Finding "Lost Maples" in Texas (#44)

What Midwestern girl would not be intrigued by the thought of finding "lost maples" ablaze with color in Texas Hill Country? The bigtooth maple is the tree that most closely promises some of the same vibrant fall color of Michigan's glorious sugar maples. Prime time for experiencing fall color in the Texas Hill Country usually occurs near the beginning to middle of November. To commemorate my birthday we took advantage of the long Veteran's Day weekend this year and reserved a campsite at Garner State Park and headed southwest for a hiking filled weekend.

We decided to take the road a little less traveled and letterbox our way to Garner State Park. The direct route would be about three and a half hours, but there were just so many places we needed to see and food to savor! We packed up first thing Friday morning and headed up SH71 to US281 and stopped at Spicewood General Store for one of the best breakfast tacos (a central Texas food phenomena) I've ever tasted. The steam table had more that ten different items to choose from like carne guisado, charrizo, sauteed green peppers and onions besides the basic eggs, potatoes and cooked ground bacon. I topped mine off with a pico de gillo and salsa; Phil had his with cheese, both cost $5. As of 2017 there are new owners and tacos just are not what they used to be.

Our next stop was Sisterdale, reputed to have been established by German "Freethinkers" in the mid-nineteenth century. We stopped at Sister Creek Winery located in a repurposed 1885 Cotton Gin. The winery offers several choices of red and white wines and tastings for a moderate fee. As we headed north of the town center, we saw the old schoolhouse and stopped to read the RTHL marker posted on the wall. Built in 1893 the schoolhouse was constructed with huge blocks of local limestone. We turned left to continue west on RM 473 and spotted a beautiful farmstead on the rise. The entrance gate was marked Siedensticker-1855.

We continued moving southwest towards Bandera, the Cowboy Capital on scenic backroads. We made a quick stop at Camp Verde, site of U.S. War Department's 1857-69 camel experiment run by Jefferson Davis. Today all that remains is the quaint general store, in continuous business since 1857. The highly remodeled two story building holds a cafe and the mercantile store selling specialty food, gifts and a whole room devoted to modern penny candy.

After stopping in Bandera for That Genghis Guy we headed for Tarpley to have lunch at Mac and;Ernie's Roadside Eatery. Featured on the Premier episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, we asked an owner how they were picked and she shared that Guy Fieri's veterinarian hadrecommended the place to him! The place has become so popular they had to expand, but they used the old kitchen for the entry so old customers can still recognize the place. We enjoyed the recommended Cabrito Burger and French Fries, which were cooked perfectly. The eatery is only open Friday-Sunday, but it is well worth rescheduling the day and the route you take to visit this beautiful area. The lunch menu is almost exclusively limited to burgers, including an Axis (deer) burger, but dinner and Sunday are filled with gourmet faire and if you bring your own vodka they will make you a pitcher or two of some awesome Bloody Mary mix to go with your breakfast.


We soon realized that Texas does offer nice fall color in some areas. I do prefer reds and oranges. and this area has a fair amount of bigtooth maple, sycamore, red oak and persimmon. We arrived at Garner State Pair in the late afternoon and snagged a great campsite (#468) in Rio Frio; part of the new "water only" section. This site is located close to the shower building and had good tree cover to set up our tarp roof. The rest of the day was devoted to relaxing and walking along the Rio Frio and resting up for our search of the elusive lost Maples.


After a leisurely morning we headed east to Utopia and north to Lost Maples State Natural Area. We arrived around 10am to find a short lineup waiting to get into the park and one nasty policeman screaming and shaking his fingers at the cars....give this guy a chill pill, we are here to experience nature folks! Once inside the park we continued with lines...lines to park, lines to go in to get a tag (glad I am a Park Pass holder), another line to park. In defense of the park we were here peak fall color on the Saturday of a long Veteran's Day weekend. And for the amount of lines we really did not wait too terribly wrong...it just all seemed contra to being in a State Natural Area.

We parked in the first lot on the west and headed up the East Trail. We soon met what State Natural Area really meant...steep uphills with large, loose chunky gravel the size of golfballs. This 4.6 mile trail should not be attempted with flip-flops or kitten heels, yes we saw both, in fact I highly recommend good hiking shoes or boots that offer plenty of ankle support. The view from the top is well worth the effort it takes to get to get there!! We had packed a lunch and found a nice ledge to sit on and enjoy the view of the valley below. After finishing the trail with a thousand new friends, we headed out of the park and the mile long line of cars still waiting to get into the park at 3:30pm. I sure hope they don't think they can hike the East Trail before it gets dark.

