October 2022

By Ranger James

Construction at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park is moving along. We have reached a point that most of the underground utilities have been installed. This is no small feat in this terrain. As you can see from the photos, most of the installation involves either trenching or boring through solid rock.

"The Duck"

As I see the contractors toiling about placing all these lines it occurs to me that most of us, myself included, don’t typically consider all that goes into getting our utilities to us. We flip a switch and the light comes on, we turn on the faucet and water comes out, and when something goes down a drain it’s gone for good. We often take for granted all the things happening beneath the surface that allow us to enjoy the amenities we are accustomed to.

It’s not unlike the adage about the duck; if everything is calm on the surface, we don’t think about the legs going crazy below the waterline.

Beneath the Surface

In so many ways, these examples are similar to the operation of a Texas State Park.

Each park has office staff that keep the bills paid, maintenance staff that keep the facilities clean and functional, and Park Police to protect the people and the resources. Beyond that we are all supported by regional staff, division staff, and department wide staff that help make sure we are all equipped, outfitted and trained to perform our duties as best we can.

In general it is our goal that all of this is sort of out of sight and out of mind, but I’d like to propose a challenge. The next time you are at a park and the “duck” seems calm on the surface, take just a second to think about the “legs” going crazy beneath the water.

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