Hord's Creek Lake, March 2016

Donna and I are currently spending 6 nights at Hord's Creek Lake near Coleman, Texas. We spent several days here in April 2015. Since I wrote about the park at that time, I won't add too much at this time.

This is a very nice Army Corp of Engineers park. We especially enjoy the oak trees. This is basically the tree line in this part of Texas, so West Texans almost feel like they are in the jungle here.

Unfortunately, the lake is at a very low level, but that seems to be part for the course for West Texas lakes these days.

We arrived yesterday when temps reached 80 degrees. Today is almost a carbon copy of yesterday. Last night we had a fire -- our first on this entire trip -- and this morning Donna cooked a big breakfast outside after we returned from a long walk. We've seen deer and plenty of squirrels.

But tomorrow a cool front is expected to push through, dropping daytime temps as much as 20 degrees and bringing some rain. It's been nice to spend time outside, but we'll have to move back inside tomorrow. It's  been great watching kids on spring break ride their bicycles and play around the campground. It's just great to see kids playing outside like kids, without smart phones or computer games. If more kids would just try it, I think they'd like it.

We have no WiFi nor any TV reception. I probably won't post any more entries until we get to San Angelo early next week.

It's great to be back in Texas.

Lake Colorado City State Park

We are now in Lake Colorado City State Park, just southwest of the city of Lake Colorado City, which is on Interstate 20 between Midland and Abilene. The 500 acre park, which is leased from a local utility company, was acquired in 1972 and opened the next year. The lake is formed by Morgan Creek, and was built by Texas Electric Service Company to provide cooling water for the power plant. The landscape is typical West Texas country. It is gently rolling with mesquite trees. White tailed deer, raccoons, armadillos, squirrels, rabbits, and prairie dogs are the most common mammals. Crappie, perch, catfish, bass, and red drum can be found in the lake.

There are no full hookup sites in the park.78 sites have water and electric, many with 50 amp. There are a handful of pull-thru sites. RV sites can be found in the Mesquite Circle Camping Area and the Rolling Hills Camping Area, where we stayed in site 71. Each of these camping areas has a restroom facility complete with showers. There are no curtains in the showers, though, so privacy is lacking. Our site was pretty level. I was able to park my truck in front of the trailer, but longer rigs will have trouble fitting in the assigned area on many sites. There are also 34 sites with water only in the Lakeview Camping Area. In addition, there are 11 "limited use" cabins. These sturdy buildings have A/C, heat, microwave, refrigerator, and bunks. They do not have bathroom facilities, but public restrooms/showers are located nearby.

The Rolling Hills Camping Area. Our truck and trailer in center, with restrooms/showers directly behind.

Restrooms/showers in our camping area. Note access point at peak of roof.

Our rig in site #71. Sites were nice, with covered picnic table.

Cabins

Close up of one of the well built cabins.

Lakeside camping area. Only water is available here.

Entrance to the Mesquite Circle Camping Area.

WiFi was available but not reliable. We were next to the restroom facility in our area and I noticed the access point mounted on its roof. However, the signal was never strong and it was in and out. We were not able to pick up any television reception on our aerial. The best thing was radio. We picked up one FM station out of nearby Colorado City (107.1) and I loved it. It played mainly older country music by artists such as Conway Twitty, George Strait, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and others. It even played Johnny Horton's "Battle of New Orleans." What a treat! I don't care for the country music produced today, so I really enjoyed this station.

There is really no hiking to speak of, although the map indicates a short trail along the shore.

The lake was way, way down. I had hoped it would be higher because of the rain the area received last year and so far this year. Instead, we found fishing piers closed and the water line very low. It's pretty depressing.

This pier was closed due to low water. Note the pier across the cove.

Close-Up of the pier across the cove in the above picture. I don't know what tore it from its foundation and dumped it in the water.

Fishing pier resting on a sloping bank due to low water.

The park is very quiet. It is well away from any major highway, so there is no highway noise. I was surprised at how empty the park was. Spring break for most schools in West Texas started this week, so I expected the park to be lively. However, there were no more than 6 or 8 sites occupied in our camping area during our stay.

