21 scouts and 7 adults made the short trip west to Lake Mineral Wells State Park. After arriving at our campsites, the scouts set up camp and then ate lunch before heading out on their afternoon activities. A handful of scouts, led by our Scoutmaster Mello Elout, went on a fossil hunt. While those scouts were digging, the remaining group was pedaling. The goal was to ride 10, 15 or 25 miles as part of the Cycling Merit Badge.
The nearby Lake Mineral Wells State Trailway provided a picturesque bike trail to achieve the feat. It is a compacted gravel path with slight inclines running along remote farm and ranch lands. We rode east from the park towards the town of Garner. The scouts handled the trail and the heat like pros. In spite of the warm temps, most of the boys crossed the 10-mile finish line while a few scouts pedaled ahead to complete 15 miles. Along the way, we passed a ranch with some very talkative goats and also ran into some horses passing us on the trail. Congrats to all the scouts who pedaled their way to the end.
After a well-deserved rest under the trees, the scouts started on dinner. I heard through the grapevine that the the bacon-wrapped hot dogs were popular, but then again, there were no dietitians in sight. Grubmaster Mello prepared a delicious dutch oven stew for the adults with a batch of cobbler on the back side. I'm guessing our campsite neighbors were quite envious. After a sunset bike ride around our campsite, the scouts bunked down for the night.
Sunday morning started with the smell of warm cinnamon rolls. Mello and several scouts got the charcoals going early for that dutch oven breakfast and the payoff was mighty delicious. After some more biking , it was time to clean up, pack up and head back to Richardson. Another successful 444 camp out for the books!
-Kraig Kirchem