For our birding buddies, this area is a refuge for the endangered Red-Cockaded Woodpecker. We visited one of the habitats maintained by the Forest Service, after parking on the side of the road, we hiked through canopied forest till we came upon a fern covered glade that had been transformed for the express purpose of attracting nesting Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers. We spotted several cavity trees but not a single woodpecker. Later that evening, back at the camp, there was one in the tree beside our RV at sunset.
We've been checking out the historic buildings of the surrounding towns and enjoying one of my favorites, bluebonnets and paint brushes blooming together.
As we drove around, we came across a family of tiny wild hogs foraging beside the road. They dived for the cover of the woods as we approached in our nearly silent Prius.
Yesterday the Forest Service had a "prescribed burn" of the 1000 acres adjacent to the campground, so we were shrouded in smoke all day. Some of the stumps are still smoldering today and everything still smells like a BBQ shack.
