South Prong Hike

Quitaque, Texas 8-31-08
Caprock Canyons State Park
A walk on the South Prong hiking trail was fun today. For the most part it is a wide path that wanders through the canyon floor. Eventually it heads up to a ridge. The state park map labels it steep and rugged. A little bit of an understatement in my opinion.

When you leave the parking lot and head into the canyon, the scenery has you twisting your neck back and forth. This is not a narrow canyon like some in the West, but is close enough to sometimes have to struggle to get the picture you want because of the natural brush growth and other natural obstructions. In the next three pictures you will get a whiff of the scenery and a few cliffs. For the nephew and other rock climbers, this is a rather soft rock not suitable for playing spider man.

After about a mile on the trail, the primitive camping (backpackers) camping area trail takes off to the left. After exploring the trail a little ways, my better judgment sent me back to the main trail as it was getting a bit warm for me. There is a toilet and designated campsites up the hill somewhere along this trail.

As the trail neared the steep and rugged section, there were voices of kids and barking from a dog. The audio of joy seemed to be coming from high on the cliff to my right. The steep portion came into view and my abilities were evaluated as a solo hiker and came up short for the path ahead. There is too much loose rocks and too much steepness for me to feel reasonably safe alone.

Still there was voices and barking. When a picture of most of the trail up was taken, the owners of the voices and barks came into view. It appeared to be two adults, two kids and a dog. They are in the upper right of this picture.

To prove they are really there here is an enlargement of the spot that they are negotiating at that moment.


The lead person was having a bit of a tough time working his way down then helping the dog and kids. From the sounds of things they were having a great time of it.

For fun tonight, a visit to Kevin and his wife, Gwenna, at their campsite was made. It was ten pm before I knew it and had to head back home since “Quiet Time” starts at ten. Check Gwenna’s pictures out at www.courtyardgallery.com.
Another great day of trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

A Good Theo Paddling

Quitaque, Texas 8-30-08
Caprock Canyons State Park
The move to the over flow area went smoothly. The park person even set it up for Comfort Castle to stay here until we leave. It is in a field with water and electric service and well away from the normal tourist areas. It is also very close to the boat ramp on Lake Theo. By the time everything was set up, a light rain started and lasted until lunch time.

After lunch the yak went to play in the lake. For four plus hours we played in the lake. We even met a neat fellow named Kevin who, according to the ranger, is the BASSMASTER of Lake Theo. He uses a pontoon boat with a trolling motor to terrorize the fish.


The lake is relatively small so several laps of the lake were made as Kevin and I talked and he fished.

The upper end of the lake has some cliffs along it. They are the typical red rock of the area. To the right in the reeds is where a stream feeds this lake. Kevin told me that you could go up it for a long way some of the time.

A short paddle and a right turn brought me into the stream bed. The shore is lined with reeds and a large amount of them in the middle of the stream. About five hundred yards into the stream, the stream took a bend to the left and it was end of the road for me. It is not part of my enjoyment to fight vegetation full of spiders and other nasties to paddle up the creek.

By the time paddling was finished it was after five pm and my wet clothes needed to be changed for dry clothing. After changing clothes, my stomach was chewing on my spine. So into town to the diner, where the fish was fantastic yesterday, to quickly appease my stomach and save my spine. It was excellent again tonight.

It should be very good sleeping tonight as the weather has cooled somewhat. That should make me very rested to try to have tooooo much fun tomorrow. TheOFM

The Roadrunner Picture

Quitaque, Texas 8-29-08
Caprock Canyons State Park

Tomorrow Comfort Castle has to be moved to the overflow area because previous to my arrival reservations used up the entire campground for Saturday night. Then Sunday evening Comfort Castle moves back to the campground for two nights. It is a bit of a hassle but is a lot better than being on the road needing a spot with none to be had.

This park has a very nice entrance sign. This morning the sun was shining nicely and the temperature was only mid seventies.


The visitor center is under going a big renovation right now. As you walk up the walk from the parking lot, the first artwork you pas is this bison watching you very carefully.

To the left of the entrance door is this beautiful 3D wall art. View it closely and see all the little important details the artist put into the piece. It looks even better in real life.

Now for some history of the area. This sign tells the story of ceremonial events in the area of the sign. It is located on a knoll next to Lake Theo.



Lake Theo is a pleasantly sized body of water. Hopefully tomorrow will be a day of kayaking on Lake Theo. It should be a pleasant bit of yakking.


At an interpretive viewpoint were these two bits of information about the vegetation and how the bison helped the vegetation to survive.




Getting close to see the real bison has not happened yet. The range pens for them is a little remote.

A hiking we will go, a hiking we will go----Maybe if my body adjusts to this altitude and the lack of leg strength gets better soon. There are miles and miles of trails here, but none of them are fast trails. The fellows, that have hiked here and are in good shape for it, say that the trails are rugged enough that a mile and hour is pretty good speed on the average. The next four pictures are of the areas where most of the good trails are located.

This is one of the starting points for the Canyon Loop Trail. It runs around all over the place. Sometimes it splits into two or three trails that feed back and forth to other trails. Eventually it covers all the ridges and valleys and overlooks in this picture and goes off to the right and left of this picture into some really rugged areas.

