January Camping

Frostweed sap at Guadalupe River State Park

Almost anything is possible with winter camping in Texas.  From ice storms to near 80 degrees and anything in between – yes, I think that sums up this month pretty well. 

After our ice adventures out in West Texas we went back towards San Antonio hoping for a little warmer weather.  And it was warmer at Guadalupe River State Park but moisture was still in the air so we traded in the ice for cold rain.  An improvement though not all that much fun!

 

Ice storm in West Texas

Sometimes nature has little surprises in store if you happen to be out and about.  One morning the conditions had been just right for the stems of the frostweed (Verbesina virginica) to rupture and the sap to spill out in frozen curtains of white.  The sap makes such delicate, almost cotton candy-like shapes.  Some of them look as if they could be fairy creations.  We were lucky enough to see the frozen frostweed last year right before Christmas at Lost Maples State Park and here it was again.  I imagine ranchers in the Texas Hill Country see it quite often but I am always delighted by the phenomenom.

Cotton candy frostweed

 

After a few days stay and a quick trip into San Antonio for a dentist appointment we decided to move on down the road.  The rain was not predicted to let up anywhere in Texas but it was supposed to be a little warmer to the south.  So we went to Brazos Bend State Park just a little south of the Houston area.

Rainy morning, Brazos Bend State Park



Brazos Bend is one of our favorite Texas State Parks.  There are over 40 miles of trails, hundreds of bird species and alligators.  Who can resist that combination?  Well, not us anyway.



Snowy Egret

 



 

We spent a week at the park and much of it was rainy.  Still the rain let up from time to time and the temperatures steadily climbed all week from the 40s to the low 60s near the end.  We were able to hike at least a little every day and some days quite a bit longer.  As usual, there were so many birds.  Brazos Bend is a fun place to photograph birds. You don’t have to be a great wildlife photographer or even have a very long lens to get some good pictures. 

 



White Ibis

The weather was warming up everywhere in Texas and we hated to leave the park just as the gators were coming out to bask in the sun.  But we were scheduled to start our duties at Government Canyon State Natural Area in just a few days so we left Brazos Bend and traveled to San Marcos.  We enjoyed a gloriously warm and sunny weekend with our friends Cindy and John before it was time to move to Government Canyon where we will be “living” for the next 10 weeks.  

'Fishing buddies,' White-faced Ibis and Snowy Egret

A slight dispute over territory...

 

Luckily, the weather was great for our move-in.  We put on shorts in the afternoon as the temperature climbed near 80.  Shorts in January, you just can’t do that up north.  The next day we were back in pants, rain pants to be precise.  Oh, well – it is winter after all.

The sun comes out and so do the gators!

David's Stats:
Days Hiked   5

Rain Days     4   
Total Miles Hiked    22.66
Ave. Miles per Day    4.53 
Total Elevation Gain     414
Ave. Elevation Gain per day  83

 

 

Ringing in the New Year with Cold and Ice

Icy morning near Ft. Davis

Our New Year’s week in the Big Bend did not turn out quite as planned.  We arrived at Davis Mountain State Park about 2 in the afternoon and managed a quick 3 mile hike up the Skyline Trail.  The next day was much colder but we did get to take a trail with friends Melissa and Dustin who were also camping  at the park for a few days.  Maya was happy they brought their Australian Shepard, Rocky along.  Melissa, Dustin and Rocky met us in Ft. Davis last year at the very same time.  If we aren’t careful this could get to be a tradition.

 

Dustin and Rocky, David and Maya

 

Walking stick cholla cactus, spines coated with ice

 

Then on New Year’s Eve a winter storm came through giving us below freezing temperatures and rain that turned to ice.  For three days we holed up in the RV only going out for quick walks around the campground with Maya.  Weather to the south was not quite as cold but all around us the cold and the ice on the roads made travel unsafe.  Giving up plans of visiting other Big Bend destinations we were content to stay put, eat warm soups, go for very short walks and read.  

 

 

Sleet and ice continued to come down and tree limbs started breaking around us.  Our campsite had no trees hanging over our RV or car and we were very glad of that.  As far as we could tell no limbs fell on any of the campers but there were many small and large branches down and even a few trees fell.  We lost power from one of those trees bringing down electric lines but it was restored in a few hours.  In the meantime, our propane heater did a fine job keeping us warm.  Going without electricity isn’t a problem for us but in cold weather power is nice.

 

 Mullein leaves stiff with ice

There was a break in the weather on Saturday so we left about noon and headed back to Odessa.  The roads were still a bit icy from Ft. Davis to Pecos but not dangerous and we went slowly.  Once we were back in Odessa we heard all kinds of stories from friends and family about the ice storm in West Texas.  It seems like we were actually a little better off in Ft. Davis than those to the north.  Many friends in Odessa lost power and didn’t stay nearly as warm in their homes as we did in our little RV.  (Fortunately my parents had no power outages or ice damage.) With the massive number of downed trees and car accidents in the Odessa area, our little adventure seemed pretty tame.  Well, it was enough for us and we are glad it is over – for now.

 

Starting to thaw

 

David's Stats:
Days Hiked   2

Rain/Ice Days   3     
Total Miles Hiked     5.57
Ave. Miles per Day  2.79   
Total Elevation Gain     1,039
Ave. Elevation Gain per day  520

 

 

Oh Christmas Maple!

Lost Maples State Park still had a few maples with leaves the week before Christmas

Our week before Christmas was spent in Lost Maples State Park.  We did the same thing last year and it was such a great way to relax right before all the holiday craziness that we just did it again. 

 

Every time I visit Lost Maples I am struck by just how out in the middle of nowhere it is.  In the park there is no cell service and you can forget about Internet unless you have a satellite dish (which we don’t).  There is a tiny store with a few groceries about two miles away and the nearest restaurant of any note is more than 25 miles away.  But nature and solitude are available in abundance.

 

Along the West Trail

 

Karst rock formation and reflection in pond along the West Trail

 

So the lost maples worked their holiday magic again.  Although most of the leaves had fallen and the colors faded there was still so much beauty.  The winter nights were cold, clear and full of stars.  The days were mostly clear though we did have one day of rain.  The campground was practically deserted and we saw only a handful of hikers on the trails.  We had a couple of days of leisurely hikes and then two days of fairly intense hikes.  And we rested well.  All in all it was a great way to get in the holiday spirit of peace and goodwill towards man.

 

Crossing the Sabinal River

 

 

We have just had a lovely Christmas with family.  As our friends and families grow older (my parents are both 81 this year) I know it will not always be so.  And that makes each Christmas we are together very precious indeed. 

 

Llano River at South Llano River State Park

A peaceful day at South Llano River State Park on our way home for Christmas

With camping in state parks out of Internet range and spending time with family I have been very remiss in keeping up with the blog.  We are spending New Year’s in Ft. Davis and will be out of touch there as well, but as soon as the holiday visiting is done and we are have regular connection again, I will be better about keeping up with our adventures.  In the meantime, I hope your holidays were blessed with love, friends and family.  And Happy New Year!

 

 

 

 

David's Stats:
Days Hiked  8

Rain Days    1    
Total Miles Hiked    36.08   
Ave. Miles per Day      4.51
Total Elevation Gain     2,254
Ave. Elevation Gain per day   282