at the beginning, and hope I don't miss anything!

Over my birthday weekend in January one of my best friends and I took a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and snowshoed to our heart's content. Megan and I hiked several miles worth of snow-coverd trails and frozen lake surfaces, and I developed a taste for snowsports.

Once I'd finally developed that taste for snow, I moved south. The end of February found me packing up everything I own, leaving my job at the vet clinic, and setting off on the biggest adventure of my life: moving to Texas. It's turned out to be the best thing I've ever done.

For the majority of March I was trying to settle in to a new home, new community and new culture. Oh, and a new job. Jared and I were figuring out how to live together, mesh our insane number of pets, and make new friends. I still managed to get out and explore my chosen home a little bit, even though it rained for the first six weeks after I moved to Texas.

In April, I picked up my travels again by taking a short trip north to McGee Creek State Park in southern Oklahoma. It was just me and many miles of poorly marked trail. That was the first time this year that I broke my hiking distance record.

I also took a trip south to visit friends in San Antonio. We managed to pack a cave tour, the River Walk and wine tasting into under two full days. I still don't know how we managed it!

May found me settled in and adjusting to life in Texas. And then I spent the last week of the month back home in Nebraska for my little brother's graduation, a 90 mile bike ride, and several days driving around in the Sandhills on the hunt for historical markers with my dad and sister. Because why not?

In June, things started getting crazy(er). I first took a weekend to meet up with Julia at Chickasaw National Recreation Area, which we spent camping and hiking. And drinking really cold spring water right from the source.

I also drove myself to Buena Vista, Colorado to white water raft with Megan, as well as visit a ghost town, the coolest waterfall I've ever seen, and Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Oh, and I stopped at a volcano. I also got the worst sunburn of my life and couldn't stand to be touched for days.

In July I went back to Utah! I met my whole family for a sort of throw-back family vacation in one of our favorite places. We hiked Arches National Park, bounced around on jeep trails near Canyonlands National Park, camped, floated the Colorado River and otherwise spent time together. When we parted, Alisha came with me and we explored Hovenweep National Monument and Mesa Verde National Park. When she went home, I headed south and hit several more national parks and monuments (here, here and here) before I returned home as well.

The last weekend of July interns from work and I spent a day at Caddo Lake State Park, the only natural lake in Texas. Did I mention it's full of alligators? And that I went canoeing for the first time? And that I didn't panic even though I wanted to? We also drove through Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge and into Louisiana and Arkansas, just because.

I retraced some steps from last year and cheered on Torrey at Pike's Peak, Colorado as I watched her run her first ascent half marathon in August. I also finally accomplished the Manitou Incline, one of my top three most difficult physical activities to date.

I also camped out at Caddo Lake in late August with some interns from work, where we hit the bayou in canoes to look for alligators with no luck.

And for the last weekend in August Jared and I took a trip just for ourselves! We spent the weekend in Dallas, relaxing, visiting the Dallas World Aquarium, the Dallas Zoo, and drinking and swimming at our hotel. Also, room service.

The for first full week of September I received some major alone-time at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where I spent the week camping, hiking (breaking my distance record again), driving, and looking for bears. I found 'em, too! Can I just say: Take me back!

With October came a trip to Lawton, Oklahoma with Jared to watch my baby brother graduate from BCT, visit with my mom, dad and aunt, and explore nearby Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge.

The following weekend I went back to Nebraska for the wedding of my sister's best friend. It was a short and sweet trip, but all the more fun for it!

Over the week of Thanksgiving Jared and I and some of our pets headed north to Nebraska to spend time with our families. We ate, drank, visited with family and friends, and tried to cram as many leftovers as possible into the car to take home with us. Did I mention the ice? The week was far too short.

For the first time ever, I went camping in December. Seeing that it was in Texas at my local state park, it really felt more like an autumn camping trip than a camping trip in winter, but whatever. Temps around freezing, a nice fire, warm food, and a nighttime visitor made it memorable!

I managed to squeeze in one last adventure before the new year when I visited Big Thicket National Preserve in southeast Texas. I drove 2.5 hours south, broke my hiking distance record (AGAIN) with a 19.65 mile hike, and drove 2.5 hours back home, all in thirteen and a half hours. It was a gorgeous day, a brisk morning with temperatures around freezing, warming up to a wonderful day with highs in the 60s. It was bright, sunny, the trail was mostly flat (but a little muddy), and I saw a grand total of five other people. I could not have asked for a more perfect December day to smash my hiking record!

