Circle Trip Stop 3: Meridian State Park

9:04 PM, July 1^st, 2013

 I got up really early (5:30 AM) and fixed breakfast. Then I did the departure routine. I was underway to Meridian SP by 6:30. It was another one of those drives where I changed roads every ten or so miles. The sun was still rising part of the way. I was really enjoying it, with Patsy Cline blaring from my iPod and the windows down for a change, until a raccoon ran right in front of me. I put my foot on the brake, but he was under me before I could even apply pressure. It really bothered me. I cried like a baby for about twenty miles. I am so sick of death. I was ashamed that I had caused this one.

When I got to Meridian, I spent a little longer than usual in the headquarters. My annual pass to the state parks expired yesterday, and I was advised to wait until today to get it so I would go through the end of July next year. The ranger at the desk was really helpful. She let me pick my site, but recommended number 5. She said it was farther from the bathrooms than the other options and had trees on both side of it. When I told her I was a school teacher, she gave me some awesome pamphlets from each of the regions of Texas. I've seen them for sale in other parks. I told her my wife was a fourth grade teacher and she tried to give me another set. I told her she had been generous enough. I will let Rachel see them. I think 4^th graders do the regions of Texas.

The site is really nice. The shade has kept the camper downright cold today. Plus, it is perfectly level, which meant I got to skip the extra 15 minute chore of setting up the BAL leveler. Unfortunately, I took the trailer off the hitch in a spot that I figured would be close to the hose connection. I realized right away that it was too far from the sewer connection. I put it back on the hitch without hooking up the chains or electricity and pulled it forward about five feet. I thought I would need to go buy another hose, but mine reached the water afterall.

There is absolutely no AT&T reception here. As soon as I was set up enough, I went to headquarters and asked the ranger where I needed to drive to get service. She gave me some spots, but said I could get it for sure in town. She also told me that the park has WiFi and that some people in my campsite, Crosstimbers, are able to use the wifi. I decided to go into town and test that theory when I got back. I needed to get a text off to Rachel to let her know I had safely arrived at Meridian.

The town is tiny, but has a beautiful courthouse. It is the Bosque County courthouse. The ranger had told me that it was recently restored to its original grandeur. I parked on the square and walked around taking photos. I saw a drugstore and thought they might have the Gold Bond Friction Defense, so I went in and looked for it. The pharmacist told me she could order it for me and have it tomorrow. I took her up on it. Chafing is no fun. (Luckily, it didn't happen today in the cooler weather!) I have two more parks to visit and don't want to risk chafing later.

I also stopped at the Family Dollar store just to see what they had. I bought a triple outlet thingy for the Colby T. I'm tired of unplugging my Keuring to charge something. I also got some batteries for the refrigerator fan. It is a little gizmo that sits in the fridge and circulates the air to help keep it cooler.

Back at the camper, I finished getting everything set up then headed off on my first hike to find the lake. I walked along a great trail that winded through the woods. Then it finally came out on a road by the lake. I walked along the shoreline and out onto the fishing pier. I took some photos of the pavillion, then headed back to the camper.

I cooled off for awhile by trying out the WiFi. It works in the camper, but is not very robust. It is funny how selective it is. I can not get it at all on my phone. The computer and my kindle seem to do fine. But, I can't get to email using the kindle app. I have to go to yahoo.com with the browser. As was the case in South Llano, Evernote seems to sync with no issues. I sent Rachel an email and told her to use that to communicate with me while I am here.

I walked over to the headquarters to download the third book in the Fred series, Escape from Fred. The Wifi wasn't that much faster, and it didn't go nearly as long as I thought it would. I went back to the camper and read for a little while.

My second hike was around the lake. Parts of it were really nice, but others were lousy. The ranger had warned me that part of it was overgrown and needed to be mowed. She was right. Unfortunately it was worse than not being able to see where I put my feet and being afraid I would step on a snake. It was covered with those awful tiny grass burrs that stick to your clothes and the hair on your legs like velcro. Everytime I cleared them off, I went through another patch. They get on the hem of your shorts and scratch with every step. I won't take that trail again.

When I got back from that ordeal, I decided to hook up the TV. I saw that the other campers had their antennas up. I was surprised that I picked up 11 channels. I am getting all of the major networks. Some are from the Dallas/Fortworth area. The ranger told me I am close to Waco. When you navigate by OnStar, you don't really know where you are.

I fixed dinner early, planning a long hike for later. I had chipotle flavored Knorr noodles with tuna. It was great. I am liking the instant dinners. So far I have only eaten two meals a day. I better lose some weight on this trip!

The last hike of the day was really nice, but it wiped me out. I followed the road up to the trail head for the Shinnery Ridge Trail. It was probably about two miles to get there. A lot of it was uphill. Then the Shinnery Ridge Trail was 1.6 miles, followed by the same two miles to get back to the Colby T. It was nice and cool. While off in the woods, I actually took my T-shirt off and enjoyed the cool breeze. That is something I NEVER do. But, as usual, I was the only person on the trail, so it didn't matter. Nobody got to see my bouncing manboobs!

When I got back, I headed straight to the bathhouse and took a nice hot shower. Well, nice is relative. I did share it with some moths, a daddy longlegs, and two little cockroaches. I used Tecnu on my legs and arms out of fear of poison ivy. I don't think I touched any of it, but it was EVERYWHERE! I went back with my razor and shaved instead of using my little battery razor, which is my usual method in the Colby T.

I uploaded my Lake Brownwood photos to photobucket. It took forever. I drank a cup of coffee and watched TV while it did its thing. Then I poured myself a Jim Beam and diet coke and started writing this while Under the Dome was on. It was okay. They aren't following the book as much as I would like, and I probably won't make any effort to watch the series as a whole.

