Park #4
January 14th, 2024
Distance: 5.77 mile hike
Weather: 75 degrees, light wind, humid
The final state park on our Rio Grande Valley visit was Resaca de la Palma State Park. My husband and I pulled into the parking lot and saw a dozen birders, pointing camera lenses and binoculars in different directions. The lot was shaded and lush, with bird feeders hanging from the trees and picnic tables strategically placed for ideal viewing. Behind the visitor center, there was a large bird blind with several feeders and a water feature. The birds are everywhere if you look.
Out of the three state parks we visited this weekend (including Estero Llano Grande and Bentsen-Rio Grande), this park had the most trail mileage, and I planned a longer hike. We showed up early-ish to start before the heat of the day. After obtaining our wristbands at the visitor center, my husband began his trail run, and I prepped for my adventure.
I started my hike on Bobcat Lane, which was a flat, overgrown jeep road with tropical surroundings. At the end, I switched to a new trail that led me through an open, sandy region. Shotgun shells littered the area, heightening my sense of danger. However, there was no need to worry. I found out at the visitor center that the state allows hunting in the park on select weekends to shoot wild hogs. Wild hogs are a menace to Texas, threatening resources and native wildlife. The employee told me they instruct the hunters to pick up their shells, but humans can have difficulty following directions.
It’s a small park, but I still managed to get lost. That takes a special kind of incompetence. I was only off the trail for 500 yards, so I retraced my steps to determine where I went astray. I discovered that I had bypassed a hidden and unmarked turn on the trail. If I hiked it again, I guarantee I would miss it again.
The farther I hiked, the dustier the trails became. The trees were shorter, and the dirt was caked and cracked, meeting my South Texas environment expectations. If it ever rained, these trails would be a muddy mess. The lake in the park was dry (current drought), so bird watching was a bust.
My husband and I met up for a moment and hiked down together to the dry lake. In front of us, a hawk swooped down from the trees, expanded its wings, and soared away. After visiting the lake and taking a few selfies, hubby continued his run, and I was on my own again.
Most of the trails were easy and flat. The park became toasty during the second half of my hike. I recommend starting at the east side of the park to end your hike in the shade on the Bobcat Lane trail. This place will fry you nine months out of the year, so make sure you time your visit with this in mind.
Over the weekend, we also took a brief jaunt to visit Boca Chica, where SpaceX has its Starbase. (Is it just me, or does it sound like a toddler invented these names?) We drove down Highway 4 to the end of the line at the coast. The rockets are located right next to the highway, and you can get closer than you can at NASA. We parked the car on the beach, got out, and stared at the hugeness. At the time of our visit, the Elon Musk madness was yet to be newsworthy, but I saw plenty of Elon fans who left signs and graffiti. The enormous base reminded me that space travel is astronomically costly, and Elon must be raking in money in contracts to be able to launch rockets from this desolate area. Just know there are no gas stations, food, or even a parking lot to view the Starbase.
The weather threw us a winter storm for our trip back, icing the roads ahead of us. South Texas is not prepared for this kind of weather, and we saw the aftermath of several accidents. Two pick-up trucks overturned on a highway, one truck smashed into a barricade, and a truck jack-knifed a fifth-wheel RV into a ditch. We drove cautiously, as slow as 45 miles per hour on the freeway, and made it home safe.
Now that I’m writing this post, it’s amazing what we accomplished over the long weekend. I’m now psyched to tackle more of the parks. See you out there!
