My love affair with Texas wildflowers continued into our next three-night stay April 27 at San Angelo State Park, in Western Texas. Large pull-through sites next to the O.C. Reservoir had good hiking trails and a bird blind next to the campground to explore. Most of the trails in the park are open to bikes and horses so we chose the ‘hiking only’ trail.
Hiking the trail was slow going for me because it seemed everything was blooming from recent rains and I couldn’t get enough photos of them. There were lots of birds drawn in by the reservoir which also made a nice view from our site. I wondered about the story behind a cross at the base of a tree near our picnic table but if nothing else, it made an interesting photo.
A nice trip into the cute, good-sized and vibrant town of San Angelo gave us some sightseeing opportunities. Besides the Concho River Walk, the visitor’s center pointed us to see the two sights that San Angelo is most known for, a garden and a fort.
International Water Lily Collection
The International Water Lily Collection was not at all what I expected, it was essentially cement ponds above ground displaying beautiful water lilies. I thought it would be more like a botanical garden with lily-filled ponds meandering through it. Despite the difference in my expectations, it was nice to see so many unusual types of lilies in one place. I would recommend taking a look at the collection and seeing the beautiful town but I wouldn’t drive out of my way just to see a few minutes of lilies.
Fort Concho
A middle school field trip was in progress at the well-preserved 1860’s army post, Fort Concho, which gave us an opportunity to see more of the fort than is normally open to visitors. Plus, many of the rooms, normally corded off or behind plexiglass plates were open.
Docents dressed in period clothing were on duty sharing the history of the fort and the way of life then. We had just missed the Frontier Day celebration over the weekend which would have been nice to see especially if they brought out the mules and wagons.
After the detailed displays in the fort buildings, the huge, beautiful mules enjoying the sun next to the barn were my favorite. When I talked to them (which of course I did), one came racing over and tried to snuggle against my hand and rub against the fence to get more petting. He made my day!
A lunch stop at Zero One Ale House refueled our bodies and a favorite grocery stop at H.E.B. restocked our fridge for the next leg of our trip to New Mexico.
