In the month of April, I was not able to enjoy as much time outside as i would have like because of the workload provided by the end of the semester. I was able to spend a weekend further into the hill country. I traveled to Lampasses, Texas to visit Colorado Bend State Park for a two day camping trip. I had not hear of this park until my sister mentioned it to me. After looking up the park online, I was convinced that this was going to be an awesome park. When we arrived, the first thing that I noticed was the cliffs and the rocky-ness of the river. This park is far away from any major cities which makes is very secluded and special. In the morning of the first day there, I attempted to catch some fish. The water of the river was low but I still observed fish splashing out of the water. At the headquarters of the park, there were pictures of fishermen holding up 15-20 pound catfish. if I would have known there were catfish of that size in the river then I would have brought some catfish bait. I didn’t, so I decided to just fish for bass. After a couple of hours I had no luck and the day was warming up. So I decided to pack up my fishing gear and head out to explore one of the trails. Right next to where I was fishing, was a creek that fed into the river. The creek was sourced by a spring and there was a trail that ran along the creek. This was one of the best trails that I have hiked. it was full of all the things that i enjoy. It had cliffs, pools of water for swimming, and overall beautiful scenery. The best part about it was that there was no trash or pollution. This park seemed to be kept pristine from human development and pollution. Another new experience for me was camping in the primitive section of the park. Every time that I had been camping before, I was in the “regular” campsites. I always thought that version of camping was lame. It seemed too easy to have access to electricity and running water. I wanted to experience what it was like to almost have nothing. This was a peaceful and humbling experience. Without electricity, life becomes much simpler. I did not touch my phone the whole trip because I never thought about it. Being out in such a beautiful area captivated my mind and brought peace and relaxation. I intend to go back this summer and stay longer. Overall, I had a great experience out in nature for this month.
Reflection:
Over this semester, this blog has really forced me to do what I like to do. As a kid, I always enjoyed exploring and spending time outside. Growing up has cut out my time to be outside. Work and school seem to always demand something everyday. With this blog, I could have an excuse to go fish or hike. I went to a collection of places throughout this semester. All of them were unique while offering awesome scenery and experiences. I traveled to Roy G. Guerrero Park, Pedernales Falls State Park, Colorado Bend State Park, and McKinney Falls State Park. The three state parks that I went to offer the best of the Texas hill country. I had never really seen much of the Texas hill country before this semester. After spending time at these places, I want to live in one of the cities in the Hill country. I am used to flat, boring land in the metroplex. The Hill country has cliffs, rivers, springs, and all types of nature that I could not experience before. Another hobby that this class helped reintroduce was my liking for fishing. I spent a lot of time at Roy G. Guerrero park fishing. I found this park early in the semester and realized that it is only five minutes away from my apartment. This park, I think, has the best bass fishing in the Austin downtown area. I don’t tell anyone though, because I don’t want it to get too popular and crowded. Observing this park was relaxing and peaceful. There is so much life to observe along the Colorado at this part of of the river. There are turtles by the dozen and fish constantly splash around in the water. The ducks and other birds fly around and maintain a constant yet peaceful chirping sound. My favorite part about this park is when it is sunset. Just before sunset, all the fish, birds, and turtles come out to feed before the sun goes down. At this time, you can observe so much life happening around you. There is beauty in every creature that lives in the park. thanks to this project, I was able to find and experience more beauty like this around Austin and the Hill country.