After a day of wind and dust at Alamogordo, New Mexico, we packed up again and departed for the Lone Star State. I say “again” because we were ready to leave the day before, but thanks to our neighbor’s updated warning about possible 60+ mph winds at Carlsbad we delayed our departure and hunkered down where we were. This forced us to cancel our stop at the Carlsbad Caverns, but we will catch it on our next pass through.
The drive through Texas west to east on I-10 covers 881 miles. That’s a lot of driving, and no, we did not intend to breeze thru it but instead wanted to check things out along the way. The long stretches of driving without places of interest reminded us of our trek to Alaska (minus the beautiful scenery), involving several one-night stops until we got to our destination. Driving along I-10, we saw sprawling plains and dry deserts, and rich barbecue menus with other amusing signs on the road, Texan style. Here are a few signs that made us chuckle.
Our short overnight stops were at Van Horn and Fort Stockton, small towns but with big Texas heart. People we met were friendly, living up to the meaning of their state’s name. But where did the state get its name in the first place? The Caddo Indians of eastern Texas called their group of tribes the “Tejas,” meaning “those who are friends“. We feel we are among friends in this vast and populous state. As we drove along I-10 we also noticed some highway signs that had F.M and R.M printed on them, and that piqued our curiosity. We only saw these designations in Texas. Do you know what they mean?
We headed to South Llano River State Park, a park rated positively by Paul and Nina of Wheeling It. The park is south of Junction, in Kimble County. The 2600-acre site is adjacent to the South Llano River and is about 7 miles off of I-10. During our time there, the park was quiet and we noticed the area looked very dry. There are no riverfront sites; the river is about a half mile hike from the campground.
Unlike the state parks in Arizona, here you get to pick your site when you register. We unhooked the car and drove through the park, choosing site #46 for its spaciousness and shade. There were only a few campers/RVrs around, and we had a lot of space to ourselves. It was very quiet, except for the bird calls and hoots of doves – that was OK with us!
Nature photographers and Birders love this park, because of its abundance of birds and other wildlife. We saw White-tailed deer and sighted various birds. Oh boy, was I in heaven watching the birds, especially the Cardinals !
There are four bird blinds around the campground where you can watch the birds at play unnoticed, and a bird book for reference is also provided. Along the hiking/biking trails are observation blinds for wildlife that roam around the park. We hid out in one for a while and had our snack, but no critters showed up.
In addition to the approximately 25 miles of hiking/biking trails, the park also offers lots of outdoor activities including picnicking, canoeing, tubing, swimming, fishing, mountain biking, bird watching and nature study. An example of study was the Drift Array (pictured below), a system of three low sheet metal fences with a device to trap ground dwelling lizards . What happens is that once the lizards encounter a metal fence, they “drift” along it until they fall into the trap, a white pail. These arrays are used to determine lizard populations in the area.
And then there were Turkeys! A section of the park is designated as a Turkey Roost area for the Rio Grande turkeys, with restricted hours between October 1 – March 31 (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.). This area of the park meets the strict needs of these turkeys where they require quiet, disturbance-free roosts with abundant high perches and fresh waters. In short, the turkeys are putting up a sign, “Do not disturb, we are asleep!”
I didn’t get many pictures of the turkeys, although Steve saw a bunch of them crossing a road while he was camera-less. We were told there are about 600 turkeys that roost here during the winter months.
Lowes Travels 
Good blog. I’m too tired to write one tonight.
Thank you for Happy Hour and a fun evening. I’m still full.
Susan and Bod you were wonderful hosts. We had a great time too, thank you.
You had me going with the RM and FM markers. Been through myself, but didn’t notice or remember that. Had to look it up…….Ranch to Market and Farm to Market is the definition. Not quite sure I get the whole thing, and looks they tried (unsuccessfully) to change it once. You can read about it here: http://www.oocities.org/dstanek.geo/txhwys/fm-rm-ur.html
Love, love, love the cardinals……be worth the trip for them alone. Thank you for sharing this one……and can’t wait for the River Walk!!
Thank you, We had to look it up too what it meant and your link has better explanation.
Your photo of the male cardinal is wonderful. I am a bird carver and plan on carving a male cardinal next. You picture inspired me to get going.
Yes, please post your carving once it is done. I hope it would be like this one with a bad hair day.
Looks like a great place to stay. Who knows when we will make it to Texas though!
Just keep this park at the back of your mind. You will never know.
I wish I had the knack for capturing birds in the wild like you two do. Your photos are beautiful. We are going to keep this location in mind for when we trek through Texas. It looks like a peaceful place to stop. Safe travels with the weather front that has moved in. It’s cold and rainy here today in AZ.
Yes the state park is great place to stop, it may be more beautiful once tress gets its green back. I have tons of pictures of those Cardinals, they move too much 🙂 and I enjoyed watching them. Thank you.
I-10 can go on forever, can’t it? Catalina was just too full so we’re at Gilbert Ray…..Catalina is getting snow today….yikes. Hate those nasty winds….we’ve had to change plans because of weather too. We’ll hunker down here until the weather passes then it’s on to NM. Safe travels – can’t wait to hear about San Antonio!
Hope you are not missing those beautiful hiking trails at CSP or Sabino. And oh, if you are still into Javelinas, the Desert Museum has live ones and your only chance to see them.:)
Live Javelinas? Now you’re talking! Guess I know what I’ll be doing 🙂
Great bird photos. Looks like a place to add to my list to visit. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, its a state park worth a visit to cut down on travel through Texas.
More feathered animals, AWESOME!
I actually that the same “return trip” when I went to Point Reyes. The prices there are high -food and hotel. And so, I drove back to the hotel I lodge in near Muir Beach area, and then drove back up again to Point Reyes.
Ahhh … The advesaries of being n the road.
Thanks. Consider those adversaries opportunities to consider for future travel.
Here’s another link with an explanation on the FM and RM road system in Texas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm-to-market_road
Enjoy your blogs so much! Greetings from cube 15.2.433 – living vicariously through you 🙂
Hey Jos, glad to hear from you. Thank you we got you going on those markers. Only in Texas. Steve says hello too to cube 15.2.433. I heard lots of changes glad that you are still there.
Another fun sign on Texas highways is “Littering is unlAWFUL.”
Love their emphasis on AWFUL!
Hey we missed that one. Its raining cats and dogs here in Houston!
What terrible wind! I am definitely not a fan of the wind in the MH.
Looks like a nice new location. Beautiful photos, especially the close up that cardinal.
Never heard of a turkey roosting place like that. Very interesting!
What a neat park … we plan to spend time in Texas next year, so I am going to pin this one to remember when we start planning that trip.