Life doesn't get much better than this. Here I lounge in the middle of the Frio River, hands and feet dangling in the cool waters while the sun warms my face. Today I'm going with the flow, dawdling the day away at a leaf's pace through some of the most gorgeous country in God's creation.
Garner State Park, in the Hill Country between Leakey and Concan, Texas, serves as the river's centerpiece. Folks congregate here to plumb its clear depths, languish atop its slow-moving currents, and wander the surrounding movie-perfect countryside.
The Frio begins 27 miles north of the park on the Edwards Plateau. There, rainfall percolates down through the limestone strata, carving caves and underground streams. When that same water bubbles back up to the surface as springs, it forms the river.
Floating on the Frio makes me feel like a kid again. If I get too hot, I'll splash a handful of the sparkling water on me--or maybe I'll wait for a shady spot or a deep pool where it feels like iced tea. By the time the chill works its magic, I'll float back into the comforting blanket of sunshine. Sometimes, I'll dive to the bottom--it's all rock and pebbles without silt and mud--for a good drenching. The Frio is the only place I feel comfortable opening my eyes underwater.
