- NARRATOR: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Television Series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding is provided by Toyota.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Toyota--Let's Go Places.

Coming up on Texas Parks & Wildlife... - The gravel roads, they're the veins that pump the life into the heart of Texas.

- Being able to look across the water, watch the sunset-- it does something good for the soul.

- Those memories and those special moments you will not forget.

[theme music] ♪ ♪ - NARRATOR: Texas Parks & Wildlife, a television series for all outdoors.

[birds chirping] - BRANDON: We don't have a lot of public land in Texas.

We got terrific state parks, national parks, but really the gravel roads, that's our public space.

Jerod and I were on this back road in Big Bend, just outside the state park, and I said, "Hey, I got this idea about riding motorcycles across Texas.

He's like, "I'm in."

And I just kind of became enamored with this idea of finding public spaces to explore in Texas.

[laughing] - He said, "You know, I'm really thinking about pitching this story that involves riding adventure motorcycles across the state of Texas."

I was in.

Like, I told him, I was like, "I'll do this.

I want to shoot this, and I'll do it with you."

[waves crashing] [wind blowing] [crickets chirping] [mellow country music] ♪ ♪ [wind blowing] [upbeat guitar music] - BRANDON: So I go from the coast to the highest point in Texas and connect as many gravel roads in between as possible.

And this idea of the back roads being in our public land, that's where you see what Texas was and kind of the Texas history.

It's where people lived and live.

[upbeat guitar music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ - Putting our boots or tires on the ground out here like riding through the, on those dirt roads through the forest yesterday, and then getting here, walking around, being out here on the dock.

I mean, when you set foot in a place when you start to engage it, it's it becomes a whole other thing and you wanna see more.

- BRANDON: Yeah.

I think these pockets like this of Huntsville State Park that are right outside a major city.

And you, it's the contrast is also, it's like, it's like instant therapy.

Boom.

You drive in here and you see the trees and you're like ahh, there's a Chili's right out there.

- JEROD: Yeah.

And a Fairfield Inn and all that.

- But you come in here and you're like, this is, this is what life is.

- JEROD: Yeah, yeah.

- This is life.

[mellow country music] - BRANDON: You've gotta get off the motorcycle and experience some stuff.

We went down to the ocean, the Gulf, and I put my boots in the water.

By the end of this trip, I'll hike up Guadalupe Peak and see what that's like.

- JEROD: You can break dance, can't you?

- BRANDON: No.

[laughs] [mellow country music] - BRANDON: Rolling into a state park at night, pitching a tent in the dark.

That's a challenge.

Then you, you're pretty amped up from the day of riding motorcycles, fighting the elements and going across dirt roads and then stopping.

[mellow country music] Then you roll into campground, you're exhausted, and then you lay in your tent.

No TV and you think about the day.

When do you do that?

We wake up to our present of scenery, and then we gotta leave.

That's been the toughest part, but then I think we're both really looking forward to Black Gap.

That's something we've never seen.

That's wild.

It's out there in the Big Bend.

[mellow country music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ - BRANDON: You're a participant in the elements.

Versus just a spectator looking through.

There's nothing separating you from nature.

- JEROD: Yeah, yeah, and it's, so much of what you do is, is dependent on the environmental conditions that you don't you should think about as a vehicle driver, but you don't have to take into as deep consideration.

- On a motorcycle, it's like coast and then coastal plains, and then boom, Piney woods.

- Yeah.

- It's just like, right.

It's like changing channels real quick on the TV.

You're kind of sampling everything.

And then when we got west of 35 and the further we got, the more wild the country gets.

[mellow country music] - It's one thing to handle a, a bicycle that weighs 25 to 30 pounds.

It's another thing handling, over what can be pretty technical terrain, a 600-plus pound bike whenever it's loaded down.

That's motorized, you know, 100 horsepower bike.

That's got, you know, if you're not nuanced with it enough, can, can really get outta control pretty quick.

[crickets chirping] [mellow country music] - JEROD: Motorcycle travel like this especially isn't easy.

I think it looks easy.

I think it looks maybe a little bit more laid back and there's a certain vibe that goes along with the, the traditional perspective of the motorcycles.

[mellow country music] ♪ ♪ [frustrated sigh] [wind blowing] - JEROD: Well.

[wind blowing] We got tubes.

[motorcycle engine revving] - JEROD: Yeah.

Oh yeah.

[motorcycle engine revving] [cooler dragging] [motorcycle engine revving] Whoa!

[tools clanging] [air compressor humming] [cooler dragging] [mellow country music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ - JEROD: This type of, you know, back road, off-highway riding, even if it's on what looks like really comfortable gravel to ride on can get pretty loose and, and, and iffy pretty quickly if you're not paying attention.

So there's a there's a big mental game that you're always playing on the motorcycle.

- You're not supposed to squat in spurs, pants up or down.

- BRANDON: Our state parks.

I think they are the heart of Texas.