On to Leakey for an early dinner at one of Texas Monthly's 40 Best Small Town Cafes. We arrived an hour before the Leakey Feed Lot reopened for dinner so we headed up to the scenic overlook (now closed) north of town on US 87 and enjoyed a Shiner Bock we had stashed in the cooler. This funky little cafe has varied hours that change with the season so I highly recommend checking their website link before you go. The article recommended the chicken fried rib eye, but all I could think was-Why ruin a perfectly good steak? So I had the rib eye sans the chicken fried with a side of bacon green beans and salad. My meal was delicious and my medium rare steak was cooked to perfection. Unfortunately Phil's chopped steak was overcooked to shoe leather and they served it on Styrofoam plates...I guess they don't want or have a dishwasher. To top it all off they brought the very tasty salads with croutons and cheese with our dinner, no mistake just the SOP. If I were to go again, which I might-the staff and owner were friendly and we loved the funky cafe decor-I would go for the food more appropriate to Styrofoam and have a beer. Another 40 Best nearby was Hicks House and Bakery east of Utopia on Lee Street in an old renovated house, next time will be a must stop.

We savored one last night around the fire. Sunday morning we broke camp at a leisurely pace, enjoying breakfast, hiking along the Rio Frio and plotting one last hike and the route back to Austin. We were glad we had chosen Garner over Lost Maples to camp. Lost Maples very limited campsites were out in the open and everyone using the trails had to pass by. Lost Maples would be fine for someone who had a recreation vehicle, but we like the peace and quiet without listening to generators running all night. We also liked the newer Rio Frio section of Garner because of the mature trees we like for setting up a tarp roof.

Our last hike was in the older section of Garner, south of our site. We took the trail to Crystal Cave (make sure to pick up a Hiking Trail Map on you way into the park). This trail is reminiscent of the East Trail from yesterday. Up,up,up we hiked over the same golfball sized gravel (did they import this stuff?). We climbed more than 1200 feet in elevation over a short 0.37 mile trail. Never so happy to see a cave entrance sign, we ventured into the small cave to see the crystals. Without a flashlight and feeling a little foolish (it did say crystal now didn't it?), we made due with the light from my camera and Phil's lighter. It was worth the effort to get there and next time we will bring our flashlight! Just before heading back down the boulder strewn trail we grabbed Baby Bear's Extreme letterbox Oh Crap, That Was Today. After all, I had made it this far, why not scramble up the hill another 20 feet...and as it turned out it was a super cute carving.

Leaving Garner we turned east to Utopia then north up RR187 past Lost Maples to SH 39 and headed easterly again. The road to Hunt weaves back and forth crossing the Guadalupe River numerous times. We rounded a curve to see several horses down in the river seeking a little refreshment. We stopped to take pictures and continued on our way. At Hunt we turned left to go to the old Stonehenge and Easter Island heads location. I had heard rumor they wanted to relocate the 7/8 size replica, but Phil had never seen it so I thought it was worth checking. The old field was empty, but a sign directed us to its new home just down the road in Ingram at the Point Theater.

Stonehenge and the Island Heads seemed happy in their new home and it was now time we headed to our old home. But I could not resist going through Fredericksburg and making one last stop at my favorite Texas brewpub for a light dinner and a few delicious brews. Fredericksburg Brewing Company is located downtown on Main Street smack dab in the middle of town and offers several staple beers like Not So Dumb Blonde, Enchanted Rock Red Ale, or Pioneer Porter. They also brew specialty batches and had a Fitztown Brown-their seasonal hoppy porter with a creamy head, this is a great transitional beer as we move into the colder winter months here in Texas. A perfect finish to the fantastic long weekend.

Texas Hill Country Winter Weekend (#44)

One of our favorite getaway destinations is the glorious Hill Country here in Texas. While my favorite season tends to be the wildflower explosion during a great spring, every season reveals something special about this beautiful region. This last time we decided to try a little winter camping over the long MLK weekend.

