San Angelo SP: January 1, 2012

Donna and I had so much fun hiking at San Angelo State Park last Friday that we decided to go again. The hike we took today was even more enjoyable.

Today, we parked at the Burkett Trail Head (see map) and headed west from there. If you read the previous post on hiking in SASP, then you will know this is where we turned around on that hike. My goal is to cover new territory each time we hike in this park until we've hiked all the trails.

The first stretch of the trail was on a dual track trail along high ground. As I mentioned in the previous post, when hiking along high ground in this park, you are usually hiking in rocky terrain among shorter vegetation.

Burkett Trail, near trail head. Hill on left is Highland Range Scenic Overlook, which is called Pulliam Point on most topographic  maps.

It was a cool day, and being on high ground with no trees left us exposed to the biting wind. We had dressed appropriately, but the wind still hit our exposed faces and made things a bit uncomfortable. The first part of the Burkett Trail heads due west for Pulliam Point, the hill where the Highland Range Scenic Overlook is located (see map). As we approached the hill, we gradually dipped down into some mesquite flats where we were more protected from the cool wind. The trail then wound southwest around the hill where it really grew cool because that part of the trail was in the shade from Pulliam Point.

We crossed a creek in this area. There is a bridge available for crossing the creek during wet weather, but since we are in the middle of a drought, Donna and I just crossed the dry bed.

Low water creek crossing. Note bridge at top right. Also, note shadows from Pulliam Point. It was cool in the shade.

Just after crossing the creek, we hit a trail junction and picked up the Potts Creek Trail. At this point, we were actually on the remains of an old road from the US Corps of Engineers days. The picture below shows the low-water crossing for that road.

Old US Corps of Engineers road at Burkett Trail and Potts Creek Trail junction.

The Potts Creek Trail wound through rather thick stands of mesquites and dipped down through a dry creek bed, where it then began an ascent up the next hill and then ran into the Armadillo Ridge Trail.

Armadillo Ridge Trail marker on rocky slope.We took the left fork.

The trail to the right winds around the hill and picks up other trails that go to the north side of the park. For our next outing, that is the way we will go. For today's hike, though, Donna and I took the left fork and then cut through an old Corps of Engineers park. We picked up a remnant of an old paved road that once led to the lake. It is my understanding that when the lake was first developed, a series of heavy rains fell and filled the lake to capacity almost immediately. This gave the impression that the lake might always be like this, but I don't believe it has been this full since. It currently is at about 1% capacity. As proof of this, see some of my pictures of O.C. Fisher Reservoir taken back in the summer.

Sign of better times. Taken at old park area just off Armadillo Ridge Trail

From the Armadillo Ridge Trail, we picked up Turkey Creek Trail for a short way until it intersected with the Armadillo Ridge Trail again. This next section of the trail is the most scenic we have seen so far in this park as it winds along a ledge overlooking a wet weather creek.

Armadillo Ridge Trail above Potts Creek

Potts Creek; see notes below

The picture immediately above is interesting. In the bottom center, the dry creek bed is visible, and it gives a good idea of the height involved. The trees, while mesquite, are probably 15-20 feet tall, and they are well below our elevation on the ledge above. The straight horizontal item in the upper-center portion of the picture is a bridge (see picture immediately below). The trail is also visible in several parts of the picture, especially the upper-left portion.

As the trail works down into the creek, it becomes the West Potts Creek Trail.

Donna on bridge on West Potts Creek Trail. This is the same bridge seen in the picture above.

The West Potts Creek Trail continued through the mesquite flats until it intersected with the paved road we saw earlier with the low-water crossing. Just as we were approaching that road, we could hear voices in the distance, but were unable to locate anyone. We crossed the road and picked up the Roller Coaster Trail, which climbs up to the Highland Range Scenic Overlook (Pulliam Point). From this high point, we were able to look back to the Armadillo Ridge Trail across the valley and see 2 equestrians on the opposite hill. It must have been their voices we heard earlier.

2 equestrians on hill to the west of Highland Range Scenic Overlook hill.

Roller Coaster Trail deserves its name as it winds up and down and around. We met 2 bikers on this stretch of the trail, and both were pushing their bikes up a very steep and rocky section of the trail. There was one particularly challenging section on a downhill slope where Donna slipped just a bit. However, she was taking it slowly using her pole, and she just ended up sitting down more or less with no damage done.

