State parks offer a variety of overnight accommodations for outdoors enthusiasts. And as our State Park guide Bryan Frazier tells us—it’s wise to make your reservations early.

62—The great thing about Texas is we do have a lot of year-round opportunities because of the weather and the seasonal nature of the state that we live in, but without question, our busy time is traditionally spring break all the way through labor Day up into September. We’re in that period right now, and what we really encourage people to do is—as early as you know when your plans are going to be—call and make a reservation or go online and make a reservation for a campsite, for a cabin or for a screen shelter. You can make a reservation 11 months in advance, and you can do that by phone, by fax; there are lots of different ways. The best way is online. Now, there’s no extra fee charged for an online reservation. You can go straight to our website, texasstateparks.org and follow the prompts. You can call 512-389-8900—that’s our main reservations number that people are familiar with for years to get a reservation. If you’re not camping, come on ahead, unannounced. It’s great—the more the merrier. But if you’re going to be doing overnight accommodations in any way—campsite, cabin, screen shelter—people need to make a reservation if they can at all, as far in advance as they can.

Thanks, Bryan.

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For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

If you’ve decided that winter is best spent indoors, then you can use this time to prepare for the outdoor season ahead, as our State Park Guide, Bryan Frazier, explains.

55—For a lot of the state the wintertime is fairly short, but it is a time where a lot of people consider it in-between seasons: hunting season has just ended; fishing season is around the corner…some people don’t really like to camp right now. So take this opportunity to really look at your gear: your tent, your boat, your fishing line. Clean your gun. Sight your bow. All those things where you are ready to go once the weather does turn—which is going to just be in a manner of weeks literally here in Texas before we’re into spring break trips and all of those fun activities that we like to do that are outdoor related. Don’t overlook this time to prepare and do some maintenance on your gear; it can save you some headaches, and it’s a safety issue. It’s something you really need to do during this down time or off season. Take advantage of that and it will get you motivated and that much more ready to get outdoors when the time does come.

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For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

You don’t have to walk far inside a state park before you come across fallen branches and twigs. But if you’re thinking about collecting them for your campfire, our State Park Guide Bryan Frazier say—think again.

A lot of people still assume that they can scavenge for firewood on site at the parks. That’s not true in most places. State parks, Federal Lands—you can’t gather firewood that’s lying around. That dead wood that falls form the trees, first of all it’s state property, second of all it provides habitat for lots of different animals. It eventually decomposes into the soil. You can always buy it either at nearby convenience stores—they’ll usually sell firewood, or the state park stores here in Texas will sell firewood to you, or their friends groups. But it’s smart to plan ahead and take some of it with you. A lot of us have fireplaces or big barbecue pits, so we have wood piles at home. Take that along, It’s cured wood. It’ll burn, it will light. It will burn easy, and that can save you down the road. You’re going to want a fire in cooler weather. You’re going to want a fire not just for cooking like in the summertime, but you’re going to want a fire that’s sustainable to provide some radiant heat and gather around. And it just makes the camping experience what everyone envisions. Nobody really thinks about camping and tents without having a nice campfire.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

In summer when we can predict long days of heat and drought, but winter isn’t so predictable. So, when you plan a cool weather camping trip, it’s a little harder to know how to dress.

State Park Guide, and Passport style guru, Bryan Frazier, says to definitely pack a warm coat.

Just in case. You never know what the weather is going to exactly do. But, what you want to remember is, when you are in the out of doors, it’s probably smarter to start out with lots of thin layers. You’re talking about days that may have 30, 40, 50 degree temperatures swings from morning to evening. So, if you find yourself cook, in the morning, you may find yourself warm in the afternoon. So, take those layers that come off easily and comfortably. Wear comfortable clothes; moisture wicking clothes and t-shirts are very good to keep you dry, to keep you warmer. And also remember, even though it’s winter time, you want your sunscreen; you want your sunhat, especially here in Texas. We get a lot of reflective light when we’re out camping or out on the water. So, make sure you take that as well.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

There’s a chill in the air, and our State Park Guide, Bryan Frazier, says that means it’s a great time for tent camping.

If you have an older tent it’s not a bad idea to set it up in your backyard before your trip—be sure there are no rips or tears. Or, if you’re purchasing a tent, today’s fabrics are lightweight and very durable, so you’re not going to have a problem packing them. Just make sure you get one big enough to accommodate you, the other people who are going to be with you, and in the winter time you’re going to have extra stuff: extra blanket, extra clothes, jackets, whatever. So you want to take that into account when you get a tent. There’s not reason you can’t have a tent for several years with just basic maintenance and care. Make sure you have plenty of stakes to stake that thing out. And once its set up, keep it zipped up the whole time to keep the critters and other things our maybe while you’re out on your day hike.

They’re sized per person—a one man, a two man, a four man. So, you can count on a two-person tent as a very basic one. If you go any smaller than that—unless it’s just you in a very remote area—most of our audience will want to go to a two-person tent just to make sure everyone is comfortable and that you can bring some of the items from home to really make that camping experience great. But those are some basic tips this time of year; that modest amount of advance planning will really pay off.

Thanks, Bryan.

That’s our show for today…with funding provided by Chevrolet…building dependable, reliable trucks for more than 90 years.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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.

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

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

The Texas Outdoor Family Program is in full swing for 2010.

We’ve got a really aggressive schedule this spring through the end of May, where we’ve actually got thirty workshops all over the state of Texas for people to come and learn about camping and learn about what you can do at a Texas state park.

Chris Holmes is the outdoor education coordinator for Texas state parks. The Outdoor Family program teaches families skills to make tent camping at state parks successful and enjoyable.

We’ve got one special program we’re really looking forward to—it’s over spring break—and its at our biggest State park: Big Bend ranch. And we realize it’s an awful lot of driving for folks to go out there for 12 hours. So, it’s actually a three day program. The families will get to canoe down the Rio Grande, and then go into the interior of the park and do some really fund, adventurous stuff out there.

The Big bend Ranch Outdoor Family event is March 25 through 28, and at the time Chris and I spoke, there were still openings available. This workshop costs $140 for the 3-day weekend, and is limited to 12 families of up to six people…however you define family.

We really don’t have a definition of family. It’s very rarely mom, dad and the two kids.

Find information at the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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

As author of the Texas Campground Cookbook, Roger Arnhart knows a few things about food preparation. He’s perfected recipes for everything from pot roast to pastries – creating his culinary masterpieces in rather out of the way locales, with unusual low tech equipment.

If you’re ready to test your campground culinary creativity, Arnhardt says two pieces of cooking apparatus that no open-air chef should leave home without are a cookie sheet and four aluminum soda cans…emptied.

A pit grill is a wonderful thing to cook on. Unfortunately the grill is fixed so you can’t control how high that grill is over your fire. So one of the things that I recommend that every camper does, is go buy aluminum cookie sheets. Along with what I call my riser, those are coke cans, put that cookie sheet on top of the coke cans and you can bring it up to the proper height. If it’s too high you can crush the coke cans and make it about a three-inch riser. And then you start your charcoal on the cookie sheet, under a pit grill.

He says a cookie sheet also comes in handy when cooking on a waist-high grill.

Put your charcoal on the cookie sheet, and then slide the cookie sheet under the waist high and you’ve got a perfect fire. And when you’re done cooking you let the fire burn out and the next morning all of your coals are in your cookie sheet, to dispose of them properly.

Find more ways you and your family can get the most our of the outdoors on the TPWD web site.

That’s our show for today…thank you for joining us. For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.