The Big Thicket

The Big Thicket is the name of a heavily forested area in Southeast Texas. And, we're sitting in the thick of it. Village Creek State Park is located in the town of Lumberton, which is about 10 miles north of Beaumont. Other than that, there's not much to say about this area, except that we like it!

This quote from "Big Thicket Legacy" sums it up best:

"One's fondness for the area is hard to explain. It has no commanding peak or awesome gorge, no topographical feature of distinction. Its appeal is more subtle."

The park has a small campground with 25 sites. With just a camper or two in the neighborhood, we practically have the place to ourselves. We were planning to spend a couple of nights here. But, we like it so much we extended our stay to five quiet and peaceful nights.

Our boy kitty likes this spot, too. He has spent much of his time sunning himself on our south-facing dash, collecting compliments from passersby.

Here in The Big Thicket, the forest is thick with more than 100 species of trees and shrubs, which has earned it the title of "the biological crossroads of North America". The area is also home to numerous streams. And, as we learned during our stay, there is a slew of non-moving bodies of water like this one, which is known as a "slough". (Or, would that be a slough of sloughs?)

Village Creek State Park features several hiking trails. After our recent "food fests", we've enjoyed some long walks during our stay. Along the way, we've found a geocache or two.

This was one of the most creative geocaches we've ever found. This tiny capsule was on string between two trees here in the thicket. Yes, it was a bit like searching for a needle in a haystack!

Paul spotted this creative cache near the park's nature center. It made us wonder how many birds have been turned away because there's no room in this "inn."

After a couple of fun-filled weeks in our adopted home state, we're heading east tomorrow to spend the holidays in Louisiana.

Let the good times roll!