Mineral Wells, TX (USA)

Mollie wanted to go biking again, so we left home around 1015 this morning. Our destination was the Lake Mineral Wells Trailway, which we had visited two weeks ago. The weather was cold and windy, initially - but by the time we reached Weatherford the sun was out in full view. It really didn't take long to get back to the bike trail. We planned to begin our day at the Lake Mineral Wells State Park. Before we got there, I saw a sign for the Clark Gardens Botanical Park. It seemed like a worthwhile place to scout - Spring will be here soon! The only evidence today of its potential was the map we found at the visitors center - but we did see daffodils. We definitely need to return when the trees begin to flower... After that we drove over to the State Park (using our pass again). We had only planned to ride bikes, but when we stopped at the park store the owner told us about something called a Wild Walk - scheduled for 1400. It seemed like fun, so I made a reservation by phone before we drove up to the trail head. Our last experience seemed so easy - flat railroad bed, covered with sand and gravel. Unfortunately, this trailhead wasn't on the actual trailway - we had to ride for 2/3 of a mile to get there (down 5% grade...). Basically, we had to walk, since it was too steep for Mollie. When we reached the bottom, we took photos of some HUGE longhorn cattle in a nearby pasture - we were probably only about 10 feet from them! After that, we headed West - back towards the city of Mineral Wells. I wanted to ride back to where we had stopped last time - from mile marker #14 to mile marker #17. The trip was OK - windy and cool at first, but later warmer. We had to peal off layers of warm clothes as we went. Mollie was a trooper - making it all the way back to Farm Road 1195 without complaining. One of the highlights was a tall pedestrian bridge over (four lane) US-180. Mollie got to practice her braking... Getting home was tougher - not just because portions were up hill, but because Mollie wasn't used to the distance. We did see several families on the trail during our return ride. The hardest part was when we had to climb back up the steep hill to our car (1355). Luckily, we made it back in time to have lunch before the Wild Walk began. We had to drive down to Penitentiary Hollow to meet the ranger (David) who would be our guide. Out of the 15 total people on the tour, we were the only ones who had never been to the park. What a "nature walk" it turned out to be! It involved climbing over steep rocks and crawling through tunnels and narrow crevices - fondly nick-named "the guillotine", "the squeeze", "the funnel" and "Patrick's house." Mollie warmed up to the trail, along with other kids. In fact, she ended up walking right behind the ranger - while I was in the back of the line. I'll admit that I couldn't make it through "the squeeze" - but neither did any of the adults in our group. The ranger told us about some funny quotes he had heard through the years as folks made it to the narrowest part of the crevice and realized they were too "big" to get through - one of the best was "Mom made it - Dad is too fat!" But, we all tried every one of the natural obstacles - and got very dirty in the process. One of the highlights - besides the view and physical challenge - was watching the sport climbers and rappellers who climb the rock walls in the park. It looked like fun... After our hike was over (1630), we stopped by the park store for souvenirs and some additional local guidance (for our next visit!). We drove home via US-180 and then turned down Farm Road 113 towards Millsap. That turned out to be a quick way to I-20, which we used to get home. On the way, we made a quick stop at Teskey's (equestrian gear - see AUG 2009) and Walmart for a few items. Later, we had dinner at Milano's Italian Restaurant in Aledo. We had a great meal - and great conversation. I often forget Mollie's true age - she is really growing up! We made it home by 1930. Tired again - but ready for more!