Comal White Water or More Blue Green
by: BJ Baker
White Water on the Comal river in Central Texas is more of of toobers
paradise than a rafter or kayaker's dreamland, but for a fun and relaxing
family adventure I highly recommend the trip. For the second time in
the last two years my family and I spent a few days partaking of fun,
water and sun in and around New Braunfels, Texas on the Comal and Guadalupe
rivers. Day one was spent on the Comal floating gently down the lazy
72 degree water from Prince Solms Park to the Rockin R take out. I have
always rented tubes from Rockin R for as long as I can remember Rockin
R claims to have been established in 1979, so maybe that first time
I went to Camp Warneke it wasn't called Rockin R, but it sure seems
it was on the same corner. Though Camp Warneke is no longer, the signs
along the river still point to a simpler time when multi-million dollar
water parks didn't dominate the landscape of New Braunfels.
Rockin R does a great job of shuttling around the huge qualities of
toobers in old airport rental car shuttles who enjoy the relaxing beer
soaked float down the Comal. Tubes can be rented with or without bottoms
and don't forget your cooler float. Ours came complete with a nice little
Texas flag painted on the front of our cooler.
Our first day on the Comal was later voted as the family favorite.
The relaxing float which started just above Prince Solms park in Landa
Park featured four trips through the tube hoot for my son and I. It
wasn't until the third trip through that I noticed that the park was
closed and there were No Trespassing signs everywhere. Opps! On the
forth trip the rest of the family finally braved the light rain having
waited out all the thunder, lighting and most of the heavy rain under
the large oaks on the shores of the Comal in Landa Park. To tell the
truth I was more than a little apprehensive this labor day weekend as
scattered thundershowers followed us the entire vacation. They say lighting
never strikes twice, but I wasn't in the mood to tempt fate as I was
shocked by a lighting surge the previous week working at my computer
with my hand resting on the mouse. My pinky may never be the same again.
Our first trip with the entire family down the Comal was as a classic.
Exciting start and a smooth, relaxing finish. The urban Comal River
is 2.5 mile in length and is one of the largest springs in Texas with
8 million gallons of water flowing through every hour. The water is
pure, clear and cold, and a constant 72 degrees. The calm cool waters
of the Comal in Landa Park are created by a small dam to the right of
which is the mild adrenaline rush of the dam's S shaped spillway called
the Prince Solms Park Tube Chute.
After the mild adventure of the tube chute at the start we had a incredible
day on the water given the fact that we only had two beers in the cooler.
A tactical mistake given the cases of beer that toobers consume during
the course of any given day on the Comal River in Texas. On a side note
the beer at the Rockin R was, lets say priced like a piece of plywood
in Florida this hurricane season on the black market.
At the end of our trip, Rockin R's exclusive exit was where our crew
and toobs were graciously hoisted from the water by the Rockin R staff.
At the top of the stairs our Rockin R cruise director asked of our future
intentions to float the river. The Rockin R will haul you from the finish
line to the start from sunup to sundown. The family decided to have
another go at the river after lunch. With tubes loaded in the trailer
our old rental car shuttles vinyl cover seats served as our latest venue
of relaxation. Several dads with water guns provided the entertainment
spraying innocent bikini clad women from the bus windows as we made
our way back to the Rockin R store on Liberty Street. The gang decided
on Pat's Place for some old fashion burgers and iced tea from mason
jars as the lunch de jour. After a satisfying meal and great service
our only compliant being they had no outdoor full service deck, we headed
over to the corner store to pick up some reasonably priced refreshments.
Having fully stocked the expedition, we took the shuttle back to our
starting point in Landa park. This time we all took the refreshing plunge
into the cool waters of the Comal quickly and rafted up for the descent
down the tube chute.
Our final trip through the tube chute stared the same as the last,
but my ten year-old daughter who was tied off with her grandmother broke
away and got caught up in the whirlpool action just behind the dam.
She couldn't get back across the main outflow of the spillway, and couldn't
grab the high bank wall to get back to the steps just behind the dam.
She made several attempts just below the park rangers un-watchful eyes
before I yelled and motioned to her to stay put in her tube. I waded
back upstream on the opposite bank and dove into the main current of
the tube chute which sent me rocketing across the river to the opposing
shore. As I neared the high concrete embankment, I jumped and grabbed
hold of the wall only to be swiftly washed off by an influx tubers and
the surge of water preceding them. Trying to keep my head above water
I got a very nice shin rash from the sharp concrete wall foundations
as I grabbed for the stair rails and my second attempt to get out of
the swift currents. Finally with a new found respect for the tame waters
of the Comal I headed up stream on the opposite bank to assist my daughter.
Having heeded my advise she was resting near the wall in a clam area
where the top of the wall was just out of her reach. Laying down she
handed me her tube and I pulled her out of the water for the brief trip
on the walkway back downstream. As I ambled, fairly exhausted, past
the park rangers I gave them the quizzical eye as if to say, “where
the hell where you.”
The remainder of the float downstream I was amazed at the stupidly
of jumping into the gushing confluence of the dam's spillway as I consumed
a refreshing Mexican import. Kids being kids, my son and I tried our
hand at standing on our tubes in the calmer and deeper sections of the
Comal as our thoughts turned toward our next adventure at the Texas
Ski Ranch.
What to Expect:
When you go to tube chute, on the Comal expect the ride to be swift,
you should wear water shoes or rafting sandals to protect your feet
from the concrete and uneven river bottom - the rocks and steps are
covered in algae and are slippery. You can go through the tube chute
as many times as you want and with a tube outfitter shuttle float the
Comal several times in a day. The tube chute is not recommended for
weak swimmers or children under 6. The remainder of the 2.5 mile river
is pure family enjoyment. The crowd can be load and rowdy at times including
some beer bong drinking college students in the shallows on long the
way. So be sure to avert the eyes if some beer drinking young lady should
flash the cheering crowds. You will be floating through the lush backyards
and urban parks in the town of New Braunfels, so if you need to exit
the river for any reason make sure you are not trespassing as the landowners
are not tolerant due the the aforementioned beer drinking crowds. The
Trip is a definite must do if in central Texas in August. On the up
side, this is not the Schlitterbahn, this is what inspired the Schlitterbahn.
My 14 year old son after a day at America's favorite water park (we
got waited in line for the MasterBlaster for 1:43 minutes starting at
10:26 am and we were off the ride at 12:11) and a day on the Guadalupe
pronounced the Comal his favorite.
For more information about family adventure travel visit
www.advenquest.com
- Website: http://www.advenquest.com
- About The Author - BJ Baker is an avid outdoor enthusiast who currently
resides in The Woodlands, Texas. As a child, BJ traveled the world with
his family on excursions to The Far East, including Japan, China, Bangkok
and other parts of South East Asia, as well as Canada, Europe, the Caribbean
and Latin America. Old fashion load up the Buick trips throughout most
of the USA and frequent trips west to the Rocky Mountains on snow skiing
trips have left an indelible impression on BJ. Still roving the world
and instilled with a love for travel and adventure, today BJ is the
owner of several adventure and travel websites. www.placestosleep.com,
www.vacationresorttravel.com,
www.advenquest.com, and www.snow-skiing.com.
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