Fairfield Lake State Park
yet another continuing Texas saga in the diary of Tom & Sky...

In the Beginning: We began our journey early in the day in search of spring wildflowers. Spring had been doing a teasing dance so the weather had been unseasonably cool for April, hence slowing nature's annual gestation of colors.

The drive was minimal, a mere 125 miles to paradise. My honey and I always enjoy driving to those special destinations and sometimes along the way we discuss what we anticipate to find there.

Tom is always scouting the furrow ways for that perfect picture in waiting that only exists in the mind of a photographer. He's a fantastic driver and is even more cautious when his 'gear' is carefully catalogued and arranged in a neat stack in the backseat of the car. While he's searching the area I'm taking time to pass some discreet looks over him. He's always been good on the eyes, and not only handsome but smart, too.

Our journey led us toward Corsicana, home of the famous Collin Street Bakery. It's notorious worldwide for its fruitcake, and free samples abound within the bakery, including ten-cent coffee. Being Saturday, the bakery was busy and rightfully so. This place successfully manages to cram enough goodies to feed the Chinese Red Army in a space that's not much bigger than the average living room. Everything is displayed wonderfully; donuts, eclairs, pecan pies, at least one hundred varieties of cookies, gourmet breads and of course the famous fruitcake, the original recipe enhanced into new versions such as the luscious pineapple-pecan fruitcake. Don't even get me started.

We were testing the apricot-pecan fruitcake for the fifth time, making comments about all the wonderful samples set about when a little old lady informed us of Russell Stovers, the famous candy shop - also known worldwide. "Why, they're right down the highway," she told us in a whisper, as if this were the town secret. "And you've never seen so many samples," she went on to rant, her eyes quite large as she privately considered her words.

Tom and I shared a knowing glance, then he paid the clerk a whopping $2.39 for our bag of goodies. We stopped for our ten-cent coffee, then took advantage of the restrooms. If you happen to visit the bakery their restrooms are a 'must see'. They're quite lovely and one feels more like taking a formal dinner there than tending to mother nature's call.

Once in the car it took a good two minutes to scarf down our goodies. I must say that the coconut macaroons were so moist that I feared they would disintegrate in my hands before I had the opportunity to eat them. Needless to say, I feared for nothing; they were absolutely perfect.

We were barely on the highway when the Russell Stover outlet came into play. It seemed as if the car took on a life of its own as Tom threaded through the traffic and pulled into the outlet parking lot.

Again, wonderful tempting samples filled the area - and it was a very large area. I discovered the gourmet licorice while Tom stood guard over the chocolate covered cherry samples. Yes, we were a bit naughty but he reminded me that we were going hiking for miles on end at the park.

Soon, it was back on the road and again we aimlessly chattered to one another. We tend to get quite wound up in the aspects of our eluded environment and the poor measures being taken to preserve what little is left.

As time passed our excitement grew. The park was close and a hike was at hand. However, other than a few sparse patches of bluebonnets and wild mustard, no other wildflower photography opportunities were to be seen, at least via highway frontage.

Soon the miles clicked by, as did the exit to the park. Unfortunately, it was not clearly marked so we spent a good half hour back-peddling and finally managed to find the correct exit. All this, even though Tom had previously visited the park. Twice.

Once we were certain that we were on the yellow brick road to Fairfield State Park we opted to take time out for lunch. Mad Cow had put the fear of God into our hearts so we 'steered' away from the fast food establishments, instead stopping at the town grocer's and purchasing generic bread, oven-roasted turkey breast, Muenster cheese and one 20-ounce diet Pepsi that was only four cents cheaper than the two-liter container. However, the 'small one' was cold. The young lady working the deli was very cooperative and friendly, diligently slicing off the quarter-pound of meat and cheese we had requested, without complaint.

Back to the car and a short conversation later, we decided to wait and eat at the park. The day was beautiful for a picnic, the sky pooled with big blue holes inset with white fluffy clouds with only a slight breeze flowing over the area. It was a perfect day for taking wildflower pictures, but of course they were still buttoned-up in the ground.

After driving a good twenty minutes down the road we slowly begin to realize that we had once more missed the road leading to the park. Again we backtracked, this time taking extra care to view each road marker we passed. Then we saw it, our turnoff. According to our map it was a mere three miles more to the park.

Eight miles down the country road we made a U-turn and re-headed south. The road was somewhere; exactly where we obviously didn't know, but somewhere. Then we saw 'it'; a dogwood in full bloom. There is only one word to accurately describe what we saw and that's 'gasp'.

The day being so warm and bright, we had taken advantage of our polarized sunshades. Curious to see what this white knight looked like to naked eyes I lifted my shades and I daresay that I felt almost blinded by its illuminating stance. Against the spring sky it stood soldier-straight, resembling a giant bridal bouquet. It was stationed in a graveyard and encircled with crooked stones that marked the small army of graves.

