Texas Bluebonnets

Saturday, we flew to Dallas for a week of wildflowers in Texas and Oklahoma.  Our flight was very early and we arrived at DFW just after 7.  After getting our rental car, we stopped for breakfast at Snooze AM in Fort Worth then headed to Airfield Falls Conservation Park.  Built next to an air base, there was a partial replica of a McDonnell Douglas C-19 airplane right at the trailhead.

The paved trail crossed Kings Branch by a cool tree and then followed Farmers Branch.

There was another footbridge over Farmers Branch shortly before the waterfall.

Some meadow garlic was flowering along the trail.

In just over a quarter-mile, we reached Airfield Falls.

The area hadn't gotten much rain recently so the water level was way down, but it was still pretty nice and I got a waterfall in Texas.

Conveniently, a cloud rolled in to give good lighting for some pictures.

I climbed around on the rocks until the sun came back out and then we headed back.

From here, we made the short drive to Marion Sansom Park.  Starting off on the orange hiking trail, there was an open area near the trailhead with a tremendous amount of wildflowers.

The colors of the flowers were beautiful.  Poppymallow was a beautiful purple.

I also spotted some enormous thistle.

Indian blanket had pretty red and yellow flowers.

And Dakota mock vervain were beautiful lavender.

Meadow garlic had white flowers.

And the prairie celestials had sky blue flowers.

The butterflies were enjoying the wildflowers too.

We saw an American painted lady and clouded sulphur among others.

After getting some pictures, we took the surprisingly steep trail down towards the river.

There are a several intersecting bike trails and countless social trails, so it was a little confusing.  When we got down, we initially went right and hiked up to below the dam.  There was a little drop here, but it wasn't the waterfall.  

Heading back downstream, we soon came around to bluffs along the river.

The waterfall was upstream, I don't think it has a name.

About 15 feet, it was pretty big even in low water, though the lighting wasn't ideal.  

I crossed the little tributary to get next to the waterfall for a profile view and to get to the top.

There was a nice view of West Fork Trinity River from here.

  Then we made the steep climb back up to the parking area.

After getting the Fort Worth waterfalls, we headed southeast towards Ennis and parked at Meadow View Nature Area at Bardwell Lake.

Part of the Ennis Bluebonnet Trail, there was a beautiful open meadow with a ton of Texas Bluebonnets in bloom.

There was a lot of Indian paintbrush blooming as well, coloring the meadow in red and blue.

A few pink evening primrose were flowering as well.

It was fairly crowded but we didn't have trouble finding a parking spot.

Then we wandered around the field viewing the beautiful flowers.

We walked down to the lakeshore for a view of Bardwell Lake.

Lots of flowers booming along the lake shore as well.

Some ragwort added some yellow color to the scene.

It was a really beautiful spot and the wildflowers were really in peak.

I spotted some milkvetch before we took off.

We hiked back to the car and took off.

We continued driving along the Ennis Bluebonnet Trail north away from town.

The farms and fields were just beautiful with all the flowers.

This is all private property, though, so we had to settle for pictures from the car.

After finishing up the loop, we were getting hungry and stopped at Bluebonnet BBQ for an early dinner.  After dinner, we headed into Waxahachie and checked into the Super 8 after a very long day.

Comers Creek Falls

Sunday morning, we broke camp and had breakfast in Marion again, then headed to the Comers Creek Trailhead in Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.  The short trail led down to Appalachian Trail and we turned right to lead to Comers Creek Falls.

It's a small waterfall, about 15 feet, but was looking nice in the morning light.  It was a bright blue sky so any later in the day and it would have been too sunny.

There was a bridge across the creek below the falls, but it had washed out.

So we went the other way on Appalachian Trail.  We hiked about 2 miles and then turned back.

Taking Comers Creek Trail back up to the road, we stopped at a little clearing to enjoy the forest and rushing water before we had to leave.

Then we hiked back up to the car.

From here, we drove back into North Carolina and had lunch at Southern on Main in Elkin, then drove the rest of the way home.