As we traverse these gravel roads, it's kind of made me think that gravel roads, they're the veins that pump the life into the heart of Texas.

[mellow country music] - BRANDON: We've gotta Summit Guadalupe Peak.

I needed to do this, needed to climb high, above the clouds and see what's next.

- JEROD: Yeah.

- BRANDON: But the more I see the state parks, the more I want to go to more, which has always been my nature with, with them.

- JEROD: Yeah.

- BRANDON: And there's nothing quite like the state parks we've stayed in and the diversity and -- - JEROD: Look at that.

Oh, man!

[high-five clap] - We gotta do another motorcycle trip, and connect more state parks.

- Parks we haven't been to... with seafood.

- BRANDON: Seafood.

- Okay.

- BRANDON: All right, all right.

It's in the books.

- All right.

Celebrating a century of Texas State Parks.

[upbeat music] - SHERRIE PRICE: We are at Fort Parker State Park.

We are located between the cities of Mexia and Groesbeck in Limestone County.

It's so open, but yet there's so many trees and shade and it's so quiet.

- MIKE LOFTICE: Everything is just so close and handy.

Campsites are real close to the hiking trails and they're also real close to the swim area... - Ta da!

- MIKE: ...to places to fish, to ride their bikes.

- GIRL: Momma look at this one.

- Oh wow.

Is it soft?

I think that's a rabbit.

- Once a family arrives, they can enjoy all the amenities that the park has to offer without ever getting back in their vehicle.

- NARRATOR: Native Americans were drawn to this site by the natural springs that still flow into the Navasota River.

Anglo settlers, also drawn by the water, established the town of Springfield here in 1838.

- The population at that time period was more than Dallas and Houston's population put together.

[bell ringing] - NARRATOR: When the railroad bypassed Springfield in the 1870s, the town began to fade away.

Today, the only thing that remains of this once bustling community is the historic Springfield Cemetery, located within the park.

- MIKE: The first and largest slave owner of Limestone County is buried there.

But there are also freed slaves buried in that same cemetery.

This was a very unique thing to happen here.

- My dad is buried over there.

That was the only cemetery that was integrated from the beginning.

[CCC film music] - NARRATOR: During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps was established to provide jobs for unemployed young men.

- MIKE: The people of the surrounding communities actually petitioned the government to get a CCC camp out here to make a recreational park.

The number of the CCC camp was 3807-C and the C stood for "colored."

- Life in the camp, I would say it was beautiful.

When you was out there working on that farm, you didn't know where your next meal was coming from.

But when you was in the CC camp, you know where you were going to get the three hots a day.

- MIKE: The CCC not only built the dam that backed up the Navasota River to form Fort Parker Lake, they also built the recreation hall.

They constructed the roads.

They built picnic tables.

The CCC just did a fantastic job here.

They were proud of what they had done, and rightfully so.

- WILLIAM HARWOOD: Well, I found a mushroom.

Does that count?

- MIKE: The Burr Oak Nature Trail is just an ideal length trail for families with young children.

- ANN: Turk's Cap.

- MIKE: It's also marked with plant identification markers.

- The bright red flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

- ANN: It's a fairly hot day but the trail is completely shaded so it's easy to do.

That's got to be the big burr oak.

The kids enjoyed it and we're going to go swimming now because the swimming hole is right next to the trail head.

[kids laughing and splashing] [playful music] - REBECCA LIGHT: The trails here offer a lot of variety for different styles of riding, whether you are a seasoned rider or you're here with your family.

It just kind of offers a nice flow.

You're going to have some descent and ascent.

And along with that, you do have some twists and turns, some rocks and roots which makes it a little bit more exciting for those that are a little more seasoned.

Wahoo!

This is where we come to ride a lot.

This is home away from home, for sure.

[small boat motor running] - HOWARD GREGORY: We're on the Navasota River at Fort Parker State Park.

In this river, the crappie is probably the most sought-after game fish.

I go for these bass.

There's some good-sized fish in here.

He's about wore out.

The biggest one I've caught out here is 9 pounds and 13 ounces.

That's a keeper.

But the biggest one that's been caught is 12 pounds and 2 ounces.

There's another one.

It's good enough to where I keep coming back three times a week.

That's a typical Fort Parker black bass.

Didn't get skunked.

- SHERRIE: Canoeing and kayaking is very popular because not only can they canoe and kayak the lake, they also have the Navasota River that they can kayak.

And that hosts a whole other world of wildlife that they get to see when they're going up and down the river.

- REBECCA: Like that little slide there!

- MIKE: You can come out here and just have a really fun time relaxing and spending time with your family, making memories that will last a lifetime in a very relaxed atmosphere.

- SHERRIE: The one thing that I love about Fort Parker State Park is the serenity.

being able to look across the water, watch the sunset, watch the birds fly across, it does something good for the soul.

[dramatic music] - Going out and hunting not only creates a big bond, but you get to spend more time with your husband and your children.

- All the doves are flying.

- Yeah, they're all flying.

[wings flapping] [gun clicking] Can you still hear me?

