As I sit here in The ReImagine on this freezing cold, rainy, dreary day, I can’t help but think how perfect this birthday trip has been!
We packed up our home and headed west to Cleburne State Park.
It is a small, quiet, and remote state park in north central Texas! Although its not super close to anything, it is close enough to everything!! Cleburne State Park is absolutely beautiful and the perfect starting point to an epic adventure!
In the planning stages of this trip, I initially wanted to stay at Dinosaur Valley State Park. My research showed that the park limits rigs larger than 35 feet and although The ReImagine is just over 34 ft, I questioned being able to safely navigate a campground while pushing the max limit on size. From Cleburne State Park, it was a 40 minute drive to Dinosaur Valley SP and worth every minute of that short drive!!
This park does require reservations on the weekends and with only 1 day to visit, I chose a trail that took us from the rivers bottom to the skyline above on the cliffs edge!
If you only have 1 day to spend in Dinosaur Valley, this is the ultimate hike! Black-Capped Vireo Trail via Limestone Ledge Trail!
The trail starts you off in the most populated area with the largest and most distinct tracks in the river bed! Go early and you will have the place to yourself.
After you cross the river by jumping from bolder to bolder, you quickly start to climb the limestone cliffside!
The views from the ridge line were like no other! You can almost see a heard of Paluxysaurus jonesis wondering the valley and making their way through the riverbed. I can imagine how this land would have looked so small compared to the giants that roamed here 113 million years ago.
History has always fascinated me! I feel like history is not only our reminder but also our teacher and the history here at Dinosaur Valley SP has so much to say!
After a few miles of hiking above the valley floor, we started to descend back down towards the river edge!
You can see the intended route marked in dotted black lines…. And then there is the actual path I took marked in green. After coming down off the cliffs edge, we left the trail behind and decided to walk along the river bed. This is where things got interesting!
Waterproof boots are a must along with keen eyes and a sense of adventure!
To see tracks rarely seen by the public and away from the tourist trap area truly does bring a new sense of awe and wonder to the experience.
This river has a story to tell that’s millions of years old and it’s willing to share it with those who listen!
But Dinosaur Valley State Park is not hiding the only ancient beasts in this area!! A little over an hour south of Cleburne State Park you can find yourself walking on the hollowed grounds of Waco Mammoth National Monument in Waco, Texas! This was a random and unplanned stop that no one should overlook!
Waco Mammoth National Monument is an active dig site of this Mammoth burial grounds.
Drastically different from Dinosaur Valley SP where it showcased the LIFE of dinosaurs in the area, Waco Mammoth National Monument showcases the DEATHS of a different kind of ancient beast.
24 Colombian Mammoths have currently been uncovered along with a western camel, dwarf antelope, American alligator, giant tortoise, and the tooth of a saber-toothed cat.
There are many theories about how these animals came to die here but the theory I could agree with the most was flash flooding. Flooding here in Texas and especially in this area of Texas happens so quick and the dirt turns to thick dense, almost quicksand type of mud. It is so easy to think that these giant animals got caught in a storm and their body mass caused them to sink in the mud of a flooding river valley.
Waco Mammoth National Monument brings light and reality to the fight of survival in this ever changing world.
I have no other “planned” adventures while here at Cleburne State Park but that has never stopped me from finding magic and wonder before! Keep following along as I continue to live the RV Life and share all my adventures and discoveries along the way!!
