A New (ish) Park

While I am visiting my parents in the country, I am taking my two pups to new parks.  Well new for them, I use to roam around these parks as a pre-teen and teenager.  Today's park is a state park with a nature trail.  One of the reasons I wanted to visit it was to take a trail that goes down to river.  I followed the signs but could not get there.  Then I realized it was closed, this is where the trail use to be.

Now it is time to start the walk.  I got turned around a couple of times because this park has trails that don't always loop.  Here is the start of the trail I took.  All the trees were bare and leaves were on the ground, but clovers were peaking through.



Part of the trail I took is a wildlife trail with longhorns and white tail deer.  When we started walking none of the animals were near the fence line.  Memphis did get excited when a black squirrel seemed to get a kick out of teasing him.

When  we were crossing one the bridges, there was a trail of red ants carrying what looked like pieces of leaves.  This is the home they were leading to, it really stood out because the leaves were bright there but dull everywhere else.

Memphis did not know what to do first on the walk.  There were tons of smells and lots of birds and squirrels to chase.  He kept me tangled up most the walk.

Part of the trail goes down some rock slabs that pass through a creek bed before going up on the other side.  Vegas was a bit nervous since there are gaps between some of the slabs but once she got the hang of jumping she was fine.

This spot was the spot that on a walk in high school with the family we saw a small herd of deer cross right in front of us.

Suddenly Vegas decided she was to scared to go further.  This use to happen constantly after I first got her.  She hated walks and I would carry her everywhere, then my dad figured out that this harness (which was for Memphis but I got him a different one) worked great to keep Vegas' back legs from putting on the breaks.  When she does this now I am so use to walking that I don't usually know she flopped over until I hear the gravel drag.  Today I think she treated it as a big joke.  I mean look at that smile, where is the pathetic "I can't walk farther" look.

As we turned one corner I was able to get a picture of two of the longhorns.

I have always loved this tree, it has character.



Several spots in the park showed the fires from last summer.  This tree had completely fallen over,

but then I saw this spot, where clovers were growing out of the dead tree.  It reminds me of a quote from Jane Eyre.

When we started back around, one of the longhorns was walking along the fence line.  Memphis was so excited and the longhorn did not seem to care one way or another.  I could just picture him saying, "Look Mom a big Poco, but what are those things sticking out of his head."

I tried to get closer but Vegas was not going near such a large animal.

He was pretty cute and seemed use to posing for the camera.

As we turned another corner I noticed that two female white-tail deer, were near the fence line.  One ran when I got close to the fence but the other just watched us very carefully. 

Then I saw what my sister would have gotten closer to see, but I gave it, its space.  It is a small skull, just as I was walking away from it...

I noticed fur stuck in the thistles.  It is light brown, so I am not sure what animal this came from, my original guess was opossum.

After I got the dogs back in the car, I drove around so that I could get a picture of one of my FAVORITE animals.  Buffalo.  Isn't he/she so cute, the whole herd was out laying down but I connected to this one.

Then when I turned my head I noticed two longhorns in the field next to the Buffalo field.

Next I drove over the water that I had wanted Memphis to see from the beginning of the walk.  He is use to little flowing streams but this was a lot bigger.

I think he enjoyed the outing!!!