Lake Bob Sandlin State Park

Bob Sandlin State Park is about 640 acres on the north shore of Lake Bob Sandlin in Titus County, Texas. The area was acquired in 1979 and opened in 1987. JoAnn and I took a trip out to the park during late November and found the lake and trees quite beautiful. The leaves had turned due to fall weather.

Here is JoAnn at the park entrance

Lake Bob Sandlin.JoAnn is viewing the lake near one of many piers that
stretch out into the lake

Pier. There were several visitors both sightseeing and camping this day but
we didn't consider the park to be crowded at all

View of the shoreline from the Pier

A nearby pond

JoAnn demonstrating how tall the trees are at the lake

Partial panorama of the lake

Example of a typical road in the park.

Pan of the shoreline next to the Pier

Pan of shoreline next to walk

Daingerfield State Park

Daingerfield State Park is southwest of Texarkana and is a 506 acre recreational area deeded in 1935 by private owners. It was opened to the public in 1938. This area was the center of the iron industry in Texas. Development of the 80 acre lake included an open beach area, a landscaped peninsula, and the site's hilly terrain. The park has a swimming barge and piers. The lake is also known for fishing. Small boats can be rented or visitors can bring their own boat.

Here is JoAnn at a park sign within the park itself. We're near the visitor's center. This was the sign built by the CCC that once marked the original entrance to the park.

This is a small panorama at one end of the lake. The area has extensive hiking trails around the lake which go through a dense forest of very tall trees.

JoAnn sitting on a log at the Dogwood Camping area. A portion of a trail that runs around the south side of the lake can be seen next to her. She's looking out at the lake. The weather is beautiful with temps in the low 80's and very low humidity.

If you look closely, the swimming barge can be seen in the distance toward the right between the opening of the trees. The lake is roughly 300 ft above sea level. One of the trails on the northwest side of the lake goes up to about 500 ft above sea level and offers a view of the Piney Hills.

Panorama of the landscaped beach near the visitor's center. Note the swimming barge. JoAnn and I are sitting on a park bench looking out across the lake.

JoAnn is on the pier. The lake is quite pretty due to the landscaping methods used during it's early development.

Rental boats. While we were on the pier, two men had brought their own boat and were fishing in this area. Two large geese wandered around a bit on the grassy lawn visible in the right side of the photo. There wasn't a sound to be heard except for the light breeze in the area.

A large panorama of the lake from the pier. We had a mild wind which made the experience even better (slightly cooler temps).The beach area (other side of the trees on the left) is landscaped and has picnic tables and benches.

Here are the picnic tables on the landscaped area. A visitor can bring their pre-prepared food or cook it in one of the stoves next to the table.

Here is one of the benches along the shoreline. It was a wonderful experience to sit and just let the world go by for a while. This will be a grand memory for us.

Copper Breaks State Park

JoAnn and I needed a break so we revisited Copper Breaks State Park. The weather was ideal. Bright and sunny, low humidity, and blue skies. There was a bit of wind which was a bother sometimes but it was an enjoyable trip.

Big Pond Lake is popular with boaters and folks wanting to walk on the shoreline.

The water level is very high this year. In years past, this area would be completely dry and the boat dock would have been useless. 

Little Pond Lake is an interesting little lake in an out of the way place in the park.

Grand Canyon South Rim

During the last week of May 2016, we took a trip to Sedona for the purpose of taking a tour of the Grand Canyon South rim. The trip was wonderful and we had good weather. Additional photos of the complete trip can be found here

Here we are at the entrance to the park

A view from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

View of the Colorado River as seen from the South Rim

We also climbed to the top of the Desert Watchtower. The view was impressive.

Lake Murray State Park, OK

JoAnn and I did a quick trip to Lake Murray State Park in Oklahoma to visit the lake and areas of interest. Lake Murray is Oklahoma's first and largest state park with 12, 500 acres of land. The park provides camping, hiking, and boating for visitors. 

The first item of interest was a nearby chapel with beautiful stained glass windows. Here is a photo looking toward the front of the chapel.

This is a closeup of the front stained glass window. Note the open Bible on the stone shelf below the window. 

The Bible was open to Proverbs. It looked fairly weather beaten and old.

We next visited the lake itself. Here is JoAnn standing next to a pier.

Another perspective of the lake: a marina with Tucker Tower in the background. The tower contains a nature center and viewing deck. 

