Wichita Falls, TX

     Eldon started a job in Wichita Falls October 14. Heading to a city over with over 100,000 people is certainly not on our fun list but all signs pointed this way so here we are! The redeeming point is a state park 20 minutes from the city. Texas State Parks are typically gorgeous and staffed with very friendly Rangers. Lake Arrowhead has not disappointed!

Our first campsite.

      With lots of nice biking trails/roads here, a bigger bike for Ethan was at the top of our list. Eldon found one at Sport's Academy with a broken chain guard and the manager knocked $30 off for us! His old bike still had some life in it so we gifted it to another family with 4 little boys that camped next to us one weekend.

Thumbs up!

Lake sunsets are so pretty.

     So, in Montana we got this kitten with full intentions of it not traveling with us and certainly not being a house cat but..........meet Cupid, our part-time house cat. He loves the outdoors and spends any nice day outside.

Curled up by the campfire.

     The fishing is rumored to be really good here so we've tried several times but no luck. We did get to watch someone pull in a Gar that was 2-3 feet long so that was fun!

Ethan was worried about sharks jumping up and getting him.

Learning patience :)

One of the trails here. We've been disappointed by the lack of wildlife though.

Cupid is not supposed to be on the couch but.....who can resist this?!

     Many state parks have a 14 day limit then require you to be out of the park for 24 hours. Much to our delight, we can stay as long as we want here, but have to change sites every 14 days. Today we moved one site over and even left our slides out 😁. It was so easy to just carry our camp chairs, outdoor carpet, grill, and bikes over instead of loading it all up!

That handy-dandy thing on the back is my washline that Eldon rigged up for me.

Hiking near the dam.

Michael and Emily enjoying the fall weather.

A wild plum tree with an intriguing trunk.

Arrowhead Lake. I'd love to see it when all the Lily Pads are blooming.

     The next picture is a beautiful thing that Eldon and I have been waiting on for a long time. For 10 years one or both of us has had to carry a child and/or backpack whenever we go hiking or walking. Since Ethan is 4, we don't even bring a carrier with us. And....the children carry ALL the backpacks with water and snacks. Lest you think we're cruel, we're not. If it's a long hike, the 3 oldest all take one with 2 water bottles and a snack. If it's a short hike, we just take one and they take turns. I guess there are some perks to getting old!

The exchange of the backpack! 

     The next posts will be about some of the other fun things we've enjoyed doing since we're here!