Dinosaur Valley State Park

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Dinosaur Valley State Park

3-20-2013 to 3-22-2003

This was our favorite park by far.  Seeing the dinosaur tracks through our seven-year-old son made it awesome.  It is hard to believe such old but well-defined tracks are there to touch!  It is better than any museum.  The trails are phenomenal but be prepared with a map because you'll get lost.  We walked, and walked, and walked, clocking in over 7 miles one day.  Geocaches are everywhere and fun!

The water is beautiful and in warming weather a blast to play in.  Clear and beautiful.  So many picnic spots and hiking trails to primitive camping.  Limited facilities as far as camping, so book well in advance, it is well worth it!

We loved the dinosaur models by the park store.  T-rex was getting some repairs while we were there and they explained that the insides of the dinosaur had to be re-welded because it had started to separate due to the elements.  One female park ranger said, "I'm not sure the artist who made these for the world fair was prepared for them to still be standing after all this time."  Indeed, I'm surprised they have lasted over 40 years in such fantastic condition.

We did visit Dinosaur World after the park.  It's a major tourist attraction but worthwhile for the models if you have a young kid.

The picture is a one-of-a-kind, never-to-be replicated watercolor pencil and ink drawing.  You can keep it as a keepsake or return it to another geocache for someone else to enjoy, but all I ask is you not destroy it.  It is a part of our family adventures.

Meridian State Park

Meridian State Park, Meridian Texas

3-17-2013 to 3-19-2013

Diverse hiking trails with two Texas Geocache challenges will walk your feet off.  At least we walked them off.  We have a two pound Chihuahua who took these trails like a pro - we swear she must be part cat with her agility.   One of my next pictures will be of her because she deserves a whole section all by herself.  The park is limited in geocaches yet it makes up with wifi...yes WIFI IN OUR BUS!  We had a lovely private spot...space #1.  I love the way this park is laid out because you really do feel private.  There are great cabins here that are rustic and really only offer a roof but have great views of the small lake.  The trails walk all the way around the lake and we actually caught a fish here.  Well my husband caught a catfish with hotdog that was probably about three pounds (bigger than our dog) and sadly that would be the one and only fish on our 8 day spring break park tour.  The park offers FULL hookups and boy the septic spots make all the difference in the world when it comes to shower time.  We are in the habit of bringing a grey water storage container with us for stays longer than two days.

This was our second stop on our spring break tour and it was lovely.  I wish there had been more than two geocaches but hey...we walked enough for the two we found.

This one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-replicated watercolor pencil and ink picture is a bit generic and really could fit in any texas park.  It did remind me the most of Meridian, however I drew it before making the trip (as I knew I needed more pictures than parks I had visited).

Please keep it as a keepsake or return it to another geocache so the story can continue.  All I ask is the picture be treasured and not destroyed, as it is a piece of our family.

Lake Whitney State Park

Lake Whitney State Park

Visited 3-16-2013 to 3-17-2013

This was our first stop on our spring break tour.   This park has a large shared lake and an airfield for small personal aircraft such single-manned helicopters.  With limited space for camping, the park is designed to be used for fishing, swimming, boating, and flying, but not much more.  This park would be great for groups of campers for social functions but if a family wants a more authentic or at least feel like camping, this is not the place.  However, there is plenty of room for horseshoes, tag football, volleyball, or whatever you wish (and bring).  Hiking is limited as far as trails and Geocaching is limited to the Texas Geochallenge unless you want to leave the park area.

I did draw this picture prior to going to Lake Whitney but ironically we did see a blue herring in the water.   He wasn't near a downed tree but believe me, there are plenty, along with stick reeds in the water.  The sandy/clay shore was a pleasant surprise.  We felt safe enough to peel off our shoes and dip our toes in the semi-clear water.

The fish literally taunted us splashing impressively close to shore, yet we could not get a nibble on our line.  Of course we only had spinners and false bait to tempt and the wind was merciless.

This and all my pictures are one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-reproduced originals done in watercolor pencils and ink.  You can keep it for a keepsake or return it to another geocache to be found again but please whatever you do, don't destroy it.  It is a piece of our family.