Our first destination was the far western reaches of Hill Country and a little adventure at Caverns of Sonora. Located just west of Sonora of US 10, we knew we met West Texas went the posted speed limit went up to 80 mph. We love exploring caves and caverns and found this one to be an extraordinary gem for the spelunking crowd. The tour was almost two hours and included over 350 stairs taking us more than fifteen stories below the rugged desert above. We saw some very unique formations we had never seen before like fishtails, war clubs and geodes embedded into walls. What I found the most striking though, was the variety of formations included in each room. Both physical effort and tour cost ($20) were well worth it.

We had our choice of several very nice campsites at South Llano River State Park in Junction, but I imagine when its warm a little prior planning and a few inter tubes would be wise. There were several nice hiking trails including one straight uphill to a scenic overlook and a couple very comfy bird blinds to watch some of our fine feathered friends.

We wandered our way back home through some of the
most scenic roads I have encountered in Texas...and this was January! We headed south from the state park on RR377 and made our way toward Rocksprings, self professed Mohair Capital of the World. On our way there we stopped at Telegraph (Population 3, 2000) and admired the picturesque old general store & post office. Telegraph is an interesting little ghost town and holds the distinction of having the first commissioned postmistress in Texas in 1900.

About six miles north of Rocksprings we turned east onto 41, then south again at RR335. This was the first of two Twisted Sisters roads we would wander. The incredibly scenic road hugs the side of mountains named Schoolhouse, Graveyard and Turnpike and then crosses the Nueces and Frio Rivers. A little over half way we stopped at the fence of an exotic animal farm to watch kangaroos, giraffes and exotic antelope play. Then a few miles later we encountered a few camels. Just above Barksdale we joined 55 and followed it into Camp Wood.

At Camp Wood we turned east onto the second Twisted Sister RR337. Just before we left the town proper we had to stop at Holy Smoke BBQ who's slogan was "Never Trust a Skinny Cook!" We left with a pound of brisket and the appropriate fixings and headed down the road to find a picnic table to feast. A picnic table there was not, but the beauty of this highway begged for us to stop....somewhere. We rounded a curve and there was a small turnout overlooking the valley so we pulled over and made a make shift picnic table of our cooler. I love Texas BBQ and brisket is KING!
Just south of Leakey we headed south on US83 to Garner State Park to do a little hiking. Before leaving we checked out the extensive network of campgrounds, this park has so much to offer and is definately a must future camping trip. We headed east on 1015 to Utopia and then north on 187 to Lost Maples SNA. This time we drove right into the park, but an earlier fall visit found us several miles south of the park waiting more than an hour to enter and see the beautiful Bigtooth Maples bursing into a flame of fall color.

Heading back east on FM337 we stopped in Medina, apple capital of Texas. Here you can pick your own apples in season at Love Creek Orchards or stop in any time at the bakery store for one of their tasty apple baked goods. We loved their "Adam's Favorite Pumpkin-Pecan-Apple Bread" and Apple Strudel as a nightcap. We need to come back during apple picking time when the orchard is full of dwarf trees bearing some of my all time favorites like Jonagold and Pink Lady as well as their special "Lone Star Little Sugar" Gala.

January was a great uncrowded time to spend a lovely MLK long weekend exploring, but every season holds something special here. So come any time and if you really love fall there isn't anywhere else in Texas quite like this heavenly slice of Texas Hill Country.

50/50 Hawaii (#49)

The big day I aspired to starting back in 1994 happened this past...November 9, 2009. It was the day I turned 50 years young...the day I became eligible to the National Register of Historic Places as long as I still had integrity. It was the day I had raced to see all 50 of our beautiful United States (plus DC). It was the most glorious of all my 50 birthdays...it was the day I spent in the 50th state, a day in paradise on the island of Kauai!

This vacation started several days before when Phil & I hopped from Austin to Houston and then boarded another plane for 8 1/2 hours to arrive in Honolulu to visit my 49th state. My first birthday present was picking up my midlife crisis car-a Mustang convertible. I could not wait to get her out on the open road! This V-8 beauty was just begging to have her peddle buried into the floor, but it had been a long day. We did a quick dinner and beer sampler at Kona Brewing Company before heading to our hotel. Tomorrow would be a day of one of my many firsts in this beautiful state...a day of snorkeling.

