Okay….at least I’m getting better at posting, right?
Last Saturday (sorry, not yesterday) we hit the road a bit earlier, hoping to see some different lighting on the walk…and avoid the still uncomfortable temps of mid-morning.
Excellent, crips air as we exited the car, and we decided to make the walk in the reverse order, compared to our usual. For those not familiar with Huntsville State Park, this is a view of part of the map:
We usually do the Prairie Branch Loop, counter-clockwise (purple trail, both light and dark). This lets us end with the walk along the … ummm … pond? I know the locals call this a lake, but, coming from places where lakes occur without dams, I may have a different definition. Sorry…but not sorry.
On this day, the change of direction gave us some excellent views in the first leg. I will admit that I was thrilled to see mist drifting across the water, as we started, but it disappeared all to quickly, and I was unable to grab a shot of it.
As we continued, however, this presented itself…
Okay…I LOVE this pic. So calm and peaceful.
The choice of direction change also gave us the rising sun coming down the slope, toward the water, so my constant search for glistening spiderwebs and sunlight streaming through trees was well fed, in the process.
A gradual bend in the path, following the shoreline, also presented a great view, across the water.
After that, and until we chose to take a side trail we had not previously explored, some excellent close-in views were kind enough to present themselves.
I do love to stop and revel in the “little things” that surround us…
The low angle of the sun, still, also gave me some great opportunities to look for those few rays of light that struggle through the canopy to find a place to land.
At the top of the trail, where we normally make the hairpin turn (yes, I am asking you to scroll back up to the map), we decided to try a little bit of the path that would take us to the big number “2” in an orange disc. It starts out on wooden walkways, over some fairly murky water, but does offer a few wildflowers for those making the effort.
Eventually, this hits dry land, takes a bit of overland pathway, then comes to another set of wooden walkways that lead you to a rest spot (wooden deck area with a bench). This morning, as I suspect on many mornings, the elephant ear growth in the running, and stunningly clear, water below the walkway offered some collected dew.
Beautiful spot, with the broad leaves seeming almost to offer us refreshment for our efforts to reach that place.
I have to admit that I took very few pics on the way back, with this being the one stand-out.
Yes…that’s a fat bee working its way into the flower…
We have since acquired a copy of this book:
Our intention is to find some additional hikes, within reach, so that we can experience other parts of Texas, with some sense of natural beauty.
We shall see where this takes us.
I did, yesterday, make a quick drive to a park area that is closer to home. Not a great morning, with no clouds in the sky to get painted by the sun.
I can see potential, but, like so much of the Houston area, I was starting to feel a bit frustrated with the lack of natural beauty that used to surround us in Washington State.
Until I heard them.
Apologies for the grainy image. They would not let me get very close and in the low light of early morning, this was the best I could do. But, a pair of Great Horned Owls is an excellent reminder that nature finds its way into even rural areas, doesn’t it.
In any event, it was a solid reminder to not give up hope, keep looking (listening!) for the little things, and just pay attention to the world around me.
Someday, I will get a beautiful sunrise, again. When I do, you will definitely see it, too.
Until then…
Tight lines…