On March 14 we departed for Lake Conroe Resort and Marina, one of our Western Horizon resorts, approximately 50 miles north of downtown Houston, Texas, and three miles west of Conroe, a rapidly growing bedroom community of Houston. We received some light rain after setting up camp. Houston received over two inches, while Rockport received one foot. Yes, that’s right, one foot, as in 12". Glad we left when we did!

Conroe is on the southern edge of Sam Houston National Forest with its towering pines, rolling hills and woodland lakes. Nestled in the heavily wooded watershed of the San Jacinto River, Lake Conroe is one of the most beautiful man-made lakes in Texas. It is 19 miles long and five miles across at its widest point and covers almost 21,000 acres. One third of its 150-mile winding shoreline lies within the beautiful Sam Houston National Forest.

We drove to Jones State Forest, a 1,725 acre mixed pine/hardwood forest about five miles southwest of Conroe. The forest provides habitat for over 137 species of birds, some very common and a few seen only occasionally. Several rare species, including the red-cockaded woodpecker, may be sighted. We wandered through a number of forest clusters in search of that endangered woodpecker to no avail. We heard the songs of many birds but saw only the Blue Jay, which is very common in the piney woods of East Texas. We walked the Sweetleaf Nature Trail, a one-mile loop through the forest. The plant community includes loblolly pine, shortleaf pine, longleaf pine, American sycamore, redbay, sweetgum, flowering dogwood, mockernut hickory, red maple, winged elm, southern red oak, water oak, post oak, white oak, black cherry, southern magnolia, dwarf palmetto, black gum, basswood, river birch and common sweetleaf. The loblolly pine might be referred to as the "money tree" of the South. It is the most common and valuable tree species in East Texas. This fast-growing yellow pine reaches heights of 170’ and is used for lumber, plywood, paper, poles and posts.

Old Town Spring is approximately 20 miles north of Houston. Nestled among towering sycamore and pecan trees, it offers tours, museums, restaurants, two wineries and a trolley for easy access to all shops. Some of the shops occupy buildings that were constructed in the early 1900s for the then booming railroad town. Located near the original rail yards built in the early 1900s by the Great Northern Railroad, Old Town Spring is a quaint turn-of-the-century town composed of more than 150 restaurants, museums, art galleries, and specialty shops offering antiques, collectibles, crafts, clothing, accessories for the home and gifts for all occasions. The Victorian-style buildings have character that adds to the nostalgic feeling of having "stepped back in time".

We drove approximately 15 miles south of Conroe to The Woodlands, located on I-45, 27 miles north of downtown Houston. A major road improvement project on I-45 south resulted in grid-lock. Growth of the community has been spurred by the tremendous growth of nearby Houston. Its population has grown from 8,000 people in 1980 to 60,000 today. Our first stop was the Woodlands Homefinder Information Center. The informative staff provided us with a wealth of information about living, working, playing and learning in The Woodlands. We viewed their 14-minute movie presentation, Time and Space, and examined the topographic map table and displays that highlight the wide range of housing, recreational amenities and public services.

The Woodlands is the result of one man’s dream to create a community in harmony with nature. It began with the forward-thinking vision of George P. Mitchell, wildcatter and oil and real estate entrepreneur. The journey from vision to reality began in 1964 with Mitchell’s first land purchase in southern Montgomery County. More than 500 separate land transactions were required, continuing into the 1990s, to assemble the 27,000 acres that The Woodlands encompasses today. In 1972, construction of The Woodlands began; its population topped 50,000 in 1997. Thick stands of trees still line major thoroughfares, leading one visiting architect to refer to it as "the invisible city". The Woodlands has emphasized rigorous planning and efficiency of land use throughout its 26-year history.

Approximately one quarter of the 27,000 acres is designated for use as greenbelts, parks and protected reserves to help retain the natural beauty of the forest. Acres of undisturbed forest, more than 70 parks and 90 miles of lush, forested hiking and biking trails bring nature and serenity to the community. Complementing the forested splendor of The Woodlands is a collection of inspiring outdoor works of art. Also, four championship golf courses, including the Palmer Golf Course and The Tournament Players Course™, home of the annual Shell Houston Open PGA event, offer a variety of challenges for golfers; and a fifth course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is slated for completion in the fall of 2000.

The Woodlands Waterway, a scenic water feature that will link entertainment venues, restaurants, shops and businesses in Town Center, is now under construction. This 1-1/4-mile drainage ditch is being transformed into a scenic transportation corridor linking people to shops, offices and entertainment. The waterway project is designed to allow people to simply drive their car to the corridor, then park and use a choice of transportation modes –- walking, riding a trolley or taking a water taxi –- to reach shops, restaurants and other destinations.

We went "on the road again" to Thousand Trails Lake Tawakoni Preserve. The gentle rolling hills surrounding Lake Tawakoni lie on the eastern edge of the Texas prairie, approximately 40 miles east of Dallas. Amid the 480 acres of thick, oak-covered terrain, this preserve offers six miles of lakefront area. Warm and muggy weather, with morning thunderstorms and mixed sun and clouds in the afternoon and severe thunderstorm warnings and severe rain watches during late afternoon and evening, seemed to be the order of the day. American robin, eastern bluebird, red-headed woodpecker, white-breasted nuthatch, carolina chickadee, bluejay, mockingbird, northern cardinal, blue heron, and mallard duck are among the bird species we’ve seen here. There were also squirrels present. Unfortunately, the flying bugs are bad here.

We had now been in the Lone Star State for 52 days. What, then, did we think of the Great State of Texas?

Wildflowers – Texas has an abundance. Every turn in the road can bring a new palette of colors, from deep blues to sunny yellows and every shade in between.

The weather – it’s hot and humid, and it took us a long time to adjust to it (but now that we are home in dry, dry Alberta, we miss it). Also, this is a tornado hot spot – you never let your guard down. We had to be ready to take steps to protect ourselves from killer storms.

The wind – yes, it is true what they say about Texas: the wind always blows.

Birding – Texas is a Birder’s paradise. The 700-mile Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, the first of its kind in the U.S., is finished. The trail is detailed in three separate maps; birders are guided by numbered, colored symbols that correspond to 308 birding sites. Texas has recorded 618 bird species, more than any other state.

Hiking – yes, we missed the hiking, however, Big Bend and Guadeloupe National Parks have ample hiking trails.

Would we return to Texas? Most definitely! We have yet to explore the Hill Country and the Galveston area, and San Antonio – which we last visited five to eight years ago – is a favourite waiting to be savoured again.