As you can see, I've been busy. My 2014 happy jar didn't even come close to being as full as this year's jar, but I'll write about that when the year is over. With all of the changes in my life recently, traveling is my way of injecting some sanity into my whirlwind, but also lets me live. There are many nights where I go to bed content, and I can count every night I've spent in a tent among them. I love my home, I love the life I've built here around my boyfriend and my pets (kids), my new and old friends, and my job, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't travel. I can't wait to see what new trips I get to go on in 2016, and am already in the planning stages of two, possibly three grand adventures!

Below I've listed out my stats from this year's travels. I'm probably the only one who finds this interesting, but whatever.

Total Number of Adventures: 18
Total Time Spent Traveling: about 45.5 days
Number of Nights Camping: 25
Number of Nights In Someone's House: 16
Number of Nights In a Hotel: 15
Number of Nights Driving: 1
Total Cost: $6,452.22
Number of States Visited: 15
Total Distance I've Driven: 17,928 miles
Total Distance I've Been Driven: 3,740 miles
Total Distance in a Car: 21,668 miles
Total Distance Hiked: 144.21 miles
Total Distance Biked: 90.22 miles
Total Distance Canoed: 7.42 miles
Total Distance Rafted: roughly 30 river miles
Number of National Parks/Monuments/Rec Areas/Refuges: 17
Number of State Parks: 7
Number of Human Companions: 33
Number of Furry Companions: 13

I hope your 2015 was as fulfilling as mine... Now bring on 2016!

What I'm listening to: Christmas at Hogwarts by John Williams

The Amazing Healing Springs of Chickasaw

Spontaneous. When you plan out and control every aspect of a trip like I do, any sort of deviation from the itenerary is at once tremendously exciting and excruciatingly stressful. I managed to let go of my control-freak self on a recent weekend camping trip, and just rolled with whatever plan change came my way. The trip started out abnormally enough for me: one of my best friends called me up on a weekend, explained how she needed a break from life, and asked me to meet her for a camping trip. We set the trip for the following weekend, which was three days before I was headed up to Colorado for a trip that had been booked in March (more on that adventure coming soon!) Throughout that work-week, plans changed for Julia and I several times, and ultimately resulted in me heading out to go camping at Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma on my own. I had been driving for about an hour and a half before I pulled over on the side of the road and very nearly decided to change my direction of travel and go somewhere else for the weekend, but eventually decided to continue with the original plan at Chickasaw. Not even an hour later, Julia called me and exclaimed that she would be able to join me after all, and that she'd see me at the campground the following morning! Damn, I was happy I stuck with Plan A, and didn't go galavanting off to some other random destination! I arrived at Chickasaw just before dark, and had my tent up and ready in no time (I LOVE my REI Quarter Dome 2!!!) After joining a Ranger Talk just after dark, I retired to my tent and found myself a little too giddy to sleep. I was on a (somewhat) spontaneous camping trip, four hours away from home, AND Julia was going to be able to spend the weekend with me! Yay for being flexible!! 

Crystal clear Travertine Creek

Saturday morning I was up way too early, and sat around camp. I even walked around the campground, looking for water and firewood and something to do. I definitely had a difficult time sitting still, and eventually resolved to take out my book and get my nerd on (learning geology...) Maybe I just need to learn to  chill out a bit more, and be ok with things not going "as usual" on my trips, but by the time it was light out, I was used to already being on the road or the trail. Sitting and reading, while relaxing, isn't my usual style while I'm out camping. Honestly, it's not really my style anywhere in my life at the moment. I used to sit and read a good book all the time, but I've kept myself so busy with life and travels that I rarely sit and read anymore. I think I need to change that...

