How fast do wildfires spread?

How fast do wildfires spread? Video from the Bastrop fire, town neighboring Austin.

See how fast wildfire spreads - Texas Parks and Wildlife [Official]




youtube.com - Video shot September 5, 2011 on the north edge of Bastrop State Park. All but about 100 acres of the 6,000-acre park have been blackened by fire. Firefighters have been battling blazes for 3 days. At this...

Lake Texana State Park

Morty does his “Southbound Ho!” thing and 80 miles later we are in Edna, Texas and the Lake Texana State Park. We pass through a magical zone, and the temperature magically rises 10 degrees to the upper 70s. Here the winter bare trees are in the minority because most of the Live Oak have their leaves as do the mesquite and other desert plants. This park is suprisingly flat compared to most of the others on this trip, making it perfect for the leisurely bicycle ride.



Some neighbors say they spotted an alligator nursery, and we go hiking on our own to try and find it ourselves. We come to a likely spot and I think there is an alligator eye and eyebrow poking thruough the surface of the water. We step a little closer and a twelve footer starts thrashing and clawing its way to deeper water and plant cover. Maybe tomorrow. Turkey Vultures are in major over-supply and they are surprisingly skittish. More than a slight movement from a couple of hundred feet away and they leap to the air as long as their wings are warm enough. There are really so many of them in each pack, that individuals ought to be more secure like schools of fish. Maybe they need some remedial training. We do see a massive herd of yearling deer running along the pipeline clearing, and in and out of the campground. Later that night we hear some massive owl hooting moving through the trees just behind Morty.

Both the phone service and internet are just about useless here, so I bike across the highway to the Brackenridge convention center and campground. No internet but a little better phone reception. I try to download an audio book, and though slow it does work. I explore the adjacent campground and discover that they have a minimal laundry which might fit our need to process three weeks of dirt. Lynne nixes the idea because she needs at least four pairs of machines to handle this load. So we contact Victoria's Lazy R Ranch RV Park and make a reservation for the next three nights.

Later on Wednesday we again try to find the baby alligators, and sure enough, right next to the spot where we startled and were startled, there are about two dozen foot-long gators resting quietly around a partially submerged tree trunk. A few turn tail and plunge. But about half pose quietly for their close-ups. Success at last!

Buescher Texas State Park

Some recent experiences and thoughts:

While dining in Morty on Saturday Lynne spotted our first Road Runner across the street, and we were able to get a couple of pictures.



While checking out our location on Google Maps, I was surprised to see that we are right next to a famous locale that is only viewable from the air or space. That is the name “LUECKE” carved out from the forest in letters that stretch three and a half miles long.

From Buescher TX St Pk

The larger-than-life statue of Sam Houston looking down the highway comes with its own visitors' center -- almost irresistible.

This location is known as the “Lost Pines” because it is a small island outpost of Loblolly pine more than 100 miles from the main body that encompases nearly the entire southeast. Something I couldn't learn on the internet --I wonder if the loblolly pines were what got taken down in the carving extravaganza?

From Buescher TX St Pk

Buescher Texas State Park

If Texas state parks are the gold standard, and my experience says that they are, then their on-line reservation is the slag standard. It is so bad that even their own web page acknowledges that though they have "been working hard" to improve it, it is still agony for the user. [I think "working hard" will be this decade's code word for "failing" if it isn't already.] Our latest experience was that there was only one site left for this weekend, and we lost it while trying to jump through all their hoops. Later, it came back and we were finally able to complete the process.

Now we are here, and as to how full it is for the weekend? Oh about half a dozen RVs and about as many tents -- or about 15%!! There is a big event Saturday morning as the Pedal Through the Pines will be racing through from 9-12. The bike support people are the tent campers for the most part, and that area will be used as a rest stop for the bicyclists. At least learning the hoops allowed us to book a spot at Goose island for the end of January 2012 -- assuming a little better departure scenario than applied to this trip.

The ranger headquarters had fishing poles and tackle to loan out, so I took advantage of it. That saved me from making a big "investment" in fishing gear of my own to take advantage of the free privilege in the state parks. As each cast grew progressively worse, so did my enchantment with the whole process. I may still give it another try, but all-in-all I'd have to call it not my cup of tea.

On a side note, finishing up our second year of travelling with Morty, this is my 222nd post -- something that I didn't expect would have materialized. It must be more fun than it looks.