Hanauma Bay is a snorkeling paradise located 20 minutes east of our Waikiki hotel. It is home to the beautiful triggerfish-Hawaii's unofficial state fish and officially the longest Hawaiian word...humuhumunukunukuapua'a. We arrived early in the morning and viewed the mandatory film; a preventative strike to keep us from walking along and causing irreparable harm to this incredible reef and home to over 150 turtles, fishes and invertabrate animals. We began our adventure in Keyhole Lagoon as suggested by one of the many helpful volunteers after I confessed I had never been snorkeling before. After lots of laughs trying to master the flippers we headed into the water were the hours passed way to quickly. The amount and color of the marine life was truly amazing, many looked blacklight flourescent and few cared that we had invaded their habitat.

We had a full day of tourist activities the next day starting with a Pearl Harbor and Honolulu City Tour. Before the boat took us out to the USS Arizona Memorial we watched a very sensitive and moving movie account of the events that led up the fateful attack on December 7, 1941. From that point on I had a lump in my throat and shed a few tears (for all the braves soldiers who have served for our freedom). As we moved from the front to the back of the memorial I started to read some of the more than 1000 names on the back wall memorializing the men entombed under my feet. As we looked over the side, two drops of oil surfaced and spread across the water and I imagined as the movie account had said that these were the ships tears. Back at the Visitor Center we had the wonderful opportunity to visit with Pearl Harbor Survivor Pharmacist's Mate 2nd Class Sterling Cale, who had just gotten off night duty and ran back to help when the bombing began. He was also in charge of removing bodies from the USS Arizona. Sgt Cale just retired in 2005 after 57 years of government service and immediately started volunteering at the Visitor Center...amazing! While our visit here was relatively short one, it will be forever one of my most moving experiences.

We left the USS Arizona Memorial and headed to the National Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl with its numerous notable persons including Ellison Onizuka, one of the ill-fated astronauts aboard the Challeger. This beautiful cemetery also has incredible views of Waikiki with a Diamond Head backdrop. We then headed to historic downtown Honolulu past historic districts and many buildings belonging to the government...then and now. Our day was far from over.

A trip to Hawaii would not be complete without attending a good old fashion luau...we choose Germain's which included a very entertaining bus ride west of the city to the beachside location. Our escort Georgie filled us in about the traditions, foods and various Hawaiian word we would encounter at the evenings festivities. She was great at giving us the low down on how to make the most of our experience and she even got up on stage and helped entertainment. When the time came to send a lady from each table to go up on stage and learn the hula, I screamed it was my birthday and ran up on stage! As it turned out not one other lady had wanted to go, but I hadn't given them a choice either. On the bus trip home Georgie gave three beautiful and fragrant plumeria leis to those who answered Hawaiian trivia questions and Phil knew the official longest Hawaiian word for the unofficial Hawaiian state fish. What a great wrapup for an incredible day!

For our last full day on Oahu we got up before sunrise to go out to Diamond Head State Monument and hike to the top. The strenuous 0.8 mile trail to the top was build as part of the island's defense system 100 years ago. The trail includes switchbacks, a tunnel and several sets of stairs including a very steep set of 99 that empties successful hikers into the second level of an old bunker and ultimate rewarding views of Diamondhead Lighthouse, the crater and the Waikiki coastline.


We purchased 3-day Go Oahu cards from Costco for $119 each before we ventured to Hawaii. I was able to book the luau and tours using this handy card. My one do over for this trip would be- not to not purchase them. We booked our time solid the first two day but on the third and last day of the card they canceled our catamaran lunch cruise and we then waited almost an hour for an outrigger canoe ride which never happened. As it turned out we did not get the value we could of...or should have gotten. Fortunately by purchasing the card at Costco we had saved $30 each; if I had paid $149 I would have been very unhappy. We did end up just relaxing the rest of the day, seeing the beach at Waikiki and driving to the north shore.

Early the next morning we left the hustle bustle of Oahu for peaceful laid back Kauai, a short 21 minute ride on Hawaiian Airlines featuring impeccable service. We were taken to Dollar rental kiosk by bus though the confirmation stated in-terminal. I was then subjected to one of the nastiest clerks who thought intimidating me into purchasing needless additional insurance was going to be successful. She stated that I should buy the "loss of use" insurance because in the event of an accident they would likely charge my credit card for each day they lost use of the car up to 21 days! Unlike the wonderful customer experience we had with Advantage on Oahu...Dollar on Kauai was torturous. No matter...this nasty woman was not going to ruin my time in PARADISE.

We stopped at the Oki Diner for a delicious lunch and headed to our hotel. They allowed us to check in early and we headed off to the north shore and the end of the road at Ke'e Beach. Little did we know we would flirt with disaster...would I see my 50th birthday tomorrow???

