These are the activities of the Friends of CBSP from July 2015 back to September 2014.

To see the beginnings of the trail building project of the Friends of CBSP from Memorial Day 2007 to December 2013, go to https://friendsofcoloradobendarchives.wordpress.com/

To see the activities of the Friends of Colorado Bend State Park from to January 2014 to July 2014 (backwards) and a few added posts from 2013, go to http://friendsofcoloradobend.wordpress.com/

To see the activities of the Friends of CBSP from October 2015 to August 2017, go to  https://friendsofcoloradobend4.wordpress.com/

The most recent activities of the Friends of CBSP from September 2017 until the present: https://friendsofcoloradobend5.wordpress.com/

The Friends of Colorado Bend State Park welcomes all volunteers! If you would like to get in on the trail building project or other volunteer opportunities at the park, email trailbuilding@aol.com

July 11, 2015 – Lampasas Spring Ho!

Colorado Bend State Park participated in the Lampasas Spring Ho event again this year by helping with the Kayak Races and the Fishing Derby.  They also entered a float in the parade.

There was a great turnout for the kayak races!

The Kids Fishing Derby Winners

The park won FIRST PLACE for their float in the parade!

Ranger Kelby demonstrates proper rappelling technique on the float.

May 31, 2015 Report – Come Now! The Park Is Beautiful!

After a long period of drought, suddenly the skies decided it was time to catch up on rain.  It’s rained so much that visitors to the park got stuck in (or out) of the park because the low water crossing was totally flooded.  The Colorado River, which people could WALK across for years before this rain, is out of its banks.  Here’s what the park office sees when they look out the window.

Here’s  what they normally see.

Cacti flowers are blooming and little bees are having a heyday!  (click on the picture to see a bigger bee!)

Gorman Falls has more water flowing than it has had for years!

The creek crossings on Gorman Spring Trail are totally flooded.

Here’s what that same spot usually looks like.

On the Tinaja Trail, the tinaja is totally full.

Parting Shot:  This coyote was spotted on the Tinaja Trail.

This is a great time to go for a hike or bike ride at Colorado Bend State Park and enjoy its beauty!

Tying Up Loose Ends – May 9, 2015 Day Trip

Last month a lot of progress was made on the new Tie Slide Trail addition.  It ALMOST got finished!  So on May 9th, 8 of our regular trail builders converged, in the rain of course, to finish the addition.

Before-and-After from farther away and close up.

 

The trail building season will begin again in the fall.  If you are interested in joining in on the fun, email TrailBuilding@aol.com and request to be put on the email notice list.  You will receive trail building date announcements and a chance to sign up for the weekend trail building trips.

Trail Project Weekend – April 24-26, 2015

For all the rain that was forecast for Friday, none showed up, so the 3 leaders of the project decided to flag a trail for the future. Normally pictures aren’t taken on flagging trips, but this time buzzard eggs were found inside a small ‘cave’ and that was picture-worthy!  A closeup shot of the eggs (Mama wasn’t around) and a shot of the rock wall that they were in were taken.  The eggs were at the bottom of the crack in the rock shown below.  (Click on any pictures you would like so see enlarged.)

Another cool sight was these falling cacti.  There’s waterfalls and cactifalls!

Another picture-worthy sight on Friday was two of the park rangers painting boards to go along the bottom of the Overlook Deck.  The boards were installedthe next day.

 

Of course, trail building was what the weekend was all about and this group of volunteers came to do just that!  The project was an extension to the Tie Slide Trail.

The chainsaw lead.

Next came the brush shaggers who removed all the brush that the chainsaw cut.

Some girls are tough!  This one dug this stump up and threw it in the brush pile!

A lot of cacti were removed and occasionally a hand saw was needed to trim something sticking out in the new trail.

 

The groomers came last and put the finishing touches on the trail.

 

 

 

Sometimes there is a cactus attack or a rest break is needed!  A huge stump in the middle of the trail made a great seat!

Teamwork!

And on to the Before-and-Afters!

