1/18 The cold front has arrived! 31 degrees this morning in eastern Texas, and even though we have heat, that is pretty cold when you live in a large tin can! At least yesterday was warm and we got in a couple of hikes!
Time to head further south.

1/22

We been staying at a couple of state parks in the eastern part of Texas referred to as the Piney Woods Hills. The parks are nice, and we’ve had several days of enjoyable 5+ mile hikes.  My knees have finally stopped hurting as much. They needed this!  No spectacular scenery to speak of but the weather has been decent, although it does get cold at night! 

A lake we hiked around

We have a membership in a group called Harvest Hosts where you can stay at a variety of venues. Last night we chose to use it for the first time at an animal sanctuary in Tyler, Texas, called Tiger Creek. Rescued big and medium cats live here as well as a few other animals. Most of the cats are 15-20 years old and are here for a variety of reasons—prior circus animals, injuries, former pets, etc. There are a few rare ones that are here as part of a genetic research program. Right across from the field where we camped was this cute donkey or burro. I think he is bored—he plays with his ball constantly!

Here are a few of the animals we saw:  

He was sticking his tongue out at us!

I loved the markings on her head

Up close!

Beautiful white tiger. The sign said they are endangered and many who remain are on canned hunt properties.😡

This is one of the rare tigers. She was beautiful and her markings were so unusual

Very regal! He kept roaring at us. Too cool!

Many of the lions laid with their paws together like this.

Bobcat

The way he was laying reminded me of a big house cat!

I always love to watch the goats!

We finally had a chance to hike! The weather is misty, but we hiked anyway! Our hike was about 5 miles and followed a creek. We crossed about 10 small bridges and the last one was a noisy swinging bridge. We saw several small waterfalls along the way.

And made it back just as the rain started. Good timing! The next day we headed for Texas. We arrived without a reservation and were turned away as the park was closed for a hunt. So, we went another hour south to a park on the Texas/Louisiana border that we have stayed in before. It is on a bayou and kind of eerie in the mist.

But it is almost 60 degrees, so even if it rains we shouldn’t be cold. After one more rainy day, three days of sun are predicted finally. We haven’t seen much of old sol yet!

Day 1    We are set to leave on our annual adventure with an 8 am ETD. Snow overnight means we must wait for the snowplow service to come and clear the drive. Okay, now it's 9 am and we are set to leave. Not so fast! We get stuck at the end of the drive! Denny runs up to get the car and a bucket of salt and we try again. Nope. We slide backward almost into a tree. Then we remember we have a cat, but more importantly kitty litter, with us. So, after dumping a whole box of litter on the drive, we are finally able to get out and on the road. Denny waits in the road while I drive the car back up and run back down the driveway. Final departure time is 9:45.

And yes, our 19-year-old cat, Kismet, who was supposedly dying from kidney failure 2 years ago, is alive and well and on her 3^rd winter vacation with us! We ended our day at a pet-friendly hotel in Effingham, Illinois, after 10 hours of driving. We are exhausted but there is no snow. It is above 50 degrees and tomorrow we will de-winterize the RV and start camping!

Day 2   After a bad night’s sleep (the beds were hard, and the cat meowed all night) we are back on the road. It is foggy but warmish, so we head to our second night’s spot in Arkansas where we de-winterize. It is now 60 degrees and we are able to go for a walk before dark! Even Kismet went for a short leash walk! Her old bones appreciate the warmth too!

Day 3    Finally, it’s spa day! As usual, it is foggy and misty in Hot Springs, but the temperature is in the high 60s. The price at Buckstaff Baths has gone up a bit but it’s still a bargain. I threw in a paraffin bath for my hands too! The masseuse told me I have very soft skin. I laughed and wondered who she had been massaging lately. Alligators? 😊

People filling bottles at one of the many free water-filling stations in Hot Springs.

We’re staying in a state park a little south of Hot Springs for a couple of days before heading towards Texas. There is a cold front coming and as usual we are trying to outsmart it!