Our first stop was Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge with its spectacular 1913 lighthouse complete with its original Fresnel lens. On our journey to the lighthouse proper we stopped to "borrow" a pair of binoculars to view the abundant wildlife. We had arrived just in time to join the elated staff celebrating the season's first sighting of an Albatross. The birds were fresh from arrival from Alaska, who would spend winter in this paradise. The hillside was littered with the white dots of Red-Footed Boobies and we observed the nesting grounds of Shearwaters. There was much talk of the first sightings of humpback whales who also winter here, but alas we were not lucky to see any this trip.

It was on to the end of the road, we stopped just past Princeville at the Hanalei Valley Overlook with great views of taro fields with a spectacular mountain backdrop. We continues down the road as it dropped into the valley and a series of one lane bridges encouraging us to "yield to oncoming traffic." In the town of Hanalei we stopped at the oldest church on the island. The beautiful Wai'oli Hui'ia Church was completed in 1912. The mountain background displayed a profusion of waterfalls threading from top to bottom. What a romantic place to get married!

We finished our drive at Ke'e Beach on the north shore and part of the incredible Napali Coastline. After a photo op in a tangle of tree roots at Ke'e Beach and a stop at the Waikanaloa (Blue Room) Wet Cave we returned to Princeville in search of Kauai's only blue diamond letterbox at Queen's Bath. it was getting late and we thought we would have enough time to venture straight down the trail, retrieve the box and head back to Hanalei for dinner at one of the quaint eateries in the little downtown hamlet...we couldn't have been more wrong.

While the box planter warned of the slippery nature of the trail, they said they took their children and carried a ten month old...were we in the same place I ask? The red clay trail with a wet skiff of moisture provided optimum challenge as we navigated or slid down a path perched precariously close to a craggy black lava edge. Had we lost our footing, we could have plunged into a small canyon about twenty feet below. We got down to what was described as the "washing machine" just in time to watch the sun drop into the horizon in a matter of seconds...and then it was dark and time to head back up the trail...no flashlight either. My heart was beating like a triphammer and I heard Phil start to swear...the next thing I think I saw was Phil's broken flipflops whipping past my head and into the washing machine. I questioned wheter I would see my 50th birthday the next day. We made it back to the trailhead parking lot, the lone car, but we were alive. No dinner in Hanalei tonight, no letterbox. We went back to our hotel room, got cleaned up and headed into Kapaa to Pizzetta's for an amazing pizza and their very tasty signature beer "Rooster Brew" by the Keoki Brewing Company.

The big day would finally arrive, and yes of course I did live to celebrate my most glorious of all birthdays! It started with the Big Kahuna one hour morning flight around the island of Kauai with AirVentures. I conquered my fear of flying in small airplanes a few short minutes after takeoff. We flew with two other couples; one from Pittsburg and the other from northwestern Florida. The route looped around the entire island, pasting through the lush Waimea Canyon, up along the dramatic Napali Coast, past several waterfalls including the one used in the opener of the old Fantasy Island TV show and my most favorite part-flying over the 1913 Kilauea Point Lighthouse we had visited the day before.

Shortly after landing we were standing alongside Wailua Falls which we had just flown over less than an hour before. We needed to check in for our Holo Holo catamaran cruise at the Port Allen Marina by 2pm. It was only about a third the way around this fairly tiny island and we had a little over two hours. That was just enough time to visit Keoki Coffee; the largest coffee plantation in the US and do a little letterboxing in an old abandoned cemetery filled with Buddhas and stones with Asian script. Abandoned and overgrown the cemetery stones were still incredible.

The cruise was a 3 1/2 hour cruise along the Napali coast in a supercharged catamaran. we were on board with about thirty other people and the boat could have accommodated 49 so it was perfect for manuevering around. Pru & Tim, the Florida couple from our morning airplane ride were also aboard and we discovered they had lived near Austin for several years before returning to her home state. The gang sang "Happy Birthday" to me and I graciously thanked them for joining my party. An open bar and excellent Asian dinner rounded out the romantic sunset wind down topped off with a champagne toast. We disembarked the boat just after 6pm, but I was not ready to finish this party, so it was off to the Waimea Brewing Company for a little beer sampler for dessert. They had great beer label t-shirts sporting their logo "The Last Beer Before Tomorrow." Waimea Brewing is the westernmost microbrewery in the US and to the left of this island is the International Date Line (tomorrow). This had been a birthday like no other and tomorrow was my last day in paradise.

