Wet Trails and Sunny Skies

We had some really cold weather earlier in the week. I've been able to get out in the afternoon and walk around the neighborhood. But I had been craving a really good walk, and for me, that means getting out to San Angelo State Park.

Donna was busy in the kitchen. The kids were scheduled for a visit this weekend for an early Thanksgiving, so the old woman was in her usual holiday overproduction mode. By the time she's finished, she'll have enough food to feed all of San Angelo and probably still have some left over. I've learned over the years that when she is in this mode, it is best for me to get out of the house.

Normally when we go to the park, we usually just walk the paved roads. But I was seeking some trail time on this trip. And since I was alone, I had the freedom to choose the trails I wanted to hike. I put together a short 5 mile or so hike of several trails, including the Chaparral Trail, the Red Dam Loop Trail, the Nature Trail, and the Horny Toad Trail. If you want to follow along, you can view the South Unit map. As usual, I started my hike beside the playground at Red Arroyo Campground.

Normally I hike trails in a clockwise direction, but this time I went counter-clockwise, and this gave me a new perspective on trails I've hiked many times before. Along the Chaparral Trail, I couldn't help but notice the erosion on this trail caused in part by recent heavy rains, but also by heavy use in the past. Mountain bikes, in particular, take a toll on trails, as those knobby tires tear up the soil which, in turn, causes easy run off during rainy spells.

You can see the effects in this section of the Chaparral Trail. Bikes normally wear a fairly narrow trail and loosen the soil so that it gets washed away easily in rain, especially on slopes. As a result, you get this "V" trench result, which is difficult for hikers. If you don't hit the very bottom level area of the trail, then your feet are a bit twisted.

It has been several weeks since our heavy rains, so I didn't expect any problems along the trails, but as I came in sight of the Red Dam, the trail became saturated and even water-logged in places. Now, in the past, I would have just gotten my water shoes out of my pack, slipped them on, and continued on my way, but I seldom hike the trails at this park with a pack anymore. So, I turned around and took an alternate route.

The Red Dam is jutting in from the right, and part of the lake is visible to its left. I had hoped to hike across this dam, but soggy trails prevented me from even reaching it.

This is basically a close up of the picture above.

You can see the trail is becoming soggy. I was able to find solid footing to get around this section.

More water on the trail, and I could see more beyond, so I decided to turn around. The channel of the draw was to my left, and it had water several feet across and probably a foot or more deep. I felt it prudent to just find another route.

This old boat ramp was next to where I turned around. You will find ghostly remains of better lake times all out here: boat ramps, picnic tables that once were lakeside, rest rooms, etc., all being reclaimed by nature. 

The sky was beautiful, bright blue with mare's tail clouds sweeping from horizon to horizon. Since it was a weekday, I virtually had the trails to myself except for 2 separate mountain bikers who passed me. I enjoyed numerous good views of the lake, Red Dam, and O.C. Fisher Dam. The lake now has as much water as I may ever see in it again during my lifetime. Just a couple of years ago, it was completely bone dry.

Following another trail, I finally made it to the other side of the draw for another view of the end of Red Dam with the larger OC Fisher Dam and lake beyond it.

This is why I love hiking out here -- bright skies, endless horizons, and good views. This is the view from the top of one of the ridges I crossed.

Hiking at SA State Park is relatively easy. Basically, you hike from one ridge down through a draw, then back up another ridge. So you get a fairly good little workout. Most of the hiking, especially along the ridges, is on very rocky soil, so it is important that you watch your step. Mesquite trees grow rather thick in the draws and between ridges, but on the slopes and atop the ridges, there is very little tall vegetation, just mostly cactus and grass and such. This allows for some pretty good views in all directions, usually for quite a few miles.

This is typical of the hiking at this park. You go from atop one ridge, down into a draw and through the brush and mesquites it contains, then up another ridge. It's a good workout for someone my age.

In this angle of a shot from someplace very close to the one above, you can actually see the trail on the other side of the draw in the center of the picture as it comes out of the trees.

I zoomed in for this shot of the park headquarters near the entrance. The building is hidden by the trees, but it is in there.

As opposed to the ridges, mesquites and brush are plentiful in the draws. The trail is normally hard packed earth as well, rather than loose rocks.

