Last November, Cheryl and I hosted the first retreat at our cabin for the men from the Manna House. This Christ-centered residential recovery ministry for men addicted to alcohol and drugs is located in the small town of Brookshire. The year long program is designed to lead men to be set free, set apart and set on fire.
The Manna House guys arrived early Thursday afternoon. I rode my electric mini-bike to Little Burro Country Store at the intersection of Highway 118 and Legions Road to meet and escort them the final three miles to the cabin. I have sure enjoyed riding my mini-bike along the dirt roads around the cabin. So much fun!
The guys wasted no time in setting up their tents and getting situated. In the meantime, James and his sous-chefs, Doug and Chris, started meal prep. Prior to their arrival, my friend Kyle and I built a special table for Dutch oven cooking. James is a master of Dutch oven meals so I wanted to improve our outdoor cooking area for him to work his culinary magic.
As in the previous year, we gave each of the men a hydration backpack along with all sorts of miscellaneous gear for day-hikes: first aid kit, emergency whistle, space blanket, caribeners, flashlight and headlamp, compass, paracord bracelet, and more. We sat around the campfire that first evening talking about hiking and preparation for wilderness survival.
The guys enjoyed several hikes on the two days they visited Big Bend National Park. Each night we sat around the campfire for a debrief on the day. So much fun to hear about how much they enjoyed the park. And, of course, the guys lingered around the campfire until the stars and the Milky Way filled the night sky.
The best part of our time out west was the day Raul and Timothy were baptized in the Rio Grande River. Having a relationship with Jesus is essential to their recovery and to taking that first step to be set free, set apart, and set on fire. Having all of the guys witness their baptism made it all the more special.
I am grateful for the Manna House and their commitment to help men in recovery. Over the past twenty years I have met so many men at the Manna House whose lives were changed for the better, who arrived in a state of despair and desperation and left with a new hope and a new future.
Cheryl and I consider it a blessing to host these men at Dos Arbolitos, our little slice of heaven in the Chihuahuan Desert. Our prayer is that God would bless us with many more years of good health to continuing hosting outdoor adventures for boys and for men and helping them to connect with the One who created the beauty of Big Bend.
As I have often said, the work at the cabin is never done. And in this season of my life that is a good thing. The older I get, the more intentional I have to be to stay active. Staying active is essential to, in the words of Toby Keith, not letting the old man in. The old man, it seems, is always knocking at my door.
I made a quick trip to the cabin primarily to have a required service upgrade from Big Bend Telephone. Yes, we do have internet service at our off-grid cabin thanks to the marvels of modern technology. The upgrade however, did not happen. Troubles with a tower diverted technicians to that location and left me having to reschedule the upgrade. No worries. I live with Plan B, C, and D in my back pocket.
I have to make the most of every trip to the cabin, so I was prepared with my list of pending projects. My friend Paul Kitchen accompanied me on this trip. Paul is my missions ministry resident and also teaches a trade program for teens in the town of Brookshire just west of Katy. He is a hard working and talented guy.
Whenever I need to haul a big load of supplies to the cabin, my friend James Meredith always loans me one of his trailers. The week before the trip, Paul and I and our buddy Mike Aronson loaded decking, t-posts, a heavy roll of field fence, and a partial cord of firewood into the trailer. James used his skid steer to top off our load with heavy cedar logs provided by my friend Jeff Smith.
Paul and I met at 6:00 AM on Monday and went to James’ MTNest Farm in Pattison to pick up the trailer. We then headed down the two-lane road toward San Felipe and onto Interstate 10 for the ten-hour drive to the cabin. We stopped at Buc-ee’s in Luling to top off the fuel tank and to make some adjustments to the load for a smoother ride. Buc-ee’s is a must stop on any Texas road trip!
Moments after we arrived at the cabin the monsoon rains greeted us with thunder and lightning and refreshing rain. So, we settled in for a bite to eat and watched the storm. Storms in the desert have a majesty all their own. When you experience a desert storm you can better understand John Denver’s lyric, “You fill up my senses, like a storm in the desert.”
The following morning we off-loaded the heavy cedar logs without the use of a skid steer. I will use these posts when we start building our primitive campsite cabanas on our tracts to the west of the cabin. These sites will help us when we host our annual campouts for boys from fatherless homes and for men recovering from alcohol and drug addictions.
