Garner State Park

Garner State Park is one of the most geographically beautiful parks in Texas, and well worth the 3 1/2 hour drive to reach it.  It was interesting for me because most people whose families took camping trips had been to Garner before, so I got to compare my reaction to it to that of the "regulars." One thing that really surprised me was the amount of garbage in the park - on the trails, thrown off of "Old Baldy" and in the water. I imagine that's due largely to the groups of 13-16 year olds on family trips together, which was another interesting, and reassuring, aspect of the trip: camping at Garner was a popular mainstream vacation destination, rather than a niche activity just for the "campers." Though it's nice to see that people do really appreciate being outdoors, even today, it makes you wonder where we draw the line between nature and whatever else is not. Is camping 25 yards away from a convenience store with electrical hookups really experiencing nature?

Aside from the overdevelopment of the area and the almost impossible task of finding a truly private spot, the park is beautiful.  Slightly cooler than it is in Austin, so camping was perfect even this time of year.  Some great hiking, and great views all around.


So maybe I wasn't experiencing nature (by my narrower definition) at my campsite with running water 25 meters from a convenience store, but running water was nice for this trip, and I think there are also some primitive campsites available for next time I want to do a more authentic camping trip.

Finally, this type of environment, to me is the quintessential "American environment."  You could say New York City or suburban neighborhoods or the highways of L.A. are what it really means to be in the American environment, and that's fair, but I, like people who shop at The Nature Store, have a certain vision for what I want my environment to be.  And even though mine is actually central Austin, I want to imagine sweeping panoramas of the Grand Canyon and Yosemite National Park and the vast plains of the panhandle when I think about the true American environment. For whatever reason, the (old) West and its landscape is what I want to associate with my environment, even though I spend more time at traffic lights than canyons.