I started my hike with a light jacket, but removed it within a half mile and was very comfortable for the remainder of the hike. It was so good to be away from the noises of the city in such a peaceful area. I feel so very fortunate to live in such a place where I can enjoy trails such as these within 2 miles of my home.

Cabins near the end of the hike.

After the hike, I drove around a bit and took this shot of a boat ramp on the lake. Notice all the brush at the bottom of the ramp. It looks as though someone has used it, though, having worked a narrow clearing through the brush. I wouldn't because there is so much brush in the water. There is a better ramp next to the dam.

Main body of the lake, with dam in background.

Upper end of lake, near where the North Concho trickles in.

Brrrrr!

It's cold outside. This is our first freeze of the year. The cold front rolled in Monday and the temp dropped steadily throughout the day. To add to that, the wind was blowing about 25 mph throughout the day, so the wind chill was way down there. We even saw a few flecks of snow late in the day. And the skies were overcast the entire day.

When it gets cold like this, Donna and I both agree that it is a good time NOT to be living in an RV. Our least favorite memories while full-timing in our trailers have been when it was cold. There just isn't much insulation value in an RV, so when the heat goes off, the cold creeps back in immediately. Of course, when you live in an RV, you try very hard to be in warm places during winter and cool places during summer, but that doesn't always work out. At the end of 2012 and start of 2013, for example, we were camped just outside Big Bend National Park, when a blue norther rolled in bringing snow. For 2 or 3 days, the temps didn't get above freezing. Just prior to the storm, we had been venturing out in short sleeves. (See "Images of Big Bend" and scroll to the last picture.)

So right now, we both agree that we are happy in our comfortable -- and warm -- home. But since the weather was so miserable outside yesterday, the old woman decided I needed to be punished, so she dragged me all over town. We started by running some errands, then we went to see a movie, A Star is Born. The very first movie Donna and I saw together so many years ago was a previous version of this movie starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. The current version is, I believe, the third. To be honest, I did not care for it. I guess I'm becoming something of a prude in my geezer years, but the movie began by using the "F" word and it continued throughout. I bet the word -- or some version of it -- was used at least 200 times. In the bathtub scene, it was probably used 20 or more times during a 5 minute span. I saw no reason why it had to be used. It did not advance the plot or add to it in any way. For me, it simply made it trashy.

But that wasn't the only thing I disliked about the movie. I really did not find it convincing. The scene when the two leads meet in the bar early in the movie is not convincing. Considering the type of bar it was (I'm being vague intentionally so as not to give anything away), it is a bit of a stretch that those two would find each other and then connect. The ending, though I was expecting it since I had seen a previous version of the movie, was not convincing, either, as there had not been enough to transpire to bring it about. And despite the good reviews "Lady Gaga" received, I was not impressed with her performance, though I did like Bradley Cooper's portrayal of a kinder, gentler male lead.

Regardless, after the long 135 minute movie, Donna and I grabbed some burgers at Whataburger, then stopped in one of our Walmart Neighborhood Markets to pick up a few things. Each time we went from car to building to car, the wind chilled us to the bone, and I think Miss Donna enjoyed seeing me being miserable. That girl has a mean streak.

It was good to get back home where it was nice and warm. The low early Tuesday morning dipped to 25. As I finish this and prepare it for publishing early Wednesday morning, it is a chilly 23 degrees outside. If there is any wind at all, then the chill factor is down to at least the teens, if not lower. It just depends on how hard the wind is blowing.

Stay warm!

Another Trip to the Horseshoe

Miss Donna had the itch, and when Miss Donna has the itch, there's nothing to do but throw the old girl in the car and get her to a casino as quickly as possible.

We left last Saturday morning and made our leisurely way across the state to Longview. We lived in Longview for a brief time before purchasing a home in Kilgore, where we remained until we retired in 2011. But while in Kilgore, Longview was our main shopping town being only a few minutes from Kilgore.

Along our route east, we were amazed by all the water. We saw water standing in the fields, and stock tanks were full. As we crossed Whitney Dam, only the tops of shelters over picnic tables were visible in the parks on either side of the lake. Water was being released downstream. Everything was lush and green for this time of year.