Late Saturday afternoon, some of the FoCBSP Board Members and a couple of rangers added the boards to the Overlook Deck that had been painted the day before.  They also found and moved the perfect rock for a step onto the deck.

 

Sunday morning the volunteers who had stayed overnight went hiking or biking.  The camera went with the girls mountain bike ride.

The trail building season is over.  A lot was accomplished this season (September through April).  To get involved in volunteering for Colorado Bend State Park, email TrailBuilding@aol.com and ask for information.  New people are always welcome!

Friends of CBSP Trails Day and Bluegrass Jam/Show – March 28, 2015

Having participated in National Trails Day the past 3 years, the Friends of CBSP decided that the first Saturday of June may be a great time for that event in Montana, but it was just too hot in Texas for most people to want to participate!  A decision was made to have a Colorado Bend State Park Trails Day and Bluegrass Jam/Show in a cooler month and March 28th was the date decided upon.  It took a lot of planning before a full day of fun activities for the whole family was born.

It was decided to do morning activities on the Gorman side of the park and afternoon activities on the office/campsite side, with cave tours all day long!

Guided hikes to Gorman Falls/Gorman Spring were at 9:00 am and 11:00 am led by volunteers Genia and Rickey, each pictured on the far right of the two groups below.  (Click on the pictures to make larger.)  One group came carrying 3 young children on their backs!  Gorman Falls was very nice after all the recent rains.

 

Gorman Spring Trail was also nice, including the two water crossings!

The Trail Building Orientation started at the same time as the early Gorman Falls/Spring Tour.   Rusty, the teacher for the orientation, gave some instruction before heading into the woods for a hands-on trail building experience.  Rusty used his chainsaw to cut the trail and was followed by those who shagged the brush out of the way.  Those who manicured the trail (raking and hoeing) came at the end.  The trail that they worked on is the one that will lead to the new Observation Deck.

Here are the Before and After pictures:

The 10:00 am tour was the Tinaja Trail Tour to show off our newest trail finished just last year at around this time.   Wayne, James, and Svenja all had a big part of building this trail and were happy to volunteer as the trail guides!

There was a good-sized group that showed up to check out the trail and a great time was had by all!

This trail has great views and interesting plants!

Hiking down to the tinaja and seeing it in person is always a highlight!

The last tour on the Gorman side of the park was the hike to the proposed overlook… except that the Overlook Deck had been approved the month before and the Friends group lost no time getting to work in it!  By the end of the weekend, the Overlook Deck was a reality!  The picture below is the tour group, including Bob the guide, and the picture below that is of Gorman Falls taken from the Overlook Deck.

On the other side of the park at the new amphitheater, a bluegrass jam had started at 11:00 am led by some of the members of Dueling Hearts.  Dueling Hearts played a concert from 2:00-4:00 pm complete with special speakers Judge Tom Bowden who was judge at the time that Colorado Bend State Park opened, Representative Dr. J.D. Sheffield, and park superintendent Kelby Bridwell.

At 2:30 father/daughter team, Allison and Scott, led the Beginner Mountain Bike Ride.  It wasn’t a big group, but it sure was fun!

At 3:30 pm, Archery started on one side of the amphitheater and Climbing and Rappelling started on the other side, complete with musical background from the concert!  Park personnel were involved in both of these activities.  Special thanks to Texans for State Parks for the grant that allowed CBSP to purchase the archery equipment.

A couple of our cave guides helped out with the climbing and rappelling activites.  (That’s why his pants are so dirty!)

This was a GREAT day to be outdoors!  The weather couldn’t have been nicer, the trails (above and below ground) were in great shape, the special activities were a blast, and the accoustic bluegrass music (jam and concert) was totally enjoyable!

The story of how the Observation Deck was built in 4 days follows!

