Hiking Deep Creek

Rachael immediately knew how she wanted to spend her coupon. She wanted to go hiking. You have to remember, though, that we live in North Central Texas, not Colorado where scenic hiking trails lurk around every bend in the road. Anyway, I started trying to think of any place pretty to hike that didn't involve a 6+ hour drive. We live off a road called Deep Creek Road, named for an unusually deep creek that runs through the area. There's a bridge over the creek a few miles north of here where the creek is in a cut about 40 feet below the level of the road. Rachael and I drove there and climbed down to the creek. We walked a mile or so along the creek and it was gorgeous. I couldn't believe I'd never climbed down and walked it before. We had a great time, but Virginia would have had a heart attack if she'd seen some of the climbing we had to do. I am sure we'll be heading back soon. Rachael is already making plans for her next coupon.

Kevin, likewise, knew exactly what he wasnted to do with his coupon and never deviated for a second. He wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese's. I don't think he cared half as much about the pizza as he did the games. We had a great time, though.

Derek had a much harder time. His first choice was to go geocaching ("treasure hunting," as he calls it). Unfortunatley in this case, that often requires "hoofing it" over some fairly rough terrain, something not terribly practical for someone on crutches. I convinced him to defer that to a later date. So instead we went to Cabella's. This is not so much a shopping trip as an adventure. We looked at the stuffed animals, including a full-size elephant, the tank full of native Texas fish and turtles, and all kind of goodies. In the end, Derek decided he really needed a wrist rocket, and he is having a blast with it. He keeps hoping to sneak up on a wild rabbit in the evening when they come out in abundance, but so far, he hasn't managed to get a clean shot at one. Rachael will be mortified if he ever gets one of her cute, little bunnies.