Ecstatic, Tom broke out his gear and went to work. We consider this 'his time' so while he photographed I studied the area, the heady scent of the dogwood threading through the air as I walked along the concrete paths ribboned throughout the graveyard.

Graveyards can be quite fascinating. There were so many stones. Some of the flowers that had been lovingly arranged had tumbled over and I took time to rectify the damage made by the hands of the winds. The dates on some of the stones were ancient and some were crumbled, the inscriptions lost in time, erased by the forces of nature. There were barren spots where the new graves had been made and I was saddened by the discovery, thinking that spring might spawn new growth to cover the bareness.

It seemed like no time before we hit the road again. Because of the length of time it had taken to locate the eluded park we had done away with our store goodies when we had first arrived at the graveyard; so much for the spontaneously planned picnic.

Dotted along the road that fed into the park were more resilient white dogwoods in full bloom. I am always amazed by the beauty of nature and treat each discovery as though it's the first time I've experienced it in my life. Tom graciously nodded and smiled at my enthusiasm as I pointed to each dogwood making repetitive comments like a small child delighting in nature.

Happy Trails - We were finally there. Hard to believe. Tom took a full sweep of the park and we decided to take the hiking trail that looped by the lake. The trail contains a variance of gradients which keeps the hike interesting. Flatland hikes aren't very challenging. This isn't to say that the trail-system within this park was difficult; it just contained enough 'ups and downs' to allow one to keep up the pace but still be able to enjoy the surrounding habitat. We would recommend a good pair of tennis shoes or hiking boots.

Thistle Time - A burst of beautiful orchid thistles were roped in one area along the lake. They were Texas-size and dazzling even though they had not quite reached their peak. Tom paused to take several great shots.

Poop Deck Peg Leg - A flagon of driftwood can be found throughout the park. Tom likes to make me laugh and he found a 'peg leg' along one of the trails. He was a hoot, bending his leg and balancing his knee on the 'peg'. Needless to say, his sense of humor is ingenious.

Hollow Elf in a Hollow Tree - A huge hollow tree can be found along one of the trails. The tree has a back and sides; the front is open so you can fit inside if you so desire. It's a unique formation of nature and time, and worth a quick shot with your camera. If you decide to play 'mummy' inside the tree, first check for lurkers such as spiders (and their webs) and snakes.

Oak in an Oak - Astride one area of the lake is a fallen oak from years gone by. This may not sound very unusual. However, at the top end of the fallen oak, another oak sprouted many years ago and spears up approximately fifty feet into the air. Quite awesome and picturesque.

Sun Shot - Tall reeds skirt the lake and as the sunlight was filtering across the horizon, Tom stopped to capture the magic on film. I headed on up the trail to investigate the maze of spiderwebs suspended from the tall grove of hickory.

Last But Not Least: Fairfield State Park was a bargain, only $2 a person for an entire day of fun. The park is surrounded by a majestic blue lake, which fingers off the main body into lagoon-like areas. These secluded spots looked like ideal hiding places for fish that are indigenous to the area such as catfish, bass, carp, and fresh-water redfish. During our visit we came across a couple of fishermen with frenzied-looking faces who were using a bow to make their catch.

We would recommend taking sunshades, hat, watch, compass, flashlight, canteen of water, sunscreen, camera, film, binocs, loop and snacks. Be sure and pick up a park map when you enter.

Prevalent wildlife in the park include white-tailed deer, osprey, foxes, beavers, squirrels, armadillos, wild turkey, raccoon, possum and bald eagles during the migratory season. We managed to site several deer during our visit and ran into two uncooperative armadillos.

Activities include camping, backpacking, hiking, nature study, bird watching, boating, water skiing, jet skiing, fishing, and there is an ample sandy buoyed area used for swimming. The lake is comprised of 2,400 acres.

There are lakefront campsites with water; sites with water and electricity; a hike-in primitive camping area; an overflow camping area; restrooms with and without showers; a lighted fishing pier; a fish cleaning shelter and table; boat ramps; a trailer dump station; playgrounds; a group dining hall and an amphitheater.
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For the hiking enthusiast, there is a continuous 15 miles of trailways, most adjacent to Fairfield Lake. Other trails include a one-mile bird watching trail and a two-mile nature trail.

Where? The park is 6 miles northeast of Fairfield off FM 2570 on FM 3285 adjacent to Fairfield Lake and is open year-round, seven days a week. Several educational programs are offered throughout the year including stargazing, bow fishing and eagle tours during applicable season.

Nearby points of interest include Rusk/Palestine and Fort Parker State Parks; Texas State Railroad, Old Fort Parker and Confederate Reunion Grounds State Historical Parks; the Cities of Rusk, Palestine, and Fairfield.

If you'd like further details, call the park at 1-800-792-1112. Better yet, hop into the car and go see for yourself! The scenery is fantastic, the people are friendly and right now the wildflowers have popped out all over the area. Now, if you'll excuse me I've got to go track down Tom. The last time I saw him, he had his camera and was eyeing up those gorgeous thistles…

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