 

The Building of the Overlook Deck – March 26-29, 2015

The Friends of Colorado Bend State Park had been talking about building an Overlook in the Tie Slide area of the park for some time… years in fact!  The proposal was finally submitted and approved and it took a little over a month between the approval and the finished product!  Rusty, our resident engineer on the FoCBSP Board, already had the plans drawn up and used the February Trail Building weekend to get measurements.  Between the February and March trip weekends to the park, he bought, dried, and stained the wood and prepared all the supplies needed for building the deck.  (Click on pictures to make them larger.)

On Thursday, March 26th, Rangers Kelby and Jason drove to Rusty’s house with a trailer to load the wood and supplies and they, along with Rusty, hauled it to the staging area.  Much of the wood and supplies (generator, tools, etc.) had already been hauled down on foot by park rangers and staff by the time the first group of Friends arrived on Friday afternoon.  What was left on the trailer was hauled down by the Friends.

The frame was built by Rusty and the park rangers/staff on Friday.

Saturday was a big event day at the park – The Friends of Colorado Bend State Park’s Trails Day and Bluegrass Jam/Show.  There were a variety of tours and activities for the public to enjoy.  Rusty’s day started with a Trail Building Orientation where those who participated learned how sustainable trails are built.  After the Trail Building Orientation, Rusty and crew went back to the Overlook Deck to continue working.  They worked from about 11:00 am until dark.

On Sunday, many of the volunteers involved in helping with the Trails Day event went with Rusty to finish the Overlook Deck.  The generator was fired up and work commenced.

 

  

Boards were cut and the rails were put on.

 

It was “work with a view” all day long!

Support beams were put in place.

Painting commenced and there was even a professional painter in the group!

Benches were placed on the back side of the deck.

The finished product!

All the equipment that had been hauled down had to be hauled back up…

…including the heavy generator!

All supplies were packed onto the trailer and the deck was finished in 4 days!

The best Before-and-After pictures that could be found were these.  Note the rock slot (with grass) in the lower left corner on the first picture and the lower right corner (no grass) in the second picture for a reference point.  Same rock slot, different perspectives.  One of the anchors for the deck is the big rock the guy in the first picture is standing on.

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who helped build this deck for many to enjoy, and especially to Rusty for all of his hard work and massive amount of time creating it!

Trail Project Weekend – February 27-March 1, 2015

The trail project doesn’t seem to be having much luck with weather this season!  Friday’s high was supposed to be 33 degrees.  It never got out of the 20s!  But the project was celebrating the approval of a new trail and overlook area and that spurred the volunteers on.  On Friday, three volunteers got there while there was still daylight to work, so they cleared around the overlook area to enhance the view.  The usual chainsaw man cut while the others shagged the brush out of the way.  (Click on pictures to make them bigger.)

You can get a sneak peak at the overlook area on March 28th during Colorado Bend State Park’s Trails Day and Bluegrass Jam/Show with information at this website:  https://friendsofcoloradobend3.wordpress.com/colorado-bend-state-parks-trails-day-and-bluegrass-jamshow-march-28-2015/

Saturday was cold all day as shown by these iced cacti taken after 4:00 in the afternoon on icy rock!

Nevertheless, 8 hearty volunteers that had made it to the park on Friday were ready to work on new trail!  There were 4 others who were planning to come on Saturday morning, but the roads were icy and they wisely chose to stay off of them!  There is significant remodeling going on at the conference center, and this picture was taken in the midst of the remodeling materials.

The group took a quick look at the overlook area before starting on the new trail.

The chainsaws weren’t working real great and by the end of the day, our guy working the chainsaws had used 3 different ones!

There are other ways to cut stumps, trees, etc., but they aren’t as fast!

After the chainsaw passed through, volunteers removed the limbs from the trail.

A couple of the park rangers stopped by and helped out!

After the brush was all removed, the groomers came through and finished up the trail.

Before, During, and After pictures are always fun to look at.  You get to see all the progress that was made!  Here are two sets of Before, During, and After pictures.

Here’s a Before and After set with no During.

Then there are the ones that take FOREVER to get finished!  This dead stump, left over after a dead tree was cut down, was a BEAR to get out!  The crew worked and worked and worked and FINALLY managed to get it out and get the trail groomed, but that stump was stuck in the ground really well!  The Before and After pictures are at the end and the During pictures are first.

