The drive from Buescher to Lost Maples and introduction to Lost Maples

 Day 3 Buescher state park and trip to lost maples.

We got up early again and watched the sunrise on the deck of one of the cabins. It was beautiful. We could see the moon and the sunrise at the same time. It wasn't a spectacular sunrise, there were a lot of trees between us and the sky. But it was still beautiful and peaceful and a great way to start the day. After our morning walks and packing up, we headed to Lost Maples. The trip was uneventful until..... what was supposed to be our second to last turn. On the scenic road to Vanderpool, a sign said Bridge Out in 17 miles. But is also said 336 detour. There was no cell phone signal so maps wouldn't update and we couldn't call the park. Ok, maybe we were on the detour. We decided to follow the road to see what would result. It was a steep, windy, beautiful road with great views. Then we got to the sign that said Bridge out 1 mile. Local traffic only. Whoops. Rock walls on both sides. I found a driveway and was able to turn around, while only making one truck wait. We went back to the cute little town at the beginning of the scenic drive and asked directions at the "Oldtimers Store". There was an old timer gentleman manning the general store with convenience store stuff in it. He smiled and nodded when I told him where we were going, got out a copy of a map from behind the counter and told me how to take the detour. It only added another hour to our trip. But it was another pretty drive, but had some steep grades. We got to Lost Maples, checked in and unhitched. We explored the 2 parking areas, both full of hikers and decided to hang out at camp until morning. We are planning a 7am hike. We had sloppy joe's for dinner and were ready early for bed. I really enjoyed watching how the maple leaves changed color as the sun was setting. Sunsets behind mountains are different from sunsets over lakes, oceans, or in the desert. They are more like sunsets in the woods. The light changes, but because the sun disappears when it is so high, we didn't see so much color. This campground is surrounded by mountains. On the drive I saw a reindeer in a pasture. Also we saw an antelope and her baby. As well as the cows, goats, horses, sheep, and donkeys. I took lots of pictures at Lost Maples, so I am splitting this place into several entries.