Last week (it was when I started writing this anyway) we camped for six days at Tyler State Park near Tyler, Texas. It was the first time in 22 years since we had been there. I hope it won't be that long before our next visit!
I say we camped. It was in our motorhome. I always feel guilty calling that camping. The first time we were there, though, we camped in a tent, which sounds more like real camping. It felt more like real camping too. It stormed so badly the first night that we were afraid the tent would blow away. Then our air mattress sprang a leak and went flat during the night. We got a new one the next day at Walmart. Then that one sprang a leak too. But this time the weather cooperated beautifully and our foam beds in the RV can't leak.
Getting there was an easy hour and a half drive. Getting on the road was a challenge, though.
Since our truck ac isn't working, we planned to leave early to beat the heat. Amazingly enough we were ready to go by 9:00 a.m. Or I should say we thought we were ready. However, the motor home had other ideas. When John turned the key, nothing happened. It turned out the battery was flat. Apparently, he had accidentally left something turned on for a few days that drained the battery.
At first the charger showed it as full, but then after fiddling with it a little he discovered the charger wasn't attached properly. When it was, it showed the battery was flatter than flat. He kept it on the charger for a while and tried starting it a few more times. Nothing seemed to be happening. We were concerned that the battery might be too far gone. The battery is in an inaccessible place so we didn't know how to take it out and replace it. I wondered if we needed to just give up and unpack the rv. But John was determined and seemed more confident. I texted a few friends to pray.
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| connected to the charger |
We took a little break to give it more time to charge and then tried again. This time the motor turned part way over but still didn't start. By this time it was about 11:00 a.m. John suggested we have lunch to give it a little more time to charge since it seemed to be improving. After we finished eating it started.
On the road at last! Despite the delayed start the inside temperature didn't get uncomfortably hot until we were almost there.
After getting set up--we were in site 212--we went for a little wander around the camping loop.
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| The site on the right in the background looked a lot like the site we were in the other time we were there. I meant to take a photo, but some other people came and set up there before I got around to it. Then I didn't think it would be quite the same and they might not appreciate it. |
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| There was a long row of fungi in a grassy area. These are just a few of them. |
Tyler State Park is a beautiful park with lots of nice trails. I even enjoyed the ones that the trail guide said were challenging.
Our first full day, Monday, we hiked the lakeside trail. The trail guide said it takes an hour and a half. We must have taken the scenic route. It took us almost twice that.
The first part of the lakeside trail was across the dam (above). There were so many wildflowers on it that John jokingly wondered if it might take us all day just to get across. We did spend quite a while there but the lack of shade helped move me along eventually.
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| Not a wild flower I know. But still pretty. I assume it is a wild strawberry. |
Stay tuned for the rest of the lakeside trail in the next post.