After carefully stacking the heavy cedar logs, Paul and I built a 16-foot long firewood rack in front of the guest cabin courtyard. This rack will hold firewood to stock the camping cabanas once they are completed. Campfires are important because they are a gathering place where folks can have conversations and share stories. That’s why we want to always have a big supply of firewood.
Last month a hail storm did some damage on the property. Two of our security cameras took a direct hit along with the dish that provides our internet. The hail also knocked out a window screen at the guest cabin but fortunately did not break the window. I asked Paul if he could build awnings for the two small windows at the guest cabin to protect them from future hail storms. Using scraps of lumber leftover from previous projects, Paul pulled it off and constructed heavy-duty awnings.
The next project on the list was decking the area in front of my shipping container shop. Paul also took on this project while I caulked and painted the window awnings. Really pleased with the result. This is the area where I set up my sawhorse workbench and enjoy working on projects under the beautiful Big Bend sky. The deck is a huge upgrade.
The final project on this list was to complete a 350-foot long section of fence along one side of our southwest tract. The cedar posts and t-posts have been in place for a few months, just waiting for the fence. Paul and I stretched and installed the fencing and then topped it off with a strand of barbed wire. Only 2,640 more feet to go! Will get it done a bit at a time.
And now, I am back home and need to start packing for my upcoming trip to Türkiye. Don’t yet know when I will make it back to Big Bend but grateful for the time Paul and I spent working on projects at the cabin. This was one more opportunity to keep the old man out!
My days of adventuring started when I was a kid growing up in the small South Texas town of Mission. Our mesquite-shaded backyard, accented with broad stands of prickly pear growing out of hard-packed dirt, was where I first felt the thrill of adventure. I climbed and fell out of mesquite trees, harvested crispy and lifeless cicada shells clinging to gnarly mesquite branches, stalked birds with my air rifle, and made my first campfire in that big backyard.
My thirst for adventure is still strong six-decades later. But what really adds to my excitement is introducing boys to adventure. When Cheryl and I purchased our first tract of land in the Chihuahuan Desert outside of Big Bend National Park, we dreamed of developing it as a basecamp for adventure — especially for boys and dads, boys without dads, and families.
This past week we hosted our fourth annual Big Bend Adventure for boys from the Brookshire community and their mentors. The Brookshire community, located west of Houston, has the highest percentage of fatherless homes in the greater Houston area. We host our campouts in partnership with The Hangar, a ministry of Eyes On Me. This Christian non-profit exists to mentor, disciple, and serve at-risk youth and their families.
The boys arrived mid-afternoon on Sunday. Their first order of business was to select a campsite and pitch their tents. For many of the boys, this was their first time to set up a tent and to sleep outdoors. One boy spent the first night sleeping on top of his sleeping bag because he did not know that he was supposed to unzip it and crawl inside. The temps dipped to 26-degrees that night. He learned a valuable lesson and was much warmer on his second night.
On the first night around the campfire, we gave each boy a hydration backpack and all sorts of survival gear — first aid kit, headlamp, flashlight, emergency blanket, whistle, compass, paracord bracelet, and other cool outdoor stuff. We explained why each piece of gear is important and then used that item as a metaphor for a spiritual lesson.
The boys enjoyed two days of adventure in the national park. They hiked some beautiful trails and saw some remarkable scenery. This was the first time many of these boys had visited a national park. They enjoyed every minute of hiking and boulder scrambling and dipping in the Rio Grande River.
We also set aside one day for the boys to do tasks around the property that can only be accomplished by cooperating with one another. We talked to them about the importance of doing any assigned task well and why their work is essentially their signature.
This year the boys pounded t-posts along what will become a new fence line, fastened the horizontal pieces to cedar posts to make H-brackets and then tensioned those brackets with smooth wire. As in years past, they did a truly remarkable job on their assigned tasks.
James Meredith returned once again to serve as lead camp cook. James met with some of the boys to plan and execute meal prep. Every meal was so good. It was great to see some of the older boys step up to help with the meal preparation — a great way to learn responsibility.
My favorite time is always our evening campfire time. The boys sat around the campfire and listened to testimonies from our friend Rene, aka 211, from El Paso. He shared his powerful story of spending years in prison and falling in love with Jesus. He is a great mentor and a powerful speaker.