Here is JoAnn sitting at one of the park picnic benches viewing the lake. It was a fun time and a quick trip.

Cooper Lake State Park, TX

JoAnn and I drove to Cooper Lake State Park in Northeast Texas for a day outing. The lake has docks and piers for fishing and sightseeing. The park also has campsites for tents and house trailers. The elevation of the lake is 450 ft above sea level. 

This is a photo of Cooper lake. We arrived just at the right time to see hundreds of water fowl and several pelicans in the water. 

The sky was really quite pretty and the temperatures in the 60's with low humidity. Unfortunately, the trails were muddy due to heavy rainfall earlier in the week. 






The pelicans are the white birds among the other water fowl on the lake. 

View of the water fowl from another vantage point. 

Here is the shoreline of the lake. The trip was actually quite fun with excellent weather. Due to heavy rainfall, the lake is quite full.

Sunset Cove. The pier is a good place to view most of the lake.

Sign at Sunset Cove. Note the trail map and descriptions of the area.

Talimena National Scenic Byway

We made a one-day trip to the Talimena Scenic Byway that is a 50 mile stretch of road between Talihena, OK and Mena, AR. The road essentially runs across a east-west mountain ridge. The fall colors are typically quite beautiful in the area. Along the way to the byway, we stopped at Sardis Lake in Oklahoma.

Here is JoAnn at the spill way looking across the lake.

We have arrived at the western side of the byway and here's JoAnn at the welcoming sign that greets visitors. 

This is a panorama taken from the top of the mountain ridge along which the byway runs. There are many observation points along the road all of which provide various views of the surrounding countryside and forest. 

While we were at another viewpoint, this hang glider drifted by. This viewpoint had several dozen visitors most of whom were busy taking photos of the glider. 

This is a panorama telephoto of some of the farm land in one of the valleys below us and gives some impression of how high we are above the plain. We enjoyed the drive very much.

Valley of Fire/Skywalk at Grand Canyon West Rim

During the first week in September Joann, her daughter Janet and friend Dwayne, and Tom visited Las Vegas. During the stay we went to the Valley of Fire State Park and walked the Skywalk at the West Rim of the Grand Canyon.Here is JoAnn at the visitor entrance to the Valley of Fire.

Here we all are on the Skywalk. It rises 4000 ft above the Colorado River and provides a very scenic view of the West Rim of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. The Skywalk is a horseshoe shaped bridge with a glass floor that projects 70ft over the West Rim. 

We have moved past the Skywalk to Guano Point at the Grand Canyon. This is a view of the Colorado River from the observation point. For more photos and info about this trip visit our website:
 https://tjimages.smugmug.com/Vacation/Sept-2015-Grand-Canyon-West/

Out of Town Friends Out For Dinner

Ed has his niece's husband (Rick) and his daughter (Melody) visiting with him and we went out to dinner at our local Italian restaurant. Here is (l-r) Ed, Melody, Rick, JoAnn, and Nora (ex part owner). 

Italian Dinner

One of our favorite Italian restaurants came under new ownership and was closed for about a month and just recently reopened. JoAnn and I had dinner at the restaurant with friends. Left-to-right: Nora (previous part owner), JoAnn, Ed (95 years old), and Windel. The food is terrific! 

Dinosaur Valley State Park

JoAnn and I visited Dinosaur Valley State Park outside of Glenrose, TX. The park is noted for having several areas where tracks of the Apatosaurus and Tyrannosaurus Rex can be found in the Paluxy River.

Look closely at the submerged portion of the white rock along the river bank. A 3-toed foot print is visible underneath the water.

Caprock Canyons State Park

The park has hiking trails, mountain biking, and horse trails. Lots of things to see including this herd of bison that is allowed to roam the park and is under protection.

Part of the rock formations within the park. Some of these formations date back 280 - 250 Million years ago. 

Santa Fe, NM

JoAnn and I met with our good friends Robert and LuJean in Santa Fe, NM. We visited several art galleries and also explored the Bandalero National Monument. Here is a photo of our hotel, note the motif of the building which fits into the surrounding environment very well.

After seeing several art galleries, we went out to the Bandalero National Monument. Here is a overlook of the road out the monument (must look closely to see it).

Once at the visitor center, we took a short walk to a view point of Native American Indian dwellings in the side of a rock formation.

 The trip was excellent and we really had a good time.