Wild Goose Chase

The sun struggled to break through the clouds. We walked in sunshine and shadow.

"You can't get there from here."

It is an expression we use all too often in our family. Do we simply take the wrong road? Are our expectations too great? Is it a case of the grass always being greener on the other side of that valley or beyond that river or atop that mountain?

Today two somewhat guilty walkers left the dogs in the yard and headed for an wildlife area about a 30 minute drive from home.*

We wanted to get out of the house. We wanted a little adventure. We wanted to scope out an alternate park for walking the dogs. We hoped to find a place "out of the way" where we would not encounter "others" - walkers or hunters.

Our first state park is only 30 miles away and this wildlife area is across the river from the park. Still, even Google maps did not seem clear about how we could access the area. We "geared up," topped off the gas tank, and headed north west.

Now, this was also one of our first attempts to see if DH could navigate with the phone while I drove.

We arrived alongside the wildlife management area, but found no way to access it. We drove past the state park and headed the direction the technology indicated. We arrived at a "different" wildlife management area. Actually, we came to a dead end after driving for some time down a caliche road.

When was the last time you drove down a caliche road? I haven't driven one in many years and I was suspicious. In fact, under other circumstances I would have thought I was being taken for a ride.

We parked the car at the stop sign and signed in where it told us to sign in. But there was no map.

Down the road, almost to the end, we walked and talked and discussed how strange these "parks" are. Clearly we will need to research further. Neither of us was disappointed in the trip. And we recognized that this would not be an option for walking the dogs, but it was a lovely outing for a lazy Sunday morning.**

Wait. I forgot about the cardinals. There are birds everywhere in the countryside. Among the fliers we recognized a mockingbird and heard a crow, but the cardinals were everywhere! They flitted across the road in front of the car and before us as we walked the dirt road. We heard them singing in the woods. Even I cannot mistake that flash of red.

As we realized we could not find the entrance to our target wildlife area we turned and "trusted" the GPS. Coming upon this sight made us question our choices.

Five riders and a horse-drawn wagon (sorry - I was taking the picture through my dirty windshield)

Now turn down this caliche road, babe! - DH as he navigated.

Road closed. We didn't understand the "flood" warning. We signed in and headed down the road anyway.

Wild plum? Some of the first blooms we saw. These are blooming at our creekside wildlife area too.

The road didn't look flooded.

We stayed on the road for this little trip. The woods were thick and often full of brambles.

More blooms as we walked along.

Water on the road, but not a flood.

We started to notice tracks in the soft road.

More water - before long we saw so many ruts and flooded areas that the road closing made sense.

More tracks!

Skunk? Raccoon? I am not so good with some tracks. We also saw dog and coyote. How did we know? Coyote scat is pretty easy to call.

The rutted road made me think of trips with the family. The children would call out, "faster, Daddy, faster!" The car would bump over the rough roads - almost an amusement park ride for us.

We found this spot with loads of deer tracks, but they were tiny. It is spring, after all. Fawns are leaving their marks.

A quarter is about an inch in diameter. I used it to show the size of these tiny hoof prints.

Like so many of these wildlife management areas, there are meadows and woods.

DH heading back down the road. What a good sport!

The road continued up a hill and beyond. We checked out the view, but turned around. We could hear shooting in the area - probably target practice - maybe skeet shooting. Still, we didn't investigate.

View from the top of the hill. We wondered if it was once a homestead.

Red dirt mixes with the beige. When I was a kid we went to two leases. The "red dirt" hunting lease was in the valley. We knew we were getting close when the dirt changed from beige/grey to red.

This may be my first red dirt fire ant mound.

Yes, it is rough going in places along this road.

Rain lilies.

Another area where the red dirt was prominent.

Another blooming bush in the woods.

The wild verbena - one of the first wildflowers to start blooming in the spring. It is also one that survives the heat of the summer and continues to bloom into the fall.

I was excited to come around a corner and seeing this patch of blooms.

Not a good closeup, but may help you to recognize the flower.

All over the area are trees damaged by the drought - and lichen grows thick and wild on many sick and dying trees.

Amazing.

Another wildflower blooming in both parks.

I cropped so that the clover was included

Another example (with clover leaves too -- they make me think of Ireland)

This one was worth the closeup. Some of these are purple. Some have purple at the throat of the bloom. This one has purple at the tips of the petals.

DH easily out-paces me. I take photos and he stops off and on to let me catch up.

 We came to another blooming bush with an abandoned nest.

The leaves that have fallen into the nest impersonate eggs a bit.

Another view.

And another.

Trees budding.

Wild vines.

This thorny guy was blooming too, but the blooms are more sedate.

Close up they are a surprise.

Sweet DH - sun shining on the blossoms and the road and his shoulders.

What wonders does spring promise? This is just the beginning!

Impressive tree guards the road.

Stunning burl

NOTES: 

*I gave them treats when we left the house and when we returned and I am committed to taking them out of the yard this afternoon.

**I will work on identifying some of the blooms. For now I will just be glad to have been in the woods in time to see them.