My friend a fellow staff member Bobby Cooley shared his emotional story of growing up in a broken home. Bobby is a testimony to the transforming power of the gospel. God rescued him from a childhood so crazy and that was leading him down a path that would have destroyed him.
A young man who goes by the name Nephew was released from prison 36 days prior to the campout. He shared his story of being shot on the streets, almost dying, going to prison, and having a life-changing encounter with Jesus who transformed his life.
As a result of listening to these campfire testimonies, five boys placed their faith in Christ and asked to be baptized in the Rio Grande River. Remarkably, on the day of the baptism, a visitor to the park who witnessed the baptisms asked questions and then placed his faith in Christ for salvation and was also baptized.
Once again, Cheryl and I felt reaffirmed in our commitment to make our place available to serve the purpose of God in our generation. Our hearts are filled with gratitude to God for the ministry of The Hangar and all of the boys and mentors who spent the week with us under the magnificent Big Bend skies. To God be the glory for the things He has done.
When we purchased our Big Bend property six years ago, Cheryl and I dreamed of developing a place where we could escape to relax and enjoy the outdoors. We also wanted to have a place where boys and fathers and families could visit to connect with God in the magnificence of His creation.
For the past three years we have hosted a Big Bend adventure for boys from Brookshire — a community with the highest concentration of fatherless homes in the greater Houston area. We have offered this retreat in collaboration with The Hangar Unity Center, a Christian non-profit in Brookshire that exists to mentor and disciple at-risk youth and their families.
Last week, we hosted men from The Manna House in Brookshire. Manna House is a residential recovery program for men addicted to alcohol and drugs. Their year long program is built around three objectives: to lead men to be set free, set apart and set on fire. My friend Ryan Orbin, the new executive director of The Manna House, and I have been dreaming about this adventure for the last year.
The Manna House guys arrived on Thursday afternoon. That evening, we sat around the campfire and gave all of the men their very own outdoor gear, including hydration backpack, first aid kit, compass, whistle, emergency blanket, flashlight, headlamp, and more. We talked about the importance of shared adventure with other men and why alone is dangerous.
Most of the men in the group grew up in tough circumstances and never enjoyed outdoor adventures. So, they were both anxious and excited about going to Big Bend National Park to hike and to enjoy the magnificent views of the Chihuahuan Desert and the Chisos Mountains.
The guys hiked the Lost Mine Trail and the Window Trail at the park and later visited Santa Elena Canyon and the Hot Springs Trail. For many of the men who had never hiked, the trails were challenging. Every man, however, pushed through and completed each hike.
As we enjoyed a meal around the campfire while the sun dropped below the mountains and mesas to our west, one of the guys said that this adventure had exceeded his expectations. He said that his eyes were opened to all he had been missing. “All I have ever known,” he said, “is trailer parks, motels and prison.” And then he remarked that he wanted to stay close to God and finally start living. What a testimony to how God used this shared adventure in his life.
While the Manna guys were on the trail, my neighbors Joe and Lisa spent a couple of days working on the solar infrastructure for our guest cabin. They erected the iron framing that will hold the solar panels in front of our guest cabin. They also added three Lithium batteries that will power the guest cabin and our main cabin as well.
My friends Selim and Rafa, along with a couple of the Manna guys, dug a 150-foot trench between the cabins where we buried the power cables that will connect all of the structures on the property. These solar power upgrades will ensure that we have enough power to carry us through even on days that are overcast.
We concluded our time by inviting our neighbors to join us for a meal followed by a star party led by my friend Yogi — the local guru of Big Bend night skies. He is better than Google and is passionate about sharing his love for the night skies out here in this wide part of Texas.
One reason I enjoy working hard on projects every time we visit the cabin is knowing that what I do will bless the family, friends, and guests who will visit in the future. We are stewards of our little place only for a short while. We want for our short while to make a difference by blessing others. We are thrilled that the Manna House men had the opportunity to experience and enjoy the magnificance of Big Bend.
In November 2022, Big Bend National Park topped National Geographic’s Best of the World Travel List. Located in the vast Chihuahuan Desert, Big Bend also boasts the darkest night skies in the nation. It’s one of the places that affirms “the stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.”