Huntsville Texas State Park

We were a little apprehensive about this destination: a) the website says that parts are closed to reconstruct restrooms and showers and b) when we called about space, we were told that we could only get a site near the stables. Not being too interested in joining the horsey set, I was a little put off.

But now the weather was telling us that we were still too far North, and definitely too far West. The jet stream was doing its thing of keeping that portion of the state in the cold and unsettled. Plus, the trip down here would be the magical 99 mile day's journey for Morty.



So, it should come as no surprise, that this is easily one of the best, prettiest, and spacious state parks that we have ever experienced, and it has WiFi. Our view of Lake Raven and its wildlife is superb. We have been watching the white and blue herons along with some duck families enjoying the lake. We have plenty of distance from our closest neighbor in the adjoining site. The grounds are magnificent, including the loblollies. The phone service is good enough to watch some television via the Slingbox. The weather is absolutely spectacular with a perfect 72 degrees and severe clear overhead. There is a little prescribed burning going on in the park, but it is no more offensive to our delicate nostrils than a campfire. The old showers aren't terrible, but we have a new set within a short walk.

Huntsville Texas, gets our highest recommendation.

Fairfield Texas State Park

Saturday Morty rolls 60 more miles on to the Prairies and Lakes region of Texas where Fairfield State Park is located. This is a much larger park than the last several, and it has a few more weekend campers too. We get a site right on the edge of the lake where we have a great view of the wildlife -- while sitting under our awning, we watch an armadillo stroll across, looking for some fallen leaves to root through. Our second bald eagle flies over Morty here. The first was on our Michigan trip. Having left the Pineywoods region, there are no loblolly pines to be seen anywhere.



On the way, we passed the first HEB grocery store of this trip, and stopped in to pick up a supply of Gephardt chili powder to meet the needs of my brother who has not been back in time to replenish his supply. We also got a little for ourselves -- that's got to be some gooood chili powder, so now we ourselves are in eager anticipatory delight.

The twenty or so week-enders all head out on Sunday, leaving us alone with the camp hosts. The morning's clouds persist until about an hour after the 2 PM check out time, when the skies clear completely and the temperature rises to  the predicted 80 degrees. The new solitude is wonderful -- we begin thinking of extending for a third day here.

Mission Tejas State Park

A leisurely 65 mile drive and Morty arrives at Mission Tejas State Park the first Spanish mission in East Texas, established out of fear that the French were about to lay claim to these lands.



Here the Caddoan speaking Hasinai Indians greeted the Spaniards with the word "tayshas" meaning "friends." Eventually the place came to be Texas as the word evolved, and then the natives were sent off to the reservation in the furtherance of friendship. This must be why we hablamos español hoy.

Wikipedia lists the loblolly pine as extending in the Southeast US from the Carolinas to just about this far in Texas.

Martin Creek Texas State Park

We drove Morty another 30 or so miles to Martin Creek State Park where there is a prescribed burn going on. Lynne and I are usually so anti-smoke that I braced for some discomfort. But even when the wind briefly started the smoke our way at dinner time, we just went in Morty and closed the vents and were fine.

This lake is used for cooling by a power plant on the opposite shore, so the water is warmer than usual -- good for some types of fishing, not necessarily for eating. There is a sandbar across from our site leading to an island, so first thing we did was hike out there and circle the island. Again, the RVers here are less than 10% of capacity, so the rangers were especially glad to have us coming in.



This morning we awoke snuggled under the comforter because the overnight temp went to 48 degrees. At least this morning dawned bright and clear, breaking the overcast morning pattern we have had since arriving in Texas. The weather is looking good with the exception of thunder storms on Thursday, but the temperatures are looking fine.

Sprint has let me down in this entire region, while I could see Verizon users were having no trouble getting on the internet. So today we stopped at the Wal-Mart enroute and picked up a Verizon HTC Incredible. I was looking for just a data card to shave the monthly fees to $50 but they had none in stock. Then I saw that the senior talk and data plan combined were only $60 with an Android phone for another $30, we became Verizon customers, and are very happy with the service so far. Since we use Google Voice, the new phone is also tied to our one and only number 614-859-9365. Give us a call sometime.

HTC Incredible cell phone at Amazon

Caddo Lake Texas State Park

Morty rolls south a paltry 37 miles to Caddo Lake State Park right on the road to Uncertain, TX [I'm a little uncertain of the spelling, some maps show a capital C]. The ride itself was a stunning study of life in northeast Texas. Gently rolling hills and creek valleys with some grand homes and more subsistence-level dwellings, albeit all with big fleets of big personal vehicles. The February temperatures are pushing through the upper 70s now, and sitting shirtless taking in a few rays of vitamin D, I'm thinking this might be a really good place to live.