Donna had been talking recently about Fisherman's Market, a favorite of ours during our time in the area. We decided to make it to Longview and spend the night there, enabling us to have a nice meal at Fisherman's Market. The restaurant is located in an out-of-the-way strip center, and it has a faux New Orleans feel and look about it. As you approach the entrance, you can hear the zydeco music playing, and that certainly gets you in the mood for some Louisiana style seafood. You order at a counter and your food is delivered to your table. Donna ordered one of her favorites, a dozen raw oysters. She also had half a pound of boiled shrimp. I opted for a fried shrimp dinner. Both of us enjoyed our meals.

Exterior of Fisherman's Market

A dozen raw oysters for Miss Donna. I enjoy putting cocktail sauce on crackers as a snack while Miss Donna gobbles down her oysters.

Half a pound of boiled shrimp.

Half a dozen fried shrimp with cole slaw and steak fries.

Interior of Fisherman's Market

We had a nice comfortable night in our hotel in north Longview. After a good breakfast the next morning, we headed towards Shreveport/Bossier City (SBC). We opted for a leisurely drive along US 80 rather than using the interstate. We hoped to see some color, but there really wasn't much. Most of the best fall color in East Texas appears between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we were a bit early.

Once in Shreveport, we headed to Sam's Town for a while. There is a progressive Deuces Wild game we play there, but we were having no luck so we did not stay long. We then crossed the Red River into Bossier City and checked into our room at the Horseshoe.

After settling into our room, we made our way to the casino. For those of you who have never been to SBC, 5 of the 6 casinos there are riverboats. The casinos themselves are actually on the riverboats, while their accompanying hotels, restaurants, and other facilities are on land. Thus, for most casinos there, the riverboats and land-based facilities are connected by a ramp. You can always tell how high -- or low -- the river is by the ramp. If you have to walk down the ramp into the casino, the river is down; if you walk up the ramp into the casino, the river is up. The picture below shows the condition of the river from the perspective of the 'Shoe.

That's a pretty good slope heading up the ramp into the 'Shoe. The river was way up, probably higher than I've ever seen it.

Photo of Shreveport across the Red River from the 'Shoe. Taken from our room on the 11th floor. Notice how high the river is, especially on the railroad bridge in lower left of picture. The other bridge is the Texas Street automobile bridge. Tall buildings to right are Eldorado and Sam's Town hotel. On their left are buildings of downtown Shreveport.

Margaritaville and Louisiana Boardwalk on Bossier City side of river. Margaritaville is the only land-based casino along the river in the SBC area.

I zoomed in a bit for this shot of the Red River. Notice how high the water is on the pylons of the Texas Street bridge. You can also see the riverboats along river at bottom of Sam's Town hotel at left of picture. 

On Monday, we got our and visited Boomtown and Diamond Jack's casinos, also on the Bossier City side of the river. We like to visit these places from time to time to see if their game inventories have changed at all. As usual, they had not changed, so we didn't put a single penny into their machines. We used to play Boomtown a lot, especially when it was Casino Magic, but we've never played Diamond Jack's much (formerly Isle of Capri).

Tail end of Boomtown riverboat. Notice how high the river is along the opposite bank.

We followed this outing with a visit to Posado's for some Mexican food. We had a pleasant meal and returned to the 'Shoe.

On Tuesday, we ventured out to Ralph and Kacoo's, which has become our favorite eating place in the area. It is located very close to the 'Shoe, so it is very convenient, and perhaps that is one reason we like it so much. Regardless, we had another nice meal there. Donna enjoyed a salad and gumbo, while I continued my practice of trying something new each visit and sampling their crab au gratin with a Cajun stuffed potato. The crab au gratin is crab meat in seasoned white wine cream sauce, topped with cheese and baked.

Unassuming exterior of Ralph and Kacoo's, with I-20 in background.

Donna's salad and gumbo.

My crab au gratin and Cajun baked potato.

Interior of Ralph and Kacoo's.

We also enjoyed the buffet at the 'Shoe one day. It has one of the better seafood buffets in the area, and Donna especially enjoys this. I think she sampled just about everything on the seafood side, such as boiled shrimp and mussels. I concentrated on salad, soup, Chinese, and a few other things. We both enjoyed their wonderful bread pudding topped with ice cream.

Overall, we simply relaxed and stayed mostly at the 'Shoe. The video poker games there are not particularly good, but we enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, good drink service, and comfortable rooms. As long as our rooms continue to be comped, we will probably play there. At this stage of our lives, we find it enjoyable to sit at good machines, sip an adult beverage, and listen to music while trying to beat the odds. Although we rarely come away winners here, we have a good time.

