East TX Thanksgiving Trip 2011

[WeeJeep2]

Second attempt at a trip report, this one from our 4 day Thanksgiving weekend trip. It was just to a state park, but one with a variety of things to do and it is friendly to vehicle based camping set-ups that don’t necessarily want to park on a pavement pad with RV’s on either side. The park was Martin Dies Jr. in east Texas.

It has two sections that border on BA Steinhagan Lake and are separated by Hwy 190 running down the middle. The RV crowd complete with satellite dishes pretty much filled all the sites provided with electricity and water. The sites with no power or water were pretty much vacant. We never bother to make a reservation as there are plenty of “tent” sites to choose from. We picked one in an area with no water and no restroom nearby, but a 1/2 mile bike ride would score you a heated bathroom with flush toilets and a hot shower.

The nice part of these sites is they don’t have a designated vehicle parking area so if your accommodations and cooking set up are part of the rig you just park it where
you want on the site which is not all that common in most parks we’ve visited.

Site selections include right on the water. (kind of exposed)

Or tucked back in the trees. With camp being established on a nice sunny warm day we did pull out a compass to make sure we were on the south-east side of the trees for protection from the strong cold front predicted for Sat.

Since the plan was to stay fixed in one place we had loaded up with toys for non-vehicle based exploration.

The burn ban that has been persistent since forever in Texas was lifted on Wed. in the destination county so we filled up the fuel can holders on the trailer and the Trasharoo with firewood.

From there it was off for short hikes, bike rides, paddling and fishing for the afternoon before settling in for Thanksgiving dinner.

No fish were harmed in the making of this trip report.

Friday was spent on a longer paddle adventure on one of the three paddling trails in the park. One is mostly open water.

One is a mix of quiet bayou and some open water.

The third loops up into the Neches river and the various flow channels as it merges into the lake. We opted for the river trail and proceeded to explore the side sloughs.

They get progressively smaller.

And with more floating growth,

And narrower,

Until you just plain run out of water.

Continued ....

 

[WeeJeep2]

On Sat. the rain moved in as showers in the morning. We buttoned up in the kayaks and did another paddle in the morning.

As the steady rain moved in after lunch we hit the road to explore the forest service roads in the Angelina National Forest up towards Sam Rayburn Resevoir. They start out paved.

Progressively get smaller.

Finally turn to dirt.

Then turn into just forest trails.

And just when your GPS thinks you are getting back on something it recognizes as a road they end in trees. No technical driving, but the rain soaked roads and mud made it interesting. 4 wheel drive was required to make the hills.

As we ran out of daylight and the jeep was running low on gas we gave up on the trans-forest navigation skills of the GPS and just back tracked to camp. Our site was a tad damp from the rain. Nice to be up off the ground in these situations.

At least the ducks were enjoying the rainy day outside.

The awning was put to use as shelter from that last of the lingering drizzle while dinner was cooked and a nice big fire took the chill out of the north wind and dampness.

Sunday was bright and sunny with the predicted brisk north wind. The local duck hunters are a hardy crowd is all I can say.

We did some mountain biking on the trails to stay out of the wind before packing up and heading back towards home.

It was an enjoyable 200 mile round trip excursion, even with a bit of rain. The dust from an earlier trip to Big Bend was all washed away and replaced with a bit of East Texas red clay.

 

[Dgurley2000]

I like how you're prepared for so many activities - kayaking, mountain biking, hiking, etc!

 

[Wes Craiglow]

Excellent trip! And I agree with dg about being ready for anything. Far too often I get out there wishing I had my bike or canoe et al. Well played, sir.

 

[RU55ELL]

Were you required to have an OHV permit to explore the dirt roads? I'm not too far from there and may take a trip to do some exploring there myself.

 

[WeeJeep2]

Not that I'm aware of. They were all numbered forest service roads and the gates are all open to allow access for the deer hunters. There were only a few short sections that started to resemble trails that ended at private hunting leases with closed gates and signs. Eventually everything would dead end either at Lake Sam Rayburn or going into the bottom lands of the Neches river. Check out the Boykin Springs area if you get a chance. Plenty of forest scenery, a few ponds, hiking trails, etc. Just don't expect a major 4 wheel drive adventure.

 

[OnTheTrail]

Is that candy cane pole there to hang a lantern? That's genius! All campsites should have one.

 

[WeeJeep2]

They are pretty common in Texas State parks. They also make a good place to hang a small trashbag to frustrate the racoons. Most are installed high enough so you can walk under the hook. I've found one or two the hard way that weren't quite high enough.