Dinosaur Valley SP, Glen Rose TX. 9-27 & 28

[2bits]

Hey guys, Here's my weekend in review LOL...

Well it didn't rain a drop on Friday. OK two drops literally... but man it was super humid and hot. The clouds were just dying to burst but they refused all day and all night. After sunset it cooled off nicely and we had a great fire and the breeze was really nice. I kept the AC on max all night long with the windows open trying to blow out as much humidity as possible.

Saturday morning began with the same scene, lots of clouds, thick humidity and just waiting to burst but refused to. I didn't dress for heat, so I booked it to Wallyworld and TRIED to buy some shorts and sandals, but they stopped selling them completely. Not one single pair of either! Luckily, as soon as we left for the store just before noon, the clouds burst open and the rains came. It rained off and on for four hours, but it was scattered sort of like the Pollen Fest at Bob Sandlin.

We weren't sure if or when it would let up so as a contingency plan, around 4pm the group put up an easyup with a tarp and had a nice big covered spot for the pot luck. Per Woody's prognostication, it immediately stopped raining and didn't rain a drop the rest of the gathering! Best of all the humidity completely disappeared and it actually got chilly and dry and we had another great fire at Woody's spot. I didn't even turn the AC on at all that night.

So the afternoons sucked for different reasons, but both evenings were perfect! Here are some photos I took:

The closest we got to a group photo. I counted 27 total at the campground.


Woody and Taylor made me these steel targets for my shooting range! I just picked up a kid sized swingset frame so these will be GREAT! Thanks guys!!


A nice shot in the morning




Wouldn't be right without some Triassic statues!

[working on it]

Back from my first "camping" trip in 40 years...had a great time meeting people and testing the 4x8 for livability (it passed, needs a coupla adjustments, but exceeded my expectations). The people who had just been names and faces on the forum; now they are real, and I like 'em! And they didn't kick me out. To quote Groucho, " I DON'T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT PEOPLE LIKE ME AS A MEMBER" : not in this case; I want to belong. As I related before, I mistakenly only reserved one night, and was sort of on tenterhooks all Friday, and up until 1:45pm on Saturday, so I was sort of reserved in my demeanor for that period. The Park staff advised me not to pack up, that they had no problem if I went a little over the 2 pm check-out if I couldn't stay (they wouldn't or couldn't accept my word that there were at least two TnTTT' ers not coming). But they were pretty sure that there would be people leaving, and were correct about it. After my 1:45pm re-up, I felt greatly relieved, returned to camp and then found a voicemail (must've come when I was at the Ranger Station, the only place where my phone had any reception!). The voice mail said my wife had a cottonmouth in the pantry...so, I quickly retuned to the park HQ, and phoned home. I told her to get a neighbors help, but she told me not to worry and she'd handle it, and call back. I and the park staff awaited her return call, which came, and on speakerphone she announced she had scooped it into a deep bucket (its head and tail had been snagged in mouse traps >>our semi-rural neighborhood has a field mouse problem, attracting snakes) -fortunately, and unlikely to ever happen that way again- and she took it outside, and covered the bucket. She said I didn't have to return, though she wouldn't make it to the gathering. I later had a 1/2 bar of reception, at camp; she said the neighbor returned home, identified the snake as a harmless watersnake (smelled like a cottonmouth to her), but shot it since it was injured in the traps. After that, I could finally join in the festivities. I met most of the people, talked at length with some, but, being naturally reclusive, I failed to meet everyone. I will at sometime in the future. Thanks for letting me join your campsite.

[cjkrause]

awesome pictures
looks like a great time

[Woodyperk6]

Thanks for the pictures aprazr and 2bits.

Thomas pretty much covered the way things went over the weekend. The weather wasn't perfect but it was close. Made some new friends and saw some I hadn't seen in awhile. All in all it was a good weekend.

[davel]

It was a great!! Weekend. Enjoyed the cooler weather.

[2bits]

It was good to see you and everyone else again after so long, old times are new again!