Houston Photographer Patrick Bertolino - Real Estate, Commercial, and Wedding Photography » nature

Big Thicket: Turkey Creek Trail I

admin — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:59:46 +0000

I have wanted to hike this trail for many years. At 18 miles, it is one of the highest rated trails in Texas. It lies in the Big Thicket, which is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. A convergence of 4 systems make this area extremely interesting for the casual hiker or backpacker.

The Big Thicket Visitor Center is chock full of great maps and information. I ended purchasing a $14 topo map for my own use. I knew I wasn’t going to complete the entire trail (being that it is not a loop, so 15 miles turns into 30 miles without a 2nd car at the other end)

I entered at the middle of the trail (Gore Store Road trailhead) that most people do not use, so I only ran into one hiker on the trail. The trail is wide and well kept, I made an average of 3.4 miles an hour with my 2 Boston Terriers, Banjo and Shiner. I was looking to find a nice beach by Turkey Creek to make camp next too, as it was pretty hot and I was wanting to hop in to cool off. The occasional black berry bush offered sweet distraction from the heat and before I knew it I was at Hester bridge. I decided to turn back and camp about 1/2 mile down the trail under some magnolias.

Camp made, I stripped down and jumped, well, slowly ambled over a rotten log until CRACK! I fell in with a bruised shin. I swam in cold murky water to the other more sandy shore. My dogs were having none of that – even with my coaxing and pleading. So one by one, I had to swim them each across while they dog paddled the opposite direction. A 30 pound dog offers quite the resistance in water when they are swimming to the shore behind you.

With both dogs and myself on the small shore – we played and enjoyed the afternoon.

That night, the mosquito plague set in. My dogs were miserable and tired. I put them in the tent and wandered about, amazed with the lightning bugs and HUGE spiders I came across. Thank you deet. A nice dinner and little wine had me sound asleep in my tent around 10pm.

What the heck is this??!?!?

This is a great trail with a lot of wildlife! Check out this site for more information.

The Drought

admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:03:23 +0000

This is one arm of Lake Conroe – Devastated! The drought is really evident here. We carry on with our lives, watering our plants and taking long showers and don’t really understand how bad it is until you see this. On a positive note, it was fun walking across the dry lake bed by moonlight!

Check the US Government DROUGHT MONITOR.

Finally! The star shot I always wanted…..

admin — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 21:53:35 +0000

I have always wanted to take a photo of the night sky that actually did it justice. While on location in Chapell Hill, TX, I realized I was on top of a hill on a beautiful clear night. My eyes look up – the stars are vivid and amazing. I’ve always wanted to see and photograph Aurora Borealis, but felt I could not do so until I accomplished the stars alone……enjoy.

The Death of a Bougainvillea

admin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:36:01 +0000

I don’t have a pretty picture of my Bougainvillea to show you. It’s leafless and bare – a victim of Houston’s winter storm. I never covered up my plants for a hard freeze before, saying something like, “survival of the fittest” to myself. Even if I had learned that yes, a hard freeze will indeed kill your plants, I wouldn’t have covered up the Bougainvillea. I probably bought it outside Kroger’s for 12$ over 10 years ago. It traveled from one porch to another with me to find it’s place here, in the front corner of my front yard, along the wrought iron fence, planted in the ground – a key point of my landscape. It provided beauty with it’s blooms and security with its thorns. I hear bougainvilleas bloom under stress – so I guess I assumed it was indestructible. Despite the negligence I offered in exchange for its protection and brilliance, it was a shock to see it not re-emerge with green this spring. It was one of the few constants in my life – even in death it provides a thorny warning to intruders…..and will be sorely missed.

Take care of what is important to you – but first, decide what is important to you.

What kind of flowers are these?

admin — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:21:55 +0000

What kind of flowers are these? Let me know….

Lake Somerville Trailway: Part I

admin — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:29:55 +0000

I am so ready to get back into a rythm of spending true time with nature! Backpacking can be one of the most rewarding hobbies – it’s healthy, full of entertainment, spiritual and doesn’t really cost very much! That’s why I have started the Houston Backpacking Network! The inaugural trek is going to be at Lake Somerville Trailway – just a day hike of 13 miles with an overnight. A walk in the park!