Stories

Spring treks in Texas are similar to adventures in other parts of the country, but maybe slightly more dangerous. I was just recently told that Lake Mineral Wells State Park has a proliferation of rattlesnakes. We saw none on this visit. At other state parks, copperheads, water moccasins, and alligators keep adventurers on their toes. Scorpions and coral snakes are also found in Texas. I’ve come across tarantulas in park walls, scorpions on paved trails and moon jellies on the beach. They don’t keep me from hiking. I do tend to stay closer to trails than I do in other parts of the country.

Bluebonnets in a stonewall garden
Bluebonnets, also known as lupine, solidly signal the start of spring.

As scary as the wildlife can be, after living in DFW for three years, I admit I find the humans scarier than the snakes. Drivers are aggressive and fast. California nor Chicago has nothing on Dallas. The worse part is that the native Texans take the fall, but they seem out-numbered by people who moved here from other parts of the country. Driving is my least favorite part of Texas. I prefer the snakes.

Dallas night skyline
The stars may be big and bright deep in the heart of Texas, but they
cannot compete with Dallas’s night skyline.
Dallas bridge at night
Manmade creations are almost as amazing as God’s.