The state parks have an annual Pass that covers your per-person admission fee, and comes with four coupons for half-off stays of two nights or more. The big improvement from last year, is that the pass has now gone electronic, and the coupons are no longer mailed to your residence. That means that you can use them right away resulting in a substantial discount on the $60 price even before considering the waived admission fees. Especially with the magnificent quality of the Texas Park system, this is an absolute no-brainer, “Highly Recommended”. Still the office rangers, at both parks this trip, seem mildly surprised when non-residents ask for the $60 Park Pass – something to wonder about, or is it just saying something about the current state of economics education?

Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the entire state of Texas. It was formed by a natural damming of trees and logs, which man promptly removed to drain the swamp. The lake then disappeared. The solution was to build a dam. Yeah! civilization!!!



Caddo Lake is a small park, with about 60 RV sites and a dozen cabins. Total occupants on this Presidents' Day weekend, amount to about a dozen individuals or six of the sites. We are camped in a grove of mostly oaks and live oaks which are all bare for the winter, so the Sun shines through with nearly full force raising the temperatures. It's now too warm for the long sleeve shirt I've been wearing, so time to change to short sleeves, then off to explore on the bikes.. We even put on Morty's vinyl wheel covers on the south side to protect the rubber from two days more of the ultraviolet rays [most RV tires are killed not by miles or road hazards, but by sitting in direct sunlight.]

We see the cypress swamp and the livery where the canoes, paddles and life vests are all available on the honor system – $11 an hour, or $20 per half day, deposit in the hole in the wall. The array of colors and textures cried out for some photography and I tried to oblige. The swamp is alive with turtles, some of monstrous size sunning themselves on every available log, while others swim on by the fishing pier. The locals are besides themselves with the abundance of sand bass, but we not only don't see them, we also do not see any fishermen with their catch.

Some sections of the forest are thick with lob lolly pine and others are exclusively oak – hard to tell what makes one win out over the other, but the hilliness may have something to do with it.

There is only one camper within viewing range, and that is at a cabin up the road from us over 200 feet away. Yet there is a Verizon MiFi device showing up in the wireless connection of my computer. I can't even get a Sprint phone signal to call on. So I've been wondering if maybe it's time to sign up with Verizon – just a thought.

Atlanta Texas State Park

Saturday in Atlanta State Park dawns a little overcast, but the Sun soon bursts forth turning the day glorious. We bike around the park, looking for the winter residents, but the six inches of snow that were here a couple of weeks ago, probably sent them scurrying further South. We get a few pictures of the lake and environs. We asked the ranger about what to see in the park, and learned that a dude drowned here six weeks ago, having fallen from his boat. The boat was found going around in circles, and was loaded with Indian artifacts that he had removed from the eroding banks of the lake. So that raises our interest level a lot as we explore on bike.



There are some hills here, which need the bikes' granny gears to climb, and we go down them with both brakes applied, still doing 30 mile per hour. There's some fun there.

Sunday dawns pretty much like Saturday weather-wise. We decide to head a little further South with a shopping stop. But, Atlanta holds much appeal for our spending some more quiet time here.

Galveston Island State Park, TX

When you look at the website for Galveston Island State Park you might be put off by the update which says "no showers and only portable restrooms". They are very slow in recovering from Hurricane Ike and even slower in publishing their progress. The fact of the matter is that the bayside restrooms, though only two in number, are fully plumbed and electrified and even air conditioned. You could move or remove them, but they are not what "portable" brings to mind. There are at this time two shower/restroom buildings on the beach side, which are nearly identical to those at Goose Island. There are some limitations in that there is a pretty good hike from the RV Bayside camping area to the restrooms which are in the tent camping area, but it is not a major factor. The other limitation is that the Beachside areas are still not electrified, although the hardware to do that appears to be in place. Also of the three beach loops, only two have restroom/shower buildings. There is even a strong WiFi signal at the headquarters building.



We camped on the bay and used the electrical hookup on Friday. After breakfast on Saturday morning, we rolled Morty to the beach side to walk the beach and enjoy the beautiful day. We will be showering before returning to the bay.

