Weekend Getaway!

Last Friday morning I was able to leave town for four days of camping and site-seeing.  The main purpose of the trip was to visit a friend who is incarcerated on the Ellis Unit in Huntsville and then to swing by Palestine for a time of fellowship with a friend who pastors a church in the area.  As a result, camping was simply a form of inexpensive lodging to help accomplish what I wanted to do.  The cost for three nights at Huntsville State Park were still cheaper than one night at any motel/hotel.  Unbelievable, isn't it?!  Of course I still need to factor in the price of gas in travelling and the cost of food and drinks.  I still came out ahead by camping at the park.  In addition to visiting both friends, I was able to take in the historical sites the area had to offer.  First on the list was the Texas Prison Museum.  Utterly fascinating, considering I'm about to visit a local unit where my friend is currently assigned.  Then I visited H.E.A.R.T.S. Veteran's Complex, the Sam Houston Statue and Visitor's Center, and Oakwood Cemetery where Sam Houston is buried.  By the time nightfall rolled around each day, I was exhausted!  What really did me in was the three plus hour, 6.8 mile hike at the state park.  Starting out with the intention of only visiting the CCC-built dam, I thought yours truly was already halfway through the designated trail and proceeded accordingly.  Whew, I'll never do that again!  I would have been better off turning around and heading back to camp.  Had I been better prepared mentally and physically, I may have enjoyed it more.  At any rate, I was ultimately glad to have undertaken such a daunting task.  On the second night, I had to deal with a rather beligerant and unrelenting racoon who was determined to pilfer through my food.  Everything was stored in a one-man tent I use to store gear and food.  Granted the tent has seens its day and is now past its usefullness, but I was irked with the actions of the critter.  It tore a hole through both layers of nylon and purloined the bag of bagels.  In attempting to perform damage control, I packed up the contents of the tent and placed them in the vehicle.  Unfortunately, I threw away the second tent.  Oh well!  Since I haven't been camping in well over seven years, I consider myself back in the game.  I began to remember all the tips and bits of wisdom gleaned from previous trips in years gone by.  Now that the weekend trip is over and I'm now safely back in Fort Worth, the thought of sleeping in my own bed is sweet comfort.

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