growing back

Back from the ashes: Our family's first visit to a new Bastrop State Park

Burned pine trees along Park Road 1A.
Photo by Kathleen Jennings
Park Road 1A is open.
Photo by Kathleen Jennings
Damage from the September 2011 fire.
Photo by Kathleen Jennings
The Jennings family riding through Bastrop State Park.
Photo by Kathleen Jennings
Bastrop State Park historical cabin.
Photo by Kathleen Jennings

Bastrop State Park has emerged from the ashes: The park is open once again after the raging wildfires of September 2011. The park spans almost 8,000 acres, and during last Fall's fires, nearly 95 percent of that was burned; it's a hard statistic to swallow.

It's been a long road to recovery, and it is far from over. Thanks to the Texas Parks and Wildlife — and countless volunteers — the park is able to welcome faithful visitors and newcomers who are curious to see what the fires wrath left behind.

I feel lucky to have been among the first to visit the area this year, because Bastrop State Park has a tie to my family: We've been sneaking away from Austin (and reality) and heading south to the park's calmer, cooler refuge for years. Our reservation to stay in the cabins again this year had been put on hold until the Texas Parks and Wildlife could ensure it was safe to return.

We drove in on a late April night, in the cover of darkness, so it was hard to immediately decipher what had changed. The cabin area looked the same, the warm glow coming from the familiar log cabins, standing since the 1930s. It felt good to be back.

By morning, the anticipation was building — we weren't sure what to expect. We wandered outside and a few glances around showed us just how lucky we were to be back.

Evidence of just how close the flames were to the cabins were on almost every tree, just feet from the weathered wooden structures.

Firefighter Dan Alexander, with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, was one of those hunkered down around the cabins. We ran into him on our first morning at the park. We listened to his tales, asked a lot of questions and were amazed at what he and his fellow firefighters were able to accomplish.

Back in September, during the first hours of the blaze, firefighters made an all out effort to save the cabins. About 10 firefighters originally began the battle, while others dealt with scattered fires throughout the park. There was no way to stop the flames, but their hope was to keep the sparks out of the tops of the trees surrounding the cabins and keep the fire low.

So many of the green tall pine trees that swayed in the wind had been replaced with dead pines or stumps. But recovery is evident.

After hearing the firefighter's stories, we were ready to take in the rest of the park. Our tradition is to bike what we call the "loop"; Park Road 1A is about four miles in length, a challenging, hill-filled run that takes your breath away on the uphill's for the sheer climb and on the downhill's for the sheer beauty.

We begin our ride and our eyes focused on the devastation. One of our kids compared the scene of the park to the movie The Lion King, when Scar has taken over and the Pride Lands are desolate. So many of the green tall pine trees that swayed in the wind had been replaced with dead pines or stumps.

But recovery is evident. Hundreds of acres have been sprayed with hydromulch in an effort to stop erosion, and planting of more drought resistant pine trees begins in 2013.

The overlook where Park Road 1A and Park Road 1C meet gave us an incredible sense of the fire's path. The scene didn't bring sadness, as I had feared; I felt more happiness the park was saved — it has taken on a strange beauty, one that felt familiar because I was back in a place that has created so many memories for our family. As my husband said, it is our "new Bastrop."

We rode that loop several times throughout the weekend, we grilled hamburgers, we slid down hills covered with dry pine needles but mostly we enjoyed being together back in our little spot.

Our next reservation is already booked.

unspecified

High Score

Austin named the nation's pickleball capital in industry report

Photo by Henry Selis Photo

Other Racquet Social Club is back after city woes.

It's no secret that Austinites love pickleball. A new study proves just how much by ranking Austin the No. 1 city for pickleball in the whole country. Dallas and Houston also made the top 10 at Nos. 3 and 8, respectively.

The report was published by TeachMe.To, an online marketplace for learning sports (and sometimes music) from private instructors. It used data from its own platform, USA Pickleball, Places2Play, local pickleball associations, and more. It also referred to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), which named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America, with a growth rate of 223.5 percent over three years.

Similarly, TeachMe.To ranked Austin as the fastest-growing city for pickleball, and citing this as the main reason for the overall title of "the nation's pickleball capital."

It name-checked the Austin Metro Pickleball Association (AMPA) — with approximately 3,000-3,500 members — and the Austin Pickleball League (APL), estimating that overall, "15,000-20,000 people play pickleball at least occasionally in the greater Austin area." About half of those players — about 8,000-10,000 people — play at least twice a month.

The report did not include gender data on Austin, specifically, but it did note that not only are two-thirds of pickleball players female; women's involvement in the sport is also growing 50 percent faster than men's.

New courts everywhere
This probably isn't a surprise to people who have noticed the number of courts opened around Austin in recent years. By 2024, TeachMe.To's data shows 32 dedicated courts in Austin, and thanks to with a utility rate of 92 percent it doesn't look like that'll be slowing down.

In the summer of 2023, the online booking platform Swimply noticed how many pickleball courts there were in Austin compared to such great demand, and added courts to its service. In fall 2023 and summer 2024, at least two important developments expanded that availability: Other Racquet Social Club opened as a friendly, country club-like neighborhood option, and national chain The Picklr announced it's bringing five locations to Austin and Round Rock.

Perhaps because Austin is such a food-obsessed city, there seems to be some growing opportunity for food and beverage hospitality around pickleball, too. Other Racquet recently started hosting the Bill's Dips food truck, a spinoff of the popular downtown restaurant Bill's Oyster; and a pair of bars with pickleball courts, Drifters Social Coffee & Cocktails and The Pickle Pub, also opened in South Austin this year, with strong online ratings already.

The trend has even reached into real estate (see this cute house with its own pickleball court) and inspired athletes to introduce similar sports to the local market, as in the case of the padel club Paddle39. TeachMe.To's report also mentioned tech companies adding pickleball to their campuses.

Aside from growth, the study also considered lesson activity (including information about teacher availability and diversity of clinic offerings), infrastructure, community vitality, the tournament scene.

Austin had the highest concentration of all the cities of players under 40 (65 percent), as well as the highest share of national lesson bookings. At 16.90 percent, that means about one in six of the pickleball lessons contracted through this platform were in Austin. Lesson demand, the report says, is growing 125 percent year-over-year.

Elsewhere in Texas
Dallas was No. 3 thanks in part to its "central location" according to the report.

"The city's 45 dedicated courts and 85 [percent] public accessibility rate have fostered one of the most active competitive scenes in the country, with 8,500 registered league players," it says. "The combination of strong tournament presence, extensive infrastructure, and a 112% growth in lesson bookings solidifies Dallas as a powerhouse in the national pickleball landscape."

Houston made No. 8 with an emphasis on integrating pickleball with other sports.

"The city's 22 dedicated courts have seen a 92% increase in lesson bookings, driven by innovative programming that includes the nation's first corporate league system," it says. "Houston's success in integrating pickleball into existing sports infrastructure while maintaining 72% year-round utilization demonstrates a sustainable model for rapid growth."

Overall predictions
After laying out data about the top cities in pickleball, the report made some predictions. As the Austin newcomer mentioned above believes, the report also thinks padel is the next big thing. It also guesses more cities will act like Houston by focusing on hybrid facilities.

It also expects to see an expanded professional circuit and mainstream coverage, more technology used on the court, a rise in the prevalence of young players, and more opportunities in corporate wellness and real estate. "Dedicated pickleball facilities will become as common as swimming pools in luxury developments," it says. Texans will be the judge of that one.

pickleball lists