8 weeks from today we will begin the first of our two hikes in Ireland. Training is definitely a key part of getting ready for a long-distance hike. Kody and I both went on long hikes on Monday, 11 and 16 miles, without knowing the other was doing the same.
I decided to check out Fort Richardson State Park and stroll along the Lost Creek Reservoir State Trailway. It felt like a trip back in time, blending history, culture, and nature all at once. The trail is 8 miles long (16 round trip) and is great for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, connecting Fort Richardson State Park & Historic Site with Lost Creek Reservoir. It's pretty flat, with only a 688' elevation gain, so it might not be the best prep for the mountains we’ll tackle later, but it’s definitely good for building endurance. They say it takes about 5 1/2 to 6 hours to walk the trail, but I finished in just under 5. I wasn’t rushing, stopped for some photos, and took a snack break halfway, so I think their time estimate is a bit generous.
I was greeted by a couple of geese when I exited the car.
The wild plums were blooming
as well as a variety of dogwood
Sadly, the creek is just about dried up in places.
Walking across the Lost Creek Dam, the trail is wide and mostly gravel and dirt.
crossing under Hwy 281 at Jacksboro
the base pillars of the Old Wagon Bridge
The north end of the bridge was washed out in floods in 1905 but was rebuilt and used until 1935. The iron trestle was torn down in the 1940's after the modern bridge on US 281 was built.
Flour Mill
These are the remnants of the Jacksboro Mill and Elevator Co., which was built in 1898 by the Risley Brothers. This three-story building, along with its basement, used to serve farmers from a wide area who brought their wheat and corn to be ground into flour and meal. The flour mill produced 100 barrels of Electric Load flour each day. The products were sold in bulk and shipped by truck and rail to various locations.
Back in the early 1900s, the mill was part of Jacksboro's thriving industrial scene. The town's first electric generating plant was right here and provided electricity until 1926. Nearby, there were also a bottling company, a cotton gin, a cottonseed oil mill, an icehouse, buyers for farm produce, and a creamery.
It was really fascinating to walk around and think about what this place used to be. We often overlook the history that shapes our communities.
The Trestle Bridge used to cross Lost Creek and was part of the Chicago Rock Island Line and the Gulf & Western Pacific Line. In 1985, they moved it to its current spot, which is about 500 yards east from where it used to be.
The Chicago Rock Island & Texas Depot, built in 1889 by the Risley Brothers, is made from local stone. It was the first depot in Jacksboro. You can still see some original telegraph poles along the multi-use trail in front of the building.
In the early 1870s, the Red River Frontier and the Texas Panhandle were pretty wild, uncertain places. Native Americans, especially the Kiowa and Comanche, faced significant threats to their way of life. The U.S. Army was sent in to protect settlers and American interests, but this led to the forced removal of Native groups from their homes and onto permanent reservations. From 1867 to 1875, there were several clashes between Southern Plains tribes and U.S. cavalry and infantry along the northern Texas frontier. Fort Richardson played a crucial role in this conflict.
It appears someone thought the trail needed a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
Kody walked at Foss Lake and didn't take any photos of the walk but she did take this amazing photo of the rare total lunar eclipse and Worm Moon (also known as Blood Moon), which she explained reflects the return of earthworms and early signs of spring as the ground begins to thaw. I watched the eclipse for almost an hour but my photos didn't turn out as well.
Did you know the first time walking is mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis 3, when “the LORD God is walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze.” Think about that: God shows us the gift of walking, as a wonderful way to care for our soul as we care for our body. It is a wonderful spiritual discipline modeled by our Creator – to walk in God’s beautiful creation, and to remind ourselves when we do this that we are walking in God’s very presence.