Fortunately, we were almost to the truck, so that was a good time to quit the trail.

I enjoyed this hike much better than the one we took 2 days earlier (see "San Angelo SP: December 30, 2011"). The hike on the ledge above Potts Creek was pretty scenic, and the vistas were a bit better from this area of the park. The 2 hills we climbed today are higher than anything we were on 2 days ago, and this certainly helped provide better vistas. However, we were fairly close to FM 2288 (the highway that connects the 2 parts of the park) for much of the hike today, and the traffic noise does take away from the spirit of isolation we enjoy. We even had several sightings of that highway.

Next time, we hope to hike the trail farther in the direction of the north side. We may even go to the north side and hike south. We'll see.

San Angelo SP: December 30, 2011

The weather in San Angelo was beautiful the days immediately after Christmas, so Donna and I decided to get out and enjoy the sunny, warm weather. And what better way to enjoy such weather than by taking a hike. We headed out to San Angelo State Park, which is just on the west edge of San Angelo. SASP has about 50 miles of multi-use trails, so there are plenty of opportunities to stretch your legs out there.

We had hiked many of these trails about 1995 or so so when this park was added to the state park system. Prior to that, it was an US Corps of Engineers Park. Actually, the park consists of 2 "sides": the north side and the south side. By road, the entrances to the different sides are probably about 10 miles apart, but they are also connected by trails. The trails may be used by hikers, bikers, and equestrians.

Since it had been so long since our last hike here, we wanted to keep the hike short and simple. We parked our truck at the Chaparral Group Shelter (see map) and began our hike on the Chaparral Trail heading west.

Chaparral Trail

Along the ridges and hills, the trails tend to be rocky. This makes going up and down slopes somewhat treacherous, especially for older people. Lose rocks on slopes make footing difficult. But we had our hiking poles with us, so we had no problems.

The Chaparral Trail winds upstream from the old "Red Dam" and emerges at the Isabel Harte day use area. As we crossed the road there, we spotted a wild pig. At this point, we picked up the Winding Snake Trail, which wound through low areas dominated by mesquite flats.

Mesquite Flats on Winding Snake Trail

We passed through an old campground from the days when the Corps of Engineers operated the park. Most of the facilities were falling apart, and it gave us the feeling of a ghost town. We then soon emerged at the Burkett Trailhead.

Burkett Trail Head

Burkett Trailhead was the point where we turned around on this day. However, this trailhead is the jumping off place for the trail system that continues on to the north side of the park.

We had a short walk of a quarter mile or so up the paved road to hop on our next trail, Lanky Lackey. Since there are so many trails, we were able to map a loop so that we did not have to back track and go over the same trail twice. Lanky Lackey is a pretty nondescript trail that works its way back near Isabel Harte day use area, where it then becomes the Nature Trail. The Nature Trail had numerous numbered markers along the trail, so there might be a brochure available to detail plants and other nature items. However, we did not have the brochure, so I can't say for sure. Most of the Nature Trail is along lower elevations in areas that may have once held water from the lake. However, today it is dominated by mesquites and cactus.

Nature Trail: straight and level dirt path among the mesquites

After the Nature Trail, we then took a series of trails to work our way back to our truck. These included the Horny Toad Trail, Tally Valley Trail, and the Chaparral Trail.

I like the trails in this park. Based upon the limited hiking we have done there so far, there appears to be 2 types of trails: those along the hills/ridges and those in the flats. Trails along the ridges and hills require dealing with lose rocks. There is only shorter vegetation, such as cactus and scrub brush. In the flats, however, there are mesquites that would provide some shade in the summer months, and these trails are dirt and are much easier to walk on. As a result, hiking along the ridges/hills for us is slower as we are careful to avoid slipping on the lose rocks, while on the dirt in the flats we are able to make much better time.

The actual trails are normally single tracks, but occasionally there are dual tracks and sometimes old Corps of Engineer roads are available, and many of these are paved. Yes, the pavement is crumbling, but the foundation is still there. As I mentioned earlier, old campgrounds are scattered throughout the park, but these are no longer maintained as they are now so far away from the water (when water is in the lake).

Marker at trail head of Horny Toad Trail

The trails are normally marked, at least at trail heads (see image above). However, we did come across several trail junctions where there were no signs present.

