Sheldon Lake SP & Environmental Learning Center, 4/27/20

76. This is a day-use only park, and we are in the middle of the Covid-19 mess.  One of our favorite Houston breweries was having a one-day only curbside pickup, so we thought starting our Houston day here was a great idea!  And it was!  First of all, there was NO traffic - we made it all the way across Houston (coming from the west, Austin) in about 30 minutes, everybody moving at normal highway speeds. 
We had made a reservation to go to the park, and there were people there, but nobody was checking our reservation status.  We carried our masks in our pockets and donned them whenever we saw people approaching and most others did the same. 
The park is beautiful: it's an old fish hatchery, so has rectangular ponds, each one numbered.  The ponds are getting overgrown, but also attract a lot of birds and supposedly there are alligators there too, although we didn't see any.  There is a walking trail around the ponds, to the tower and a boardwalk through the marshy area.  The environmental learning center has a ramp into the water for kids to wade in and collect water samples; there is an elevated tub where they can examine their samples and when they're done, the ranger can pull the plug and the samples go down the drain and back into the pond.  Very cool. 

The observation tower.  There is an elevator but it didn't look like it was functional the day we went.

View from the tower. 

One of the hatchery ponds. 

The learning center. 

Sheldon Lake is part of the greater Houston area, with all the things that entails.  One could probably spend a month in Houston and never see the same things or eat at the same restaurant twice.  Of course, we love the 1910 courthouse and Brash Brewing is the brewery we visited after Sheldon Lake.

Fort Richardson State Park, 12/31/19

75. We didn't camp here either - the park is in the process of rebuilding their water and sewer system, so all campsites are closed for several months.  This was an active fort in the 1800's, and many of the old buildings are still standing, so the park conducts guided tours of some of the old buildings.  We were able to attend the last guided tour of 2019!

Fort Richardson. 

Quakers in Texas! Who knew?

Inside the hospital.

An early flashlight and inhaler. 

The morgue. 

Inside the morgue. 

Barracks. 

Lost Creek. 

The spring at Lost Creek.

Campsite 14, we thought it was the best one.

Jacksboro is just north of Ft. Richardson and has lots of restaurants and shops; it's also a county seat and has a lovely courthouse that's different from the others we have been inside and you wouldn't know it to see it from the outside.  

Possum Kingdom State Park, 12/30/19

74. We didn't camp here this time - turns out the biggest camping area is closed in the winter, so campsites are limited anyways.  We did hike all 3 miles or so of the trails, which took us through the primitive camping area.  The lake is a huge one, with numerous inlets and coves, and in the warmer months, is quite popular with boaters, fishermen and partiers.  Apparently the lake has hosted an international cliff diving competition and also puts on one of the better 4th of July fireworks shows in the state.

Front entrance gate. 

Pano of the lake from one of the primitive campsites.

View from the top of the hill. 

View of the campground and day-use area. 

One of the artistic features of Possum Kingdom State Park. 

The hiking trail. 

There isn't much near Possum Kingdom but because of that, it's pretty quiet in winter.  

Lake Mineral Wells S.P., 12/24/19 - 1/2/20

73.  Scampsite #20, we stayed 9 nights here!  It was really nice to not be moving the trailer around, but just to be at a "home base" and explore the area from there.  Lake Mineral Wells State Park has an interesting history: the lake was dammed up to provide drinking water for the town, but eventually the town found a better source, so the lake and its surrounds were given to the Army, which turned it into Ft. Wolters.  Ft. Wolters was a helicopter training facility, most active during the Vietnam War.  There were helicopter landing sites all around the Mineral Wells area that had the geographically-correct (in relation to each other) Vietnamese names so the pilots wouldn't have any trouble with that aspect of navigation once they got to Vietnam.  When Ft. Wolters shuttered, it gave the property to the state to be a state park, although parts of the old fort are still used for National Guard training.  Lake Mineral Wells SP has numerous trails, including vast equestrian trails and an equestrian camping area.  The lake is abundant with fish and there's a small island in the middle of it with an old fireplace on it, similar to the old stone fireplaces which are scattered throughout the park.  The dam rises above the road, which is sort of creepy to think that right next to one's shoulder is tons of water.

Scampsite 20.

Below the dam, Lake Mineral Wells. 

The road next to the dam, Lake Mineral Wells.

Ft. Wolters and some Eastern Bluebirds.

Waterfront trail.

Lake Mineral Wells. 

The waterfront bird blind. 

The wooded bird blind.

One of the many stone fireplaces around the park.

Mineral Wells: the old Baker Hotel, in the process of restoration, possibly done by 2022.

Mineral Wells is known for its mineral water, which supposedly cured a crazy lady. 

Famous Mineral Wells Water Company. 

Mineral Wells Fossil Park, just northwest of town.

There is a lot to see and do while in Mineral Wells State Park: the town has many old buildings, several of which are being restored.  There are murals downtown as well.  There is a gravel trailway, called the Lake Mineral Wells Trailway, that connects the town of Mineral Wells to Weatherford along an old railroad bed. We didn't bicycle it this time, but maybe in the future. 

Nearby is the Mineral Wells Fossil Park: once the town gravel pit, until they realized it was full of fossils!  Mineral Wells is also near Palo Pinto, a county seat with an old, historic jail which is open for tours every day except the one we were there.  Weatherford is the county seat in the opposite direction and has numerous antique shops, a brewery, and a gorgeous historic courthouse.