With apologies to songsmith Paul Simon, there must be 50 ways to beat the summertime blues. Just slip out the door and cruise on down to one of the more than 100 Texas State Parks . The river's still in good shape and people are still floating down the river and camping out. Swimmers and scuba divers are flocking to the 77-degree waters whose visibility has actually been enhanced by the lack of rainfall. Just down the highway, Davis Mountains State Park , home to historic Indian Lodge, offers a refreshing break from the arid Trans-Pecos area throughout the summer.
Evenings are cool and mornings brisk, promoting such activities as hiking and birdwatching.
Summers can be toasty, indeed, in the Trans-Pecos, but river sports can be enjoyed in unlikely locales. One of them is the Devils River State Natural Area north of Del Rio. A 9-mile run from the park to the first takeout at Blue Sage subdivision comes highly recommended. Even conditions at state parks further north along the Caprock are favorable for outdoor recreation at this time. Further east in Hardeman County, Copper Breaks State Park 's manmade lake is seeing plenty of water recreation activity.