My biggest complaint would have to be with the map -- or rather, the lack of. Most state parks have a pretty good map available on their websites in PDF format. However, the map for SASP does not show the bulk of the trails. I asked for a map at the gate, and they provided one that looked as if it had been copied and recopied numerous times. It was also discolored, making it difficult to read. It lacked several prominent locations, including the Highland Range Scenic Overlook, which really is a major landmark for people hiking along the western edge of the park. The map also does not give mileage, so I'm unsure how long our hike on this particular day was. My guess would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 miles.

Still, with all the miles of trails available at SASP, we plan to spend plenty of time out there footing our way through the mesquite and the cactus and enjoying the long-distance vistas.

Christmas Lights in San Angelo

This past Friday night, Donna and I decided to go out and view Christmas lights in San Angelo. We really had a good time.

We began our evening at one of our favorite local Mexican restaurants, Mejor Que Nada on South Bryant. On Friday nights, a local mariachi band strolls from room to room in the restaurant, playing traditional tunes. The food was good and plentiful, and we left the place stuffed and contented.

We took the local Christmas light tour, which begins at 1st and Abe at the northwestern edge of the downtown area. The first part of the tour is on River Drive, which parallels the North Concho River from near Central High School to Irving Street. Lights were placed along the roadway as well as across the river on the south bank. It was interesting to see the reflections of the light in the water of the river. One feature I especially enjoyed was the 12 days of Christmas theme, with displays depicting presents given on each of the 12 days of Christmas. There was also a tunnel of lights in the area near the golf course. The tour is coordinated with local radio station 95.7, so you can listen to traditional Christmas songs as you drive along.

After the section along the river, the tour detours through the southern edge of downtown along historic Concho Avenue. All the store fronts are lit up, and all the trees along the street are decorated. The tour then turns south on South Oakes, crosses the river, and detours through the area occupied by the Farmers Market across from Fort Concho, where a living nativity scene was in place as well as numerous lights.

We also drove through part of Santa Rita (Paseo de Vaca), where local residents had decorated both their yards and the common areas.

I'm sure there are other areas of the city that have wonderful decorations, but this was enough for us for one night.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Trip Report: Return to Laughlin, Day #8

We slept in a bit later than normal since it was Sunday morning and traffic would be light for a while. We also had a fairly short day since we were only 350 miles or so from home. After taking advantage of the complimentary breakfast, we loaded the truck and stopped at a nearby station to fill up the tank ($2.99 gallon). Then we were back on the road. Donna wanted to drive the first leg, so we headed south with the Rio Grande valley and the mountains of Mexico on our right. After 60 miles or so, we began veering east away from the river and the border and passed through Sierra Blanca and then stopped at a port of entry to answer a few questions for the inquisitive border patrol agents there.

After satisfying the agents that we were Americans (they thought Donna looked a bit suspicious, especially with her accent and swarthy appearance), we continued to Van Horn where we stopped at McDonald's for more coffee and a snack. I took over here and took us the rest of the way home.

The day started off sunny, but by the time we reached Pecos, the cloud cover was moving in. We stopped briefly in Midland for gas ($3.21 gallon) and a snack, then took Highway 158 through Garden City to Sterling City, where we picked up Highway 87 to San Angelo. As we entered San Angelo, we stopped for a few groceries so we would not have to get out again. It was now cold and misty.

We arrived home, turned up the heat in the house (I had turned the thermostat way down before we left a week earlier), and unloaded the truck. Before dark, it began snowing a bit. The next couple of days would continue to be cold and wet, and we stayed home and did nothing. We really had no desire to get back in the truck to go anywhere, even someplace in town. It was Thursday before we finally ventured out.

Yes, Dorothy, there is no place like home.

Trip Report: Return to Laughlin, Day #7

We awoke early on Saturday, December 3, and had our baggage loaded in the car shortly before 6:00 AM. We went back inside the Aquarius and used the last of our comps at the Starbucks for coffee and morning pastries for the road. Shortly after 6, we were back in the truck and ready to head out. It was just getting light in Laughlin. We wanted to make as much use of the light as possible for neither of us enjoy driving in the dark, especially on unfamiliar roads.

This time, we took what is known locally as the Needles Highway due south out of Laughlin along the western bank of the Colorado River. The first 15  or so miles was a smooth roadway with 4 lanes -- and then we entered California. Immediately our good highway turned into a 2 lane bumpy road. The strip of pavement resembling a shoulder quickly dissolved into sand on both sides. But it was only a short distance to Needles, California, and we were sure the road would improve there.

