Alligators, Armadillos, Mosquitoes, Oh My! - Texas, Along the Old Spanish Trail

Hello from high up in the Organ Mountain Desert Peaks National Monument. That's in New Mexico. I'm trying so hard to catch up here, so that I can update in real-ish time. But the adventures are numerous and we are very often busy seeing all there is to see! Today we are taking a day off. We are hoping to squeeze in some relaxation and some schooling (though the kids are doing plenty of that when pursuing Junior Ranger badges at all of the National Parks around (why does New Mexico have so many? I mean, I guess they are all super impressive!!)

We left New Orleans with our bellies filled with beignets and our imaginations running wild with stories of alligators and, now, rattlesnakes as we prepared to enter Texas. (We haven't seen one yet - and I am SO glad!)

Texas was great overall, with a few mishaps here and there, like usual.

Double Bayou Park, Anahuac, Texas

We drove into the southeastern corner, by Galveston. Austin was our destination but Texas is HUGE, so we knew we'd need to stop for the night (and Austin is not quite southern-central!). We chose a boondocking site, about 20 minutes from the main highway, called Double Bayou Park. I'm not sure what constitutes a park in Anahuac, Texas but this was literally a single looped, dirt road through a field, with about 12 trees, a boat launch and signs every where that said, "don't park on the grass!" So, we parked at the boat launch, about 15 feet from one of the double bayous. It was night time, as is our trend. Travis stepped out to set up camp and in the process let in about three mammoth mosquitoes! So, I'm trying to kill them with our tennis racket (see here if you don't know what that is) when Travis jumps back into the car and proceeds to describe what are massive black swarms of killer, horrendous mosquitoes. I'm trying to make this sound much, much worse than it was in NOLA (see here again), because it was. The worst part was it didn't end. ALL.NIGHT.LONG I swatted at flying  vampire demons. I didn't even need to turn on the light. The tennis racket was just perpetually lit up like a Christmas Tree, going "zzzt", "zzzt", "zzzt". This is what I was talking when I said I didn't know what I know now then. So, it may come as no surprise that we were packing up as soon as the sun was up.

While Travis was closing up the trailer the kids and I were exploring the shores of the bayou. There was a sandy bank and Ezaias was throwing sand into the water. Simeon and Kai were running around between the boat dock and the sandy shore. No sooner had the thought of wild alligators and the observation that it was a warm day (which means alligators may go hunting) crossed my mind, did I spot a strange log floating on the water about 5 feet away from us.  I commented to Ezaias, "isn't it funny how alligators look like logs?" and Ezaias goes, "uuuuh, Mom, that IS an alligator!" As you may know from our last blog, we had recently been on a swamp tour and learned lots of facts about alligators. Fact #1 - alligators can run 17 mph on land. 

Me: That's an alligator! Everyone back away. Simeon, come here Mama wants to pick you up.  (Because the alligator was about 4 feet long. I figured Simeon was the only human present that it might want to try to eat. Because - Fact #2 - They tend not to want to eat anything that is larger than them. )

Of course, nobody responded to me. Kai did back away but Ezaias was intrigued and tried to get a closer look. Simeon is just contrarian, so refused to be picked up (until we really pointed it out, then he was clinging to us for dear life). Travis was outside by now. So, we just watched as this alligator bobbed in the water about 4-5 feet away. After some time it swam to the other side of the bayou.

We resumed our regular activities. With an eye on the alligator. Once again, Ezaias started tossing sand into the water. Fact #3- They generally want to stay away from humans, unless they have become accustomed to being fed by humans. 

Me: Ezaias, you may not want to do that. It may think you are trying to feeeeeeedddddd.....Here it comes! RUN! 

This alligator was swimming at some crazy speeds right over to us! It came all the way to shore! Everyone ran away this time! Fact #4 - alligators can swim much quicker than they can run. (Maybe 45 mph? Don't quote me on that.)

Eventually, we crept back. There it was right on the shore. We watched from the boat launch, which seemed the safest spot. It stayed there for a while and then just suddenly vanished into the water. So of course, we vanished, to, because if there's a wild predator somewhere around you (that may want to eat your toddler and can run on land much quicker than you can even in your dreams), you'd probably like to know WHERE it is and if that isn't possible you may want to remove yourself from the situation. So we did. 

So, Anahuac, you started off pretty terrible. I may never visit you again! But in the end it was pretty cool to see a wild alligator (though, I will refrain from pointing out that we had just paid about $100 to see alligators in NOLA. But, at the same time, I wouldn't have known all the facts that I did, which probably saved all of our lives*, so we'll call it even. But I'm still probably never going to visit you again).

*patently untrue statement 

See that brown log looking thing? Not a log! 

Definitely not a log! (But it does look like it, so you're just going to have to take my word for it.)

This was the sandy shore we were playing on. See that not a log thing in the middle of the picture, in the water close to the sand? Again, not a log. 

Austin, Texas

Austin is cool. We had a great site by a river (the other Colorado River) and high up in the mountains. We met up with an old friend and ate the best Tex-Mex (Hey, hey, Mi Madres!) that we have had so far, we celebrated Halloween and we hung out at Whole Foods for a long, long time! It was also cold! We experienced the coldest temperatures we had so far. That's when we said hello to our new friend, Mr. Buddy. He's a portable, propane heater (one we felt was safe enough for us) and he keeps us nice and warm. It kind of made Austin a little bit miserable but it was probably just an orientation period. Now we are cold and no one is really complaining. At night our camper gets nice and toasty and we are comfortable (our onboard heater works again as well and we have hot water bottles that we refill and heat (conserving water is a big thing, so we reuse the water in the bottles nightly). I'm not saying we aren't fiending for the warmer temps, but we are getting by just fine). That's it for Austin, really. Short. Sweet. Austin.

