Our first day in Texas was spent at Tyler State Park in Tyler, Texas. Traci has always told us how awesome Tyler State Park is, so we wanted to give it a whirl. As we pulled in we were impressed because it surprised us how green and wet it was. We always thought Texas was a dry desert but Eastern Texas is not that way.
We got there in good timing while hardly anyone was there. The lake was absolutely beautiful. Surrounding the lake were lush trees and grass. The kids couldn't wait to jump in the lake and cool off in the water.
First though, we had picnic lunch. As soon as they were done eating and lunch was cleaned up, they were in the water. Texas is really humid and hot. We are used to a dry heat in Utah but it was the humidity that was killing us. It was so nice to take a dip in the water and cool off.
I don't think the kids came out of the water for longer than a few minutes at a time. They had a blast playing with Johnathan and splashing around. The adults just hung out at the picnic tables in the shade. As long as we stayed in the shade, the heat was not too bad.
Traci and Sean also brought their kayaks and Russell and Emily had a good time paddling all over the lake. They went from shore to shore exploring. At one end of the lake, they found a bunch of turtles. They sat for a while just watching the turtles swim and poke their heads out of the water. They said it was really awesome.
These cousins could not get enough of each other. They all had a good time playing together after not seeing each other for a long time. The only one not in the picture was Baby Olivia because she was sleeping.
After playing at the lake for a while, Grandpa and Grandma Farnsworth were getting really hot so they and the Cardon's headed back home. Since we probably wouldn't be back to Texas for a while, we wanted to keep exploring. After they left, we went on a few hikes around the State Park.
The first one we went on was the Blackjack Prairie Nature Trail. This was an easy little walk through nature. We saw a lot of native flowers, trees and scenery.
The next trail we went on was the Whispering Pines Nature Trail.
This one was also an easy trail through the forest. The kids liked looking at the bridge, the tall trees, and finding big bugs. There are definitely a lot more bugs in Texas!
We were just really amazed at all of the beautiful scenery. I really would like to take more time and hike all of the trails in this park. Unfortunately, though, it was so humid and hot that we just couldn't do it. We will have to come back and visit in the fall or spring when it is not so hot and try again.
We really loved visiting Tyler State Park!
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