Wendal Withrow - Best Tent Camping: Texas: Your Car-Camping Guide to Scenic Beauty, the Sounds of Nature, and an Escape from Civilization

PREFACE

Even under the best of circumstances, any author who takes on the task of writing a camping guidebook for the state of Texas faces a serious challenge. When that same author, in theory older and wiser, solicits the opportunity to write a second edition, then the reader may rightly question whether the author has hiked a few too many miles under that Texas summer sun. An equally good answer is that the first edition has been graciously well received to the extent that it is in its fourth printing, and some of the details needed to be updated. There are also new parks to be added that were temporarily closed by two hurricanes and a few random tornadoes. Large wildfires and the historic floods of 20142016 hit other parks listed in the first edition. While every attempt has been made to give the reader the most recent status, be sure to call or check the website of any park you wish to visit.

This second edition offers these new features:

1. Additional recommended reading selections for campers of all interests.
2. More quotes and background in Voices From the Campfire.
3. A new section titled Backcountry Adventures to meet the increased interest and popularity of activities other than traditional hiking and camping.
4. A new section of critical importance titled Best Local Food and Drink. Of course, the author sampled as many of these non-chain culinary stops as possible, but he also sought input from the locals, who know that real Texas food is often found off the main trail.
5. A new appendix with detailed suggestions for successful day hiking in all types of terrain and conditions.

In choosing the 50 tent campgrounds included in this guide, I took into account not only the criteria explained in the Introduction but also that feeling we all get when we leave the cement jungle for an outdoor adventure and find something special. It may be a spectacular vista, a fiery sunset, a single flower bloom, or even the intoxicating smell of a campfire, but we all sense it as soon as we arrive. As you visit the places described in this simple book, I can only hope you will have the same sense of wonder and receive the gifts of peace that only the natural world can instill in us.

You will also see a list of diverse books (some hard to find) and select quotes from various authors who have come before us and contemplated the eternal struggle between the seemingly unquenchable appetite of modern civilization and the very real need of the individual to leave that world and return to a simpler life, even if just for a short time. This section, titled Voices from the Campfire and Recommended Reading, relates to one of the most important traditions of tent campingconversation! Whether the conversation is between childhood friends or new acquaintances, the best type of escape can be found gathering around a crackling wood fire and sharing lifes experiences, without a computer screen or cell phone to separate us from our fellow humans. To assist in that escape is the essence of tent camping and the purpose of this book.