We check out of our room at the crack of dawn and headed to the west side of the island again to drive the Waimea Valley. Waimea in Hawaiian means Red Earth and it reminded Phil and I of a lush slightly miniturized Grand Canyon. Teh road climbed quickly fro the town of Waimea and followed along a high ridge for about 15 miles. The end of the road offered a dramatic view overlooking a deep craggy valley. We had seen this island by air, sea and land. Making our way back to Lihue Airport we stopped at Lappert's Ice Cream for a scoop of their goumet ice cream. I had Tutu's Anniversary a combination of coconut ice cream and passionfruit and raspberry sorbets, it was out of this world. We still had a little time to sightsee, so we headed south to Poipu to see the Spouting Horn blow hole and the Tunnel of Trees drive north of Koloa. Our plane to Honolulu was at 8pm so we had time to stop for one of our most awesome dinners at the Garden Island BBQ. Recommended by a local it was a tremendous value at $15 for two...we could not believe our eyes when the bill came. We left Kauai in stormy weather, and I felt like crying too. From Honolulu our plane left for Salt Lake City and flew overnight and by 1pm the next day we were back in Austin, Texas...older, wiser and a little more relaxed. I may have missed getting Alaska and finishing my original 1994 goal, but it was only by one state. Maybe I can find the time before 50 officially escapes me on November 9, 2010??? Regardless, I have had the great fortune to explore this beautiful country... and there is still so much more to see and do.

Aloha Y'all!

Ohio (#3) - A Hocking Hills Christmas

I suppose a Wolverine should never admit to liking anything about the state of Ohio, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and confess to you...it is a great place to visit, especially Hocking Hills southeast of Columbus.

When I was growning up in southeast Michigan we visited several times each year and after Phil and I married the tradition continued.

Thanksgiving 2004 our family talked about going away for Christmas in lieu of traditional presents. We didn't know where, we didn't have gobs of money and we didn't want to fight the crowds (or possible delays) a trip to an airport might garner. After a little investigation, I came up with a couple of choices-one each in Ohio and Michigan. We had been to Hocking Hills the summer before and noted the high number of cabins in the area. The loft pool table and back porch hot tub clinched our choice as our destination the week between Christmas and New Year.

We drove to the cabin during what was possibly that winters worse ice storm for southeastern Ohio. Fortunately for us Ohioans were smart and laid low making it clear sailing for us in the trusty family minivan. The ice on the tree limbs glimmering in the sunlight was incredibly beautiful. It seemed as if we had journeyed into a fairytale.

The cabin was no disappointment. The living room and loft area were recycled from an early 1800s log cabin that had been moved and reassembled at this spot. A small Christmas tree, foosball table, and oversize TV for our video games greeted us in the living room and up in the loft was a small pool table. The boys squealed with delight! To the right and back of the log cabin were modern additions, one with the kitchen and keeping room complete with fireplace and wood and the other off the back, housed our two bedrooms with modern bath and laundry areas. The back door led to porches that hung slightly into a ravine and to one side was a hot tub that comfortably fit us all. This was nice.

It was real easy to settle in here. We had prepared several dinners back at home and froze. We always try to make them ahead for vacations such as this so we have meals made from scratch, and quick and easy prep after a day of fun. The boys hooked up the video games and Phil built a fire with the fruitwood they supplied. Phil slipped into the rocker next to the fire...life is good folks.

We got up early the next day so we could explore this icy wonderland the storm had left behind. During our five day stay we stuck to a loop and stopped for hikes at Cedar Falls, Ash Cave and Rockbridge. Few other people were hiking and we savored each adventure. Standing water froze in place and became iridescent and flowing water became drapes of icicles. At Rockbridge we were joined by a beagle who came out of nowhere and hiked down to the natural bridge and back with us. We scampered under the bridge where water fell into the small creek below during warmer weather, but today it was an ice cascade. Austin went on a great ice spear hunt, gathering more and more, each one bigger than the last. Our beagle mascot never left our side until we were close to the van and then he just disappeared just as he had when he joined us. the best part was after a full day of hiking we came back to the cabin and jumped in the hot tub while our dinner was warming up.

