sloshing through the mud beneath a gray sky

Comments: Willow and I went out to enjoy a cloudy day in the woods. Bare oak trees against gray skies are among my favorite things during Texas winters, and McKinney Roughs has LOTS of 'em. There was quite a bit of mud on part of the trail, and I couldn't decide if it was tiresome or amusing the way it clung to my soles and built up to a sort of muddy platform shoe...I guess it was more amusing. Lots of birds out today - robins, woodpeckers, cedar waxwings, and all the ones that wouldn't hold still long enough to identify. The trails are really clean - people have greater respect for parks they pay admission to, perhaps. There are loads of trails out here and it would be easy to get out and hike as much/little as you want. Well worth the $3 admission. As an added enticement, Little Thailand (which sits directly beneath the Garfield water tower) is on Hwy 71 as you return to Austin and they serve up some tasty Thai food - the best in Garfield, anyway.