The next morning, after a quick cup of coffee, I grabbed my crappie rod and headed down to the fishing dock. It was early, but the sun was already up and preheating for the day. Heading down the walkway, I was greeted by 3 older gentlemen who were fishing with minnows. I asked them how the fishing was, and they replied that they hadn’t gotten any bites. “Challenge accepted,” I thought to myself, and I tied on a small jig. I dropped it down all the pylons and tossed it into the shade underneath the dock. After a few cast, Wham! I got the first bite. I missed the hookset, but it got my blood pumping and prompted a few more casts. I got 3 more bites, but wasn't able to hook up. Crappie can be tough to catch, but I was happy to at least draw a few bites on the jigs. By this time, the sun had climbed high in the sky, and the temps were already cooking. We had somewhere else to be today, so I headed back to the trailer to tear down camp and prepare to roll out.
Blog 8 - Return to Spider City
Back to Lake Arrowhead State Park for a weekend camp, with the second night planned at Fort Richardson State Park. It's just me and my dog, Chuey, this trip, as my wife and daughter opted to avoid the spiders and stay home.
I pulled into the campsite, a series of small loops, each containing a few sites in a ring coming off a main road. I had water and electrical hookups to run the AC. This was the middle of summer after all, and temps were pushing 100 degrees. I was also within walking distance of the bathrooms, which were clean and well-maintained, a benefit in most of the Texas State Parks. I got Chuey set up with some cool water and a bowl of food, and whipped up some quick bean burritos for dinner. The drive was long, and with the evening sun finally switching from broil, to keep warm, we were ready to kick back and relax. Unfortunately for us, a youth group had set up camp in the neighboring campsite, a few yards away. Normally, not a big deal, except they had lots of activities going on, which mostly consisted of singing along to loud music, clapping, and occasional yelling. It wasn't quite the evening I had hoped for, but I didn't want to disrupt their praise and worship, so I made the most of it and even found myself joining in after a while. (The singing, not the yelling.)
Day 2 of this trip consisted of a trip to Fort Richardson State Park. This park is full of history, features a beautiful fishing pond, and is situated right outside Jackboro, Texas, which just happens to be the home of the famous Herd’s Burger. I first heard about this place from my friend and fellow Bushwhacker Teardrop owner Misty, who, along with another friend, Jenn, and their spouses, planned to meet me there for lunch. Chuey and I arrived and greeted our friends before placing our order. The menu is pretty simple: Single or Double, chips, and soda. Smash burgers, on toasted buns that have been done this way since the place opened over 100 years ago! Operated by the same family, too. Bring cash tho, because they don't accept debit cards. **Thank you Jenn, I still owe you lunch! Oh, and in case you're wondering, the burgers did not disappoint!
My belly full, I pulled into the park and made our way to our site. I didn't do a full setup this time, instead opting to just park the trailer so I could tour the fort before closing time. Dogs are not allowed on the grounds of the fort, so I left Chuey in the trailer with the air conditioner running, so he could have a nice nap while I toured the grounds. It was a self-guided tour across a huge open field with multiple buildings that were somewhat restored and decorated to resemble the time period. It was actually a pretty cool experience, despite it being almost 100 degrees. I was mostly alone on this tour, which made some of the old buildings, like the morgue, a little creepy. As I made my way back to the entrance, I noticed the main building had an AC, so I stopped by to cool off. Inside, I met a park ranger, who shared some stories about the history of the fort, the way of life for the people living there, and about the constant threat from the Comanche Indians. It was some pretty interesting stuff.
After the tour, I returned to the trailer to join Chuey in the AC. We killed a little time with the Nintendo Switch before climbing out for some dinner. After our meal, we went for a short walk, and then drove over to check out the fishing pond. This is a quarry lake, surrounded by large boulders with steep ledges. A small but beautiful pond. We arrived kinda late, so we only had about half an hour of daylight to fish, but it was good to get a line wet, and Chuey needed to get out and stretch his legs. As the sun set, we retired back to the trailer to tuck in, put on a movie, and get some sleep.
Morning came early, and I broke out the Omina Oven to make some cinnamon rolls, along with a cup of coffee. I poured Chuey a bowl of kibble and sat down to enjoy my breakfast before packing up the trailer and preparing to head out.
Fort Richardson State Park is actually split into two separate areas. The Fort area where I camped is the main one, but there is also a Lost Creek Reservoir just over a mile away. I had to go check it out before we left town. Let me tell you, this was well worth the trip to see. There was a long dock with a covered gazebo at the end, and the water was crystal clear. There were kayak launches and a swimming area with a sandy beach. The only drawback is that the camp sites are for tent camping only. I would have loved to bring the teardrop here.
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All in all, this was a great trip. Getting some good food, visiting old friends, and checking off another state park made this trip worth the drive. These are great parks that I would like to revisit in the spring or fall when the temps are milder, and the fishing is better. I think my daughter would have liked the old building at the fort. Ill have to bring her with me next time for lesson in Texas History.
