Forest Road 219

March 20, 2022

We decided to go out for a late-lunch/early-dinner on Sunday afternoon but couldn’t decide where to go. So, instead we decided to get drinks at Sonic and ride around until inspiration struck us. Kristi suggested driving down a forest service road that I had mentioned a while back, so we headed out of town and into the Sam Houston National Forest.

Forest Road 219 starts off of FM 149 about halfway between Richards, Texas and FM 1791. The trailhead to Lone Star Hiking Trail #1 is located just inside the entrance. The road runs to the national forest boundary near the southwest corner, ending at a gate onto private property.

Spring hasn’t really sprung here, yet. I guess the slightly colder winter has delayed things a bit. Usually by now there are a lot more wildflowers, and the deciduous trees are starting to get green. But much of the forest still seems to be asleep. I imagine that in a couple of weeks things will green up and get lively again. The pine trees are the main attraction at the moment. Those, and a few palmettos and gnarly oaks.

FR 219 in Sam Houston National Forest.
The undergrowth is still in winter mode.
One of the few creeks that we saw that had flowing water.
I think there’s a forest here, but I can’t see it.

There are several smaller roads that branch off of FR 219. Most are apparently only open during hunting season. FR 219-A, however, is always open. It runs to the western boundary of the forest, where it ends at a gate.

FR 219-A is up ahead.

There was evidence of what appeared to be a fairly recent prescribed burn. A couple of the dead trees didn’t fair very well. These two were across the road from one another on FR 219-A:

The top of this dead, burned tree is leaning against another tree.
This tree happened to fall against a large limb of another tree.

We crossed over a couple of small creeks and into a marshy-looking area where some palmettos were growing.

Palmetto in the pines.
The end of FR 219-A is a short distance past the bend ahead.

After stopping to look at the trees and to take some pictures, we headed back to FR 219 to continue to the southwestern boundary of the national forest.

Continuing south on FR 219.

Along the way we saw this pine with what appears to be a witch’s broom:

Possibly a witch’s broom deformity, or maybe just a clump of pine needles.
Continuing to the southern boundary.

A little further along we came to one of those closed side-roads, where we stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the peace. The wind was blowing through the pines. A few birds were singing. Most everything else was still, except for a busy dung beetle.

Wind in the pines.
Busy dung beetle.
Palmettos, pine needles, and pinecones. I think this sums up much of the Sam Houston National Forest pretty well.
Smoke from a nearby fire, possibly a prescribed burn.

After our short break, we continued on our way.

What lies around the bend?
More palmettos and pines, that’s what!
Nearing the end of the road.

The road ends at a fence line. To the right is a gate that leads onto private property.

At the end of the road, looking back.

By this time, we were getting pretty hungry, so we decided to try out a little restaurant in nearby Richards, Texas. Unfortunately, the restaurant is closed on Sundays (the times on Google Maps indicated otherwise). We decided our best course of action was to head to Huntsville, Texas for dinner.

Our route took us along Taliferro and Old Deer Camp Roads. Old Deer Camp Road is also Forest Road 209, which we have explored before. FR 209 appears to be a popular place for horseback riding.

So, where did we decide to eat dinner? Well, we couldn’t make up our minds, so we went home. Kristi had a sandwich, and I fixed myself a salad. Really, just spending time together is what matters.

If you are interested in astronomy or just like to look at pictures of stars, then visit my new blog, Eastex Astronomy. There you will find articles on my adventures in budget amateur astronomy, astroimaging, and image processing.

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