The Nature Conservancy…New Friends?
We had originally set out, Monday, to hike the Madera Canyon Trail located on The Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve. I first found out about Madera Canyon Trail from West Texas Weekly and have wanted to check it out every since. But as we approached the Lawrence E. Wood picnic area on Hwy 118 (where the trail begins) we could see smoke coming from the area of the trail. As we came closer, a gentleman with a stop sign informed
Skyline Trail – Davis Mountains State Park, Texas
Yesterday my oldest and I drove down to the Davis Mountains State Park to do some hiking. We wanted to hike in the parks “primitive area” but where told the park had allowed some hunters on the area to bow hunt for Havalinas. So we took the Park Rangers suggestion and followed a number of trails around a five mile ”Skyline” loop of the park. We grabbed a park map and drove down to the Skyline Mountain Bike Trailhead and
Two New Mexico weekend trips
I received the March (??) issue of Backpacker Magazine yesterday in the mail. A Featured article titled Ultimate Rockies by Steve Howe highlights 14 Rocky Mountain weekend and weeklong trips in the heart of the country. Two specific trips caught my eye due to their close proximity (relative) to West Texas.The first was Wheeler Peak, the highest in NM at 13,161 feet. Wheeler has a 16 mile out and back summit with an elevation gain of 3,800 feet. The
Cherohala Skyway – Scenic Drive
Cherohala Skyway, located in Tennessee and North Carolina, is one of the few nationally recognized scenic highways in the United States. As I mentioned before my wife and I were recently given the pleasure of driving the entire 36 miles. Since we were staying in Tennessee we choose to enter the Skyway from the town of Tellico Plains. We had only driven a single mile on the Skyway before deciding to take the short detour down River Road to
Cherohala Skyway – Freezing Fog
Last Saturday my wife and I were driving over the Cherohala Scenic Skyway in the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests.The Skyway extends over36 miles in Tennessee and North Carolina. We started in Tellico Plains and climbed the Skyway to its highest point at just under 5400 feet. The views wear amazing, but at just over 3000 feet the surrounding mountain sides took on a whole new beauty. All the trees were frosted in white. According to Smoky Mountain Hiker “Freezing
Abram’s Falls Trail – Cade’s Cove – Smoky Mountains National Park
Sunday morning I had the opportunity to hike in Cade’s Cove. I woke up shortly before first light and got dressed for a cold winter hike. I took the short drive from our hotel in Townsend, TN to the entrance of the auto loop in Cade’s Cove. I decided to hike to Abram’s Falls for a number of reasons. One, I always love a good waterfall. It seems no matter how many photos I have of falling water I always
Long Day in the Mountains
We have had a very long day in The Smoky Mountains and The Cherokee National Forest. Here is a shot of Cade's Cove. More to come soon.
We Arrived in the Smokies today…
We arrived in The Great Smoky Mountians today. Diddn't have much time to see or do anything before the sun whent down. I did manage to go take a few photos. Here is one of Laurel Creek.Tomorrow I will get to do some hiking in Cade's Cove. I don't know when I will be able to write about it
Cotham’s Mercantile Restaurant – Scott, Arkansas
If you’re ever passing through Scott Arkansas (just a little south of Little Rock) stop in to Cotham’s Mercantile Restaurant for one of their Hubcap Burgers. As you walk up to Cotham’s you might feel a little leery. The place looks like it is about to fall into the Swamp (actually Horseshoe Lake) it sits over. The place is literally falling apart and there is hardly a sign left on the front. That’s because Cotham’s was built in 1917 and
Park Review, Dinosaur Valley State Park, Texas
Dinosaur Valley State Park, located about an hour southwest of Fort Worth Texas, contains some of the best preserved dinosaur tracks in the world. The park sits alongside the Paluxy River bed which, according to scientists, was an ancient ocean shore 113 million years ago. The park has four viewing sites where tracks are reported to be seen.Both theropods (three towed) and sauropods (large round feet) tracks have been discovered in the river bed. Many of the tracks in the