Easter Snow, Texas Mountains, Enviromental Hazards, and the Nature Trail from Hell

The pictures will do the real talking.

But let me tell you a little story about a native Ohioan girl who landed herself in Texas. And because she was stuck in the South, her hope for seeing snow that winter was slim to none. She even went home for a week, hoping she could hit the slopes for some snowboarding during Christmas. But all she got was some 50 degree weather and sleet on the drive back.
So sad, she didn't get to see snow... that is, until the day before Easter... in freaking East Texas!

I was babysitting that day, and Lawson (who is 5 years old) just complained about the cold and the snowflakes hitting his face (wuss). So I didn't get to play outside in the snow, that only lasted about an hour and was real snow, not that sissy occasional flurry... (and his mom freaked out about him catching a cold and me driving on the roads. sheesh lady). But I made him stand out in the parking lot to take a picture to prove that I saw real snow in Texas, and rumor has it, the last time it snowed on that day was 1840! Whoohoo!



A little over a week later, it was warm again and I had to drive to Jacksonville to run an errand for Casey. Never having been there before, I passed a little rest area with a sign for "Lookout Mountain, Scenic View".

I thought to myself, "mountain? in Texas? You gotta be kidding me. I've got to see what these Texas people consider a mountain."

So on my way back, I stopped. And needless to say, I was disappointed like predicted, but amused in spite of the sad description of a mountain. Silly Presbyterians from Tennessee should know what real mountains are. Elevation of 713 feet, psshhh... that's hardly a hill!

I also found a tower which reminded me of those National Park forest fire watch towers... I'm not sure why it's there, but I took pictures of it!



After the "mountain", I headed back towards Tyler and decided to stop at a park I had never been to before to check it out and see what all was there.
I found a nature trail and thought I'd grab my camera and take a walk since it was so nice outside and I had the rest of the afternoon free.

I scanned over the map before I went in and it looked to be maybe 1.2 miles long if I took the long route, so I began my journey, not realizing it would take me two hours and almost three miles to find my way out of an unfamiliar park alone as the sun begins to set.

Here's me at the beginning of the trail.


I chased a butterfly (which ironically is the reason I remembered where I was and found my way back to the car later).


After going almost completely around the large loop, I saw a tiny path leading off the trail, and curiosity got the best of me. So I followed it and found myself near a creek, and was appalled by what I found.


An unnatural dam formed by piles of smelly trash. Further down the stream it seemed clear of debris but still very murky and muddy. I am considering calling up the park district or newspaper to find out the source of this mess. Although it is hidden away about a quarter mile behind the main park trail, it is still not evironmentally friendly by any means. Yuck.


So I made it back to the main trail and started off towards the entrance. But after looping around and making a wrong turn, I started getting nervous and called Casey to inform him of me being kind of lost but not to worry. There were some joggers out there as well, and being alone and a young female, I thought it would be safe to have my phone on just in case.

Here's me near the end of the hike, wondering where I was...

And then I finally found my way out!

And this is where I went. All the way to the creek...


Around the big loop and to the bottom of the little loop...

Accidentally went around the little loop again by turning the wrong way...


And the back to the beginning and to my car! (Where the "You are Here" yellow arrow is pointing on the right side).

What a day!


So apparently Casey was expecting me to call him back because he thought the joggers were following me, and got so worried he called me five times (I was getting dinner ready at the apartment and didn't hear the phone ring) and then called everyone he knew to try and find me, thinking I was dead in a ditch somewhere. So I got calls from everyone asking if I was ok and worried about me... I told Casey that panic is contagious. But it was nice to know I'm loved.

But overall, the view was pretty at the park. And it was a productive day. :)

The end!