March 31 - Snakes & Fishes

We woke up to the call of a Barred owl above our campsite.  It was a beautiful day so Kirk and I went to walk the Oxbow Lake trail.  

river crossing

CCC picnic shelter

San Marcos river

Oxbow Lake

slug

water moccasin

about 5 ft (what you call a 2 step snake)

Bull frog

Kirk and I had been out for a walk last night and saw several toads believed to be Texas toads.  

my fishing spot

my fish

Several more smaller water moccasins swam by while I was fishing but they seem reclusive.  I believe that fish may be a crappie.  Hey, I know what your thinking!

March 30 - Day 2 Palmetto State Park

We took a ride into New Braunfels to look at some RV's today.  Fairly uneventful.  Found out the park office has wifi so yesterdays blog has been updated with photos.  Kirk and I did more trails once we got back.

White-tailed deer

  The horizontal tree limbs to the right in photo above are actually huge vines.

March 29 - Palmetto State Park

We are camped in Palmetto State Park.  The drive here was lovely with fields of Bluebonnet Lupines and coral coloured paintbrush.
Our campsite backs onto the San Marcos River.  This is a small park with only 19 campsites on this side of the river and most are empty.  However, they are booked solid on weekends.

Kirk and I walked about 2.5 miles when we got here.  The trails are wonderful, not a fly or skeeter in sight.  Cam should be able to ride many of the packed crushed gravel trails on his bike.  

San Marcos river

Palmettos

Yellow-crowned night heron

old CCC water tower

artesian powered water tower

artesian spring

wild yellow iris

A couple of black vultures followed along beside Kirk and I down the trails.

Hey, you gonna eat that whole dog yourself?

About an inch long

It was a beautiful pitch black night with frogs croaking and owls hooting.   The park leaves the campground dark other than one set of washrooms with lights that face away from the campsites.

What a lovely little park.

251 Km.

March 28 - Flora & Fly

Kirk and I went for a walk and photographed some of the local flora this morning.  The live oaks still amaze me.   They are wide-spreading trees with magnificent horizontal and arching branches and form a broad rounded canopy.  The leaves are evergreen.

Mockingbird

Then we spent some time relaxing.

In the evening we went to a large field across from the RV park so Cam could fly.  He did get it airborne after a long wait but the winds were very erratic and he had to land.  I watched a Caracara, ospreys, falcons, Roseate Spoonbills, egrets, etc flying near the field and took a few more flower photos.