Road Trips from Houston - Trip 1

Ever since rigging my car for radios (read: extra long antennae mounted on the hood and a radio in the front seat), Matt has excitedly suggested mini-road trips so that he can talk on the radio to people all around the world. We bought a book called Day Trips from Houston. Last weekend we went NE of Houston beyond Liberty to Big Thicket National Preserve. You would think that this is a big chunk of land, but it's really a series of corridors along most of the streams, creeks and rivers of South East Texas. We drove around all over enjoying the scenery hearing imaginary banjos playing in our heads. The book is an interesting guide and it's just that, a guide. It doesn't suggest where to take a baby to eat. It doesn't suggest where dogs are allowed and where they are not. So, we're modifying for us to develop a baby-friendly, dog-friendly list of outings from Houston.

The state parks are great, but you must bring the jog stroller (we didn't). When we checked into the park office and asked what we could do with a one-year-old, the ranger told us about some short hikes. She also gave us a Park Passport. Each park or groups of similar parks has a page and when you visit you get a sticker to show that you've been. We love it! I know the passport is for Bella, but I'm very motivated to get all the pages stickered. Hopefully, Bella will see it later and appreciate all the places that she's been (but not remembered).
We frequently use the snap n go stroller frame with Bella's infant car seat. Yeah, yeah...I know she's one, but she still fits in it so why change? We walked about a quarter of a mile looking for a small little flower. We found it! ...and during that short walk, we were drenched. It was one of the hottest days of the summer and there was not much shade despite being in a forest. According to park rules, Penny should be on a leash, but honestly, there wasn't a person in sight. No one was a foolish as us to walk mid-day squatting every few feet to see if we could identify a specific little flower.

We attempted to eat at a marina restaurant suggested by the book, but after a drive-by, we decided that we wouldn't survive at the indoor restaurant. We were expecting lunch on a deck which would be conducive to screaming (if needed) or frequent breaks and walks to look at boats (again, if needed). Instead, we ate tater tots at Sonic while sitting in the car. Not exactly a reason to drive outside of Houston, but...we're learning.