Anyway, I sat and read my geology textbook while I waited for Julia, and that's where she found me when she rolled up to the campsite.  I quickly threw my book into my car, and we set off to explore the gorgeous park. After a quick trip to the visitor's center where I found my magnet and patches (I have a problem with my collections, guys..) we finally hit the trail! We ambled along a nice, easy and level trail along a cute little creek. Our destination was a couple of fresh-water springs located about a mile away from the visitor's center, and I was surprised that we see much foot traffic on such a short, easy trail. Especially on a Saturday morning, before the Oklahoma humidity became a problem. Not that I'm complaining; I've made it inescapably clear that I dislike crowds. The first spring, Buffalo Springs, was amazing. Back during the Great Depression the government employed people and had them lay bricks around each spring in the park, to be able to help it's citizens during a difficult time. Each spring had unique masonry surrounding it that perfectly highlighted it's characteristics; for Buffalo Springs, the bricks perfectly encircled the clear, cold spring, and had an outlet for it's bubbling waters to form that would become Travertine Creek. After exploring a little side loop that took us up into a mixed prairie-forest ecosystem, Julia and I continued on toward Antelope Spring, the only fresh water spring safe enough to drink straight out of, and also the only one left in it's natural state. We were amazed at the force with which the water burst out from under a rocky outcropping, and quickly scrambled above the spring in order to dip a water bottle into it's chilly waters. We took our time at that spring, unwilling to leave the mesmerizing pulse of water gushing to the surface. 

Buffalo Springs

Eventually, we headed back toward the visitor's center, and after a quick lunch went to explore Travertine Island in Travertine Creek. We crisscrossed that small island multiple times, searching for a way to leave it without having to actually get in the creek itself. Unsuccessful, and after battling hordes of people enjoying the cool waters on a hot June day, we left the island and drove to a different area of the park. We found ourselves a deserted hiking trail along a different creek, and set off in the direction away from the part of the trail blocked off with red tape (closed due to flooding.) We didn't have to hike very far before we hit Pavillion Spring, a small mineral spring that smelled strongly of sulphur encased in an open-air pavillion, also built during the Great Depression. Each mineral spring in the area was once advertised as having healing powers, and drew large crowds of people seeking a cure for whatever troubled them. Honestly, the springs still draw people looking for an elusive cure, but Julia and I were there for the beauty and the excitement of discovering something new for ourselves. Also, to get away from life for a day or two. We continued up the trail and found Hillside Spring, which was my favorite of the mineral springs. The way they laid the bricks to showcase this spring's character was spot-on, and I made us stay at the spring until the sun was just in the right position to get myself a decent picture.

 

Hillside Spring

Once satisfied, we turned around and hiked back to the car, eager to explore the rest of the park. We drove all of the roads in the vicinity of the springs, but had been warned that the lake portion of the park was completely flooded, and that we'd be lucky to get close to it. We decided to save the lake for another trip, and drove the northern part of the park, looking for bison and good views. Stopping at a little flower park at the entrance to Chickasaw, Julia and I found ourselves thrown into a freaking fairy tale. There was a brick bridge over the creek that looked like it belonged to a castle hidden in the woods. It seriously even had turrents. I kept expecting a white horse with an armor clad knight to go galloping over it. It was amazing! After my (our?) princess fantasies, we decided to go for a swim at the spring-fed creek, despite the chilly water and crowds of people with the same idea. Around dusk, we headed back to camp and invited a couple of our camping neighbors over for a campfire and s'mores. We were up pretty late chatting, and once we finally turned in for the night my head hit the pillow and I was dead to the world.

So, where's the knight in shining armor?? Or the troll. I would be happy with either.

The next morning found us up early but being lazy about actually getting up and breaking camp. I don't think either of us really wanted to leave. After going on a quest to photograph every waterfall early in the morning without any people present, we sat around and drank our coffee slowly, discussing future plans and life back home. Eventually we came to the conclusion that we really should be going, and brought the tent down and packed with easy efficiency. We said our goodbyes, and not even 10 minutes after I hit the road South did it start raining. And didn't stop. I drove an hour south, only to find out that the very road I had driven over on Friday night, the one that crosses a lake on an earthen dam and a long bridge, had flooded over during the night and was impassable by anything except boats. So I backtracked, and took the interstate south, then cut back over to my road home. Come to find out later that the interstate suffered damage during a rockslide the day I was driving home, and part of the road was closed indefinitely. Even for a spontaneous trip, Julia and I couldn't have planned it any better than we did. We had perfect weather, even if I had to extend my trip home from four hours to six hours, and we had a fantastic time at Chickasaw. I can't speak for Julia, but I definitely felt rejuvinated after spending some time at the springs. Maybe it was the waters, or maybe it was good company and a short break from life. And being willing to let go and just roll with the waters.

Antelope Spring

What I'm listening to: Drink Up Me Hearties by Hans Zimmer