The details of the events are posted on Meetup. If you would like to join an event as a non-member, please contact us to RSVP and get details.
Our monthly meetings are every 4th Tuesday of every month. Anyone is welcome to attend. We offer both in person and Zoom options based on the current health advisories.
We welcome speakers on various outdoor related topics at every monthly meeting. If you have expertise on a topic or know of someone who does, please contact us.
Time for kayaking!
Lifejackets/PFDs are mandatory for this outing!
We meet at the Rowing Dock on the s. shore of Lady Bird Lake, behind Zilker Park (www.rowingdock.com) between 5:30 and 6, planning to be on the water by 6 pm in the sleek new boats with great seats and working footpegs. $15 (cash preferred) will rent your boat, paddle, and lifejacket as we head upstream toward Tom Miller Dam, or downstream to admire the skyline and downtown buildings.
If you are new to TOWN or haven’t been out with us in a while or have an afternoon open, you can’t find a better way to enjoy the heart of Austin than on a cool, leisurely paddle on Lady Bird Lake. Two hours of scenery, sights, and enjoyable chatting to your fellow-TOWNies and their guests, followed by a social hour enjoyment on dry land at venues such as Shady Grove, Maudie’s, Rudy’s Barbecue . . . and the Four Seasons. Not kidding, but not usual, either.
If you have your own boat, you can put in behind the Rowing Dock at no charge. We will help you tote it from your car to the small dock.
Camping Trip to Matagorda Bay Nature Park
April 27th – 30th
Outing Leader/RSVP: CarrieL
What: Camping, Birding, Kayaking, Beach Combing, Fishing, Museums
Where: Matagorda Bay Nature Park in Matagorda (near Bay City, Tx.)
When: Arriving Thurs. April 27 and departing Sun., April 30
Who: TOWN members, husbands/boyfriends
This is a birding outing during Spring migration combined with a camping trip to the beach!
The Matagorda peninsula is known as one of the best birding areas. Matagorda Bay Nature Park is located on the Matagorda peninsula at the mouth of the Colorado River where it meets the Gulf of Mexico. Over 1600 acres were acquired here in 2001 with 2 mi. of river front and 2 mi. of beach front.
We will explore the Nature Park and its science center. If you’d like, we can do some fishing from the piers over the river and on the Gulf. They have a tackle loaner program, but bring what you have and we can give our fishing skills a try (license is required).
Bring your binoculars and bird books. We will tour the Matagorda County Birding and Nature Center in Bay City, and walk the trails there doing some birding. We may also check out the birding at the highly acclaimed Mad Island Marsh Preserve, but only if we have the time and there is interest. In Bay City, we will also take a quick look through the small Matagorda Co. Museum giving us some history and the story of LaSalle’s shipwreck of the LaBelle.
(See History attachment.) There is also another little museum in Palacios (aka the “city by the sea”) with a replica of the LaBelle, if we decide to drive to Palacios.
You also need to bring your kayak because we will kayak up the Colorado and across to an island on the Gulf side with unspoiled beach for shell hunting. So bring bags and containers to hold your treasures too!
And of course, we will have to eat seafood! Recommended seafood places are Poco Playa and Spoonbills, the Blessing Hotel for down-home Southern cooking, (buffet 11-2), and Fat Grass for all foods. I’m sure we can manage one or two of these!
You may reserve on-line at www.lcra.org/reserve or call 855-392-7638. I have reserved a South Loop site #7 on the water. The best sites to reserve if you can get them are South Loop sites #5-14 (water front for $37+$5 daily entry fee) or sites #32-39 (premium sites for $32+$5 daily entry fee). Site costs are pricey, so let’s have tenters and RVers sharing sites to make it most affordable for all. (No limit on tents per site, but limit of 8 people.)
If you’re interested, reserve as soon as possible because sites will go fast during Spring migration.
Looking forward to another adventure!
CarrieL
Lake Belton Camping
Live Oak Ridge Campground
April 28-30
Outing Leader/RSVP: LindaBW
What: Camping / Hiking
Where: Live Oak Ridge / Lake Belton.
2000 FM 2271 – Belton, TX 76513
Who: TOWN members and guests
When: April 28-30
Note from Linda:
Hi All:
I wanted to squeeze in a quick weekend of camping as I am unable to attend Matagorda or Lake Whitney.
Lake Belton is rated highly with Recreation.gov but it will be a new adventure for me. This is a Corp of Engineering lake located just north of Belton. Their website states there is 136 miles of shoreline for boating, camping and nature trails.
If you have been there please feel free to fill me in on things to see or do. A more detailed agenda will come later but more than likely we’ll have a pretty laid-back outing so that you are all rested for Whitney the following weekend. We will of course plan to eat a communal meal Saturday evening.
The 2 of us who have committed are in sites 17 and 19. Apparently there are about another 20 spaces still available (and half-price with your senior pass). Reservations are made through the Reservation.gov website.
Hope to see you there for the weekend or just for the day.