Mother Neff State Park (white moth)

GREAT JOB!  You found one of my geocache pictures.  Please share where you found it and your experience below.  Here's more about the watercolor pencil, pen & ink drawing you found:
MOTHER NEFF STATE PARK WHITE MOTH

My son was so excited to find the above white moth.  He pulled out his plastic tweezers clipped to his nature vest and tried to capture the beautiful creature, however we explained to him that the sleeping moth (and it was really sleeping, not dead) would rather be left alone.  When we got back to wifi, we looked him up.  Disappointingly the white moth is exactly that, a white moth with no specific information on its breed or color.  But the experience was just one of many at Mother Neff, as it is full of interesting things to see beyond the norm.  My favorite was the biggest Mother Neffing acorn I have ever seen.  It was the size of a tennis ball!  If you want more information about the park, scroll down...

Mother Neff State Park

MOTHER NEFF STATE PARK, MOODY
Despite the awesome Mother Neffing name, we did not stay overnight due to incoming bad weather.  However, we did go hiking on a brisk but lovely Saturday morning the first week of March 2013.  Driving to Mother Neff was interesting because of its endless farmland surrounded by more farmland.  But it will surprise you!  This very small perfectly rectangle park is shocking with its unkept foliage, rotting trees, and rough trails.  What a find!  The "jungle" made it a true adventure to what would otherwise have been a boring trip.  The caves are really interesting and Geo's are everywhere - some pretty easy to find, some not-so-much!  We were completely by ourselves and it felt like trekking through uncharted land (if you ignore the huge wooden signs and chained down wooden benches).  This time we came prepared with our geo-trinkets.   It was here that I decided to keep the treasure hunt alive by drawing pictures and leaving them in the state Geocaches.  If you found this picture then now you know the silhouetted people are my husband and my son.  

Ink Lake State Park

INK LAKE STATE PARK, BURNET

Well folks this is where Geocache all started.  While visiting the Headquarters Ink Lake, in order to pay and meet for a Geology walk (cost $3.00 per person), we spotted a sign that said "GEOCACHE CHALLENGE."  I pulled out my smart phone, read a bit about the modern-day treasure hunt, and thought:  AWESOME.  The next day we hiked and lucked upon the state park cache where we traded some bandaids (give us a break, we were rookies!) for a cool bottle-top magnet to add to our magnet collection.  At that moment, it became our addiction!  My seven-year-old son, who was dragging his feet through the trails before, was now blazing through them so fast we couldn't keep up to find other Geocaches!  We couldn't have asked for a better park to begin the journey.  This place was large, hopping with activities, and provided some pretty amazing sights.  The Geology walk was great, although I could have lived without the gaggle of 12-year-old Girl Scouts shrilling over my two-pound Chihuahua.  The Park Ranger was smart, informative, and had a pleasant dry, sometimes sarcastic humor.   In the end we all learned a lot.  The Park Rangers were everywhere (providing a safe environment) and helpful with free fishing rods, boats to rent, a grocery store, and live music on Saturdays.  They even have a BBQ restaurant if you are tired of campground food.  The only con is that Ink Lake is busy and even in the primitive areas there was noise and activity.  It certainly isn't a place I would go to be one with nature.  But if you need constant entertainment for the bored kiddos or husbands, they provide it, even on the off months.  FYI, This park is one of the busiest and most popular parks in Texas.

Like Oak Park - FOUND!!!!

Live Oak Park, Belton Texas

If you found this picture in the Geocache location, you're lucky!  This was the first park my family visited in our motorhome, which we call "the bus".  The weather was awesome on February 23-24, 2013 - sunny but cool.  Although the park is small and there isn't a lot to do, it is quiet and great for a get-a-away or a place to stay as you are passing through the area.  This park, so far, is the only park that offered a strong enough wi-fi to reach our site, # 47.  They have a laundry facility too!  We walked down to the boat slip to enjoy lovely views, and you have a direct shot of their "historic" wall painting to the left.  Traffic is almost nonexistent, which is awesome for kids to have fun and play on their playground.  The live oaks are stunning.  The park was under construction but once it is finished, it will be the perfect place to bring your boat, enjoy a fire (lots of firewood to collect) and sit back and relax.



If you did not find your picture, please come back in a couple of days.  It is because I have been camping without wi-fi and could not post the most recent!