It didn't.

Needles is the entry point into California for Route 66, that old highway traveled by Okies and others escaping the dust bowl decades ago. How many of you remember the old Route 66  TV series of the early 1960s starring Martin Milner and George Maharis?

At Needles, we picked up US Highway 95 south for almost 60 miles to Vidal Junction. This was a 2 lane highway as before with only the barest of shoulders. Immediately out of Needles, we got behind a motorhome, and with no safe place to pass, 60 miles later we were still behind looking at the rear of that motorhome when we came to Vidal Junction, where we picked up Highway 62 and headed east into Arizona.

After a 15 or so mile drive, we crossed the Colorado River for the last time and entered Parker, Arizona. Immediately, the road improved. Although it was not a 4-lane highway, it did have good shoulders and had a smooth surface. We worked our way south and west along highways 95 and 72 until we picked up Interstate 10 south of a small community called Vicksburg. Now we had a good highway, with a speed limit of 75. Although I normally prefer to drive between 60 and 65 for safety and improved gas mileage, I drove the speed limit on this day because we had so far to go.

West of Phoenix, I took Highway 85 due south and intersected with Interstate 8 at Gila Bend. This allowed us to bypass the greater Phoenix metropolitan area and heavy traffic. At Gila Bend, we stopped for gas ($3.49 gallon) and Donna began driving. Up until this time, we had enjoyed sunny skies, but once we turned onto Highway 85, we began approaching overcast areas where the current storm was still moving south. Once Donna began driving, she encountered patches of rain, some heavy. South of Phoenix, we intersected with Interstate 10 and began heading south again.

It was about this time that we began seeing mountains around us with snow covered peaks. It wasn't a heavy and deep snow cover, just a good dusting, but more bad weather was on the way. By taking the route we were on, we had avoided some bad weather north of us. Had we returned the same we had gone to Laughlin, we probably would have picked up some winter weather. Interstate 40 around Albuquerque had snow on the roadway, so we are certainly thankful we had not gone that way.

From this point on, we were seeing territory we had seen only days before. We quickly passed through Tucson and the cloud cover continued to move south. The mountains along I-10 as we passed through Benson and Wilcox heading to New Mexico had snow on their peaks.

Donna continued driving into New Mexico and stopped at Lordsburg for gas ($2.99 gallon). We were running out of daylight, so I bought a cup of coffee and hopped into the driver's seat. Just east of Demming, darkness began to fall. By the time we reached the Las Cruces/Mesilla area, it was completely dark. We continued on to El Paso and stopped at another Hyatt Place for the night.

We ventured next door to an IHOP and had a light supper, then returned to the hotel to shower and crawl in bed. We had come two-thirds of the way and we were spending the night in Texas. We felt pretty good. We were ahead of the storm.

Trip Report: Return to Laughlin, Days #5 - #7

Our room at the Aquarius was on the 8th floor of the south, or California, tower. Since we had previously been in rooms in Laughlin overlooking the river, we wanted some different scenery this time and we requested a "street" view, which would look west.

The Aquarius is a much more "upscale" establishment than the Riverside. It is newer, has a more spacious casino floor, has much nicer rooms, and the eateries are of better quality. It was a nice change from the Riverside.

One thing both casinos do is track your comps as you play, so we were able to watch as our food comps grew. We had comps left over from our previous trip, so we were able to begin eating "free" immediately.

As with the Riverside, I would venture to the slot floor early in the morning. The video poker selection at Aquarius is superior to that at Riverside. In fact, the Aquarius has 2 games with an expected value over 100%. The 2 games I prefer to play, deuces wild and jacks or better, were also available at the Aquarius with expected values of 99.73% and 99.99% respectively, so I was happy. With the comps and cash back the casino provided, that increased their value to over 100% as well. Although the Aquarius also has a no-smoking section, the better games are located in smoking areas, so that is where I played. The casino is so roomy, though, that smoking is not the problem it could be in a smaller casino.

Initially we ate using comps from my account and we saved Donna's comps for a nice steak dinner at the Outback, which we thoroughly enjoyed just steps away form our favorite machines.

