Day 4 of the return leg of the St. Louis Roadtrip

10:04 PM, July 8th, 2016, Fairfield Lake SP

This was a great day. I got up at 7:00 am and got everything ready to go. It was a little more involved because of the BAL leveler. That thing takes some work to crank down. Then I had to take everything out of the basement again to put it in the box.

I took my time prepping because it was already hot. I had to put the trailer back on the hitch, too. I hit the road at about 9:00 am.

The drive was really nice. It was another one of those trips where I was almost constantly changing roads. That made it go by really quickly. The book I am listening to helped a lot, too. I found good easy access gas stations along the way.

When I got to the park, they offered me a choice of several different sites. I chose a pull through right on the lake. The camping loop is new. The sites are large, well spaced, and extremely level. I asked which of the two on the lake were best shaded, and it was the one I took, number 83.

I spent a while just sitting at the picnic table enjoying the view after the AC and icemaker were set up. I was in no big rush. After yesterday, I wasn't even sure I was going to take a hike at all. I got here at about 12:15, but didn't finish all the set up until about 1:30. It was just too nice sitting by the lake and enjoying the somewhat cool breeze coming off of it.

The service is terrible here. Not the worst of the trip. I have none indoors and anything from no service to two dots of service outside. It severely limited my ability to check FaceBook, etc. I did see one post about the shootings in Dallas. I was able to get an article on the Internet and read about it. I won't bother philosophizing about it. I am a firm believer of the "Satan is alive and living on Earth" point of view.

I took a nap for about 90 minutes. It wasn't the best because it was 84* in the camper for most of it. However, I did have a flying dream. I love those. My whole life I had had the ability of flapping my arms as hard as I can and raising straight up in the air- flying in an upright position above whomever is down below me in my dreams. I seem to be able to control my flights until, suddenly, they are over. I love those dreams.

At about 4:30, I decided to take a hike. They have some really nice trails through the woods here. The one I took wound around the shore of the lake, occasionally giving me a nice view of it. I was sweating up a storm and must have smelled good to the flies. I had two or three buzzing around my head the entire trip. I wasn't sure if they traveled with me, or if new ones took over along the way. I remember that happening on another trail sometime in the past. It is annoying.

At one point on the trail, I got to see the first venomous snake I have ever encountered on a trail, with the exception of some coral snakes I have seen on the Leon Creek Greenway. This was the largest copperhead I have ever seen. It was about six feet ahead of me smack dab in the middle of the trail. When I saw it, I actually screamed, "AHHHH!" It startled me. I stopped in my tracks and just stared at it getting ready to run back down the trail if it came toward me. It didn't. It just lay there in all of its beautiful splendor. It was almost black with beautiful splotches of a dark brown. It looked like it had recently shed its skin. I reached in my pocket to take a picture, but it slithered off the trail really fast. I was so rattled, that I shot a video by mistake. If you freeze it at the very start, you can see the snake. Most of the 4 second video is of the ground and my thumb.

I am always super diligent when I am on the trails. I watch for two things: snakes and poison ivy. However, actually seeing a poisonous snake on the trail in front of me put me on edge. Every branch looked like a snake to me for the rest of the hike. I was so relieved to get to the end of it. 

I walked on the road to the boat ramp area. The "courtesy dock" is blocked off due to damage from a story, but the view of the lake was awesome just standing on the boat ramp.

Before the hike, I had planned on taking a trail that runs from the boat ramp area to the camp sites. When it came time to take that trail, I chose not to. I had my fill of watching for snakes. Instead, I took an extra half mile to follow the roads back to camp.

When I got to the Colby T, it had cooled to a very comfortable 77*. I was soaking wet, so that and the fan were practically chilly. I took of the wet clothes and hung them on the awning to dry. Then I got a nice cold glass of ice water. I couldn't get enough cold water to drink. Once again- so happy to have that icemaker!

When I was cooled down, I grabbed a cold drink and my iPhone and went to the picnic table to try FaceBook again. Now, however, I wasn't even able to get service. Every once in awhile, I got one dot, but nothing would download. Just as I was able to give up, I got a second dot. I checked a few things, but didn't accomplish much. Oh, I should say that I was sitting at the picnic with no shirt on. Anyone who knows me knows that is totally out of character for me. I do not like for people to see my blubber. Today, I didn't care. Besides, my site is fairly private. The only thing that bothered me was when sweat would slide down my back. Usually a shirt absorbs it. Today, it felt like bugs.

Speaking of bugs, I found a lightning bug in the bathroom today.  I'm not sure when it decided to become a stow away. There weren't any at Jackson Port of Daingerfield Lake. It is either from Babler or Sam A. Baker in Missouri. I don't see any here either, so I am going to take him to Buescher and set him free tomorrow, if he is still alive in the bathroom.

I spent about 25 minutes nailing all my hiking medallions on my walking stick. I did a pretty good job. Since they give you three nails with them everywhere but Sam A Baker, I even had extras to put that one on. I had to start going down the back of the stick.

The rest of the evening was spent eating dinner (Hormel Compleats chili, which tastes just like the chili from Wendy's, which I like.), and finishing up the video game that I have been playing during the trip.

I've been writing this for 40 minutes and drinking Merlot. I need to go to Walmart in Bastrop and get another box. This one will be empty tomorrow night. I also need more pork rinds. The plan for tomorrow is to get to Beuscher, set up the trailer, and head to Bastrop for barbecued mutton at Billy's, get gas and goodies at Buccee's, and hit the Walmart. I'll take a nice hike on the roads around the lake in the evening to get my steps in. Then on Sunday, I'll take a nice hike on the trails and maybe even drive over to Bastrop SP and look to see the progress they are making after the flood.

Anyway, that's a report on today.