In 2018, my wife Cheryl and I purchased the first of our off-grid tracts deep in the heart of Texas. Beckoned by the wide open spaces, distant mesas, deafening silence, and endless skies, we established Dos Arbolitos, our off-grid base camp for solitude and adventure in the Big Bend Valley section of the vast Terlingua Ranch.
One of our dreams for Dos Arbolitos was to host adventures for boys and dads and also for boys without dads. That dream came true three years ago when we hosted our first Big Bend Adventure for boys from fatherless homes in partnership with The Hangar, a Christian nonprofit situated in Brookshire.
The Brookshire community, located west of Houston, has the highest percentage of fatherless homes in the greater Houston area. The Hangar, a ministry of Eyes on Me, exists to mentor, disciple, and serve at-risk youth and their families.
This week, we hosted the third annual Big Bend Adventure for boys (and their mentors) from Brookshire. This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. The adventure is designed to provide opportunities for good conversations between the boys and mentors around the campfire and on the trails.
One of the key things we focus on is teaching the boys that it is better to do life in community with others because alone is dangerous. We teach them the importance of watching out for one another on the trails. And, the work projects we plan can only be accomplished by cooperating and working well with others.
The boys arrived at Dos Arbolitos on Sunday afternoon. The first order of business was pitching tents and setting up their respective campsites. For many of the first-timers, this was the first time they had set up a tent. It was nice to see the older boys teaching the younger boys how it’s done.
James Meredith returned for the third time to serve as camp chef. I don’t know of a better guy to cook for a campout than James. He is a master at cooking on grills, griddles, Dutch ovens, and campfires — and usually uses all of these to prepare a single delicious meal. James is, understandably, a very popular guy on the campout.
On the first night of the adventure, we sat around the campfire and presented the boys with their hiking gear. We gave each boy their own hydration backpack, first aid kit, headlamp and flashlight, survival blanket, whistle, compass, and more. We explained each item and why they are necessary for the adventure — and then used each item as a metaphor to talk about an aspect of their walk with Christ.
After giving the boys their gear, one of the youngest guys on the team sat wide-eyed at all that he had received. He looked at one of the mentors and asked, “Do I have to give all of this back after the hike?” He was blown away to hear that this was now his own personal gear and that he dId not have to return it after the adventure. I don’t think he took off his backpack the whole time we were together.
I invited my friend Joseph Bear, known as Yogi to locals, to do a star party for the boys. Yogi and my Big Bend neighbors Chris and Ken were kind enough to set up one of his large telescopes. Yogi told stories about the night sky. The boys enjoyed looking the moon, planets, and stars. My neighbor Chris took a great pic of the moon through lens of the telescope.
As in previous years, the boys spent two days on day-hikes in Big Bend National Park. This is always an eye-opening, jaw-dropping experience for these boys who live in tough urban settings. The hikes are also an opportunity for mentors to talk about outdoor preparedness and safety and why adventuring alone can be dangerous.
We also set aside one day to do tasks around the property — jobs that can only be done by communicating and cooperating well with others. These included clearing fence line, bracing corner posts for a new section of fencing, addressing some erosion, and adding t-posts for future fencing.
These tasks are hard and require attention to detail and looking out for the guys working beside you. After working on a section of fencing, one boy shared his thoughts around the campfire. “This was one of the hardest things I have ever done,” he said. “And now I know that I can do hard things.” Wow! That is a valuable take-away for a young man.
One of the boys worked beside Ian, one of the mentors. As they cleared brush for a future fence, Ian shared the story of Jesus with Gavin. After a long conversation, Gavin placed his faith in Christ for salvation and was later baptized in the Rio Grande River along with four other boys.
My favorite night was our final night around the campfire. On that night Dennis, the executive director of Eyes On Me, the non-profit that directs the outreach to at-risk homes in Brookshire, asked the boys to affirm one another. The boys then took turns speaking words of encouragement and affirmation to one another. The words spoken were better than food for many of these boys who seldom receive such affirmation.
This Third Annual Big Bend Adventure was so much fun and a huge success. The boys were so appreciative of the opportunity to participate in the adventure and returned home tired but encouraged by their time under the vast Big Bend skies, deep in the heart of Texas.
