Picture-perfect Texas Day - Monday, April 27, 2015

At the end of April we were having some beautiful spring days. Susan and I took advantage of a warm, sunny morning to hike 5k in Crownridge Canyon Park. It was warm to start, but thankfully most of the 3 miles was in the shade.

Attractions on this hike are the wildflowers, rustic trails, beautiful tile work at the info plaza, and hilly scenery. If you do the 10k (6 mile) walk, the second half of the route takes you up into the hills past some beautifully landscaped mansions. We opted not to do the second 5k today.

Indian blanket

Penstemon

Rose mallow

Picture-perfect walking day

Sensitive briar

Our hiking trail at Crownridge Canyon

Lots of shade

A very pretty spot

Butterfly on Indian paintbrush

Bluebonnets gone to seed. These are the seed pods
that will bring flowers next year.

After the walk, Susan and I headed our separate ways, feeling energized from our morning walk.

Travel Bug out.

Joshua Springs Park & Preseve - Sunday, April 5, 2015

Today we reconnected with Hans and Lisa of Metamorphosis Road blog fame. Our destination was Joshua Springs Park and Preserve to do a long walk. When we arrived at 9:30 am, it was cool and cloudy/misty, 54 degrees with about 94% humidity. We could barely see the top of Ring Mountain.

I had a debate with myself about whether or not to wear a light jacket. The jacket choice won because it wasn't quite warm. Our walk started along Joshua Springs Lake, then we branched off to walk through meadows hoping to see birds, deer, armadillos, something!

Joshua Springs consists of over 400 acres and is run by Kendall County Parks. Within the park are trails for walking, biking, jogging and hiking, bird blinds, Joshua Springs Lake for fishing, canoeing and kayaking (no swimming), open air picnic pavilions, and a 3,000 square foot event center at the top of Ring Mountain.

As we walked through multiple fields on our hike, our shoes and socks became waterlogged. The grass was just tall enough that the dew or residual drops from recent rain permeated the breathe-able hiking boots. Squishy socks accompanied us as we walked.

Young cypress tree growing in the lake

Fire ant nest (we saw a few of these in the meadows)

Fishing pier next to the lake

Lisa, Bob and Hans on the South Bank Loop trail

We did see a number of wildflowers!

Sand verbena

Spanish bayonet yucca

 In the photo below, you can see what our weather was like...foggy, humid, cool-ish.

On Ring Mountain looking down on Joshua Springs Lake

Indian paintbrush

Spanish dagger yucca flowers

I love bluebonnets!

New oak tree leaves

Woolly Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

Following a road

Too cool for snakes today

Ring Mountain (event center at top)

Lisa

A turkey in one of the meadows

Picnic time

After our hike and lunch at Joshua Springs Park, we went to Comfort, an Antique Town. Because of the Easter holiday most of the stores were closed, but not all. Our goal was to show Hans and Lisa the historic town.

Comfort State Bank

Bird sculptures along the roof line in Comfort.

What you can find in Comfort

Beautiful flowers

Comfortable Pizza station

Bikes

Must be mesquite for wood-fired pizza

Cute place

A Texas longhorn

Find Comfort on the porch of The Tinsmith's Wife

Hans, Bob, Lisa in front of Comfort State Bank

We then drove over to the Treue der Union Monument. Enlarge the signs to read the Civil War history that led to the building of the monument.

Treue der Union Monument

Next, we went along Cypress Creek and that completed our day in Comfort. Hans spotted black squirrels along the bank. Their thick black fur sets them apart from their cousins with gray or brown coats.

A black squirrel

An old bridge

Cypress Creek

We said our good-byes to Hans and Lisa until the next time our paths cross.

Back at Travelers World RV Park, we walked around the park in the evening and found a couple of interesting rigs.

Minimalist camping!

The trailer is not much bigger than the picnic table!

 Does anyone else see the incongruity and irony of the small tow vehicle below?

Big foot with small tow. LOL.

Check out the following two photos of Bowie. Is he sleeping with his eyes open or giving me stink eye? It all depends on how you look at it.

Sleeping with eyes half open?

Or stink eye?

Travel Bug out.