Lake Brownwood State Park – The Hermits' Rest

And two ecosystems

Yesterday, I walked along (and off of) the Texas Oak Trail here at Lake Brownwood State Park. It runs along the lake shore and the ridge above it.

The terrain went up and down among wooded terrain with beautiful rocks that looked like stacked stone and some open areas as well. There were mostly oak and cedar elms but other trees were scattered around as well.

My favorite was the Mexican Buckeye, which was blooming away in pink splendor and attracting all kinds of insects. These are cool trees because they have pretty leaves and interesting seed pods in winter. I don’t think they’d do well in our soil, though.

I found many plants among the rocks, which made up for how hard some of the rock scrambling was for me.

Blue curls (a beautiful flower) Phacelia congesta

I heard many birds, and even got to see some Spotted Towhees under a big live oak.

When I got off the lakeside trail there was more karst terrain with mesquite and many cacti. I really like the lacy ones.

At some point the trail got harder and harder to follow and I ended up going astray a couple of times. It ended up okay, because I got to get good looks at some old Civilian Conservation Corps benches, tables, and a fireplace. After that, I just plunged down the hill.

I did enjoy many vistas from the top of the ridge, though, so the complexity was worth it. I really enjoyed the varied terrain and diverse plants, though I was pretty tired when I got back. I needed a nap!

Never fear, though, the idea of eating Japanese food for dinner revived me, so I was fully present when we drove to Brownwood to eat at Katana. Wow, the former Pizza Hut hides a gem. They had interesting and reasonably priced rolls, and the ramen I had was divine. It was in a beef bone broth and had all the perfect additions. I ate every drop. No doubt about it—I miss GOOD Japanese food a LOT.

These are genuinely Japanese signs, judging from the misspelling of “daily.”

Today I went on a very different hike. It’s much quieter here now that the spring break crowd has left. Lee reminds me we can camp on weekdays now, too. Ah, peace and quiet.

That’s exactly what I found on the Nopales Trail today, three miles of peace and yes, prickly pear cactus.

Yep. It wasn’t too cactus-y but they were there.

There was much goodness about this hike. First, it was a little cooler than yesterday with a pleasant non-gale breeze. Second, it was mostly flat (it’s the bike trail) so a little easier on my aging lower limbs.

The part that was less exciting was that there wasn’t much variation in the plant life. It was a combination of oak mottes and fields dotted with mesquite. That’s about it.

And bird life was quite consistently Cardinals, Bewick’s Wrens, White-eyed Vireos, and the occasional Spotted Towhees. All nice birds, but that’s all you heard other than incredibly loud fighter jets on training runs. Yow, they were loud, but fun to watch once I could find them with the binoculars.

This hike was blissfully relaxing. I stopped whenever I wanted to, enjoyed listening to a roadrunner, and just basked in the quiet. It was just about perfect for me. I was truly happy, at least for an hour or two, leaving the cares of the world behind. It was an interlude to treasure.

Friends, I know you’ve been reading endless suggestions to go out in nature to help you cope with uncertainty. It’s not a bad suggestion at all. I feel practically human again after this trip, ready to face the next challenges and even do some of that activist work Georgia has mentioned.

You, too, might find an Olympia Marble (Euchloe olympia) butterfly!

Yesterday was challenging, so I didn’t get the gumption to write anything, which isn’t good for someone who’s supposed to be writing at least something every day. That leaves lots for today, though! A bit of traveling was just what I needed, once we were able to settle down.

There were many communication issues that made getting out of town a challenge for me and Lee–as it often happens with couples, each of us was trying to do our best to help the other, but not in ways that were appreciated. That left me unsettled, but we got over it.

The drive to Lake Brownwood State Park was pretty, though. All the redbud trees were blooming along the roadside, and we went by many properties that looked like they were being managed sustainably, with lush acres of long grass and a few cattle every so often. It’s nice to see that some of the effort our Parks and Wildlife folks (among others) are putting into education is working.

Wild redbuds in bloom make everything better

Lake Brownwood is very big, and I have to say that Brownwood and Early look like fun Western-themed towns to visit, too. I’m glad I decided to camp out here without knowing anything at all about this part of the center of Texas, because it was a pleasant surprise. We will have to come back, and as you’ll see, there’s incentive!

Here’s where we are. They call it the heart of Texas.

After we arrived, we had to clean up a lot of leaking water from a repair that doesn’t seem to have worked, no matter how hard we try to get the “shark bite” thing on. We now think there may be other water issues, so bletch, as I used to say as a teen, we have no water. But hey, we are close to restrooms and have plenty of bottles, so it’s not the end of the world.

I managed to get a couple of short walks around the lake in, while Lee went to the hardware store, etc. There are lots of birds, but it’s heavy on White-winged Doves, Cardinals, Bewick’s Wrens, and Red-winged Blackbirds. In other words, nothing to write home about. I did take lots of plant photos, so iNaturalist is happy, and I learned how many kinds of oaks bloom at the same time (lots).

Today I got up early because there was going to be a ranger-led hike called “Sneak Peek.” I wasn’t sure what that was all about, but I got in at the last minute and headed over to the park headquarters. It turned out that two families who all knew each other and I were to go look at the overs 800 acres that have recently been added to this park, thanks to sales tax funding. I was a bit apprehensive about doing the hike with all the children (all boys except one teen’s girlfriend), but it turned out they have been trained very well by one of the dads, who is a very experienced outdoorsman and is in the large RV extremely close to ours with many children.

The new land is just beautiful, with a few cabins already on it and lots of acres that have already been cleared of mesquite. Great views of the lake were everywhere, including the spots where they are considering adding camping loops. They even have a new park headquarters location scouted out. We just now have to see if funding for THAT gets passed in today’s nasty climate for anything educational or good for the ecosystem.

We saw deer, many raptors, much hog dung, and evidence of ringtails (thanks to the outdoorsman and his ability to read footprints). There was a cool boxcar in the middle of one field that seems to have been used as a hunting base, too. I took lots of plant photos and identified birds for the ranger, who is a herp expert. Actually, this guy, George, is a super skilled nature interpreter with loads of knowledge about the area, so I learned a lot.

I came back to rest, at which point Lee got attacked by a yellowjacket that had crawled up his pants leg. It got him at least three times, which is not good at all with all his allergies. Benadryl ointment helped, though, and he made it. That let me go back out and enjoy a snake and turtle demo by Ranger George, which was very well attended. We especially enjoyed one toddler who was completely taken with the snakes and was very happy to touch and look at them. Her little eyes were just shining, and she could not look away. The lady next to me said she must be a future biologist.

That was enough outdoor life for me, though I did wander around over a pedestrian bridge and pathway that had a hedge of dewberries leading to it. There were so many flowers that the air was perfumed. It made the bees and butterflies happy, too. You can’t beat that if you love nature!

I came back and had a nice conversation with our other next-door neighbors, who are friendly retirees from Cedar Park. We had the usual conversation about how the area has changed, and complained about the legislature wants to dismantle the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Grr.

Yeah, who needs nature, education, and recreation?

Tonight, rest. Tomorrow, hiking!

Tag: Lake Brownwood State Park

A Tale of Two Hiking Trails

And two ecosystems

Exploring New Territory