Halloween in Austin! Helping keep it weird!

Stickmen hijacking airplane! 

The green ones will dance for candy if you've got some.

The orange ones are a little unpredictable. One minute their there and the next they are gone.

The blue ones are sweet but watch out! they're tricksters!

Our Austin Home. 

A closer look at our backyard. 

Austin street art (We were in a planned community. Everything so planned and stuff.)

Dear Planned Community Officials - this was before we saw the sign that said don't ride the lake dragon thing. Apologies. Sincerely. 

Pre-children Travis and I once danced the night away at a cowboy/disco club thing. I guess that's a thing (though we were in Nashville at the time). 

Austin so cute trying to embody the New Yorkahs among us. (Also, sweat weather? The days were 70.) (Also, I'm not a New Yorkah but I sound like one, so. I can say this.)

We were living on a mountain. (I guess that's the story of our life.)

Can you see it? 

Waiting for delicious food at Mi Madres. It was good.

Junction, Texas - Where the magic happened! 

We made our way west on US 10 - the old Spanish Trail and decided to stop in Junction, Texas to visit South Llano River Park. At first we planned to stay just one night (and when that is our plan we decided we will just get a hotel ((after our Anahuac experience)) but we liked it so much we decided to boondock for a few days in the City Park. South Llano River Park is just perfection! You'll see below. However, the park closed on our second day there for some big hunting event. So, we were stuck (voluntarily) in a one horse (that means small) town without much to do but we still LOVED it!  The locals were so kind. I had great conversations in the laundromat! We met some road friends for the first time (and have since bumped into a few of them in other places) and we felt like part of a mini-temporary community in the park. The park hosted the towns annual holiday light show, to boot! Which was a great treat for the kids (it got them thinking about their Christmas lists!) and reminded us all that we are actually in November (our spidy senses were all akimbo because it was 70+ degrees. In fact, they are still all messed up because it is still 70 plus degrees, though sometimes it goes down to 20 at night.) 

It was a little sad to leave Junction! The Parks and Rec. employees are so nice at City Park. As soon as any campers arrived one of them came out to visit (we have no idea how they knew, but we're chalking it up to small town, everybody knows everything ((we know about that, don't with Lincolner's??!!). If you needed anything they were there to help! They also reminded you frequently that the maximum stay is three nights. On the morning after our third night we were not surprised when a representative showed up and wished us well on our continued travels. Time to go!! Which really was okay with us because we were closing in on our first National Park visit! 

Our backyard in Junction!

South Llano River Park is home to a ton of armadillos. 

Hiking through South Llano River Park. This was our first stop with tons and tons of cactus everywhere. These are the prickly pear cactus (or Christmas Tree Cactus). Travis and the boys where picking the pears and eating them on the trail.

"Mama, let's take-a pictuuur."

View from the top of our hike. 

These pictures really do it no justice at all

Don't let them fool you, they're besties really. :) 

I don't know what happened here but it looks fun! 

Kids are physically on my body almost all day long. Sometimes it gets irritating but I try to remind myself that they won't be like this forever. So I take it while I can get it! 

You see?

Exhibit C.

Ninjas on the trail!

Little Brother Express!

Hive Five!

Ezaias is by far the most enthusiastic about everything he is learning on this trip!

But Micaiah isn't far behind!

Examining a Spanish Dagger plant (which may have another name??).

They have since learned that Native American tribes in the area (including the Mascalero Apache) used this plant to make things like sandals and thread and sewing needles. Ask them about it when you see them (unless you don't see them for a long time, then ask them something else.)

Big Brother Express!

We returned to South Llano River Park on our second day as well.  They had a number of bird blinds were you can sit and watch birds unsuspectedly. That sort of thing is right up Micaiah's alley.

This time he made sure he had his pack pack!

We chose another trail and hiked for a while but our primary destination was the river itself. 

We saw these tiny little frogs. They blend in with the rock that is everywhere around this area. The park closed at 5pm on our second day for a hunting event. 

For the rest of our stay we hung out around our camp site on it the town itself. In addition to the Holiday lights that came on every evening, there was a playground too. Always fun!  

Luckily, the river ran right by our camp site! (Here is Kai doing his school work down by the river. If you couldn't find them, look down by the river!)

We spent some time perusing around Main Street. (It was mostly abandoned store fronts.)

With a few educational installations. 

Junction, Texas!

With some very handsome fellows and a few artsy shops. :) 

And some wild children. 

Pecans all around! Our campsite was full of them! Yum!

Wild Cowboys! 

Crazy drivers here in Junction! I do say. 

And killer eagles. 

That's our only complaint about Junction. 

Even the fish are willing to be caught with a primitive line and hook (that he found by the river bank. He actually always finds them and always sets or fishing system with his discoveries. He was thrilled this time to actually catch something! We threw it back after this photo op, though).

You were good to us Texas (minus the mosquitoes and the crazed alligator!).
We'd love to come back! 

Until next time! <3 The Wanderlings

Once again, this blog entry was written and proofread (repeatedly) by a person with aphasia. Please accept my apologies for any typos.