My sister imagined Texas to be a barren land of cactus, dirt
and cowboys. She and my fellow Californians thought I was crazy, moving halfway
across the country to a huge oil rich but nature deficient state, my car packed
with a few of my favorite things and my reptile family who had no say in the
decision. Pulled by the strength of the
graduate school reputation and their scholarship dollars, trees or not, I was moving to
Texas.
Besides the purported year round perfect temperatures, in
many parts of California, a person only has to drive a couple of hours in any
direction to experience a different environment, be it desert, mountains,
hills, or even sea. This is a little bit
of magic. From most cities in Texas, one would be crazy to think they could
make a day trip to both the sea and mountains. And many people living inside of
Houston quickly forget there is even nature outside of the city. I will raise
my hand and admit, I, too, was one of these people.
Photographed by Glimmermere
Louisville, KY
Few average Texans appear to care about tromping through the
woods, and to those who look in on this state, Austin is where all of the
natural and beautiful parts are. Austin may be surrounded by more options, and
more nature-inclined people seem to gravitate there, but with a little bit of
searching, interesting nature can be found all over what is truly a lush and
green Eastern Texas. From the cities, you may have to drive a bit to be
surrounded in a great park to enjoy the chirping of birds and rustle of trees,
or smell the sweet decay of the woods, but these places do exist.
As I returned to Houston after a long road trip, my route
took me from the lush nature state of Arkansas and through many areas of green
as I approached home for the first time in months. Within a couple of hours of
my apartment, I passed through the vast Davy Crockett National Forest, before
driving through the Huntsville State Park. These parks are still a ways from
Houston, but they can be reached easily as a day trip, and both are quite huge. The Davy Crockett National Forest is a bit farther, but contains a full 160,000 acres of recreation areas, wildlife habitats, woods and streams. That's worth a day trip or a camping trip in my book.
As a Texas resident, living in the northern suburbs of the
city, knowing my options for a respite from the city is incredibly important.
The Californian in me screams to know I can find a place to breathe in nature,
and not hear cars driving by.
Yesterday I scouted the Lake Houston Wilderness Park which
is northeast of Houston and well within an hour’s drive for many Houston
residents. The place was a beautifully quiet place, and during my exploration
shoot with Peter Janecke, we appeared to have the place to ourselves and a few
maintenance people from 9 am until noon. We drove around, pulled the car to the
side of the road, hopped out for photography, then got back in and continued
onto the next place. While walking around, there were little cabins to sneak
into, bridges to pose on and under, and of course, so many beautiful trees.
I aim to develop my list of places to shoot at, but consider
this a solid start. Point proven – there is nature in Houston. They can keep
me.
Inexpensive A-frame cabin. And free if sneaking for a quick shoot
If you take a photo while walking, it might turn out crooked like this
Look at that line of perspective! Awesome bridge
Oh! Such beauty! I'm planning a road trip next Winter around my beautiful state where I live (Queensland, Australia) and I'm hoping to take photos which are just as pretty at a place called Goomburra National Park near Allora and Warwick.
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