Lone Star Travelers Blog » travel

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

joanie7 — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 21:22:25 +0000

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is truly a magical place. If you are in the process of making your summer vacation plans and are heading west to tour the Grand Circle of National Parks and Monuments including Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Mesa Verde and more you definitely should put Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on your “must visit” list. It is the 6th largest National Park Unit in the lower 48 states. It is one of 18 National Recreation Areas under jurisdiction of the National Park Service. (Lake Mead was the first.) During the construction of Glen Canyon Dam in the 1960′s it was agreed that the National Park Service would administer the reservoir (Lake Powell) for public use thus Congress established Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. I invite all of you to read my blog and link into our website for in depth and inside information on things to do in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area including where to camp or find lodging, good hiking choices and a couple of restaurants that the locals frequent. Trust me on this one. My husband and I spent four months last summer in Glen Canyon National Recreation area volunteering with the National Park Service. Time and time again we heard visitors comment “How come I didn’t know about this place?” ”If I would have known I would have allowed more time to visit here.” ”You mean I can actually join a smooth water float trip here down the Colorado River through the canyons for a half day and later swim or boat in Lake Powell!” ”I had no idea I can hike anywhere in the back country and find my own adventure without the crowds.” If you have questions please leave me a comment and I may have the answer, if not I can probably find out and get back to you. Happy Travels!

Inks Lake State Park, Burnet Texas

joanie7 — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 21:53:24 +0000

Visit our Inks Lake State Park Photo Gallery

Inks Lake State Park is a pleasant family oriented park in Burnet County just 60 miles north of Austin, Texas. This scenic 1201 acre park in Texas Hill Country is part of the Highland Lakes Chain (consisting of 7 lakes) on the Colorado River. Located on pink granite outcroppings of the Llano uplift, geology hikes are offered through the billions of years old granite hills. Hiking is also popular to the Devils Waterhole where swimmers jump off the cliffs into the cool clear water. Alternately you may join a canoe tour out to Devil’s Waterhole or rent a canoe or kayak at the Texas State Park Store and head out on to the 803 acre lake yourself. If you rent for 24 hours you may keep the canoe or kayak overnite at your campsite. Other activities include boating, water skiing and sailing on the lake, fishing from one of two lighted piers or ‘Fishing with a Ranger’ (2-3 times a week) also golfing on the 9 hole course operated by Highland Lakes Golf Club. Tee times are 1st come 1st serve. The golf course is located on park property with 6 of the holes lakeside, the entrance is outside the park. 7 1/2 miles of hiking trails for all skill levels include lakeside cliffs and hilltop trails. You will see many white-tail deer, wild turkeys and possibly armadillos and foxes. In Spring the area is blanketed with wildflowers including the Texas State Flower the Bluebonnet. In winter bird watchers keep a sharp eye out for bald eagles. Campsites at Inks Lake State Park consist of 9 primitive back-pack in 1.5 miles sites (no water, pit toilet on trail), 10 walk-in sites with water and electricity, 50 water only sites and 137 water and electric sites. Like Tyler State Park in East Texas, Inks Lake State Park In Hill Country is a wonderful park for families. Kids have a great time here with all the other kids and all of the activities. Also like Tyler State Park, Inks Lake State Park is popular and can be crowded. Be sure to make reservations. We loved the natural setting and scenic beauty of this park however please note the camp sites are set close together and will afford little privacy. There is very little shade so if you are camping in the hot Texas summer be sure to bring your own in the form of golf or beach umbrellas or a screen shelter.

Visit our Inks Lake State Park Photo Gallery

Mission Tejas State Park, Weches Texas

joanie7 — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:28:55 +0000

Visit our Mission Tejas State Park Photo Gallery

Mission Tejas State Park, a small unique park tucked into the Pineywoods of East Texas is worth a stop for a day or two. Located in Houston County near the North end of the Davy Crockett National Forest it is home to two historic structures.First the mission, a commemorative representation of the original Mission San Francisco de los Tejas. This was the 1st Spanish Mission in the then province of Texas established in 1690. It was built by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in 1934. It’s location near the campground gives you a good chance to take plenty of pictures and perhaps just sit and reflect on what life was like for the priests (Frays) who lived and worked here attempting to teach Christianity to the Indians. The other notable building is the Rice Family Log Home built in 1828. After it was given to the park by a Rice family member in was restored and moved to it’s current location in the park in 1974. It has been modified many times over it’s 160 years history but the log form remains original and it stands as an example of pioneer housing. Mr. Rice opened his home many times to adventurers and travelers as they crossed Texas on The Old San Antiono Road. Camping at this park is tranquil and serene. There are only 5 full hook-up sites. (7-11) We stayed in site #8. #5 assigned to us when we arrived was too small for our 30′ travel trailer. There are 7 water and electric sites, an additional three water and electric for tents only as well as two water only tent areas. A small pond for fishing, short hikes and nature walks are delightful in this rustic setting. The park says dogwood is a spectacular show the last week of March usually peaking about the 25th of the month. Attn. Geocachers!!! Mission Tejas State Park has 5 caches!! For more info go to www.geocaching.com

Visit our Mission Tejas State Park Photo Gallery

Volunteer in Texas State Parks

joanie7 — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:38:36 +0000

Get involved with your Texas State Park system and be a volunteer. Most parks use volunteers all or part of the year and love to have dedicated enthusiastic folks join their team. The biggest need is for Park Hosts with their own RV or travel trailer. They will live in the park and support park staff. General duties usually include meeting and greeting visitors, answering questions, perhaps light maintenance (keeping campground clean and possibly restrooms as well) and maybe fee collection. In exchange the park provides a campsite free of charge. These are often among the best campsites in the park. Many of the volunteers are campers who like the park they are staying at so inquire about available openings upcoming for the host position. Often these are arranged a season or even a year in advance. You may also call each individual park you are interested in to inquire about openings. An application will need to be filled out and submitted. (see tips on how to do this effectively in my volunteer blog posts.) A great resource for all state park volunteer opportunites can be found at volunteer.gov go to volunteer links and click on volunteer resources

Tip on new contacts

joanie7 — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:00:55 +0000

Buy a pocket sized personal address book just for this volunteer job. You will be meeting many new people and before long will be collecting multiple names and telephone numbers as well as e-mail addresses. Having one book just for this park will help you keep your new friends list organized. When you have moved on, either to another location or back home you will easily be able to search for the information and keep up with correspondence. This book is also where you should record pertinent park information such as the name, phone number and e-mail address of your supervisor, mailing address at the park and other important information such as the contact for park dispatch and or park police. Alternately you can of course create new contact lists using software on your Mac or PC or you may prefer your Blackberry. I find the old fashioned pocket address book easy and convenient.

The First Aid Kit

joanie7 — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:16:58 +0000

You should always travel with one customized for you. First pack into the kit your personal medications and copies of your prescriptions (including eyeglasses) include over the counter pain reliever (tylenol, advil, aspirin) antacid (pepcid, alka seltzer) anti-diarrheal (pepto bismol, imodium) antibiotic cream (neosporin) band aids, gauze, first aid tape, blister treatment (moleskin) alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, scissors and tweezers, thermometer, anti itch (hydrocortisone cream,) saline (sterile eye wash) allergy medicine (your prescription or over the counter such as claritin or benadryl) and over the counter cold medicine. Don’t forget protective gloves (disposable latex) and throw in a roll of duct tape. It improvises just when you are out of other options!