This was one of those great memorable family trips, full of fun and laughter and that wonderful feeling of closeness. I believe it may have been the most relaxed Christmas holiday I have ever experienced and that was the best present I could have ever been bestowed. As we pulled through the gate and left our little cabin in the icy wonderland, we talked about how nice it would be to come again next year and do it all over again. That was not meant to be though, the next Christmas would find our family exploring Austin, Texas together for the first time...our new home. Funny where life can take you.

Oklahoma is Better Than OK (#35)

Phil and I recently headed 5 hours north of Austin to Ardmore, Oklahoma to attend the Movies at Murray Letterboxing Event April 4th & 5th. The event was wonderfully organized by Penguin Patrol where she hid more than 50 movie-themed letterboxes in and around the beautiful Lake Murray State Park.

Lake Murray is Oklahoma's oldest and largest state park. Developed with the help of Roosevelt's WPA program in the 1930s. The park displays an abundance of reminders of the era of time intensive masonry techniques in its rustic stone building such as the Tucker Tower Nature Center on the east side of the manmade lake.

We camped at the end of the peninsula at Buzzard's Roost
the first night awakening to the sound of Canadian Geese. Before the event started at 10:30am we decided to hike a couple of the trails that held the dozen and a half temporary boxes, which took a lot longer than we anticipated. These boxes proved to be some of the most intricate of all and well worth the extra time we took to locate them. We joined what part of the group remained, enjoyed talking with old and new friends, did some exchanges and ate pizza before heading out to grab up more! We hiked five or six hours this day for my best one day total of 28 boxes!

The wind out at the end of the point got the best of us Friday night, so on Saturday we moved inland. The wind did indeed settle down and we slept very comfortably in our outfitted minivan only to wake up Sunday morning and discover it was 40º with the returned wind chill. We dressed without haste, ate a modified breakfast and quickly broke camp. The cold did not deter us from one last trail that proved to be the prettiest of all the hikes we had taken in and around the park.

The trail was located before the entry booth for Tipps Point. We parked on the north side of the road by the speed limit sign. The entrance is not easily seen but we entered the trail at a post with a hiking symbol. We continued due north, ignoring a few intersections until we headed down a fairly rocky hill where we veered left along an incredible inlet complete with a kingfisher hunting for a meal. We hiked to a super comfortable bench next to a bridge built by an Eagle Scout candidate and wished we would have planned this spot for a picnic, but time was fleeting and we needed to head south for Austin.

We pulled out onto I-35 and headed south, but there was
one more stop before the border for Phil...The Winstar Casino!! The slots where calling his name. While I prepared us a lunch in the parking lot and plotted our stop in Fort Worth, Phil had one glorious hour with the one armed bandit...After 50 minutes Phil came out with a big smile on his face and an extra $20 in his pocket. What better way to wrapup our Oklahoma adventure!

Washington - The Olympic Loop (#25)

A free ticket that needed to be used by March 1, 2008...where do I go? To visit one of my closest friends who moved last summer to Bainbridge Island (across the Sound from Seattle) . I was fortunate to have spent some time in the beautiful Northwest years ago so I was not expecting sunshiny days in the middle of February. What was most important was that I was going to relax and recharge with a dear friend for an extra long President's Day weekend. In an unexpected twist I spent five glorious sunny days with my dear friend Hope, circling the Olympic Peninsula.

I arrived at SeaTac on Friday morning and was greeted with overcast sky and fine misty rain...yep this is just how I remembered it...good thing I packed my trusty raingear. I spent this first afternoon letterboxing in the amazing Fauntleroy Park and took a drive through downtown to admire the architecture before catching the ferry across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island. But I needed a little lunch, so a stop a the Pyramid Microbrewery for a beer sampler and chili was the perfect stop for this beer snob wannabe. After purchasing a couple of souvenirs it was time to head to the Seattle Ferry Terminal and voyage across the sound to meet my friends on the other side. As the ferry pulled away from the terminal the sky west turned blue and that would be the last rain I would experience till my last day (sans the one place you cannot and did not want to avoid it!).

My first night was spent with old friends and new, partaking in some local brew. I was ever so pleasantly pleased at the Hood Canal Brewery in Kingston. This little microbrewery is tucked into an industrial complex and has a nice little tasting room. We sampled a beer or two and bought a growler to go. Then it was on to Silver City Brewery in Poulsbo for filet mignon and Scotch Ale...yum!