From “The Little Red Tent Camping Area” you can go down into the South Prong of the Little Red River and explore miles of river bottom to your hearts content. In 1999 my exploring was short but very interesting while hiking slowly upstream. Eventually the walls got so steep that discretion moved me back downstream and out of the river bed. Flash floods are a reality out here.

This picture is of a side canyon off from Eagle Point. To get to this area, one has to take the Eagle Point trail and bushwhack into the canyon. Getting lost or injured in this area means no one will be coming to help you. It is a real no mans land if you leave the trail.


Now we have the start of the South Prong trail system. It joins up with the Canyon Loop Trails on the other side of the ridges in this picture. These trails are especially rugged and treacherous. The trails do take you on to the top of these ridges and more of them back to the left.

Most of this side is toooooooooooo dangerous for a solo hiker to be in their messing around. Even in my younger years this was a little much for me. With a group, it would be fine.

A park resident came to visit with me and show off. It seemed to even pose for my picture attempts when the camera was brought to eye level!!!!


Overall it was a great day for trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

Caprock Canyon

Quitaque, Texas 8-28-08
It was a long driving day again. Excitement ran wild as Quitaque came in sight. A cell tower right in town and the park is three miles outside of town. Ought to be good internet service. WRONG AGAIN. Sprint is not on this tower. Parking fifty feet away from the base still did not get me a signal for phone or aircard. RATZZZZZ. So this will be published another day.

On the way into the panhandle of Texas, a familiar sight was seen again and again. Fields full of crops interspersed with producing oil wells. Land owners get a double whammy that way.

This park has had a major rework since my last visit in 1999. The brochure shows all the trails, camping and water sports available. It is a huge beautiful park that would take several months to cover all the trails etc.


This campsite is pretty much standard in layout for all the campsite. The campsites are very roomy with the amenities seen here.


There is a very nice bath house with toilets and warm water showers. The foliage is a little thick so the wind tends to go over the campsite rather than down into the site.

See the buffalo in the picture below. The State Bison Herd is housed here in this park. However what you are seeing is steel cutouts type of sculpture mounted out in the open plains to catch you attention. There are these steel sculptures scattered all over the park. The real bison are in a heavy wire fenced area. If you have never been around bison, be aware that they can be very mean and they are incredibly strong.
For those who still think Texas is flat every where, this picture is for you. This is a small drainage area about on hundred feet deep that leads to the main Palo Duro canyon.

As frequently happens when camping an intruder comes in unasked and helps them self to your campsite. Where do these intruders get the idea it is ok to do that?????????

With all this opportunity in front of me tomorrow, there is a good chance that somebody will be out trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

The Caddoan Mounds Site

Proctor Lake
Promontory Point Campground
South of De Leon, Texas

The previous two days blogs have been published now that there is a little bit of an internet signal to use.

Let us start this day’s blog with a quick tour of the Caddoan Mounds State Historical Site. This is an area where a band of Indians lived for a long time. The mounds are left over from ceremonial events of some sort. These two signs next to the road tell the little bit of the story that has come my way.



The mound next to the highway is not very high and is an easy climb up to read the Neches Indians sign. The other is right next to the pull off of the highway.

They have a visitor center but it was closed when my visit occurred.

The other two mounds are out in a field to the north a couple of hundred yards away. There are trails around in the area that lead to information stations. It would be a good stop at least once. Years ago was my once.

It was a long drive today, but the roads were mostly in good shape. No wrong turns were made and the final objective was obtained about 2:30pm. The campsites are good and a picture of this one tells the tale.

Earlier before dark the view from my “office” was very nice. Oddly there have been no fish disturbing the surface of the lake during any time my view wandered to the lake.


It is unknown where Comfort Castle will be rolling to tomorrow, but you can bet it will have to do with trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM

Through The Woods To Rice's House

8:30pm 8-26-08
Mission Tejas State Park
Eleven miles west of Alto, Texas

This mornings ride into Lufkin was frustrating even without Comfort Castle. The roads in that town go ever which way. After finally getting to the insurance agents office things went very well. Theda was excellent to deal with and new health insurance was ordered. That will take so load off my mind.

Back in the park, a picture taking tour was taken to get pictures of all the rest of the park for the blog. A trail through the woods led up to the Rice cabin. This is the start of the trail. A nice little bridge starts you off . If you look carefully at the trees on the left you will see a blur paint splotch on a tree. That blue splotch appears ever so often to make certain that you do not get lost and also get to see all the special spots.


The trail winds nicely through the woods for a little ways, then crosses another small bridge. A little ways after that it goes up a steep climb to the top of a hill called Fire Tower Hill. The tower was built for a fire tower, but ended up being mainly a tower for sight seeing. It has been taken down due to safety considerations and all that is left is the foundations.

At this spot is a sign board that tells a lot about the area and the fire tower. It makes a good spot to rest after climbing the hill. This is a very good family trail in that something is always happening before you go very far. It is only a half mile so even smaller kids can make the hike.

