fresh air

Looking for a good place to camp, or maybe just looking to get the family "in touch" with nature? If your children have always lived their life in the recently-developed suburbs as mine have, the sight of a squirrel alone may be a momentous occasion...so, imagine the experience of sighting deer feeding quietly or a raccoon that has come to check out if any good stuff was left on the inside of the hot dog wrapper...

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Our state offers a system of State Parks that provide a full range of diverse geographical, cultural and educational experiences. The Parks can accommodate all visitors, from the full-blown "home on wheels" RV/camper to the Crocodile Dundee style of hiking a mile into camp, as well as folks just driving in for the afternoon. Specially scheduled park events can include cowboy sing-alongs around a campfire, star-gazing parties, wildlife rehabilitation and more. What's best, there is a website that is vast in its information, which makes choosing and planning a trip that includes a Texas State Park so much easier. Here it is:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/

Highlights to check out on the TPWD website: 1) Discovery Passports - for $1 each, you can have a booklet that will be stamped at each Texas State Park location you visit, and when you have stamps from all the locations in a given geographical region or cultural theme, you will receive a commemorative patch. Discovery Nights enable you to accrue a free campsite night once you have gotten 5 stamps for overnight stays in a Texas State Park. This makes a fun mission of exploring Texas parks and historical sites and some good memories. 2) Fishing info and events, including the young or neophyte anglers in your family. Note: see article on the Athens Fish Hatchery. 3) Check out the "TCP Calendar" and "Outdoor Datebook" links on the home page - you will there find information on specially scheduled events. 4) Campsite reservations can now be made online!

There are always special events going on throughout the Texas State Park network. You should be able to find an event for the date, location or activity that you have in mind, or get some new ideas. This link takes you right to the Events Calendar:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/news/tpwcal/index.htm

What a great park this was to visit. Very scenic, even during non-eventful seasons. Children 4 and up, or old enough to do quite a bit of walking/hiking/wading will enjoy this park. There are actual dinosaur footprints along the river bed, and to reach them, you take a (very mild) hike down the embankment to the side of the Paluxy River. Maps are readily available in the park office and are also posted near the parking areas to show exactly where to find the impressions of the footprints in the bedrock. (No, we didn't find any footprints there left from the Flintstone family!) Please have everyone in your family remember to NOT wear their best athletic shoes that day - old sneakers or aquatic shoes are in order, so that you can take advantage of the rocks that transcend the shallow river, allowing for some fun, and slightly soaking, adventures. Also a good idea: bring towels and a change of socks/shoes/clothes, just in case! You may also catch deer quietly feeding near the road. City dwellers, please don't be discouraged by the word "hike" - you can have a great time with minimal walking, as long as you are comfortable going up and down earth-embankment steps. You only need to be slightly adventurous! Hiking trails can offer beautiful views with minimal walking requirements, but the hearty types can go further and take full advantage of the natural offerings of this park. Try to visit on a day that they will be featuring a Wildlife Rehabilitation discussion, where real falcons and hawks can be seen up close and touched, while families can learn about caring for injured birds. Check out their page on the TPWD website:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/dinosaur/dinosaur.htm

A fun, half-day trip to a small town SE of Dallas. Athens is also known for its annual Black-Eyed Pea Festival. The Fish Hatchery is a newly-opened facility that features re-creations of native aquatic environments and the wildlife that inhabit them. All are viewed through large plexiglas windows into the habitats. Many varieties of native fish can be seen. Crocodiles can be viewed as up-close and personal as you want to get. The hatchery is a very educational and fun place to learn about Texas fishing and aquatic wildlife, as well as the science behind the hatchery's purpose of maintaining good fishing stock in our state. A fishing pond is available, with free rods/reels and bait. Pond is stocked, but can sometimes be "fished out". The Hatchery is a location that you can receive a stamp in your Discovery Passport. If any of you stopped by the "Kidfish" exhibit at the Texas State Fair and received free season passes for your kids, this is the place that it's for! Kids admitted free with the Season Passes, adults $4 each. The Hatchery is great for the entire family, but best for ages 4 and up. For details, see their informative page on the TPWD website:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fish/infish/hatchery/tffc/welcome.htm

This is the DFW metroplex's offering for a drive-thru animal viewing park. They have basic packages as well as extended tours and overnight stays. I was told by a Fossil Rim representative that the best time to visit Fossil Rim is the best time that works with your schedule, as there are always animals and something new to see at Fossil Rim. My concern was, during hot weather, the animals might be taking a siesta in some out-of-view hiding places. Take a view at their wonderful website:

http://www.fossilrim.com/

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