Leaving early the next morning, Hope and I planned to circle the peninsula clockwise starting from Bainbridge Island. We made our first stop in Ocean Shores to drive on the Pacific Ocean beach. People here scour the beach for dinner, fly kites, and just plain relax. People here also turn beach trash into art sculptures to mark paths from beach to home to.

The road on west side of the peninsula snakes back and forth alternating between the ocean shore and the woods. In the interior it becomes clear that this area is all about the bounty the woods has to offer...LUMBER. We stopped in the Stepford Community of Seabrooke for a $10 glass of wine and continued on our way.

Next stop was one of the major highlight of this wonderful trip...a hike in the Quinalt Rainforest. ..the only rain forest in the contiguous US. Here is where trees commonly tower more than 100 feet. This area is appropriately nicknamed "The Valley of the Giants" and is home to the largest evergreens in the US and the world. I felt like an enchanted ant scampering along the soft forest floor, and moss dripped from nearly every tree. The day was slipping away and we wanted to see the sun fall into the Pacific Ocean...time to find our way to our evenings stay at the Kalaloch Lodge.

The Kalaloch Lodge in the Olympic National Park was probably the greatest disappointment (and thankfully the only) of the entire trip. We were shocked to find that our $150 a night (low season price) Seacrest room had an ALMOST completely obstructed view of the ocean, a musty smell and super parse furnishings, beyond the beds there was one uncomfortable chair, and a $25 Walmart bench on the porch. The bathroom offered hard towels that didn't dry your body and dispenser soap, shampoo, and conditioner in the tiny plastic shower stall. Old moldy linoleum floors and chipped veneer finished off the sparse bathroom, and the huge dressing area attached to the bathroom didn't even offer a bench. I have stayed at several other national park lodges and was appalled at the lack of amenities for the price we paid for this room. The service in the dining room was little better. Trust me folks, plan accordingly and don't waste your money here.

First thing the next morning we made our in-room pot of coffee, used every environmentally unfriendly dry creamer packet in the joint and hightailed it to Forks. There we found a much needed tasty breakfast complete with real cream for our coffee all served by a teenage girl who could have given the dining room staff at Kalaloch a lesson or two. This was just what we needed and returned us to...glorious day two.

Just north of Forks proper we turned west towards LaPush and took the upper road to the beautiful Rialto Beach. The beach here is a great place to hike and if you are up for it try the one and a half mile hike to Hole in the Wall. The air was filled with the wonderful sound of waves crashing the beach and driftwood logs lined the beach like a gigantic game of pick up sticks.

Next stop, the Makah Indian reservation to hike the Cape Flattery Trail to the northwesternmost point of the contiguous US. The road out to the reservation hugs the edge of the water. Huge pines dot the landscape and provide a small but false sense of security. We rounded curve after curve and were delighted when one of those beautiful pines sitting next to the road served as a perch for five bald eagles...incredible. The annual entrance fee of $10 was a bargain, and I was grateful to see that the Makah Nation had not caved to putting in a casino. The trail to the Cape was truly one of those memorable strolls through the woods and up and over several boardwalks. The biggest thrill however came at the end of the trail, where on a clear day you have a great view of Cape Flattery Lighthouse out on Tatoosh Island.

We took the recommendation of turning right at Clallam Bay and traveling WA 101 instead of the coast hugging WA 112. We understood why when we arrived at the breathtaking Crescent Lake were simple clouds bumped into the mountains and eagles fished (and caught) their dinner with the sun setting into the west end of the lake...life doesn't get much better than this!

Monday morning was another super letterboxing opportunity with stops at the historic Port Gimble, the Hood Canal Floating Bridge and Ludlow Falls...every one a winner. Than on to Port Townsend for lunch, lighthouse and brew. Before leaving we had time for a little beer sampler at the Port Townsend Brewing Company and on our way back to Hope's house we stopped at the Kingston dock to see Mt. Rainier in all its glory across the Puget Sound. Tomorrow it was time to head south for ATX.

The next morning Hope and I had coffee and big hugs. Instead of taking the ferry back across the Sound to SeaTac, I opted for driving around and over the beautiful Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Two more letterboxes before I have to get the car back to the rental place. I was amazed by the beautiful architecture of the old Union station in Tacoma, now the History Museum and the Chiluly Bridge and Glass Museum nearby. I looks like I will have to return to Tacoma and Hope's house...and next time needs to be soon!