I visited Ft. Davis State Park with my friend this summer. The west Texas environment is very different from the greater Houston area I grew up in. While driving the 7 hours from Austin, west on I-10, you begin to see the landscape change drastically before your eyes. Along the way we saw rock formations that you would never encounter in the flat gulf areas of Texas. We passed by colonies of spinning wind turbines storing renewable energy and drove through man-made carved out hills, making way for the straight line of the highway. Ft. Davis State Park is a beautiful almost untouched place that I encourage everyone who has never been to west Texas to go see. Once in the state park we drove down winding roads on rugged hills leading us to our campsite.
We hiked through the trails and looked out to the distant hills and mountains. There aren't very many tall trees there so you can really see the vastness of the land. Its practically the dessert out there so it gets very cool at night (even in the summer) and it is almost constantly windy. It was a wonderful experience to spend so much time in wild nature, almost completely isolated from man-made world. We spent most of our time walking around, lounging on cliffs and taking photographs and drawing (we are both art students).
I'd really like to spend more time out there, maybe even a year. It was a refreshing experience and one that made me appreciate our state park's natural wonder and beauty. I will definitely be back someday soon.
I think it is easy for people living in cities like Houston or Dallas to get caught up in an urban lifestyle and forget about the scenery Texas has to offer once outside city limits. A smaller (but perhaps growing) percentage of Austinites suffer from the same problem. Seven hours from Austin is not exactly a day trip, but hopefully these photos make it easier for some to justify the effort. I have not been through Fort Davis State Park, but I must say I am tempted at the moment.
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