Along the Frio

Growing up on the Texas Gulf Coast, visits to the “Hill Country” came on a regular basis to escape the humidity and enjoy the refreshing, cool waters of rivers like the Frio.

In the spring of 2025, I had a chance to take my blushing bride of 47 years on a trip into the hill country visiting places like Austin, San Antonio, Wimberly, Kerrville, Medina, Bandera, Fredericksburg and Leakey. Fortunately, this visit was well before the decimating floods that struck in early July. I wanted to show her what I considered to be the best part of this state and that included going to Leakey and viewing the Frio River that originates only a short distance to the north. As a child I had several memories of camping trips to Garner State Park which borders the Frio and offers numerous recreational activities. The seemingly frigid waters (for Texas) offered such a relief from late spring and summer heat.

Along the banks of many of the hill country rivers grow stately bald cypress trees that provide a shady canopy along the riverbanks. This deciduous conifer often grows with roots in the water and has lacy, fine needle leaves, a grayish/brown bark and russet-red fall color. A visit to the Frio offered several chances for us to view and photograph both the river and these impressive trees. The rot-resistant heartwood is used to make fence posts, doors, flooring and even caskets. They grow from 35 to over 120 feet tall with typical diameters of 3 to 7 feet, but one very old tree near Leakey has a 39 foot circumference! This short visit provided the perfect opportunity to photograph iconic hill country scenes that resurrected several pleasant, childhood memories.