First – HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHYLA!!! WOO HOO! #25 YIKES! I LOVE YOU!

Also, DODGERS!!!

To explain the title of this blog – NO, Texas is NOT boring, but driving through this huge state isn’t very exciting, so this is how my mind wandered: “Wow, there sure is a lot of roadkill on these roads – ouch, that one must have hurt! Poor car.” Or, “This must be where ‘In Them Ol Cotton Fields Back Home’ came from”. Or, “These country roads are much nicer than any highway in Colorado”. Or, “What is up with this wind?! No matter which direction I go, it’s ALWAYS hitting me from the side!” Or, “How many flavors of sweet tea does one gas station need? (I counted 8)” Or, “Doesn’t this state believe in Rest Areas?”….. anyway, you get the idea.

I’ll share the results of Elaine vs Cliff in a moment, but first I want to tell you about Copper Breaks State Park, south of Vernon and Wichita Falls. I guess Texas has a lot of state parks, but this is the one I explored, and I was impressed! It’s small, and certainly doesn’t have CO type of hiking, but I could spend a weekend here. And look, Western Texas does have some topography!

I asked for a referral about which hikes to take, and the ranger pointed me to the most strenuous hike and told me it’s a little tough. Now I don’t want to boast, but once I told him I lived in CO, he just laughed and said never mind. This will be a nature walk for you. Miles – 1.1, Elevation gain – 75 feet – Yea haha. Piece of cake so I strung a bunch together: Rocky Ledges to River Run (and some cool Primitive campgrounds) to MTB Trail to Juniper Ridge – it was a good 4.5 mile trek, and of course I got lost on the easiest hike I have ever taken. I went about a mile out of my way because I missed the turn to get back to my car! Duh. Good thing I wasn’t in CO. I got lost in the mountains once, and it’s not a good feeling.

This was another cool thing I saw on my hike. These are fossilized water ripples. Millions of years ago, this area was under the ocean. I have never been able to wrap my head around stuff like that. Water water everywhere, and now this place is very dry. Does it make you think? The USA is only a few hundred years old. What will it all look like in another million years? I digress. A couple other nice things about Copper Breaks:

The sunrise, my campsite, they have full hookups and showers (for only $23) and they are known for there Dark Sky viewing. It was a beautiful night with no moon, and I haven’t seen the Milky Way so bright in a long time. It was so dark that I had a moth following my headlamp around. It was annoying but very handy when I needed to get the dumb thing out of my camper. I also had the stereotypical redneck neighbor stop by to see if the ‘damsel in distress’ needed any help while the Ol’ lady was back at the camper making dinner. I’m not being negative, Eddie and Floyd were super nice and I’m sure Elaine (not my Elaine) was wonderful too, but seriously, I was just checking the electrical because the wind was making it flicker. For those of you who worry about me, this was nothing to worry about. They were perfect ‘gentlemen’.

The only negative I found about Copper Breaks was the sign that said ‘No alcohol consumed or displayed’. I thought that was odd, and sorry, it didn’t stop me from having a glass of wine in my Yeti cup.

All this writing for one night in a campground! I can be ridiculous. I’ll be winding up soon.

I am now in the Dallas area having a great time with my bestie. The Elaine vs Cliff -drama? Sorry, but I can’t really tell you who won that one. I was following Cliff’s instructions (since I really didn’t know what E was telling me to do), and the funny thing is that Elaine was checking up on him!!! She tracked my position and called me to tell me that Cliff was leading me astray and taking me to places unknown. Cliff insisted that he altered my route to get around an accident and save me time. I’m an innocent bystander, so who should I have followed? Lord only knows, but I got here safely.

Time for bed. I forgot what it’s like dancing all night long and getting to bed in the wee hours of the morning. So tired.

Tip of the day: If you’re traveling through Texas, take advantage of potty breaks because it could be a LONG time before you have another chance to go!

Point to ponder: What is it with so many people signing off or saying goodbye with the words “Be Safe”. I’m not talking about my friends and people who know I’m traveling, I appreciate you caring about me, and love you for it, and I am doing everything I can to be as safe as I can. I’m talking about the everyday person on the street, or customer service person on the phone, or in the grocery store, etc. At least once a day, a complete stranger that I have interacted with says ‘Be Safe’. Am I missing something?