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.  

Stephen F. Austin SP, 10/5 - 10/7/ 2019

72.  We camped in Scampsite #37, with our friends the J's and G.  This was our annual camping trip for J's birthday and this year it was HOT!  When we arrived on Saturday, it was 102, Sunday was a cooler 99 and Monday started off with a cold front and was in the 70's when we left.
We hiked the perimeter of the park, about 4.5 miles total, by cobbling together multiple trails, and spent a lot of time sitting and staying as cool as possible.
This park was part of the Stephen F. Austin State Historic Site, which has a statue of Stephen F. Austin, an old well from the original Austin's Colony, and an old dog-run style log cabin.  The Historic Site also has a new museum building which we didn't go into because we had the dogs with us.  We also tried to access the Brazos River from the Historic Site, but the path looked like it had a lot of poison ivy, so we stayed above.
The park is beautiful - lots of Spanish Moss draping the trees, lots of hiking on mostly flat trails, a bird-watching area (that looks like it hadn't been stocked in a while), and nice shady campsites.  It is undergoing some renovations after recent floods, but was fully functioning while we were there.

Scampsite 37.

Stephen F. Austin statue at the Stephen F. Austin State Historic Site.

Dog-run style log cabin. 

One of the hiking trails.

Brazos River, currently not accessible from the park due to flood damage. 

Stephen F. Austin State Park is near Columbus, county seat of Colorado County, which has a gorgeous restored historic courthouse.   There are lots of restaurants, hotels, and amenities in Columbus as well.  

It is closest to Sealy, which is where Sealy mattresses were once made!  

The park is also close to the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge, where one can see Attwater's prairie-chickens, which are an endangered species.  Spring is the time to see them doing their courtship rituals.  

Bonham State Park, 3/19/19 - 3/22/19

71.  Scampsite #1, Bonham State Park is a CCC park with LOTS of CCC-built things to see. This park also has serious mountain bike trails and a group camp facility - bunkhouses, dining hall, shower building, etc.  There are only 21 campsites total and the lake is quite small but lovely.  According to the locals we talked to at the park, the fishing is good too.  The hiking trails are relatively easy, although the mountain bike trails do have some elevation changes. 

Scampsite #1.

Bonham State Park Lake.

CCC-built entrance.

CCC-built bridge.

CCC group tent area.

CCC water tower, no longer in use. 

CCC fireplace and seating / stone sofas - more comfortable than they look!

The Group barracks.

Bonham State Park is near Bonham which is the county seat.  The courthouse is in the process of restoration, but Bonham has several antique shops and a candy shop.  The park is also near Ladonia, which is famous for its Cretaceous era fossil beds in the Sulphur River.  Ladonia has a charming restaurant called Pig and Whistle at which we had a huge lunch after fossil-hunting. 

Fannin County courthouse, Bonham. 

A fossil I found in the Ladonia Fossil Beds.

Cooper Lake State Park, 3/16/19 - 3/19/19

70. We spent 3 nights of Spring Break here in Scampsite #5, in the South Sulphur Unit, which is the bigger of the two units on Cooper Lake.  (Technically, it's not called Cooper Lake anymore either, but the park is still called by the original name.)   The sewage treatment center for the park is within park boundaries and is audible from the nearest campsites. 
The South Sulphur Unit is huge: it has over 100 campsites, over 20 screened shelters, and 15 cabins, some of which are well-appointed.  The equestrian camping area was very nice and located next to several miles of more challenging trails.  There are multiple boat ramps and multiple fishing areas, one of which is a lovely boardwalk and pier between Bright Star Camping Area and Honey Creek Day Use Area.
Doctors Creek Unit is much smaller: only 24 campsites and 7 screened shelters, but shorter, flatter, easier and swampier (that day) trails.  The campsites at DC have more trees than the ones at SS.
We hiked the Coyote Run Trail at South Sulphur; it had a nice variety of topography, frog ponds and stream crossings, and we startled a herd of feral hogs and saw 2 Pileated Woodpeckers fly over us.
At Doctors Creek we tried to hike the Cedar Creek East Loop trail, but it was so swampy that we bailed as soon as we possibly could and walked the South Loop trail instead. 

Scampsite #5.

Cooper Lake South Sulphur Unit.

Cooper Lake reflection and boardwalk.

The dam road to Doctors Creek Unit. 

A pond on the Cedar Creek East Loop Trail. 

The South Sulphur Unit is close to Sulphur Springs, which is the county seat.  Sulphur Springs is a lovely little town with lots of shops and restaurants around the square and a brewery and a winery within walking distance.  The square has undergone a revitalization in recent years; the public restrooms (there are 2 of them) on the square are one-way glass, so that when one is inside, one can see out but folks outside can't see in (we tried them out, for research purposes).  The town was actually sued over them by an artist, but won the suit because theirs are actually functional, as opposed to just artistic, or so we were told.  

The lovely courthouse, designed by James Reily Gordon. 

The one-way glass public restrooms!