For the third year in a row, I drove across the Lone Star State with friends to participate in the Chihuahuan Desert Mountain Bike Endurance Fest. We loaded our mountain bikes and camping gear at four in the morning on Valentine’s Day and arrived at Big Bend Ranch State Park at four in the afternoon. We wasted no time in getting our base camp set up at the Maverick Ranch RV Park in Lajitas. This park serves as ground zero for the Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest that draws upwards of 500 mountain bikers from around the nation. For three days on Presidents Day weekend in February, the RV park becomes a small town with a population several times greater than that of Lajitas. Big Bend Ranch State Park features some amazing trails, including a 50-plus mile Epic Loop rated as one of the best trails in the country by the International Mountain Biking Association. No worries, however, if you are hesitant to tackle a torturous trail like the Epic Loop. The bike fest is a non-competitive event that features a variety of guided rides for every skill level. After setting up our campsite, we mounted our bikes and headed east toward the Buena Suerte Trail to get a ride in before sunset. The Buena Suerte trail is a wide jeep trail that leads to several single track trails that range in difficulty from easy to pretty hard stuff to ride. Over the course of our two and a half days, we managed to rack up close to eighty-miles on the trails. While we all enjoyed riding our own mountain bikes, we couldn’t resist checking out the more expensive mountain bikes made available by the country’s biggest bike brands. On our second day, I opted to try the Cannondale Monterra 2 electric mountain bike with full suspension and fat tires. This is one amazing mountain bike that features four electronic settings that make trail riding a whole new experience. This bike is nothing short of amazing. It was so much fun to ride and the fat tires just ate up the trails.The best part of an event like the Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest is sharing the adventure with friends. We had a blast checking out new trails, stopping to take pics along the way, back-tracking to repeat fun sections of the trails, eating some delicious meals, and sitting around the campfire in the evenings. I was especially glad to run into Karen Hoffman Blizzard and David Heinicke, two friends I met on my first ride two years ago. Karen is a contributing writer to Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine and David is the head naturalist at Brazos Bend State Park. They were great encouragers to me on my first ride and shepherded me down a trail that was a little above my riding skills at that time. If you enjoy mountain biking then make it a point to do the Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest. This ride is sponsored by Desert Sports of Terlingua, Big Bend Ranch State Park, and Lajitas Resort. If you are interested in riding, then be sure to register early. The event is capped at 500 riders and fills up well before the registration deadline. I think you’ll agree that this ride is unquestionably one of the best things going for mountain bikers in the Lone Star State.
There is an emerging trend in healthcare that is shifting focus from the mere treatment of disease to the promotion of wellness.
A couple of years ago, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital teamed up with the Appalachian Mountain Club to launch Outdoors Rx. This initiative is designed to combat disease which stems from inactive lifestyles — like childhood obesity, Type 1 diabetes, and asthma. Doctors are prescribing outdoor activities to patients. These prescriptions are then filled by the Appalachian Mountain Club.
Prescribing the outdoors — this is brilliant. Outdoors Rx is giving new meaning to “giving someone their walking papers.” The truth of the matter is that too many Americans live sedentary lifestyles and should get out and walk or bike or swim or whatever the doctor orders.
Honestly, watching Bear Grylls slide down a rocky hill from your easy chair or playing video games does not burn many calories. Many health issues are related to poor diet, lack of activity, and a lack of exposure to fresh air.
Dr. Christian Scirica, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, said, “In addition to the widely known benefits of physical activity, research studies have found that exposure to natural environments also improves physical and emotional health. Exposure to the outdoors has been found to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, Vitamin D deficiency, depression and anxiety, and may even improve attention.”
In addition to the physical benefits, spending time outdoors has the added benefit of improving mental health. Imagine that!
I applaud the doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital and other doctors around the nation who are proactively doing something to fight the problems caused by nature deficit disorder — spending too much time indoors.
When it comes to your health, don’t wait for a doctor to give you a prescription. Take the initiative to get outdoors, get your heart rate up, and breathe fresh air. Do something hard and feel the burn. Doctors are reporting an improvement in the health of patients who are venturing out to neighborhood walking and biking trails, to state and national parks, and other outdoor settings. Those of us who live in Texas have the benefit of 95 state parks and natural areas plus some amazing national parks to enjoy year round. Regardless of where you live in the Lone Star State, you are within easy driving distance of outdoor adventure at one of our many parks. You can bike, hike, run, climb, swim, camp, or just relax and enjoy the fresh air.
