Passport to Texas

This is a Passport to Texas State Park Getaway

Taking in the scenic beauty of the state on horseback is an experience like no other, and some of the best views and equestrian trails Texas has to offer are in state parks. Bryan Frazier has details.

Horseback riding, and just viewing a state park from horseback is just becoming more and more popular, and so to accommodate our customers, we’re trying to put equestrian friendly, or equestrian accommodating camping in our parks.

When you can see a state park and the beauty and the grandeur and the scenery from the back of a horse, that’s a really unique experience, and something that’s popular for a very good reason in our state parks.

Thanks Bryan.

Find more state park information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Ed and Paula Smith don’t like to go home in the winter…

:04—It’s cold at home…Michigan is cold.” (ES) “So we came down here and we just keep coming back.

The couple’s winter address is often Bastrop State Park…and their house is 37-foot motor home.

:04—It’s probably nicer than our home at home (laughs).

And while you might think they keep coming back to Bastrop because the retirees just want a chance to play golf, you’d be surprised to know that it’s not all play.

:05—I mow and then I come back and weed whip… just try to make the park look pretty.

For the past several years Ed and Paula have spent their winter months in Bastrop State Park as park hosts. They volunteer about 25 hours a week working as additional representatives in the park, and assisting park staff.

:08—You’re getting some exercise and you’re having a good time, then you’re enjoying your stay…It’s a give and take…and we really appreciate the opportunity.

Find state parks information on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show for today…we record the series at the Production Block Studios in Austin, Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife… I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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This is Passport to Texas

Cast iron is a durable metal with an outstanding capacity to hold and transfer heat. No wonder Dutch ovens are made from it.

:07—A Dutch oven is a cast iron pot that pioneers used to cook their meals in over an open fire.

Tim Spice is in education and outreach at parks and Wildlife, currently serving in Iraq in the Army Reserves. He’s also an accomplished Dutch oven cook.

:07—I’ve done some stuffed Cornish game hens and quiche. Whatever you can bake in your oven you can bake in a Dutch oven.

For the new Dutch oven enthusiast, Spice recommends starting with a foolproof recipe.

:17—Stews are easy. Liquid recipes are forgiving in a Dutch oven. So, I just tell people to start with that. Pick a great beef stew or a chicken stew and go after it. Vegetables, stock and the meat of your choice – and just let it cook away. And you’ll have a great meal in a short period of time.

If you’re worried about using your Dutch oven for the first time in the wide open spaces, Spice recommends, doing a test run indoors.

:16—If I want to try something on a fire, I’ll get my Dutch oven out and I’ll cook it in my oven so I don’t have to worry about temperature control. I can focus on recipe adjustment. Let’s face it, when you’re out in the woods, camping – you’re trying to have a good time –you don’t have a full kitchen behind you. So, that’s what I do. I use it a lot.

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

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This is passport to Texas

Whether the Dutch invented the Dutch oven isn’t exactly clear. What is clear, is using one of these cast iron pots simplifies outdoor cooking.

:06—And you can cook anything that you would at home, on a fire, outdoors, while you’re camping with your family or friends.

Tim Spice is in education and outreach at Parks and Wildlife and currently serving as a Command Sergeant Major in the Army Reserves in Iraq. In use since the 1700s, Spice says Dutch ovens have changed little.

:10—Today the Dutch oven has legs on the bottom and a rim on the lid so that you can put coals under it and on top of it and cook as you would in your oven at home.

Temperature control is critical in any kind of cooking. Dutch ovens don’t have a thermostat or controls, so what do you do?

:22—You hold your hand six inches above the coals…thousand one…thousand two….thousand three…if you have to pull your hand away sooner because it’s uncomfortable from the heat – it’s hotter than three-fifty. If you can hold your hand longer than three seconds, it’s colder than three-fifty. And, since most food is cooked at three hundred and fifty degrees in the oven, that’s where you’ll want to start gauging your heat.

Spice says have fun with your Dutch oven.

:12—Don’t be intimidated by that Dutch oven. Grab one and take it home and practice. And then, take your folks out to the state park and spend the day and have a great meal at the end of a great day outdoors.

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

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This is Passport to Texas

Anyone who enjoys the outdoors has probably had a run-in with a tick.

Music–Under My Skin

And under your skin is where this denizen of field and forest embeds its mouth parts as it dines…and the meal is on you… actually it is you.

Ticks are after blood…but corpuscle cuisine is too thick for them to consume easily. To thin his meal, the tick secretes saliva into the puncture wound, which is not only disgusting, but potentially dangerous as this arthropod harbors bacteria in its gut.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease are two possible outcomes of tick bites. Your first line of defense is a good offense. Wearing long sleeved shirts and long pants with the cuffs tucked into your socks is a start. And donning light colored clothing allows you to spot ticks more quickly. Oh, and don’t forget insect repellents.

Always use the buddy system to check your body during and after outdoor excursions — and don’t be modest – the ticks aren’t.

Music–I’m too sexy

To remove ticks grasp them by their mouth parts with tweezers and pull straight up. If you develop flu-like symptoms after a bite…see your physician immediately.

That’s our show for today…

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti

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