*** Not a TOWN-Austin sponsored event, but some of our members will attend.
Thanks for speaking with me yesterday. I wanted to follow up with you to give you more information about the Force of Nature campaign and the REI Women in the Outdoors event on May 6th.
On a national level, REI just announced our Force of Nature campaign to inspire and actively create more opportunities for women to get outdoors. Throughout the rest of the year, this campaign is going to yield more women-specific REI classes across the country, greater variety and higher quality in women’s clothing and gear, and more visibility for women in REI’s blogs, videos, photos and more.
On May 6th, we are officially kicking off Force of Nature, and locally we’ll be celebrating by offering women-specific outdoor classes all around the Austin area, and we’ll end the day with an awesome party at the Kammok Headquarters on E 7th Street. This party, the REI Celebration of Women in the Outdoors, will be a social event with snacks, drinks, films, activities, mini-classes and an announcement series by local women involved in the outdoors. The announcement series is going to consist of 5-10 women speakers giving a brief 3-minute long talk about what they do to get themselves outdoors and how they inspire others to get outdoors more. We’ll have informational tables set aside where these speakers can display more information and talk to attendees more, if folks want more than 3 minutes of information.
The tentative timeline for the event is below:
5-6:45pm Check in & mingling
6:45-7:15pm Announcement series
7:15-8 Show films/yoga session
8pm Announce raffle prize winners
8-9pm Mingle and wind down
Wednesday Walkers
Wednesday, May 10 – 8:30 am
Turkey Creek Trail
Join me for a hike that crosses creeks and is mostly in the shade.
Outing Leader/RSVP: Jacque Austin – by Tuesday May 9th please
When: Wednesday, May 10th at 8:30 am
Where: Turkey Creek Trail http://www.texashiking.com/Locations/ShowLocation.aspx?LocationID=1611 If you reach the entrance to the campground and see a kiosk, you have gone too far
1600 City Park Road, Austin, TX 78730
Getting There: From central Austin, take FM 2222 west, past Loop 360. Turn left onto City Park Road and continue south to the Emma Long Park entrance sign. The parking area for the trail is two miles from the park entrance sign, on the right hand side of the road. The parking is right after a sharp turn in the road, so be prepared when you cross Turkey Creek to turn off the road.
Shoes: Hiking shoes/boots, tennis shoes; no sandals or flip-flops. Your feet will get wet.
Canines: Definitely welcome, prepare to pick up poop.
Distance: 2.7 miles with no facilities or water source. There are some inclines and loose rocks. Sometimes we go exploring on new trails.
Bring:, water, sunscreen, snacks, poles for crossing the creek, etc. Friends and spouses are invited.
Thanks! Jacque
Time for kayaking!
Lifejackets/PFDs are mandatory for this outing!
We meet at the Rowing Dock on the s. shore of Lady Bird Lake, behind Zilker Park (www.rowingdock.com) between 5:30 and 6, planning to be on the water by 6 pm in the sleek new boats with great seats and working footpegs. $15 (cash preferred) will rent your boat, paddle, and lifejacket as we head upstream toward Tom Miller Dam, or downstream to admire the skyline and downtown buildings.
If you are new to TOWN or haven’t been out with us in a while or have an afternoon open, you can’t find a better way to enjoy the heart of Austin than on a cool, leisurely paddle on Lady Bird Lake. Two hours of scenery, sights, and enjoyable chatting to your fellow-TOWNies and their guests, followed by a social hour enjoyment on dry land at venues such as Shady Grove, Maudie’s, Rudy’s Barbecue . . . and the Four Seasons. Not kidding, but not usual, either.
If you have your own boat, you can put in behind the Rowing Dock at no charge. We will help you tote it from your car to the small dock.
Berry Springs Park & Preserve (Georgetown, TX)
Saturday, May 13th
Outing Leader/RSVP: CarolynD
What: Walk about 1.5 hours (about 4 miles) in a beautiful Georgetown park. We’ll see wildflowers, birds, butterflies, lots of trees, ponds, Berry Creek and a few donkeys. The walking surface is mostly paved concrete, but sections of gravel, crushed granite, dirt, mulch and grass. It is easy – the trail is flat. I recommend wearing hiking shoes or sturdy sneakers. If you would like to join me for a picnic lunch after the hike, please pack a lunch for yourself.
Where: Berry Springs Park & Preserve is at 1801 C.R. 152, Georgetown, TX 78626. Click Here for directions and more info. Meet me in the parking lots by the restroom, just past the old homestead and donkey stable. I’ll wait in the shade near the restroom.
When: Saturday, May 13th at 9:30 a.m.
Who: TOWN members and their guests, including well behaved leashed dogs. Sorry – they don’t allow un-leashed dogs.
Cost: Free
Hike at Travis County Reimers Ranch Park
Saturday, May 20
Time: 9 am
Join SallieN and Jacque at the Travis County Reimers Ranch Park.
Outing Leader/RSVP: Leader is SallieN, but please RSVP to Jacque by Friday May 19th .
