First, my heart is breaking for my fellow Texans downstate today. Devastating floods have hit many areas, and there is so much hurt right now. Of course, the much-needed rain will be very welcome once this crisis is over, but many are paying a heavy price for it right now. The dam on the lake at Bastrop State Park failed, and the lake water has now mostly run out. This is the same state park that was hit by a devastating wild-fire a few years ago, too. Scenic little Wimberly in the hill country, which is a huge tourist town, saw a flood of epic proportions over the weekend, with the Blanco River rising 30 feet overnight. Many cities and state parks have been impacted or shut down. To have such a devastating situation hit on a holiday weekend just made it all the more challenging for those trying to keep people safe through it all. I honestly don’t know right now how many people are missing or have lost their lives. Please pray for those impacted by floods in Texas today.
Texas Flooding Photos – The Boston Globe
Our decision to forego a long weekend camping trip due to the weather was a good one. Storms hit our general area, but nothing like the unbelievable storms that hit downstate. Hubby and I made a long Sunday drive instead, visiting both Caprock Canyons State Park and award-winning Palo Duro Canyon State Park in one day by car with the dogs and a picnic lunch on a beautiful little outing while the weather was nice, and I will share some pictures of our “grand canyons” adventure soon. Visiting both of the canyon state parks in the Panhandle in one day is always a great scenic drive and a fairly easy one for us. After all the recent rains, it was beautiful in a way we’ve not seen until now. We did not start visiting the state parks regularly until 2011 when we bought our RV, the first year of the drought, and it is only getting better and better as more rain falls and renews our land at last. I also took some great photos of the baby bison at Caprock Canyons. (I am loving the new camera and lenses!)
Later on, I will also share a few suggestions for anyone that is interested in visiting the canyon parks, as we learned some new information on this little outing that opens up new options, especially for anyone that would like to see Palo Duro Canyon but not take their RV down that fairly scary mile-long 10% grade road (with no shoulder and lots of people on bicycles at times) into and out of the park. We were quite surprised to see a number of improvements in the park, which will make visiting an even better, and more reliable, experience in the canyon. If we are “experts” on any state parks, it would be these two. We have been visiting Palo Duro Canyon for five decades and have watched its popularity absolutely skyrocket with visitors from all over the world. However, we actually prefer taking our RV to Caprock Canyons most of the time. More to come on these wonderful parks!
On Monday, we just relaxed at home and enjoyed a nice dinner at home with our son. I definitely missed Mom joining us for this little family time, but we had a wonderful time together. Hubby finally showed our son his pictures from his most recent trips to China and Europe, and we had a tasty dinner of spicy sausage and cabbage, which is quite possibly their favorite dish ever. Son requested it, and Hubby prepared it. My kind of meal!
I have so much to write about from our “grand canyons” adventure and also our week-long trip to Maui. Unfortunately, I also have quite a bit to do right now at home, but I will eventually catch up on writing and sharing pictures here. I’ve also committed to editing pictures for a friend and her hubby, who just returned from Kauai for their 40th wedding anniversary. It is my little anniversary gift to them.
We don’t have any more vacations firmly planned at this time, but we will likely make a trip north somewhere over 4th of July week/weekend. Hubby will be on the road for business more than usual over the next couple of months, and I hope to finally make some real progress on catching up on chores at home, in addition to writing and sharing photos of our most recent trips. I have some great photos to share!
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I saw the news about Wimberly and San Marcos and I was just heartbroken. Glad you were nowhere near there but its such a sad series of events.
The good thing about traveling husbands — I’m lead by Peggy to believe — is that when they get home and it’s time for a getaway they are all the more special. Take care ‘o yourself. 🙂
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My thoughts and prayers are with all the people affected by the floods in Texas. We spent a wonderful afternoon in Wimberly in March and I just hate to think of the devastation there.
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Yes, it’s so sad to see the storm devastation. Wimberly was on our radar as a place to visit. I realize the moisture was needed to overcome the past years of drought, but this is crazy. Stay safe 🙂
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Wimberly is such a neat place, as is pretty much all of that area. I’m sure it will bounce back but will take time. We are fine – no flooding any where near us.
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I was just going over some info about lost and found items from the Wimberly flood, including pets. Although the devastation is horrific, it is heartwarming to see the reunion of family treasures and pets. Prayers for all.
I look forward to your canyon pictures. The beauty in that area is stunning and it’s been awhile since I’ve been there.
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I have missed those stories so far but glad to hear some good news from the devastated areas. They need our prayers, for sure. The canyons are stunningly beautiful, aren’t they? We are blessed to live close enough to visit pretty often. Hope to get to that post very soon.
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