We left early on Wednesday for the long drive home. We stopped in Brownwood as we often do for lunch at Prima Pasta, but I must admit I was disappointed with this place this time. It certainly was good to get back home.

Consumer Cellular Update

Donna and I just returned from a short trip to "the Boats" in Bossier City. I'll give details on that trip in a day or two. Right now, I'm just trying to catch up on things at home.

In going through my email, I came across one from Consumer Cellular, the phone service I switched to a few months ago. You might remember my post about this in July: "Changing Phone Service". At that time, I reported that by switching to Consumer Cellular, I would pay less than half what I was paying my previous provider. And on top of that, the customer service has been exceptional. To date, we've had no problems other than the two minor glitches I reported in the above-referenced blog entry, and these were normal change of service type problems that were easily and quickly resolved.

Since changing to Consumer Cellular, we've made quite a few trips, some to remote places. In September, for example, we journeyed to Cripple Creek, Colorado, and from there cut through the mountains to get to Santa Fe, New Mexico. In August, we went to the Paragon Casino in a rural area of Louisiana. We've traveled through rural areas of Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, and Louisiana, and we have not experienced any connectivity problems yet.

Now, to add to my satisfaction with the service, upon checking my email this morning, I've just learned that Consumer Cellular has doubled my data at no extra cost. According to the email, the company has made such upgrades for 11 straight years with no price increase to the customer.

Yes, I'm very happy with my decision to switch to Consumer Cellular.

Those Are Some Big Acorns

We've been staying busy lately, mostly with activities at Rio Concho West (RCW). Last week, we had a hamburger supper followed by bingo, and that was fun. Every year, the employees of RCW host this supper for the inmates, and those folks surely do make some good hamburgers. We also attended the monthly wine and cheese social. Those of you who know Donna know that she is not going to pass up the opportunity to drink some free wine. Last month, I mentioned to the crew how they were discriminating against beer drinkers. Guess what? They brought me some beer this time around. Those are some thoughtful folks. And Donna joined the other old folks at the clubhouse on Saturday for an afternoon of bingo. I guess we are getting pretty settled here.

When RCW is not entertaining us, we dredge up our own entertainment. For the past few weeks, we've been gathering acorns from the bur oak tree in our front yard, and we have made a good haul. Donna likes to strew a few acorns around the back yard from time to time in hopes of luring deer into the yard. Last year, we sat perfectly still one night as one deer came almost to us and then proceeded to eat one of these gargantuan acorns. I'm surprised its teeth did not crack. I'm even more surprised it did not see us sitting about 10 feet away.

Here is a picture of at least 2 different types of acorns, together with a quarter, for size comparison. The bur acorns are at right. The top one, of course, still has its husk intact. The acorns at left are what most of us are accustomed to.

Here's another picture of a bur acorn in my hand. This one is still in its husk.

A bur oak out of its husk.

And yes, the correct spelling is bur, not burr, even though it is often spelled that way.

We have an old paper grocery bag full of these acorns, and we'll scatter them for the deer in the weeks ahead. Our tree has just about dropped all of its acorns, so the harvest is about over.

We had a bit more rain yesterday (Wednesday). We've truly been blessed with good rains this fall. We had about 13 inches of rain in October, and that is well more than half of our annual average. As a result, our lakes are in better shape than I've seen them since we moved here almost 8 years ago when we retired. In fact, according to the Water Data for Texas website, Texas lakes at this time are 87.4% full. Now, if you check that a week from now, the figure will be different. Currently, our area lakes are as follows:

• O.H. Ivie @ 41.5%. This is the important one for us, as this is where we get our water.
• Twin Buttes @ 49.8%. This lake has shown the biggest jump. It was almost dry about 2 years ago.
• Nasworthy @ 88.9%. This is more of a recreational lake, and the city tries to maintain it at about a 90% level. When it gets too low, water from Twin Buttes is released into it.
• O.C. Fisher @ 14.7%. This is the lake located at the state park and it is formed solely by the North Concho River. I'm confused as to why it has not collected as much water as the others. I had thought that rains on its watershed were plentiful, but perhaps not. Or perhaps the gates were opened to allow water to flow downstream to O.H. Ivie. I just don't know.

