I was out for a drive and found myself heading towards Smithville. I did not want to go into the town as it really does not have too much to offer, so elected to drive Park Road 1C that actually connects Buescher State Park and Bastrop State Park.It doesn’t matter which end you enter, you still have to buy a ticket even though you never get out of your car. I got to chatting to the two Park Rangers that were in the Office at the gate and one of them mentioned that they had added a little more to their one and only trail that was open following the recent fires that burned almost 4000 acres of the Park and surrounding area.

I thought to myself, “What the hell, I have all of my gear so why not take the short walk.” I pulled into the Parking Area designated for the Trailhead and noticed it was pretty full. As I prepared for the hike with the usual boots, backpack, camera belt and camera and my walking poles I passed three Oriental people along with a very young baby, reading the signboard. I said hello as I passed them and for a while, could hear them behind me but for once, I stayed ahead of them. Must have been the baby that slowed them down as normally, I do not outwalk anybody.

The trail is a very pleasant one to walk on as it intertwines between the famous Pines and other tall trees with very little in the way of cedars at least that I could see. There were no signs of the fire desolation in this area and it made for very easy and pleasant walking. Flowers are getting in very short supply as Nature is taking on the Fall look.

I passed several couples on the trail who let me take their pictures. Most people are very willing to oblige and I have not had one tell me no, yet. One couple actually passed me going in both directions but they were runners.They obligingly stopped long enough for me to take their picture.

The trail ends at what is called, the Overlook Point. The last fire reached this area as you can see from the picture at the top that shows many of the charred remains. The top picture is a combination of 5 images sewn together into that panoramic view.

The slideshow below is of this walk.

Buescher State Park 11-12-2016 from Francis Allcorn on Vimeo.