The Piney Woods

After leaving Rusk, we continued north to Jefferson, Texas. For the past week-and-a-half we have camped in the Piney Woods at Brushy Creek Park on Lake O' The Pines. Managed by the Corps of Engineers, Lake O' The Pines is a 19,780-acre surface-area lake located nine miles west of Jefferson. Here are views from our campsite. Notice the whitecaps on the lake, brought by a cold front that came through on Tuesday. We are loving the cooler temperatures, but not so much the 30 mph winds!

We are really enjoying this park. The sites are large and well-spaced, and the park roads are paved as well as the RV parking areas. There are miles of shoreline, so we had no trouble finding a secluded spot where the dogs could play in the lake.

All the dogs enjoy the water, but Colt especially loves to swim. He will swim out 60-70 yards, then turn and swim parallel to the shore until he gets tired or we call him back. We were somewhat concerned the first time he did it, but he seems to know his limits. Here is what he looks like soaking wet!

The park also has plenty of hiking trails where we can all get our exercise. We give the dogs some off-leash time each day, either with or without packs. (Like children, they sleep better when they're tired....and so do we!)