Boat ramp near North end of park. Note water line is below concrete.

Playground equipment in day use area at north end of park. North end of lake is visible in background.

We've Been Making Miles

Let me catch you up on our last few days.

We left Brantley Lake State Park in the Carlsbad, New Mexico, area last Wednesday. We were finally heading home. As we neared Lamesa, Texas, the sky began to darken, and we knew we were in for some rain. We stopped for lunch at K-Bob's Steakhouse in Lamesa and had a very good steak and sides for a very decent price. We've eaten at that K-Bob's for over 30 years and we've always enjoyed our meals there.

As we stepped outside after lunch, we were met with a light rain. We were running low on gas, but I didn't want to stop at a gas station, so I just emptied one of my 5 gallon cans into the tank and we hit the road. When traveling in the west, I always care spare gas cans. The rain picked up almost immediately. When we got to Big Spring, where we would be spending the next 4 nights, the skies really opened. We checked into our RV park and I slipped on my rain gear so that I could set up the trailer. It's not fun working in the rain, but it didn't look like it was going to slow. But I have good rain gear, so it really wasn't too unpleasant.

We spent the next 4 nights in Big Spring, seeing our daughter and grandsons almost every day. We also caught up on our laundry and grocery shopping. We finally pulled out this morning and headed east to Lake Colorado City State Park; I'll report on this park in another entry.

I've not had WiFi for the past 4 nights, so I've fallen behind some in my reporting. I currently have connectivity, though, so I'll try to catch up some. I'll jump ahead a bit here and tell you we are about to move to another park and I do not expect connectivity there. We will spend 6 nights there, so it may be a while before I report after we leave Lake Colorado City SP.

Regardless, I hope to see you down the road.

Carlsbad Museum and Art Center, Carlsbad, New Mexico

On our last day in Carlsbad, we visited the Carlsbad Museum and Art Center, which was established in 1931. It is the oldest municipal museum in the state of New Mexico. It provides exhibits on local and regional history, Native American art and artifacts, and modern, contemporary and Western art. It's really an impressive small museum. Anyone visiting Carlsbad should stop in for a visit. Best of all, there is no admission.

In my mind, I divide the museum into three parts. Upon entering, turn right and you will see historic items, including a very large Native American arrowhead collection and an impressive gun collection. To the left are 3 small art galleries. Finally, there is a very large and detailed diorama or early Carlsbad.

Below are some pictures I took of the museum and its exhibits.

The museum is located on the western edge of the downtown district. It shares grounds with the library. This is the entrance.

We were fortunate to catch these redbuds in bloom on the eastern side of the museum building. Note the mural along the top of the building.

Nice arrowhead collection. In the case at back is a painting of Geronimo. In that same case are various items the old warrior once sold on the reservation in his older days.

An old mudwagon stagecoach.

Gallery containing paintings by the "Taos Ten".

Very detailed diorama of early day Carlsbad.

Hike Report: Brantly Lake State Park (New Mexico)

During our stay at Brantley Lake State Park outside of Carlsbad, New Mexico, we hiked the short trail there that goes from the campground to the Visitor Center and back. The trail is 1.6 miles long, so it is 3.2 miles round trip.

We found the trailhead at the east end of the campground. The trail is very level and an easy trail. Just over a quarter of a mile, the trail crosses the park road just west of the trailer dump station. It then continues over a typical Chihuahuan Desert landscape to the Visitor Center. The section of Brantley Lake next to the dam is visible throughout the hike, as is the long earthen dam. There are several information kiosks along the trail as well as roughly two dozen numbered markers that identify animal prints. I would guess that there may be a pamphlet at the Visitor Center that details the markers and provides information about the tracks. Unfortunately, the Visitor Center was not open at any time we visited it, so I can't say for sure.

We watched storm clouds to the west and north as they gathered, especially on the return leg of the hike. Just after getting back to the trailer, we did get a few drops of rain. The lake, by the way, appears to me to be very low, as are many lakes in the American West. However, since I've never been to the lake before, I can't say for sure.

