Park #11
March 3rd, 2024
Distance: 3.5 miles of Run/walk intervals for 30 minutes (remaining time I hiked only)
Weather: Overcast, 72 degrees, humid
The hubby and I headed close to Houston to visit Stephen F. Austin State Park, and the humidity closed in. As a runner, humidity ratchets up the heat index, decreases your body’s cooling efficiency, and slows you down. For someone who is already slow, this weather isn’t good news. The visit reminded me of why I struggle with Houston’s climate.
This park features five total miles of hiking trails with minimal elevation changes. The trails are mostly shaded, but the leaves had not yet filled in for the spring. The park sits along the Brazos River, but the trails don’t get close to the shoreline. The banks of the river are sand cliffs. I imagine they are unstable, and hikers are at risk of a fall. There was one overlook.
The trails were groomed, similar to crushed granite found in an urban park, and provided easy hiking. Dogs are allowed, and many visitors seem to use this as their local park. There were numerous families with their pups in tow.
At one point, I ran into a clearing on the trail. Vines coated the brush and bloomed with a small, white flower. Early memories from my childhood on the Texas Gulf Coast flooded my brain: Brazos blackberries! These were Brazos berry bushes in bloom, and each white flower would result in a tiny, tart fruit. My mother and grandmother picked these berries, baked them into cobblers with a heap of sugar, and served the concoction with ice cream. The berries have large seeds, so eating them took some patience. Many times, I spat out a teaspoon of seeds with each bite, but I did my best to look ladylike and deposit them into a napkin. The thorns are so fierce that we used sticks to push back the vines to reach the fruit. It was a delight to see a plant from my childhood.
I also remembered the bugs from my childhood, and they were out in force. I used my handy-dandy bug spray, but it left a weird residue on my black pants. It looked like I vandalized my bottom half with gray spray paint.
We spent an hour here and covered what most of the park had to offer. It showcases plants and terrain that surround the Brazos River, one of the largest rivers in Texas. It’s worth a look if you are in the area, but remember to bring your bug spray! And since I can’t find any pictures at the moment(the picture above is from another park), you’ll have to visit the state park website.
I’m writing this blog post after I’ve visited 55 Texas State Parks. (Yeah, I know I’m behind on posting these on this website.) I’ve found joy in these small towns and hidden-away parks. I don’t have to travel to an exotic locale on the other side of the globe to post my best-filtered picture on Instagram. I can drive three hours away, discover the weird and wild world around the corner, and then post my best-filtered picture on Instagram. I encourage you to go out and see what’s around the corner in your neck of the woods. Happy exploring, everyone!