And in closing, let me share a snapshot of a Rio Concho West sunrise I took a couple of days ago.

Sun coming up over RCW

Sometimes I Think We Live in a Zoo

Although Donna and I both suffer restless foot syndrome and are always looking at the greener grass on the other side of the fence, I'm really pretty happy living at Rio Concho West. It's a relatively quiet place, full of some very good and friendly people. One of the things I love most about this place is the wildlife.

If you've read much of my blog, then you've seen the pictures of the animals spotted running about our little bit of paradise. This morning, I really had an interesting walk; I just wish I had taken my real camera with me rather than just my phone camera. The zoom on my Samsung just really doesn't bring things into focus as I would like. Now, I'll be the first to admit that most of the problem is probably due to the one snapping the pics, but my real camera does a better job for a photography challenged person such as myself.

For quite a while now, I've spotted some of our crazy turkeys roosting on power lines just up the street, but it was usually too dark to get a good photo. This morning, my timing was good, and I caught several of the goofy birds perched atop the lines behind a neighbor's house.

Yep, those are turkeys perched atop those lines behind a patriotic neighbor's house.

Word around the zoo -- er, neighborhood, I mean -- is that we have some javelinas roaming the territory. Now, to be honest, I really don't know the difference between a peccary (javelina) and a feral hog, and I doubt many folks do, even if they profess that they do. So it may be that we just have some feral hogs scooting about the neighborhood. Donna had seen a small group of 3 a couple of weeks ago, and Dave, our walking associate, has seen some as well. Well, this morning, I saw 3 of the rascals just a couple of houses down from the roosting turkeys. I snapped 3 photos, but only 1 turned out well enough to post. Heck, in 1 picture, I only caught a tree. So much for failing eyes.

Javelina or hog? This fellow is rather small, so it may be the former.

Not long after that, I came across several deer between some houses, but they were too far away to get a decent picture. And about a mile later, I came across 2 rogue turkeys trying to break into a house.

Help! Turkeys are at the door.

In the past, I've shown pictures of deer, ring tail cats, skunks, a possum, and even a snake. It surely does look like we live in some type of zoo or animal park. Makes life interesting for people like Donna and me who enjoy watching wildlife.

I'll leave you with a picture of the moon setting just after full sunrise this morning.

Moon over Rio Concho West about 8:00 AM today.

Life is good . . .

Autumn Walk in the Park

During our long rainy spell, we were unable to get out much. Now that the rains have moved on, I've resumed my walks, mostly in the neighborhood. But Tuesday afternoon, Donna and I went out to San Angelo State Park for a 5 mile walk.

It was an overcast day, perfect for walking. Donna wore a light jacket, which she shed halfway into the walk, and I wore long sleeves, which I eventually rolled up.

As we approached the entrance gate, we saw a large number of vehicles in a parking area just off the road. At the gate, we learned this was a geology class from ASU (Angelo State University) that was visiting a couple of areas in the park. It's great that the university is taking advantage of this wonderful resource available to them.

I just love this open country, with its rugged scenery, buttes, and hills. 

We parked next to the playground in the Red Arroyo Campground area and took off on our regular walk, which is highlighted in yellow below.

Our route takes us up and down 2 or 3 good hills, past 2 campgrounds, and near the lake. It's a good 5 mile walk.

I enjoy walking at the park, especially during the week when there aren't many people there. We can enjoy the solitude of the place just minutes from our home. Below are numerous pictures I snapped, showing some of the color still in the park.

I'm not an expert on prickly pear cactus by any means, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I think these purple projections are often called the fruit of the prickly pear. They -- and all parts of the prickly pear, as I understand -- are edible.

This plant was next to the prickly pear above, and it had these little berries on it. I've no idea what they are.

I think this is some sort of rabbit brush. It was everywhere, but had a nice bright color.

I've no idea what this white flowering plant is, but it is quite common in the park. Notice the rabbit brush to the right.

These purple colored spears are common, but they are losing their color and leaves. Again, note the rabbit brush in the left background.

We scared a white tailed deer near the end of our walk, and we saw a large number of scissor tail flycatchers throughout the park. I love the salmon color on their bellies, and they have a beautiful little face.

This little rascal seemed to be posing as it stared right at me while I snapped the photo.

This picture does a better job of showing the markings and color.

It certainly is nice to be able to get outside again.