When: Saturday, May 20th
Time: 9 am
Where: Travis County Reimers Ranch Park https://parks.traviscountytx.gov/find-a-park/reimers-ranch
Address: 23610 Hamilton Rd. , Dripping Springs, TX, 78620
Shoes: Hiking shoes/boots, tennis shoes; no sandals or flip-flops.
Canines: Definitely welcome on leash, prepare to pick up poop.
Distance: 2.7 miles with no facilities or water source. There are some inclines and loose rocks. Sometimes we go exploring on new trails.
Bring: Your lunch, Lisa will provide watermelon. We will have a picnic after hiking. Also bring water, sunscreen, snacks, poles for crossing the creek, etc. Friends and spouses are invited.
Thanks! Jacque
Notes from Travis County Park – PLEASE READ — WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU COME
- Activities at Reimers Ranch Park include rock climbing, mountain biking, swimming, fishing, hiking, and equestrian trail riding. We will be hiking, not rock climbing!
- The park is open from 7 am to twilight. We do NOT allow camping
- Fees are $10 per vehicle. Vehicles with a Senior Citizen ( 62 years) or a Disabled Vet (60%) are not charged.
ALERT: Fee Change Starting May 1 Through September 30, on every weekend and holiday – A $5 surcharge will be applied to all vehicles and pedestrians on summer weekends and holidays. This $5 fee will be in addition to the usual $10 entrance fee and will apply to all vehicles, including those with Annual, Senior Lonestar, and Veteran Lonestar Permits. The fee will not be assessed on weekdays that are not holidays. This added fee is necessary to help offset the costs of operating the park during times of peak visitation.
- We accept cash and local checks. We do NOT accept credit cards.
- Pets are allowed, but must remain on leash at all times.
- Glass bottles and public display of alcohol consumption are not allowed.
- Cooking grills are allowed, but they must be above ground and not pose a fire hazard. You can burn gas and charcoal, but not wood due to the flying embers. The park does not provide cooking grills.
- Swimming takes place in the Pedernales River. Swimmers usually hike about 300 yards from the parking lot to the river. On busy summer weekends and holidays, the hike might be as long as a half-mile.
- The Mountain Bike Trails close down after a significant rain to maintain their integrity. They re-open after they have thoroughly dried. Check with the fee booth staff for current status of the mountain bike trails.
- Rock climbing and mountain biking are inherently hazardous activities. Please read the warning signs at the beginning of the trail heads leading to these activity areas.
Our TOWN-Austin monthly meeting occurs each month on the fourth Tuesday.
Our agenda is typically the following: bring your brown-bag dinner or a snack; we gather at 6 pm & socialize; 6:30-7:00 greetings, introductions, business, outings reports and planning; 7- 8 speaker; 8 – 8:15 adjournment and cleanup.
Our speaker Matthew McDermott is a certified NASAR (National Association of Search and Rescue) SARTech II and worked as a volunteer K9 Search and Rescue Dog Handler for 10 years serving the FBI, Austin, San Antonio, Lakeway Police Departments, Travis County and Bexar County Sheriffs Departments. In that role, Matthew assisted in several high-profile cases and many more that never made the news. The missions ranged from body recovery, clandestine grave detection, evidence recovery and primary investigation to establish probable cause for a search warrant. Matthew also assisted in recovery efforts in Louisiana and Texas following Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike.
There are two parts to Matt’s planned presentation which are both fun and informative. He works hard to provide an entertaining look at what it means to be a K9 handler.
Staying Found: This program is suited to children, young adults and their parents. This presentation discusses preparations that you can make before venturing out to be sure you are ready for a search emergency. He will discuss what to do if you find that you are lost and how to stay safe. Matt will review how search emergencies are handled and how search dogs do their job. This presentation is perfectly suited to anyone interested in the outdoors.
Dog Training: Matt will discuss how he raises and trains his search dogs. He will discuss various training techniques specific to Search and Rescue and the many types of training scenarios that should be considered when preparing a dog for SAR work.
Join us and bring a friend!
Time for kayaking!
Lifejackets/PFDs are mandatory for this outing!
We meet at the Rowing Dock on the s. shore of Lady Bird Lake, behind Zilker Park (www.rowingdock.com) between 5:30 and 6, planning to be on the water by 6 pm in the sleek new boats with great seats and working footpegs. $15 (cash preferred) will rent your boat, paddle, and lifejacket as we head upstream toward Tom Miller Dam, or downstream to admire the skyline and downtown buildings.
If you are new to TOWN or haven’t been out with us in a while or have an afternoon open, you can’t find a better way to enjoy the heart of Austin than on a cool, leisurely paddle on Lady Bird Lake. Two hours of scenery, sights, and enjoyable chatting to your fellow-TOWNies and their guests, followed by a social hour enjoyment on dry land at venues such as Shady Grove, Maudie’s, Rudy’s Barbecue . . . and the Four Seasons. Not kidding, but not usual, either.
If you have your own boat, you can put in behind the Rowing Dock at no charge. We will help you tote it from your car to the small dock.