I recommend spending a few bucks on a Texas State Parks Pass. A park pass will make it more convenient to venture to any park, even at the last minute. In addition to enjoying free entry, a park pass will entitle you to some nice discounts on campsites and other park amenities. And, the modest cost of the card helps maintain our parks for all to enjoy.
So, don’t wait for a doctor to prescribe the outdoors. Write your own prescription to get outdoors and enjoy all that Texas has to offer.
The Devils River is one of the lesser known rivers in Texas — and that is just fine! Defiantly snaking its way through some of the most rugged terrain in the Lone Star State, this is a river that lives up to its name. Texas Monthly magazine reported, “If the Devils River were a woman, Willie would have married her twice and we would be crying into our beer as he lamented her wicked ways.” As a canoeist, the Devils River has been on my list of must-do paddling adventures in Texas. However, paddling on this river requires a bit of research and connecting with the right outfitter. The river flows through private ranches whose owners do not allow camping on the long riparian stretches of their big backyards. This also means that there are few public take-out sites along the way. So, careful planning is essential. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department cautions that a trip on the Devils River is suitable only for experienced paddlers who are prepared to spend more than a day on the river. There are a number of Class I and Class II rapids, deep pools, strong headwinds, rocky shallows, and dense canebrakes along the route. Knowing how to pick your line and when to apply a good draw stroke are vital to successfully navigating the rocky rapids. My dream of paddling the Devils River became a reality through the generosity of some dear friends. The best part about it was the opportunity to share this adventure with my son Jonathan and a few of our paddling friends. Our team traveled to Rocker U Ranch where Dougal and Cathy Cameron welcomed us with the warmest of Texas hospitality. Their beautiful ranch sits along a three-mile stretch of the Devils River below Baker’s Crossing. Dougal, a real estate professional, is no stranger to the Devils River. Although not an outfitter by trade, he understands the pulse of this waterway, how to navigate through the confusing canebrakes, the best islands for camping (since you are not allowed to camp along the banks), the warning signs that indicate the potential for a flash flood, and the fascinating history of the river. He is an excellent paddler and proved to be the perfect guide. Dougal led us from his ranch all the way to the magnificent Dolan Falls, a 10-foot Class IV waterfall about 16.4 miles downstream from Baker’s Crossing. Dolan Falls is the largest continuously flowing waterfall in Texas. At the bottom of the falls is a deep blue swimming hole — a perfect place for jumping in from the smooth overhead crag. Our guys could not resist the temptation to dive in. The Devils River is regarded as the most pristine river in Texas. And indeed it is. We saw absolutely not one scrap of trash along the way. The spring-fed water was a consistent turquoise and blue, and clear all the way to the bottom. In fact, we filled our water bottles from the river and drank it unfiltered. Not many places left where you can do that! The banks of the river are lined with elm, sycamore, live oak, pecan, mountain laurel, and a variety of other trees and shrubs. The hills on either side are pockmarked with natural caves that beg to be explored. Dougal has found numerous arrowheads along the river banks on his property, an indication that native Americans once lived along this river. We did have an opportunity to fish along the way and caught and released several large and smallmouth bass. We spent the night on Game Warden Rock in the middle of the river. That was a cool experience. We slept under the stars and enjoyed an amazing display of thunder and lightning off in the distance. Jonathan summed it up by saying that while we may not have slept like a rock it was really cool sleeping on a rock. From Dolan Falls, we did something that I doubt few, if any, other paddlers have done. We paddled up river back to Dougal’s place. That meant, of course, portaging the many rapids and rocky shallows on the way back. No problem! This made for a great adventure and we actually made good time. We arrived back at Rocker U Ranch in time for a late lunch followed by a sumptuous evening meal. And we arrived with deep gratitude for having shared an adventure of a lifetime. The Devils River is a Texas treasure because of the efforts of the Nature Conservancy and local ranchers to protect the surrounding watershed, including nearly 150,000 acres in the Devils River basin. Paddlers must also do their part to protect this river. To learn more about preparing for a Devils River trip, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s webpage. If you have an opportunity to visit the Devils River, I think you’ll agree that it is indeed a paddlers paradise.
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