GOODBYE TEXAS!

We had some great times in Texas this year! For most of the time, we seemed to catch the weather right (except for the tornado scare in Fredericksburg), tricky in the south in springtime.

Because our trip back west across Texas coincided with the peak of the wildflower blooms, we decided to deviate from I-10, our usual (boring) route across west Texas. From Fredericksburg, we traveled northwest to San Angelo, staying two nights at San Angelo State Park, home of the Texas State Longhorn Herd!

Though we weren't in San Angelo long, we DID search out the Longhorns. Isn't this a majestic pose? We also visited the Chicken Ranch Art Farm (yes, it used to be a chicken farm, now houses art studios, galleries, a restaurant and a B&B) the Riverwalk, and San Angelo's beautiful new visitor center on the Concho River... so managed to see enough of the town to know we would like to return one of these years.

From San Angelo, it was a couple hundred miles to one of our favorite spots in west Texas, the naturally heated San Solomon Spring pool at Balmorhea State Park. This pool never fails to delight and, since the temperature was around 85 degrees, we hopped right in with the fish and turtles.

The trees and bushes nearby were alive with birds - we could pick out the cardinals and vermillion flycatchers - and a green heron flew around the edge snatching little fish out of the pool. It was a fun stay, followed by a long drive today to Las Cruces, New Mexico. Tomorrow we have another travel day, to Cochise County, for a stay of several days. Whew!