Tyler State Park

My parents came in town for a quick visit this weekend and took us to Tyler State Park for a camping trip. Emily and I both moved down south last summer and even though we’re just 3 hours apart we haven’t seen as much of each other as we’d like. Tyler is halfway between Dallas and Shreveport so my mom thought it would be a nice rendezvous point. We had a great time and managed to pack a lot in.

First we had a picnic lunch and played at a playground. Norah saw lots of people fishing and begged to fish so we borrowed some poles from the park (so cool that they had poles to lend) and used our leftover deli ham and cheese as bait. It didn’t work that well and no fish were caught – better luck next time. Then we went on a riveting nature walk led by Ranger Boyd (okay, a few of us lost interest but I learned about many fascinating uses for the yucca plant and how to identify poison ivy (I’ve been unjustly suspecting nearly every weed in our backyard)) After our walk we went to our “cottage” (better described as a shelter – Norah insisted on calling it a cottage like the ranger office did) and made dinnerEmily brought stuff to make smores so we had fun roasting marshmallows – I think it was Norah’s first time and she thought it was pretty cool although her marshmallow was a little ashen. My mom was really excited to have a real campfire since they aren’t permitted in CO. We had an unseasonably cold night and could have used a few more blankets for the adults but the kids were plenty warm which is all that mattered. I know all of us have had much colder nights before but unfortunately I think the bad night compromised Bryan’s immune system and he came down with a stomach bug. The next morning I went canoeing with my dad and the girls while Bryan slept in the car.I think we should plan a day trip with the Watts to go back and swim when it’s warmer.