Below are some pictures I took of the hike.

Trailhead for the trail in the east section of the campground.

This little cottontail was along the trail and posed for this picture. We saw numerous rabbits, road runners, and other small critters during our stay in the park.

This picture near the trailhead shows several things. First, notice the earthen dam in the distance. Also, you can see the trail in the foreground, but look near the left center of the picture just below the dam to see more of the trail in the distance. The three poles are some of the numbered markers I mentioned in the text above.

Dam and low water of the lake.

Look closely to the left of the end of the dam and you'll see a cluster of trees. This is the Visitor Center and our destination.

This is where the trail crosses the park road just west of the dump station.

One of the information kiosks along the trail.

The Visitor Center was never open during our stay.

The trailhead at the Visitor Center, with storm clouds dancing in the distance.

One of the numerous numbered trail markers. At the base of each marker is a set of animal tracks.

The campground as we approached it at the end of the hike.

Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad, New Mexico

The next stop on our winding way home was Carlsbad, New Mexico. We decided to stay at Brantley Lake State Park during our time here.

The park is just northwest of Carlsbad, on US 285. It is located on Lake Brantley, the southernmost lake in New Mexico. The lake is fed by the Pecos River. It offers various water sports (boating, swimming, fishing, etc.) as well as hiking, bird watching, and camping. The park has 48 developed camping sites with water and electricity. 38 sites have 30 amp service while 10 have 50 amp.

When we made our reservations at the park, we were billed the full amount. We thought this was odd. When we arrived, we sort of figured it out. There was no one at the headquarters when we arrived, so we drove on through the open gate. We knew our site number, so once at the campground, we drove to our site. Sure enough, on the little sign with the site number, our name and the dates of our stay were attached. So, we set up. During our entire stay there, we had no contact with anyone representing the park. The official host site was vacant, and we saw no host on duty. I did see a park truck on the road once, but other than that, I felt that all the guests, including us, were mostly on our own. Also, we noticed signs pertaining to the first 15 sites in the camping loop. It indicated that electricity in these sites was not working. Three of these sites also had sewer hookups, so that was a real shame.

Our site was level for the most part from side to side, but from front to back there was nothing level about it. We did like the covered picnic table at our site. We also enjoyed the little visitors we had, which included rabbits, road runners, and prairie dogs. The campground was at least half full, so there were quite a few campers. A short distance away is a day use area, but when we went down there, no one else was there. There is a playground for youngsters next to the restroom area, which included 3 showers. All park roads are paved, as are the sites.

We were unable to pick up any signal on our TV antennae, but we did pick up 3 or 4 radio stations out of Carlsbad.

I didn't take many pictures of the park, but below are a few.

Our site, #27. Note the slope from the back of the trailer to the front. Nice covered picnic table. Nice trees.

The back side of our trailer in site #27. We had water and 30 amp service.

Looking west along the campground road from in front of our site.

Looking east along the campground road from in front of our site. Notice the vacant site at extreme left.

View of Lake Brantley from the campground.

Playground area near restroom. A portion of the lake near the dam in barely visible in background.

We're in Carlsbad

Donna and I left Alamogordo yesterday morning. We enjoyed a beautiful drive through the mountains around Ruidoso before emerging onto the Plains west of Roswell. We're getting closer to home all the time.

We are now at Brantley Lake State Park just to the north of Carlsbad. We will spend 3 nights here and play tourist in the area. We do not have WiFi here, though, so I'll not post any entries for several days.

On Thursday, we return to Texas. I'm excited. I simply do not enjoy traveling as much as I once did, and I'm ready to be someplace where I feel I belong.

But, we have no home to return to, so we will continue traveling for awhile. We'll spend nearly a week in the area near our daughter and her family. We have to see those grandsons, whom my daughter is now calling "hardened criminals." Yeah, they are giving her fits; they are my heroes! We'll then spend nearly a week at Hord's Creek Lake near Coleman before heading to San Angelo. We have business to take care of in Angelo, so we'll spend a good week there. We have made no concrete plans beyond then.

So, travel along with us on the blog. We may even show up at a park near you.