Although it was in the low 60s when we got up, there’s a heat advisory today with temperatures expected to get up to 109°. So this afternoon, we are goofing off inside the RV. I just finished this sketch from yesterday, a view of the northern section of forest looking across the ridge from our campsite.
In 2011, wildfire destroyed much of this unique loblolly pine forest, which is genetically related to the Piney Woods that we normally camp in more than 100 miles away. Thought to have been separated by a prehistoric glacier, these trees adopted to the dryer climate of the Austin area. Since the fire, which burned 34,068 acres, a campaign has been ongoing to restore the forest within 30 years, replacing 4 million burned trees.
As if the wildfire wasn’t enough, massive rainfalls in 2015 caused the Bastrop State Park’s dam to fail. The lake’s water surged down towards the Colorado River, pushing fallen trees into piles along the way. Today the lake is still empty, though the dam has been rebuilt.
A “pioneer village” of wonderful stone & log cabins built by the CCC was saved as well as a few other CCC structures throughout the park, though some roofs had to be rebuilt. We accidentally took a wrong turn yesterday and found ourselves among the old cabins, built into the hilly wooded area of locally sourced stone and logs to look as if they sprang from the ground.
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