The Savage Traveler: Winter Trip 2015: South Llanos State Park in Texas

Fri. Jan. 30: We didn’t get away as early as Marv wanted, but since we did a load of laundry and packed up the camper, I thought we did pretty well to leave by 11:00. We removed one propane tank to fill at the park and then found out that Chuck wasn’t going to be there to fill. So it went in the back of the truck. It was partly cloudy all day and barely made 60°, quite a contrast to the last week but closer to average for the last days of January. We took Texas 21 towards Austin, then 290, and finally I10 to Junction, with stops only for lunch, bathroom, and to fill the propane tank. Just outside Fredericksburg I had a connection so I quickly Googled propane filling stations. The one I found was about two blocks away on the same street we were driving, so it couldn’t have been much easier! About 45 minutes later we arrived in Junction and found South Llano River State Park just outside the small town. The headquarters were just closing so the host said to take any site and we could check in tomorrow. The park is pretty large with many hiking trails along the river and up into the hills surrounding it. There is only one camping loop with 58 sites; about half a dozen are occupied. The brochure says, “Located in the Texas Hill Country…the river’s cool, clear waters attract visitors who enjoy swimming, tubing, canoeing, and fishing. Wild turkeys frequent the park…and in winter, congregate there to roost. The park’s hiking trails allow hikers and mountain bikers to explore the park’s woodlands, river bank, and small oxbow lake.” We got set-up and then walked around the camping loop. Just since arriving we had seen two armadillos, a turkey and a bunch of deer. For dinner Marv grilled marinated chicken tenders while I made a big salad and baked potatoes. It was quite a feast! At the campsite we had a very shaky Roaming phone signal and occasionally an “E” for 4G. But we got sporadic messages from Ken and Ann. It was after dark when we walked up to the park headquarters to try to get on the Wi-Fi. The three-quarters moon shone through the thin clouds so well that we didn’t need flashlights to get there. We saw three deer that scattered as we approached them. It turned out we needed a password for the Wi-Fi (though the host assured us we didn’t) but we had a strong phone signal so we called Ken, Mom H. and Ann & Shelby while we could. The campground was very dark and quiet and the temperature was dropping into the 40s so we anticipated a sound night’s sleep.

Sat. Jan.31: After breakfast today we walked up to the headquarters again to register. It was raining lightly as we arrived. The ranger there gave us some tips on good hiking trails and told us that the public Wi-Fi wasn’t really working so that explained why we couldn’t get on the network. The park has four Bird Blinds and two were within walking distance of our campsite. It was raining harder when we got back so we waited until it abated a bit before hiking to the first Blind. Each blind has a small shelter with a bench stretching the length of the building and a large viewing window of Plexiglas that looks over a fenced and protective feeding area with a large water feature with running water to attract the birds. There are many natural looking troughs and feeders that are filled by volunteers. Over 250 birds have been spotted in the park because it is on several migratory routes. After watching the birds, primarily white tipped doves, northern cardinals and sparrows, we hiked to the second nearby Blind. As we entered its path we saw a herd of 8 deer and a pair of turkeys but nothing that exciting in the Blind itself. While we ate wraps for lunch and made vegetarian chili in the Crockpot the rain nearly stopped. So we drove to the trailhead for the Fawn Trail, which also gave us access to a third Bird Blind. At that Blind we saw a very pretty male spotted Towhee and a chubby rose colored bird that we couldn’t identify (the park ranger later said she thought it was a juvenile male cardinal). We continued along the trail and out to a small canyon with a primitive camping area. It had picnic tables and a composting toilet on a platform about 6 feet high, with its composting tank below the deck. There seemed to be no odor so it must be a good option. As we hiked we sometimes had a very, very light mist and the trail was pretty muddy but we stayed plenty warm from exertion. By the time we returned to the truck we had hiked 3.3 miles. The only two other people we saw were beginning the trail as we finished but we had seen several armadillos along the way. We made a quick run into town to use the Wi-Fi at the (closed) library. Around the corner was a grocery store so we stocked up before returning to the campsite. Marv made cornbread to go with the chili while I washed my hair. Then we played two hot games of cribbage (I won both) before bedtime.