As you approach the end of the trail, you pass an area that appears to be a place to demonstrate old time building techniques, like shingle making. Right after that you take a left turn and you are at the Rice Cabin.
It is basically three rooms with porches connecting them. The upstairs seems to be one long big continuous structure. There is a sleeping loft above the center room.
Inside the left room was some wall decoration of some sort. It looked as if some type of lace had been put on the wall and painted over, then the lace removed. There was no signs to tell us what it really is.

Here is the sign at the side of the house explaining about it for us.

The rebuilding of the cabin is definitely no attempt at restoration, but merely just reconstruction.

It was very warm in the woods and not a breath of breeze at all. This evening a campfire was started and enjoyed for a while. Then a walk around the area roads for exercise was taken. All in all a good day for TheOFM as he tried to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

John Tatum Ranger

4:30pm 8-25-08
Mission Tejas State Park
Eleven miles west of Alto, Texas
After a very frustrating drive over to Lufkin, the traffic and roads were much too much for me. So my home, Comfort Castle, and the truck took me out into the woods for a mental fix. This state park is very nice and very quiet. My plan is two nights here before starting west, IF the insurance stuff works out ok. As you will see from the pictures, this is DEEP WOODS East Texas. At the time of this literary attempt, the interior lights are needed like it was ten pm. The shade and shadows stay late in the mornings and come early in the evenings. The heat and humidity can be difficult because the eighty to hundred foot tall trees keep all the breeze up high away from the folks on the ground.

8:30 pm
WOW there is not a level and flat spot in the park. My legs are not used to all this up and down stuff, but that is East Texas. Here is a picture of some of the typical terrain.

Even the campsite is up and down. The picnic table is two steps up from the parking area and the fire pit is one step down. The road in front is sloping pretty good, but the pad is fairly level. This made the trailer try to move a little different than the normal level road and pad. It was not really a problem, but it did take a minute to figure out what was happening and correct for the slopes.


One of the history buildings in the park is Mission Tejas. It is a representation of a mission. The original mission in 1600’s was long gone before anyone thought to draw a picture of it for history sake.

There are two signs about the mission on site. Also there is a kiosk with a lot of other history about the region.



The interior of the building is pretty neat. The folks who laid the floor took the time to put some neat patterns in the stone work. My picture attempts failed miserably on the flooring, so you will have to come see for your self.
The door hinges and latch took some imagination to come up with these ideas. Even though the building is not an original or even a replica of the original, it is worth a viewing because it is interesting on its own. After closing time, a ranger named John Tatum stopped to visit. We talked for nearly an hour about kayaks to folk legends. When you come to this park, be sure and take some of his tours. He is full of stories and other stuff. The first thing he mentioned to me was “Did you notice that there is not a single mosquito here? --pause--They are all married and have big families.”
After that things got really hilarious.

So in spite of the Lufkin roads and traffic and thanks to John, today was very close to having tooooo much fun. TheOFM.

Rocky Creek

Published 8-25-08 outside of North Zulch Texas

West of Somerville, Texas 8-24-08
Rocky Creek COE park
Rolling started about eight am this morning and rolling stopped about noon thirty this afternoon. Tonight’s location is Rocky Creek Corps of Engineers Park on Lake Somerville. This is the lake where we had a “lake house” in my previous life. To me this is one of the nicest lakes in Texas. There is room for folks to participate in lots of water activities like skiing, wakeboarding etc. Then the western end and the dam area are both excellent fishing. This way everyone gets an area to play without interfering with each other.

Since my body and head are feeling stuffed up, the first order of business after lunch was a, as it turned out, very long nap. My body feels better but the sinuses are still stuffy, most likely from the mold and mildew in the air from all the rains.

The sites here are not spread out as much as the other COE parks in my history. They are not commercial park tight but still moderately close. An end site was my choice to make certain there would be at least one side of the trailer without neighbors.

There were a lot of waterfront and shady sites, but they were packed a lot closer together than these away from the water. They lake view is fine from back up here on the hill.

Fire ants are a major problem in a lot of the USA and the “environmentalists” have stopped the government agencies from putting insecticides out to kill these fire ants than cause harm to humans. The agencies are trying a type of ant bait device to try to make the land suitable for humans again. This picture shows one of many scattered through out the park.


The park is on a peninsula that sticks into the lake a good ways. Out near the point is a nice place to see across the lake and a pleasant place in cooler weather to relax. It was 95 at noon.

A little around the bend in the road was a boat with catcher men and a sailboat. It made a nice view through the old trees in the park. At least three fish were caught during the picture taking time at this area.

On the north side of the 30 amp service camping loop is a survivor of the highest order. While taking my after supper walk this tree presented it toughness to me. It apparently survived a lightning strike in its younger days. The lightning route down the truck is very visible. From the top left limb around and down the tree to the ground in the second picture. It held my attention for several minutes tracing out the path of the excessive electrical current. Seeing a lightning strike survivor is a first for me.

Since there is not any phone or aircard signal, this blog entry will be published another day when the opportunity presents itself. Now it is time for TOFM to kickback while trying to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM.