Misadventures at Tyler State Park

Most of my Parks on the Air (POTA) activations go off without a hitch. Today was one of those days where I was tempted to throw in the towel. 

I made a trip out to Tyler State Park (POTA K-1430, WWFF KFF-1430), which is about a 50-minute drive for me. I’ve never been to this park before, so I did some online research beforehand to get familiar with the lay of the land. Using a map from the park’s website, Google Maps, and Google Earth, I selected a couple of locations that looked promising. Since I’m still over a month away from knee replacement surgery, I selected areas that have a restroom close by.

When I got to my first-choice location, the gate was closed, and a sign said it was closed for the season. I continued down the road to my second-choice location. That area was open, but the restroom was closed for the season. A map on the door showed the location of the only restroom open for the winter.

When I got to that parking lot, there was no restroom to be found. I asked a local, who told me to continue down the trail. As I hobbled away with my cane, he added it was about 200 yards away. Now ordinarily, that wouldn’t be an issue, but my orthopedic doctor has cautioned me to take it easy and not do any further damage to my knee before surgery. Nature was calling loudly, so I continued on.

After exiting the restroom, I started my trek back to the parking lot. After a while, things started looking unfamiliar. Somehow, I had taken a wrong turn and had gotten myself walking in the wrong direction. After asking some folks for directions and using Google Maps on my phone, I found I had a hike ahead of me to get back to my truck. After hobbling along for what seemed like an eternity, I made it back to my truck about 30-35 minutes after I had left. My aching knee was a reminder of my stupid navigational error. (Don’t tell my doctor.)

After all that, I considered heading home. However, I stuck it out and got my KX3 and my homebrew vertical setup. Just as I was ready to get on the air, I heard a loud thunk. My telescopic pole collapsed, and I needed to take it down and set it back up.

When I finally got on the air, the bands were in good shape, although there was a little man-made noise from time to time. I stayed for about an hour and ended up with 36 contacts, including two park-to-park QSOs. The real highlight was working Germany and Spain on 20M with 5 watts. 

Thankfully, I made it back home with no further incidents. Now I’m writing this post with my leg up and waiting for the Ibuprofen to kick in. 

73, Craig WB3GCK