On the second day of our stay at the Aquarius, the weather turned even worse. As we looked out our west facing windows on that second day, we saw snow on the peaks of the mountains just outside of town. After watching the weather for a while, it looked as though we were in for more winter weather. This concerned us.

We had planned to return due east along Interstate 40 through Flagstaff, Arizona, and spend the night at Albuquerque, New Mexico. This was scheduled for the following Monday, December 5th. According to the weather we were watching, new storms would be moving through those areas and dumping snow. Surprisingly, more than a foot of new snow had just fallen on Mt. Charleston, just west of Las Vegas. People unfamiliar with the area around Las Vegas may be surprised to learn that just 30 miles or so from LV there is a ski slope, and it was open for business with this new snow fall.

The approaching winter storm was also expected to dip far south into Arizona and New Mexico, even extending into West Texas.

So, we had some decisions to make. We could stay in Laughlin and probably end up having to spend more days there to wait out the storm. If we did so, we would probably have to start paying for rooms after our comped rooms expired. Or, we could leave early and outrun the storm. We had enjoyed several days of gambling, so we decided we would go ahead and leave.

This meant altering our route, though, so we got busy and canceled our reservations for Albuquerque. We decided we would return along the southern route, though not travel back through Wickenburg as we did coming out as that area may have snow already on the ground.

So we enjoyed our final day in Laughlin and spent more hours than normal at the video poker machines. We took a break that afternoon and drove over to Bullhead City to fuel up($3.19 gallon) to be ready to pull out early the following morning.

Trip Report: Return to Laughlin, Days #2- #5

Upon our arrival in Laughlin, we went straight to the Riverside Casino and Resort and checked into our room in the south tower. As in September, our room overlooked the Colorado River and areas to the east, including the ridge of mountains we had just passed through and the northern portions of Bullhead City, Arizona. Again we were amazed by the clarity of the water in the Colorado River as we were able to see the bottom of the river from our 12th floor room.

The Riverside would be our home for the next 3 nights. Don Laughlin built the Riverside in the mid-1960s. This is the casino that started it all in Laughlin. Although the casino and hotel have been expanded many times over the years, it still retains its unique character.

I like the Riverside. It's a bit shabby and it shows its age, but hey, I'm a bit shabby and I show my age, too. The Riverside is a bit like the old casinos in downtown Las Vegas, like the Vegas Club and the El Cortez. What I really like about it is that it has something for everyone.

The Riverside is a maze. On the main floor, you can weave through the various areas of the casino to find numerous eateries, a gift shop, the"world's largest watch shop", at least 3 casino bars and 1 sports bar, and various little side shops. Slot machines are tucked away wherever there is room. Go upstairs and next to the sports book is another bar, a snack bar, and a full-sized bowling alley. There is also bingo, dance instruction, a cinema, and even a classic car exhibition. Outside is a river touring service, which I wrote about in September.

When I stay at a casino, I enjoy rising early and spending a couple of hours or more at my favorite video poker machine while I enjoy my morning coffee. This is usually the quietest time in a casino, and I really enjoy this time. To make it better, the Riverside has a non-smoking section in the south tower casino floor, so that is where I spend most of my time. Donna takes a little longer to get ready in the morning, so she usually joins me a bit later.

After playing a while, I often return to our room to read or watch some TV. One of the things I do not like about traveling is that I get "disconnected" from the world, so I try to allow myself some time to watch CNN news throughout the day to stay in touch. I also enjoy picking up local newspapers to try to capture some of the local color of the area I am in.

I like to eat a solid breakfast about 8:00 AM in a casino, then eat again about mid-afternoon. That usually is all I need for the day. After my mid-afternoon meal, I like to play another couple of hours before returning to my room to settle in for the evening.

One routine Donna and I got into this trip to the Riverside was venturing up to the bowling alley in the early evening and watching the local bowling leagues. We also explored the communities of Laughlin and Bullhead City to see how the locals live.

After 3 nights at Riverside, we awoke Thursday morning, December 1, to a cold front. As usual, we played downstairs for a few hours, then checked out to move next door to the Aquarius Casino, where we had reservations for the next 4 nights. Fortunately, we were parked in the parking garage, so we were able to stay dry and out of much of the cold as we loaded our luggage, but it was a dreary, overcast day.

We drove the block or 2 south along Casino Drive to the Aquarius, the next casino down, parked in the garage, and headed in to secure our room.