When bad rains came to Port Arthur, Texas Jane and H.F. packed the family up and headed for Jasper Texas. “It’s far enough away from the Gulf Coast to be safe from flooding, and the people there are friendly enough, you think you’re still at home.”
Jasper has a lot more going for it than high ground safety. Real close by you will find the Big Thicket National Preserve where Marleen spotted an extremely rare Ivory Billed Woodpecker. Other woodpeckers you are much more likely to spot there are the Red Cockaded, Pileated, Downy, Hairy and Red headed Woodpeckers. No wonder this region is called the Biological Crossroads of the south and west.
Traveling through the Big Thicket it is easy to believe a thousand Indians could be running through the forest and invisible. As you get closer to Jasper there are opportunities to spot the Brown Creeper and Anhinga. In the Sam Rayburn Reservoir there are concentrations of loons, grebes, white pelicans, gulls and terns.
Besides Big Thicket there’s Lake Sam Rayburn, Angelina National Forest, Sabine National Forest. On top of that you can explore the Trail Between the Lakes. The Angelina National Forest is home for Red Shouldered Hawks, Barred Owls, Hermit Thrush, Northern Parula, Swainston’s Warblers, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Great Crested Flycatcher as well as many other species. Have you ever watched a Great Crested Flycatcher pause to wonder if it should swoop down and catch some insect? Using their tail as a brake they can almost stop in mid-air to make their decision.
Taking Highway 190 twelve miles out of Jasper towards Woodville, there is a lake by the name of BA Steinhagan Lake. Right beside it is the Martin Dies, Jr. State Park. It is billed as the perfect place for family fun. Indeed, there is something for everyone in the family, including opportunities to go fishing, swimming, canoeing, boating, biking and hiking. There’s no need to lug all that equipment with you either. You can rent bikes, boats and canoes right on the scene. Horseshoes and volleyball equipment is available too.
For the birding enthusiast there are Heron and Egret rookeries – you can listen for Yellow-throated Warblers and watch for the darting Indigo Buntings to flash across your view. “In the spring time wild azaleas and dogwoods burst into bloom and the blooming magnolias are followed in the fall by the colorful leaves of blackgum, oak and beech trees.” For reservations call 1 800 792 1112 www.tpwd.state.tx.us has even more information.
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Lin Stone is the author of HOW TO BUY LAND AT TAX SALES.
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