In spite of the cold, drizzly weather, a great deal was accomplished on the trail which is “to be continued”!

If you would like to be a part of this project, email TrailBuilding@aol.com and request to be added to the “email notice” list!

Trail Project Weekend – January 30-February 1, 2015

The forecast was grim:  80%-90% chance of rain.  Despite the forecast, 18 volunteers of all ages showed up to do trail maintenance!  Several of them were first-timers!

(Click on pictures to make them larger.)

Since no new trail had been approved, the volunteers set about doing maintenance on existing trails.  They cut branches with snippers and a chain saw, raked mostly rocks, chopped cacti, knocked the edges off of sharp rocks, and generally groomed Cedar Chopper Loop and Old Gorman Trail.  They got rained on, but they had rain gear with them and it allowed them to finish the jobs that they set out to do.

 

 

While the rest were working on trail maintenance, three of the volunteers set about putting up trail signs.

There was work to be done at the Conference Center as well.  A pipe had sprung a leak and three volunteers set about fixing it.

 

A young armadillo was spotted near the conference center.

What to do when the work is done and it’s raining?

Enjoy a hammock.

Learn to play mandolin.

See how limber you are by holding the ends of a broomstick and moving it entirely around your body without letting go.

Play Caver Games – How small a space can you fit through?  Chairs were stacked leaving a small hole in the sides.  The more chairs, the smaller the hole!  The number of chairs used varied from 8 to 13.

Rain or no rain, the park is always a great place to be!  One of the project leaders took a group of volunteers to the site of a future overlook to be built (hopefully) this year.   There will be a guided tour for the public to this site on Saturday, March 28th.

On the way back, some made a detour to see Gorman Falls which was flowing nicely due to the recent rains.

One of the volunteers caught this bird on the river.

Several volunteers couldn’t resist hiking the Gorman Spring Trail to see where the source of Gorman Falls is.

Very early one morning 3 of the volunteers decided to hike the Tinaja Trail.  One caught a picture of the tinaja in early light.

There are areas along the river that are natural playgrounds.  Three of the volunteers enjoyed exploring one of these areas on Sunday.

With all the rain, there was ample opportunity to get some artsy pictures.  Here’s the parting shot by one of our volunteers.

The Friends of Colorado Bend State Park welcomes volunteers!  Those who would like to volunteer for the Trail Building Project can email TrailBuilding@aol.com and request to be put on the email notice list.  A sign-up email is sent monthly to those on the list.  Volunteers generally work on Saturday and ‘play’ on Sunday.

Texans for State Parks Meetings – January 2015

Pictured from left to right above are board members Bob Davis and Dawn and Alvis Hill representing Friends of the Colorado Bend State Park at the Jan 23-24 annual meeting of Texans for State Parks, the statewide umbrella organizations for friends groups across the state.  The two day meeting took place Friday night and Saturday at the McKinney Falls State Park southeast of Austin.

In addition to sharing our various friends group successes (also called “Brag Night” on Friday), we got to hear about several newly acquired large properties that will make some really nice additions to the state park system.  One of these is in the Hill Country near Boerne, another in East Texas near Cleveland, another midway between Ft. Worth and Abilene, and a fourth in far west Texas NW of Presidio.

It was a privilege for us to meet with Brent Leisure, who heads up the Parks and Wildlife, as he shared his perspective of how best to ensure the long term viability of the state parks system given the huge increases in population the state is facing along with two key demographic trends:  increasing urbanization and the growth of minorities especially Hispanics.  He believes that outreach and education to attract urbanites to the parks is essential.

We also became sensitized to the need to garner support from our legislators as the parks budget faces competition from other funding needs in the upcoming legislative session.  To that end, we were urged to involve our state legislators to friends events at the park.  We agreed to invite J.D. Sheffield of Gatesville who represents the San Saba County to our March 28 Friends trails day at the park.

Report by Bob Davis