- Huh?

[group laughing] - Can you still hear me?

- At one time it was just me and the kids, we're out in the woods, you know, going, and then my wife didn't hunt.

She just loved to fish.

And then one day I asked her, "Hey, would you love to join us?"

And now that I got her in the woods, now I got an animal.

[laughs] [gun firing] - Yes, got it.

I can't stop.

I love it.

It's now a competition.

[laughing] And yes, last year I was better.

- It ain't nothing better than having a family out here, You know, it's priceless.

[sentimental music] - We're here today with my husband, two of my children, which is Scotty and Shane, [muffled speaking] and my grandson Noah.

[hands slap] - Ooh.

Ooh.

[laughs] - It's not only about being with the family.

Just sitting out there enjoying the wildlife, the adventure, the nature.

It's so beautiful.

[birds chirping] I just love it.

[birds chirping] [dramatic music] - The benefits of having WMAs in the state of Texas are that we serve as an example of good land stewards, but also provide public hunting opportunities, because the vast majority of Texas is privately owned.

Once you pay the annual public hunting permit, you get access to nearly 1,000,000 acres of public hunting opportunities.

While the management areas also serves as shelter for a lot of native species of Texas, some of those that are endangered, WMAs help keep Texas wild.

[javelinas growling] [dramatic music] - There are a lot of great places to dove hunt across the state of Texas, but when it comes to public lands, Las Palomas WMA has been kind of the premier spot.

This is where most of our hunters see the best success year in and year out.

This property was acquired with hunter funds from the Migratory Game Bird Endorsement, and the funds from that endorsement go directly back into habitat conservation and public hunting opportunities.

- Here in the WMAs is basically the spot I'll probably stay and hunt for the rest of my life.

You come out early morning, the sun's coming up, dew's on the grass, loading up your gun, and getting ready for the day's hunt.

It's a little piece of heaven.

There are some getting up right there.

Just get your $48 license, you hunt and go home.

It's carefree.

A little high.

The hunting is great.

I wouldn't give it up for anything.

[laughs] It look like they're coming from the south side and coming across the field.

Should be able to give us some action here in a little bit.

Here comes a dove right here.

Here we go.

[upbeat music] [gun firing] [gun firing] Got him.

Looking for the birds are the hardest part.

It's not bad.

It's a good job for a dog though.

See feathers here.

Here we go.

[sighs] Gold mine.

Found her.

[upbeat music] Let's get back to work.

[cicada chirping] The patience of dove hunting.

[suspenseful music] Waiting for the next one.

[bird cooing] Here we go.

[gun firing] Five shots, four birds.

That's pretty good.

[laughs] As I'm leaving the field, I'm thinking about the next time I will put my feet on Las Palomas.

It's been a good year, and I'll see everybody next year in the same place.

- Here comes one, right over top.

[gun firing] - Oh, I missed.

- You can be my bird watcher.

So, we're gonna go down here, and we're gonna look for some birds, and you're gonna find them for me.

You ready?

[guitar music] [hands clap] Let's go, come on.

- Here comes one, right here.

Ah, you see that Shane?

[guns firing] - CAROL: Yes, got it.

- We were able to take one down, finally.

Is it a white wing or mourning dove?

- Mourning dove.

- No, it's a white one, look.

You don't usually get a family that do it all, so it's really something special, honestly, to have mom and pops and the little ones out here, honestly.

Teaching 'em the ropes.

- I got a bird.

- All right!

- First bird.

That's so awesome.

- What kind of bird is that?

- It's a white wing.

- GREGORY: You're a good little bird dog.

- There you go.

Look at him following Shane.

- SHANE: Come on, Noah.

[Carol laughing] - I'm gonna look for more birds.

- I like that he has a big smile on his face, and he's got something to go home and tell Mama.

She's gonna be proud of him.

That makes us happy as grandparents.

- Gotta look around, up in the trees, in the sunflower field.

- CAROL: Seeing our children, at a very young age, bonding, family time, the memories, all those pictures I took.

All those wonderful moments.

It's just something very precious to a mother, to see those kids loving it and the excitement and the fun that we had together.

It's tradition that's passing down.

[laughing] [guitar music] Now the family's here at my house, and this is the most wonderful part of it all.

After we go hunting, we have a great dinner.

Thank you for letting us harvest this food that we're about to eat.

What makes me happy is having the family together.

[laughing] Those traditions just keep on going.

Those memories and those special moments you will not forget, and it's just priceless.

[seagulls calling] [seagulls calling] [water lapping] [water lapping] [water lapping] [water lapping] [water lapping] [water lapping] [water lapping] [water lapping] [water lapping] [water lapping] [water lapping] [water lapping] - NARRATOR: This series is supported in part by Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation -- conserving the wild things and wild places of Texas, thanks to members across the state.

Additional funding is provided by Toyota.

Your local Toyota dealers are proud to support outdoor recreation and conservation in Texas.

Toyota--Let's Go Places.