Gonna read now and then go to bed. I am not gonna get up early tomorrow since it is cool enough here to walk all day long.

6:05 PM, July 2, 2013

Well, try as I might, I could not stay in bed after 6:30AM. I went ahead and got up and fixed breakfast. Then I leisurely checked my email, facebook, Open Roads, etc before getting dressed and heading off on my first walk for the day.

I decided to take the road that eventually ends up at the lake. For the first time ever, I actually listened to music on the way. It made for a very pleasant walk. I have a Patsy Cline collection with 24 songs. I guess I can call it an album, as it is listed as one on iTunes. Anyway, it kept me going. I took whatever offshoots I saw also. When I got back to the camper, I was more than happy with my efforts.

After cooling down for awhile, I headed into town to get gas and to pick up the Friction Defense from the pharmacist. On the way in, I stopped at the Dollar General and bought a can of ant and roach spray. Twice now, I have seen two or three tiny little black ants inside. Once I get them, there don't seem to be any others. I am sure they are there, so I am ready for it. Tomorrow, before I tow to the next park, I am going to spray all around the floorboards and hope for the best.

After I got the Friction Defense, I sat on a bench and called Rachel. Suddenly every truck in Texas decided to go right through downtown Meridian. I had to sit in the truck to hear her. We caught up on each other's side of things and said our goodbyes. I promised to call again tomorrow when I arrive at Mother Neff.

I almost came straight back to camp, but saw a grocery store that I had missed. I went in to see if they had anything local. Some small town stores sell local jerky, sausage, or cheeses. This one did not. It was a very nice modern little store, which I later learned is a small chain in this area. I bought a bottle of Merlot just because it was there and some microwave popcorn.

I got back to camp and walked the same walk from the morning, but I took it a lot faster. It was kind of hot because of my effort, but the breezes were cool. It was only about 87 degrees at the time. At the lake, people were laying out tanning. I didn't think people did that anymore. Oh well. I had stopped in at headquarters to ask some questions before starting the hike. The ranger was getting some walking sticks ready to sell. I decided to buy one for $9 and start collecting the little nail on plates from each park instead of buying T-shirts. This will be cheaper, and I never wear the shirts. I didn't have my wallet, so it motivated me to walk faster to get back before they closed.

After my walk, I did go buy the walking stick. That got me talking with the ranger again. She is really friendly and welcoming. We talked about how small Texas towns are disappearing right before our very eyes. I teased her about Meridian having a big national BBQ contest every year but not having a BBQ restaurant. I told her that state law required a barbecue joint in every town. I also told her that the Chinese restaurant on the Meridian town square had to be some kind of crime. Anyway, she told me that they had once had a great barbecue joint, but the guy moved it to Clifton about ten miles away.

I asked the ranger why there was no Bosque County Historical Museum. She told me there was right across the street from the pharmacy. I had seen it. It is called County Collections. I thought it was a hobby store. Anyway, I went to the camper and changed. I had to go back to town anyway, since I had forgotten to get gas.

When I got to town, I parked in the square and walked to the museum. There was a note on the door that said that it would be closed until the 5^th! Oh well. I decided to look for the old school but couldn't find it. I ended up on some back road in town with no idea how to get back to the square. I saw a sign pointing straight ahead for Clifton. I decided to just keep going. Why not try the BBQ?

I drove for awhile, but never saw a sign saying how far Clifton was. I pushed the OnStar button and they told me it was nine miles ahead. No problem. They pointed me to the BBQ place, which I just this second remembered was called Bunkhouse. I pulled in and noticed nobody was there. I walked to the door and saw a sign that written with a marker that said, “We are on vacation until July 5^th. Come back and see us!” I was really disappointed. I have been hungering for barbecue since I left San Antonio because Lockhart is the last leg of the trip and I plan to eat plenty of it! I got back in the truck and googled BBQ to see if there was another. There wasn't, but I noticed on the map that I was on the highway that goes straight to Meridian.

I got back on the road and headed for Meridian driving 75 miles per hour for the first time in ages. Then I saw a Dairy Queen and decided I wanted- no deserved a Blizzard. I got a small Heath Blizzard, which shows how far I have come in life. I never considered anything but a large in the past. This small was bad enough (about 600 calories)!

I got back to Meridian and turned on to the road to the park. I got almost all the way to the gate when I remembered the gas. I made a u-ey and went back to Tommy's gas station. I didn't notice the bag on the pump until I had already gotten out of the truck and unscrewed my gas cap. Then I noticed they were on all of the pumps. The station had no gas! I drove through town and found another one and got gas.

When I got back to the camper, I hooked up the sewer pipe (stinky slinky), then went ahead and fixed my dinner. Tonight I had broccoli rice with tuna. It was yummy! I was going to dump the tanks, but I changed my mind. I will do it tomorrow right before I leave. I don't have sewer at Mother Neff, and I am hoping to go all the way to the end of my Lockhart stop without dumping. If worse comes to worse, I can dump before I leave Mother Neff.

After eating, I sat at the computer and wrote some of this for awhile until about 6:30, when I went for my last walk at this park. I took the same path I used both times earlier in the day. It was nice. I got back and tidied up a bit. Then I turned on the TV and started watching the show Extreme Weight Loss. I opened the bottle of Merlot and poured myself a glass. Now you are caught up.

Before I go to bed, I will stow the TV and bring the antenna down. Everything else can weight until tomorrow.

Well, That's it for this leg of the trip. Happy Trails!!!!!

You can see all of the photos from this trip on my Photobucket site.  click here