Passport to Texas

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

If you have the family—we have the fun.

They’ve got the canoes, they got the fishing equipment, and it makes it possible to really come out and enjoy your weekend and not feel like you went through more trouble than it was worth.

Janice Radka and her family recently attended a Texas Outdoor Family weekend workshop at Palmetto State Park.

It’s good for him, for my son, to learn how to take care of himself. He’s not big enough to set up a tent, but he knows how to set up a tent. I was unzipping the tent just like when they were showing us what to do. We never had put the stakes in before we put the…the tent up, the tent poles through the sleeves. And we always used the rain cover, but I didn’t know all the technical stuff, so that was new information. [somebody needs to get in the middle, I’ll get in the middle.] You gotta have a place to sleep and you gotta have food to eat, and it takes a little bit more trouble than it does at home. So everybody’s gotta kinda pitch in and get it done. It’s pretty easy when you have a couple people with you.

The Texas Outdoor Family Workshop welcomes those with or without camping experience. Registration is $55 and includes just about everything you need for an overnight camping adventure.

That’s our show for today… we had research and writing help from Sarah Loden…and received support from Toyota. To learn about upcoming Texas Outdoor Family workshops visit lifesbetteroutside.org.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 Texas Outdoor Family: Palmetto State Park: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

A weekend with Texas Outdoor Family introduces tricks of the camping trade and activities that families can enjoy together outdoors. One ever popular event is geocaching.

Geocaching is using GPS units to find hidden treasures. It’s kind of a fun way to get outside, and kids absolutely love it. We got to go with something that was like a telephone but it wasn’t. It told us where to go so that we could go find a green box and there’s something inside it. I got a badge out of the green box. It was a picture of a fish. It was cool.

Dan Hayes is the outdoor education specialist who led the Naredo family on their first geocaching excursion. They found that it’s not the plunder, but its pursuit that matters.

People have hidden these caches which are essentially boxes with little, cheap toys in them that people go find. The cool thing is the trading piece of it. You take one but you put one, so there’s always treasure in that box. Those little containers or wherever you find it, they told us that they disguised them and some could’ve been like inside of a soda can or some could’ve been on a magnet that they stuck to a rail fence. I mean, they’re really well hidden because they don’t really want them to find it, but at the same time they want you to find it.

Start your hunt at passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Sarah Loden… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 Geocahing: Fun in Hidden Places: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Chris Holmes, who oversees the Texas Outdoor Families in State Parks program, came by my office recently with his young twin sons Charlie and Jimmy, and had them tell me, though him, what they like about camping in state parks.

Can you tell me what you like about camping?

I like burning the marshmallows.

You like Marshmallows. What else do you like about camping?

I like pitching the tent.

When we go camping in the state park is it scary?

Noooo.

Is it fun?

Yeah.

What animals do we hear when we go camping.

Owls.

What does the owl say?

Who-who.

What about the coyote? What does the coyote say?

OoooOOOOO.

You’re with state parks, so you definitely have gotten your kids involved in the outdoors. Tell me why it’s important for parents to get their kids outside.

It’s just something that’s natural. When you see the children outside having fun, it’s something they enjoy. And these boys would rather play outside than watch TV, and I think that’s really important. And it’s really rewarding to me when I ask them what they want to do and they want to play outside (sound of Jimmy & Charlie getting loud and fussy).

Once the twins hit the fresh air, Chris said they calmed down immediately, because Jimmy and Charlie know (Charlie howls like coyote) that Life’s Better outside.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Before you head into the wilderness…

… Make sure you have an adequate supply of water with you because you don’t know if you’re going to encounter any water sources while you’re up there.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Hunter Education Coordinator Terry Erwin says you should always carry at least a half gallon of water and drink often while hiking to prevent dehydration. But if you do begin to feel thirsty and hotter than usual, you may be experiencing heat exhaustion.

This is when you have a pale and clammy skin, you feel nauseated, maybe headaches and muscle cramps. At that time you need to move to a cooler place, re-hydrate yourself, lower your body temperature and make sure not to over chill yourself.

And more severely is heat stroke.

You become dry, hot, your skin gets flushed- even dark purple. Your pulse becomes slow and weak and you start to breathe very shallow. The best thing to do is to really get down and lower the temperature of your core body. Drink plenty of water, fan and don’t over chill yourself and if it persists get to the hospital immediately because this is a life threatening situation.

Find more information about identifying and treating heat exhaustion and heat stroke by visiting passporttotexas.org.

That’s our show…with research and writing help from Alanna Jones… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 Outdoor Safety: Heat Related Illnesses: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Passport to Texas Outdoor Stories from Texas Parks and Wildlife

Waco resident, Judith Nees, is passionate about Atlanta State Park in east Texas. She calls it a hidden gem, and says it is priceless.

Atlanta State Park has so much to offer. What I liked the most was the tent camping areas were spacious enough from each other that you would never know that you even had a neighbor for the way they’re designed.

The park has both fire rings as well as griddles to grill on. They offer electricity and water. We noticed the restrooms are very, very nice. They each have showers in them—very clean. And it’s just a nice park settled in East Texas.

With hiking and interpretive nature trails—in addition to fishing and swimming—Judith says everyone can find something to love about Atlanta SP.

Do you have a favorite state park you want to tell us about, or outdoor experience you want to share? Go to passporttotexas.org, and click on the tab for Outdoor Stories.

That’s our show…Remember: Life’s Better Outside…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

 Outdoor Story: Judith Nees: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download