Not so long ago I decided not to get one of those yearly passes to the state park system. I thought that I probably wouldn't be going to any very often. Evidently, I am a fool because that's the only places I've been to so far. Today I would have hit two of them if I hadn't been worried about the supposed rain. And that I was pretty darn tired after going to Lockhart.
Lockhart State Park is cheap, in comparison to the other state parks. It costs $3.00 to get in. Per person, I think. So it's cheap for me. It's... Nice? I guess? I can't really fault it for anything. It's got space for camping, if that's your thing (it's not mine). There's a creek or a river that goes through it. There are several dams that were built in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
I followed several trails. What I wanted to do was to start at one end and kind of make a loop around the park and that meant skipping a couple of trails. But that's good, because it'll give me a reason to go back. Most of the trails were pretty easy in that they were mostly flat, but there are a couple that made me question why I was trying to climb up a trail. The CCC Trail, in particular, was kind of brutal (for me, an old fat man) but it was worth it to get to the part where there's a steep drop off and a timber and chain railing that's falling apart.
Of course, if I had started the trail where I was supposed to, I would have found that first and gone downhill all the way. But I'm not one to follow the rules, baby! Anyway, that led to the old recreation hall that was also built in the 1930s. Or started from there. The building looks like it's undergoing renovations right now but, as I understand it, it used to be the golf pro shop. I probably didn't mention that the park is also a golf course.
By the recreation hall there's a bunch of stone picnic tables so I took the opportunity to sit down and try not to die. I wondered, then, if these were original tables and tried to imagine what it was like back in 1930s. Was it really popular? Was it busy? What did they do? What did they eat?
Eventually I had to leave so I started the long hike back to the car by way of a couple of different trails. I met very few people, but I did come across to older ladies who were trying to figure out what different plants were. They were friendly and asked if I had taken any good pictures and made general chit-chat. Then I was off again.
When I left, I took FM20 to SH71. FM20 is a nice drive. It's basically straight, but there are a number of hills that make it interesting. I took SH71 east, which brought my past Bastrop State Park. There were a lot of trees that were nothing more than burnt stumps, remnants of the fire a few years ago. It looked eerie.
Eventually I made my way to Smithville. Smithville has been the location for several films and once held a Guinness Book of Records record for largest Gingerbread Man. It's a charming place and has several places to eat and shop, if you're an antique kind of person. I was hungry from all the walking and it was past lunch time so I went to the Comfort Cafe. And had breakfast.
The Comfort Cafe is, I guess you'd say, unusual in that it's part of a recovery program called SerenityStar. The cafe is 'pay what you can' and the proceeds go to keeping the program going so it's a good cause.
After that, I felt it was time to get home. I got the navicomp to plot a course home that was the shortest, as opposed to the quickest. I'm certainly glad I did. It directed me on a lot of small roads that were fun as anything to drive on in the Challenger.