Rowland Creek Falls

Saturday morning, we woke up and drove to Marion for breakfast then drove to the lower trailhead for Rowlands Creek Trail (#164).  The trail entered Seng Mountain National Scenic Area and in a quarter mile, we had to ford Rowland Creek.  It was tricky with high water but we managed to stay dry and the trail followed the creek on river right.

There were a lot of wildflowers blooming along the creek.

And we found our first trillium of the year.

There were also some beautiful wild bleeding-hearts.

The trail made a really great hike, staying close to the creek for most of the ways.

There were some really nice cascades long the creek as well.

After about a mile, we came to the second crossing and again managed to stay dry.

The trail then climbed up to a ridge above the creek and soon we came to Rowland Creek Falls.  A very steep path led down to the base.

With high water, I had to wade to get a good view of the waterfall.  But its a nice one and worth the cold feet.

After some pictures, we climbed back up and continued on the trail a short ways further to the next creek crossing.  There was a nice clearing and we sat here and had a snack before making our way back.

From here, we headed back to Marion and had lunch at Wooden Pickle.  Then we went over to 36-Fifty brewery to have a drink, since it's dog friendly.  Then we headed back to Hungry Mother State Park and parked near the lake.

The Lake Trail Loop led past the swim beach and park office, following the lakeshore closely.

Some rue anemone were flowering.

The trail on the west side of the lake stayed very close to the lake with many scenic views.

At the end, we crossed over the spillway to the other side of the lake.

This side was more wooded and not as close to the shore.

There was some star chickweed and phlox flowering on the forest floor.

I heard a rustle in the leaves along side the trail and saw a deer looking down at me.

She stayed still long enough for a picture.

Then we finished up the loop back at the north end of the lake and headed back to camp.

It was a chilly evening, but dry at least and we made a big campfire to stay warm.  The couple in the yurt next to us came by to meet Alex.  After dark, we went to sleep.

Virginia Creeper Trail in the Rain

Friday, we took Alex to Virginia for camping over the long weekend.

We headed into Mount Rogers National Recreation Area on US-58 and made our first stop at Straight Branch Falls.

We walked behind the guardrail and scrambled down to get a nice view of the waterfall.

It was pretty nice for a roadside waterfall.  Then we headed up the road and parked at Straight Branch Trailhead for Virginia Creeper Trail.  It hadn't started raining yet as we set off on the trail towards Damascus.

In about 10 minutes, the rain started.  In about a mile, we crossed a trestle bridge over Whitetop Laurel Falls.

It's a small water, but on a big creek and I liked how the flow split around a big rock in the middle.

But it was raining pretty good at this point, so we got a few pictures and continued on.  We made it as far as Damascus with no break in the rain, so Sandy and Alex waited under a bridge while I ran back to get the car and pick them up.

We then headed to Wicked Chicken in Damascus for lunch.  They had great wings and the rain had stopped while we were inside.  So after lunch, we went to the caboose along the trail in downtown Damascus.

Of course the rain started back up, so we took off and headed to Hungry Mother State Park, our home for the weekend.  After checking in, we set up camp at Royal Oak Campground.  The tent pads were elevated wooden platforms.

The rain never really stopped, except for when we were eating lunch, so we didn't make a fire.

Spring Tulips at Duke Gardens

Sunday morning, we took Alex to see the blooms at Duke Gardens as dogs are allowed before 10.

We walked down the main pathway to the rose garden.  It was still too early for rose blooms but the fountain was nice.

We then walked over towards the Azalea Court.

A lot of beautiful azaleas were in bloom here.

The various species and cultivars had beautiful pink and white flowers.

Then we continued around the south lawn to the Terrace Gardens.

Here, row upon row of beautiful tulips were flowering.

After enjoying the tulips, we continued on to the Asiatic Arboretum and the red arched Meyer Bridge.

The iconic bridge was visible throughout the gardens.

Although a little chilly, it was a beautiful day to walk through the gardens.

We finished back up just before 10 and time for Alex to depart.