Obviously I did not write a post last week. I had really important things to do instead like watching season 3 of Dexter, making my way through a 1,000+ page book, and eating pizza before I give up grains (and wine and sugar - yikes!!) for three weeks. Well, to be honest I will still be drinking sugary flavored creamer in my morning coffee, which I should technically not be drinking. But I have my limits - foregoing my morning coffee with creamer is where I draw the line. So, other than that I will not be eating/drinking sugar. Anyway, all of these things were vitally important activities that improved my life immensely and completely explain why I was too busy to blog last week. This week, I feel the need to be moderately more productive, so I thought I would share what has thus far been my favorite place to hike near Dallas: Dinosaur Valley State Park. I use the term "near" Dallas quite loosely given that the park is located in Glen Rose, which is about 1 1/2 hour drive from Dallas.

The day I went, I did what any reasonable person would do. I woke up one rainy morning and thought, "Today is the perfect day to go hiking. And, even better, I should drive somewhere that is not even close to home so that I feel like I have to keep hiking even if the weather becomes more miserable." Makes perfect sense, right?

So that's how I found myself walking for miles in the rain. Again. Fortunately, for most of the morning the rain could be described as a light drizzle.

Despite the rain, the park was beautiful. A nice bonus of the rainy weather was that the park was practically deserted. There were trees and a river and quiet. I was happy.

The park has about 20 miles of trails, but I estimate that I probably hiked 9 - 10 miles. There are many activities other than hiking available in the park, including horseback riding, mountain biking, camping, fishing, and, most importantly, finding the fossilized dinosaur tracks that are the namesake of the park.

And of course I had to take obligatory bluebonnet pictures.

As the day wore on, I finally found some blue sky. How could I not feel happy and thankful when I got to spend the afternoon here?

Also, I found $20. That could have impacted my happiness level.

Ice cream also positively effects my mood. 9-plus mile hike + finding $20 = a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Don't judge.

As my time in Dallas is (most likely) winding down, I am glad that I impulsively decided to spend a rainy day hiking in Dinosaur Valley State Park. Hopefully, I will have a chance to go back again. Regardless, I am trying to make the most of my remaining time in Dallas. Any suggestions for things I must see or do are appreciated!