Adventure a Car Ride Away

A city girl at heart there are a few things I just won't do: wear camo (there's nothing wrong with solid green and khaki), watch Nascar, ride a motorcycle, use Crisco, wear a bedazzled belt... I could go on, the point is a girl has to draw the line somewhere. Notice I didn't say never, I have done a lot of things I never thought I would do: camping, shoot a shotgun, ride a four wheeler, swim in a creek... and had a really great time! Camping I could've lived without, I mean it was OK for the 6 or so hours we did it, just not my thing.

But as my Grandma Val puts so well, you have to try a "no thank you portion" in food... and in life.

This weekend I tried my "no thank you portion", so to speak, of hiking! Every once in a while I will surprise myself and try something I madly fall in love with, like sushi or asics sneakers. But hiking is a whole new category of love, like totally enamored!

Living on the college budget, our travel category has changed from 'where does Southwest Airlines fly?' to... 'where can we drive?' and I am always surprised about how much our sweet state has to offer. Most recently we went to Caprock Canyons State Park. We were able to get there in under two hours and have five BEAUTIFUL hiking trails to choose from (of different difficulty). We did a middle level one (Lower Canyon Trail- over river beds and through the lower canyons), hopefully we can work up to the higher trails next time. The beauty was daunting and a perfect workout- right at two hours of hiking or 6.5 miles. Also, at this particular park there was a buffalo reserve where you could go spy on them in their natural habitat, super cool! There is just something I loved about traveling somewhere beautiful AND feeling like when you left you did something really productive. And drum roll... only cost $3, beat that! I am already planning our next hiking adventure! Here's a link to find your local Texas state parks... Texas Parks and Wildlife Enjoy!

^{Psalms 8:3-9}

^3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
   Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?

 ^5-8 Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods, bright with Eden's dawn light.
   You put us in charge of your handcrafted world, repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
   Made us lords of sheep and cattle, even animals out in the wild,
   Birds flying and fish swimming, whales singing in the ocean deeps.

 ⁹ God, brilliant Lord, your name echoes around the world.