Songbird Walk at Goose Island

We went on the guided songbird walk and saw a couple of birds. The more experienced birders saw about twenty birds. Our new bird is the Inca Dove which is marked with a scallop pattern. We saw two nesting very close to our old campsite in the woods. They say songbirds are easier to learn and identify than shorebirds, but we can attest to the fact that they are a lot harder to see in the first place.

Sunrise and Shorebird Walk at Goose Island

We learned a few more birds in today's shorebird walk -- lots of fun.

Leaving Choke Canyon

Morty has had a five day rest at Choke Canyon while we absorbed all the wildlife and legends. Now it is time to move a little closer to home. A ranger mentioned a little boat tour that operates near Goose Island, so we might be giving that a try. Meanwhile, here are a few parting shots:



The big bird is the Crested Caracara or the Mexican Eagle. On our bird walk, we saw a colony of about twenty all agitated about something.

Choke Canyon Great Day for Camera Duel Nikon D90 vs Canon s90

Friday we just enjoyed the weather and the wildlife of Choke Canyon. Did a little bike-photography with both the Canon S90 and the Nikon D90 70-300. The S90 is great to always have with you for the unexpected or the wide-angle scene, except when it is wildlife, then there is no substitute for the power of the big telephoto on the D90. This is proven on today's shots of the turkeys and buck deer -- both are on the D90 and are far superior to previous efforts on the S90.

Strange Birds at Choke Canyon, TX

I revisited the little woodpecker that watched us so closely yesterday. He was just as attentive today, following me from tree to tree, even sitting on the handlebars of my bike. Little Golden Fronted Woodpecker, you are a piece of work!

I was informed by a birder from Austin, that the Yellow Warbler, is really a Yellow Rumped Warbler.

The large yellow-black bird seems to be an Audubon's Oriole -- seen only in the Rio Grande valley.



The turkeys are cute, especially when the male is strutting his stuff.

Northern Jacana at Choke Canyon, TX

Our third day at Choke Canyon was supposed to be devoted to a ranger-led bird walk. But when we arrived at 75 Acre Lake, there was no such group to be found. Instead we linked up with a couple of serious bird photographers and they clued us in to a very rare  bird they were focusing on. It was the Northern Jacana, rarely found in the US.  They were devoting about $30,000 in equipment to capturing an image of the rare bird. I thought we could do the same at about the 3% level. So here are our photos:

Birding at Choke Canyon

Our second day at Choke Canyon dawned clear and bright, without a care in the world -- other than some cool temperatures. I put some birdseed out on the bar-b-que and the cardinals, red-wings, and assorted others including the rare Green Jay were unanimous in their approval.



We hiked about three miles to 75 Acre Lake and back on the bird trails. At one point we were closely watched by a Golden Fronted Woodpecker, who must have been on guard duty. We had a late lunch and sat in the recliners, and watched another batch of hungry birds devour our contributions.

Birding Choke Canyon St Pk, TX

We were snowed upon while breakfasting this morning -- just three miles North of the Rio Grande. Tucson is slated for 30 degrees tonight. This was all the incentive we needed to have Morty roll another couple of hundred miles East and South. We are now back in Choke Canyon where the birds flock in abundance.



The little bird sanctuary in the park has been made more isolated with additional fencing, but the cold seems to have stemmed the flow of most birds. Still am able to get a couple of decent shots -- these the first with the D90 and 70-300mm lens in a long while. It looks like the birds are Yellow Warbler, Redwing Blackbirds, and Northern Mockingbird. Weather wise, we can see the clearing in the West and we are hoping this bodes well for tomorrow. Traveling the farm roads of South Texas again coated poor Morty in a thick layer of red mud, but we were able to wash most of it off upon arrival. Now we must stay warm until tomorrow when hopefully, the Sun will warm us all up again.

Hiking Seminole Canyon State Park, Texas

Morty got to rest today, while the people did the hard work -- hiking the three mile trail to where the canyon joins the Rio Grande and the return. Lynne calls it a quarter-marathon. We had perfect conditions, 70s and sunny with just a little breeze. Weather was again a consideration, since the morning reports had winter storm warnings for this area over night, including freezing temps and snow.



By the time we made it back, however, the warnings had been retracted, and it seems that we are just in for rain and 40s. We're wondering if we will be able to hold out until Wednesday when the guided tours to the pictographs are conducted. Looks like Tuesday could have Morty plunging yet further South -- if the people are not too stiff to get out of bed.