Tyler State Park (TX)

Sitting roughly equidistant between Dallas and the Louisiana border on I-20 is the town of Tyler, Texas.  Named after our 10th President, John Tyler, this piney-woods Texas town is host to the annual Texas Rose Festival.  A benchmark sign of being close to Tyler is the presence of roadside vendors selling rose bushes at ridiculously low prices.  Take any interstate off-ramp and there will be a display of various rose varieties awaiting you at the stop sign.

Tyler State Park sits on the northern side of I-20, which separates it from Tyler “proper.”  The park is close enough to interstate to make it an easy stop-over for touring parties; but is far enough away from interstate to make it suitable for a longer hiatus within a wooded sanctuary.  Like several Texas State Parks, it was built decades ago by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The park is medium in size, with over 100 campsites offering a variety of amenities.  Although it offers over 13-miles of trails, the centerpiece is the 64-acre multi-use spring-fed lake.  

Panorama of the lake at Tyler State Park

With northeast Texas receiving a generous measure of rainfall this year, the humidity was high; the lake full; and the plants in full-bloom.  Although not the type of hiking trails that we intentionally sought out, these trails surprised us with a natural walk down memory lane.  The yucca—which adorned our San Antonio property—was proudly displaying its ivory blooms.  We loved the lily-white blooms that protruded atop the pokey plant, and always thought it brought a certain of "Southwest Stateliness" to the landscape.  

Yucca blooms with a glazing of morning dew

Honeysuckle was sporadically interwoven with the accompanying blackberries; providing a hedgerow along one of the spring fed streams leading to the lake.  The unique smell of the honeysuckle transported me to my youthful years in rural Virginia; where we would spend hours performing the delicate ritual of drawing the single drop of nectar through the blooms apex.  The blackberries were a double-edge sword; providing a tartly-sweet mid-day snack, but almost always ensuring a sleepless night while we clawed away at our chigger bites.

Blackberries and honeysuckle crowd the spring-fed stream

A multitude of smaller plants and shrubs were in various stages of blooming, but one that really took me back to my youth was a small stand of mimosas.  These trees just have that laid-back look to them, with their fern-like foliage and the pink power-puff blooms.  Many hours were spend in the shade of this species during my early years, and it was a pleasant surprise to see several of them along the banks of the lake.

On the opposite side of the lake sits a day-use area; complete with group pavilions and a (not-dog friendly) swimming/beach area.  Our visit just happened to coincide with a field trip by a local high school, so there were dozens of teenagers scattered throughout the park.  A decent number were swimming and just strolling around, but there were a few couples who were obviously planning a reenactment of John Cougar Mellencamp’s famous song, “Jack & Diane.”  More specifically, the verse “Jackie say, 'Hey, Diane let's run off behind a shady trees.  Dribble off those Bobby Brooks, let me do what I please.’”  We weren’t in “bear country,” but we utilized some of the same tactics of making a LOT of noise while walking the trails.  We wanted to see nature…but not too much nature.

Kristy & The Boys traversing a narrow trail while trying not to flush out humanoid adolescents performing their mating dance.

Tyler was not a destination, but rather a lily pad en route to more northern locations.  Storms were again developing, and we needed to keep moving along.  We pulled chocks and headed along a familiar interstate; as we had traveled the opposite direction 3-months earlier.  Creating our new itinerary on-the-fly, we headed back to Arkansas.

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